2019 MotoGP
Round Two – Argentina

Race Report / Results / Championship Points

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Marc Marquez took the holeshot from pole as Dovizioso pounced for second, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing out from the middle of the front row and Rossi leap-frogging his teammate. Marquez immediately pulled the pin to make a gap, with Rossi then soon attacking Dovizioso but the Ducati rider was holding firm.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was next to go on the offensive as he dived past the ‘Doctor’ but the move didn’t stick, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) getting past Viñales to tag onto the Australian. Chopping and changing, Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) was next to attack the number 12 Yamaha in the melee – before Miller took Rossi, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a stab at getting past the number 46 too.

It was a breathless tussle over the first two laps but one rider was then forced out of it: Crutchlow was given a Ride Through for jumping the start. That took him out of the battle as Dovi, Miller and Rossi found Morbidelli back on their tail and Rossi pounced on Dovizioso just as Morbidelli pounced on Miller in tandem. Spectacular though it was, it was shortlived as both Yamahas then headed wide and the ensuing shuffle reset the battle. Dovizioso and Rossi followed by Morbidelli, Petrucci, Miller and Viñales was the freight train fighting it out for the podium.

As the laps ticked on the Dovizioso-Rossi battle lit up and started to pull away from those behind. Dovizioso blasted down the straights, Rossi made the most of the Yamaha’s forte in the corners…the two trading positions at times but able to stay ahead of the battle that now included Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as he arrived on the scene from 16th on the grid.

As that raged on, the last lap was a relaxed one for Marquez at the front. The reigning Champion completed his stunning performance and took his first win of the year, but the battle for second stayed tense to the line.

Rossi lurked behind his prey for the first half of the lap, but at Turn 7 the ‘Doctor’ struck to perfection.

A block pass saw the Italian not only get past his compatriot but also create just enough of a gap to keep him ahead until the end; the result Rossi back on the podium for the first time since Sachsenring last season.

Dovizioso, meanwhile, although forced to settle for third, achieved his goal of getting on the podium at a track that usually proved tough for Ducati – and he’s only four points off Marquez in the Championship.

The fight for fourth saw Rins and Miller locked in battle and in the end it was the Australian who took the spoils, coming home in the same position as last year and as top Independent Team rider. Rins nevertheless took an incredible fifth after gaining 11 places, with Petrucci ultimately dropping into the clutches of Viñales and Morbidelli – and one last gasp of drama just around the corner for that trio.

Viñales attacked Petrucci, Petrucci held him off and the two Yamahas behind then came into contact, suddenly both on the floor and sliding out as the Ducati escaped for P6. That meant Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) got an even bigger reward for a quality race as the Japanese rider capitalised for seventh, with fast Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking P8 and coming home as top rookie. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took ninth and homed in on his pre-race goal of the top eight.

The battle to complete the top ten was another stunner. It was Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who won it and took the spoils, but the Spaniard had to do some serious looking over his shoulder for another KTM: that of rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider has been notable in 2019 so far, but less than two tenths off Espargaro and two-tenths off the top ten made quite an impression as he scored points for the first time.

The recovering Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) took P12, ahead of Crutchlow, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the points.

And that’s all she wrote in Argentina. Now it’s time for chapter three at COTA, traditionally Marquez territory. Can he rule the venue once again and increase his lead? Find out on the 14th April for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

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2019 MotoGP – Round Two – Argentina
Race Results

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1.	Marquez M.	Repsol Honda	41:43.688
2.	Rossi V.	Movistar Yamaha	+9.816
3.	Dovizioso A.	Ducati Team	+10.530
4.	Miller J.	Alma Pramac Racing	+12.140
5.	Rins A.	Team Suzuki Ecstar	+12.563
6.	Petrucci D.	Ducati Team	+13.750
7.	Nakagami T.	LCR Honda	+18.160
8.	Quartararo F.	Petronas Yamaha SRT	+20.403
9.	Espargaro A.	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+25.292
10.	Espargaro P.	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	+25.679
11.	Oliveira M.	KTM Tech3 Racing	+25.855
12.	Lorenzo J.	Repsol Honda	+27.497
13.	Crutchlow C.	LCR Honda	+31.398
14.	Bagnaia F.	Alma Pramac Racing	+32.893
15.	Zarco J.	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	+33.372
16.	Syahrin H.	KTM Tech3 Racing	+35.545
17.	Iannone A.	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+38.238
DNF	Vinales M.	Movistar Yamaha	DNF
DNF	Morbidelli F.	Petronas Yamaha SRT	DNF
DNF	Mir J.	Team Suzuki Ecstar	DNF
DNF	Abraham K.	Reale Avintia Racing	DNF
DNF	Rabat T.	Reale Avintia Racing	DNF

MotoGP Championship Points

Pos	Driver	Team	Points
1.	Marquez Marc	Repsol Honda Team	45
2.	Dovizioso Andrea	Ducati Team	41
3.	Rossi Valentino	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	31
4.	Rins Alex	Team Suzuki Ecstar	24
5.	Petrucci Danilo	Ducati Team	20
6.	Crutchlow Cal	LCR Honda	19
7.	Nakagami Takaaki	LCR Honda	16
8.	Miller Jack	Alma Pramac Racing	13
9.	Espargaro Aleix	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	13
10.	Espargaro Pol	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	10
11.	Vinales Maverick	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	9
12.	Quartararo Fabio	Petronas Yamaha SRT	8
13.	Mir Joan	Team Suzuki Ecstar	8
14.	Lorenzo Jorge	Repsol Honda Team	7
15.	Oliveira Miguel	KTM Tech3 Racing	5
16.	Morbidelli Franco	Petronas Yamaha SRT	5
17.	Iannone Andrea	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	2
18.	Bagnaia Francesco	Alma Pramac Racing	2
19.	Zarco Johann	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	2
20.	Syahrin Hafizh	KTM Tech3 Racing	0
21.	Abraham Karel	Reale Avintia Racing	0
22.	Rabat Tito	Reale Avintia Racing	0
23.	Smith Bradley	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	0

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Moto2

Baldassarri blasts clear of spectacular tussle at Termas

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) made it two from two in 2019 as he took victory at Termas de Rio Hondo, playing the waiting game and timing his attack to pull the pin to perfection in the latter stages. His closest competition came from early leader Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) as the Australian rode to a superb first podium, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) coming home third and elbows out throughout the race.

The first drama hit on the Warm Up lap as polesitter Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) suffered a technical problem and was forced to miss the start, with that leaving Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) the furthest forward and the German capitalising to lead Lap 1. Gardner was soon to strike, however, and the tone was almost immediately set as Schrötter attacked back but was held off by the Aussie.

The front group of Gardner, Schrötter, Marquez and Baldassarri had initially pulled out almost two seconds on the chasing pack but the four didn’t keep it tidy to try and pull away – it was all-out war. Each attack would either see immediate retaliation or a calculated move soon after to serve the rider ahead some payback, and the scenes were spectacular ones as the squabble stayed just about perfectly within the lines of brutal but fair.

Gardner remained the man ahead for much of the first half before Schrötter lunged again with 12 to go, his attack repelled but the German able to fight back and keep the lead. Marquez remained third and Baldassarri lurked in fourth, the Italian remaining an observer as seemed to wait it out and choose his moment.

Meanwhile just behind, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was on the charge. Starting to make some gains on the first group, the South African closed it down to half a second – and the war ahead raged on, Marquez taking over in second to chase down Schrötter.

With nine laps to go, however, Gardner hit back again and took second, and not long after Baldassarri made his first real move. The Italian sliced past Marquez into third before Gardner took the lead again, and then there was a ‘Baldattack’ on Schrötter to leave the Italian in second. The Jaws music began and with four laps to go Baldassarri finally attacked for the lead and Gardner ended up a little wide, slotting back in just ahead of Marquez. In the lead, though, Baldassarri then pulled the pin as Gardner harried Schrötter, and the Aussie was able to get past but the gap to the leader would ultimately prove too big.

Baldassarri crossed the line in clear air to stamp some more authority on the early part of the Championship, but the celebration just behind him was even bigger as Gardner finally took that first podium. So close in Qatar, the Aussie moves up to second overall in the standings as he broke his rostrum duck, and Marquez managed to emerge from the melee for a valuable P3.

Just behind that, Binder was still on a charge but the South African overcooked it when attacking Schrötter, forcing the German well wide, and that let past both Iker Lecuona (American Team KTM) and Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46). Binder got back past Marini before heading wide again, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider then attacked the Italian again on the last lap – and overcooked it again. Contact with Marini sent the him wide as Binder crossed the line in fifth just behind Lecuona, but that wasn’t all she wrote. After the race, the South African was penalised for irresponsible riding and demoted a place. So it’s Schrötter who is classified fifth, ahead of Binder, with Marini forced to settle for seventh.

Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) took P8 in a solid day’s work, ahead of a top ride from Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), who was top rookie once again. Not by much though, as a stunning charge from Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) saw the Thai rookie take his second top ten finish – the first having come in his sole Moto3™ appearance at Buriram last season. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team), Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), Khairul Idham Pawi (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and NTS RW Racing GP duo Bo Bendsneyder and replacement rider Jesko Raffin completed the points.

Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) was a crasher as he tagged the back of Binder early on, as fellow veteran Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) made a mistake at the exact same corner at the exact same time and also went down. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) suffered an issue with his arm and was unable to finish, having been on for the honour of top rookie after some impressive pace in Argentina.

Termas was another thriller but it’s advantage Baldassarri as we head for Austin. Can the Italian make it three from three? Find out on the 14th April!

2019 MotoGP – Round Two – Argentina
Moto2 Race Results

Pos	Team	Team	Laps
1.	Baldassarri L.	Pons HP40	39:46.000
2.	Gardner R.	SAG Team	+1.244
3.	Marquez A.	Estrella Galicia Marc VDS	+1.817
4.	Lecuona I.	SWI	+2.704
5.	Binder B.	Red Bull KTM Ajo	+4.707
6.	Schrotter M.	Dynavolt Intact GP	+4.839
7.	Marini L.	Sky Racing Team VR46	+4.986
8.	Navarro J.	+Ego Speed Up	+7.459
9.	Bastianini E.	Italtrans Racing Team	+8.724
10.	Chantra S.	Idemitsu Honda Team Asia	+14.506
11.	Locatelli A.	Italtrans Racing Team	+16.145
12.	Nagashima T.	SAG Team	+16.450
13.	Pawi K. I.	Petronas Sprinta Racing	+16.613
14.	Bendsneyder B.	NTS RW Racing GP	+23.007
15.	Raffin J.	NTS RW Racing GP	+24.736
16.	Bezzecchi M.	Red Bull KTM Tech3	+25.381
17.	Dixon J.	Angel Nieto Team	+41.684
18.	Tulovic L.	Kiefer Racing	+45.545
19.	Oettl P.	Red Bull KTM Tech3	+45.811
20.	Aegerter D.	Forward Racing Team	+56.934
21.	Cardelus X.	Angel Nieto Team	+1:07.765
22.	Roberts J.	SWI	+1:18.707
23.	Pratama D. E.	Idemitsu Honda Team Asia	+4 l.
DNF	Corsi S.	Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2	DNF
DNF	Martin J.	Red Bull KTM Ajo	DNF
DNF	Bulega N.	Sky Racing Team VR46	DNF
DNF	Di Giannantonio F.	+Ego Speed Up	DNF
DNF	Lowes S.	Federal Oil Gresini	DNF
DNF	Luthi T.	Dynavolt Intact GP	DNF
DNF	Manzi S.	Forward Racing Team	DNF
DNS	Vierge X.	Estrella Galicia Marc VDS	DNS
DNS	Fernandez A.	Pons HP40	DNS

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1	Baldassarri Lorenzo	Pons HP40	50
2	Gardner Remy	SAG Team	33
3	Schrotter Marcel	Dynavolt Intact GP	26
4	Marquez Alex	Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Team Moto2	25
5	Luthi Thomas	Dynavolt Intact GP	20
6	Marini Luca	Sky Racing Team VR46	17
7	Binder Brad	Red Bull KTM Ajo	15
8	Bastianini Enea	Italtrans Racing Team	14
9	Lecuona Iker	Swiss Innovative Investors	13
10	Fernandez Augusto	Pons HP40	11
11	Lowes Sam	Federal Oil Gresini Moto2	10
12	Navarro Jorge	+Ego Speed Up	8
13	Locatelli Andrea	Italtrans Racing Team	8
14	Vierge Xavi	Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Team Moto2	6
15	Chantra Somkiat	Idemitsu Honda Team Asia	6
16	Di Giannantonio Fabio	+Ego Speed Up	5
17	Nagashima Tetsuta	SAG Team	4
18	Pawi Khairul Idham	Petronas Sprinta Racing	3
19	Raffin Jesko	NTS RW Racing GP	3
20	Bendsneyder Bo	NTS RW Racing GP	2
21	Martin Jorge	Red Bull KTM Ajo	1
22	Bezzecchi Marco	Red Bull KTM Tech3	0
23	Dixon Jake	Angel Nieto Team	0
24	Aegerter Dominique	Forward Racing Team	0
25	Tulovic Lukas	Kiefer Racing	0
26	Oettl Philipp	Red Bull KTM Tech3	0
27	Corsi Simone	Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2	0
28	Manzi Stefano	Forward Racing Team	0
29	Cardelus Xavi	Angel Nieto Team	0
30	Roberts Joe	Swiss Innovative Investors	0
31	Pratama Dimas Ekky	Idemitsu Honda Team Asia	0
32	Bulega Nicolo	Sky Racing Team VR46	0

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Moto3

Masia masters Argentina for maiden Moto3 win

Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) took a stunning first win from his first pole position in the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, pitching it to perfection on the final lap to cross the line ahead of a stunning ride through the field for Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power), with Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers Team) completing the podium. It was the first visit to the rostrum for all three.

Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) took the holeshot from second on the grid as Masia slipped back a little from pole, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) initially challenging the two and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) getting feisty at the front of the group. Feisty was the word for much of the race and the first few laps were no different, with most of the field locked in a long freight train shuffling for position.

A duel for the lead between Canet and Antonelli early on looked like it could see the two men break away but it wasn’t to be, and with 17 laps to go Masia struck back to take the lead. With 15 to go it was home hero Gabriel Rodrigo’s (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) turn to do the same, but the action ramped up another notch as the group battled it out – and Binder began to make his presence felt as he moved up the order.

With 11 laps to go it was attrition more than pace that was slowly whittling down the riders in the front group. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) came together and they both went down, also pushing Qatar GP winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) wide and the Japanese rider left with a gap left to make up. Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) crashed out not long after too, but the freight train would soon gain back another carriage as rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) was able to tag on – and Toba pushed and pushed to try and make it back onto the group.

As the last few laps appeared, the number 27 had made up the gap and was back in contention. With such a huge group all squabbling, it was clear by crunch time that it wasn’t only a battle for the lead but still a battle for points: more than 15 riders were still tagged together hammering around Termas de Rio Hondo.

Heading over the line to begin the last lap, Binder held on at the front but he had Dalla Porta for close company and it wasn’t long until the Italian muscled his way past. As they thundered down to Turn 5 Rodrigo struck to make his own move for the lead and Binder then attacked Dalla Porta in the shuffle behind; the Italian forced a little wide. That was when Masia decided to strike taking over at the front through Turns 7 and 8 and ultimately not needing to look back. Keeping his cool, the Spaniard crossed the line for his first Grand Prix win and his first visit to the podium with just enough breathing space to avoid an attack from the chasing pack.

That wasn’t true of Rodrigo. Binder muscled through on the inside and the Argentinean suffered a huge wobble, somehow staying on but his podium hopes evaporating. The South African was able to complete his own fairytale race and take that second place and his first podium though, gaining a stunning 18 places from his starting position in the process. Arbolino, meanwhile, avoided the drama and swept through to take third and convert his top pace in preseason into a podium.

Antonelli took fourth after a solid race, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) concluding a quality Sunday with a top five finish and his best ever result in fifth. Rodrigo recovered from the last lap drama to take sixth ahead of another forced into a recovery as Dalla Porta crossed the line in P7. Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) – arguably the author of the move of the race as he managed a three-in-one overtake for the lead at one point – took eighth, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and a top class fight back from Qatar GP winner and Championship leader Kaito Toba.

Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai), Canet and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) locked out 11th to 13th, with the final points taken by rookie duo Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

Somewhat surprisingly, it was Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) who was the first of the freight train to miss out on points, the former Argentina GP winner taking P16, with rookie Ogura just behind him. But that’s it from a high octane Termas de Rio Hondo, with Toba still with a slim points lead as we head to the Circuit of the Americas in two weeks.

2019 MotoGP – Round Two – Argentina
Moto3 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1.	Masia J.	Bester Capital Dubai	38:54.562
2.	Binder D.	CIP Green Power	+0.108
3.	Arbolino T.	Snipers Team	+0.295
4.	Antonelli N.	SIC58 Squadra Corse	+0.386
5.	Sasaki A.	Petronas Sprinta Racing	+0.519
6.	Rodrigo G.	Kommerling Gresini Moto3	+0.550
7.	Dalla Porta L.	Leopard Racing	+0.588
8.	Foggia D.	Sky Racing Team VR46	+0.671
9.	Ramirez M.	Leopard Racing	+0.792
10.	Toba K.	Castrol Honda Team Asia	+1.280
11.	Migno A.	Bester Capital Dubai	+1.629
12.	Canet A.	Max Racing Team	+1.775
13.	Suzuki T.	SIC58 Squadra Corse	+1.836
14.	Vietti C.	Sky Racing Team VR46	+1.978
15.	Fernandez R.	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	+2.092
16.	Fenati R.	Snipers Team	+2.273
17.	Ogura A.	Castrol Honda Team Asia	+2.350
18.	Booth-Amos T.	CIP Green Power	+9.798
19.	Viu A.	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	+9.904
20.	Yurchenko M.	BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race	+10.136
21.	Mcphee J.	Petronas Sprinta Racing	+26.464
22.	Rossi R.	Kommerling Gresini Moto3	+27.044
23.	Masaki K.	BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race	+39.985
24.	Kornfeil J.	Redox PruestelGP	+40.177
25.	Salac F.	Redox PruestelGP	+58.474
26.	Oncu C.	Red Bull KTM Ajo	+1 l.
DNF	Lopez A.	Estrella Galicia 0,0	DNF
DNF	Perez V.	Reale Avintia Academy	DNF
DNS	Garcia S.	Estrella Galicia 0,0	DNS

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1	Toba Kaito	Castrol Honda Team Asia	31
2	Dalla Porta Lorenzo	Leopard Racing	29
3	Masia Jaume	Bester Capital Dubai	25
4	Antonelli Niccolo	SIC58 Squadra Corse	21
5	Binder Darryn	CIP Green Power	20
6	Canet Aron	Max Racing Team	20
7	Ramirez Marcos	Leopard Racing	20
8	Arbolino Tony	Snipers Team	16
9	Vietti Celestino	Sky Racing Team VR46	13
10	Sasaki Ayumu	Petronas Sprinta Racing	11
11	Rodrigo Gabriel	Kommerling Gresini Moto3	11
12	Arenas Albert	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	10
13	Fernandez Raul	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	10
14	Foggia Dennis	Sky Racing Team VR46	8
15	Fenati Romano	Snipers Team	7
16	Migno Andrea	Bester Capital Dubai	7
17	Kornfeil Jakub	Redox PruestelGP	6
18	Ogura Ai	Castrol Honda Team Asia	5
19	Lopez Alonso	Estrella Galicia 0,0	4
20	Mcphee John	Petronas Sprinta Racing	3
21	Suzuki Tatsuki	SIC58 Squadra Corse	3
22	Perez Vicente	Reale Avintia Academy	0
23	Booth-Amos Tom	CIP Green Power	0
24	Oncu Can	Red Bull KTM Ajo	0
25	Masaki Kazuki	BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race	0
26	Viu Aleix	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	0
27	Yurchenko Makar	BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race	0
28	Yamanaka Ryusei	Estrella Galicia 0,0	0
29	Salac Filip	Redox PruestelGP	0
30	Rossi Riccardo	Kommerling Gresini Moto3	0

Source: MCNews.com.au