With the title under his belt it was a more relaxed Marc Marquez that lined up on pole at Phillip Island. But who was that in second? An amazing qualifying by Cal saw him next to Marc on the front row! Could we see the Brit get a good result?
A cracking start saw Bradley Smith right up with Lorenzo and Marquez while Cal dropped back. A bit of wild riding by Bradley saw him drop places to his team mate and Valentino Rossi, while at the front Marquez and Lorenzo were making good their escape. Could Jorge stick with Marc?
After Honda dominance a Yamaha clean sweep
Within a few laps the race was effectively over as Marquez had a second lead, but the battle between Rossi and Lorenzo provided loads of mid-race entertainment! Fair play to Rossi, he has certainly had a hell of a season and has outshone his team mate for most of it. But then the unthinkable happened again, Marc fell off! Fingers of suspicion were pointed at the asymmetric front tyre, but the fans were jumping with joy at the fact Rossi was now leading the way! And Cal was in third and catching Lorenzo!
Five laps to go and Cal easily slipped past Lorenzo, could he also catch Rossi? Six seconds was a hell of a gap, but you never know... In the end Rossi took the win in his 250th GP, Cal hurled it on the last lap, gifting Lorenzo second and Bradders third!
The Moto2 race was all about if Rabat could put 12 points on his team mate Kalio to take the title with two rounds to spare, something he made tricky for himself when he ran wide on the first lap! Having taken the lead, Kalio was doing his best to clear off but who was that in second spot? Sam Lowes! The Brit looked bang on form in Australia and started to challenge Kalio for the lead. Sadly for Kalio, it didn't take Rabat long to recover from his earlier mistake and he was soon in the leading pack of five. With Vinales clear for the win, the last lap excitement was between Kalio and Rabat as they fought for second spot with Luthi. In the end Rabat beat his teammate, but not by enough to secure the title at this round. Sam Lowes finished an excellent fifth.
Not a bad way to celebrate your 250th GP
Moto3 and could Danny Kent and John McPhee repeat their heroics of the last round? A mid-race crash briefly dropped the Brit pair from the leading pack as they were forced to lift off, but they soon recovered and a mental Moto3 race saw nine riders entering the last few lap with a shout of a win, until a flurry of crashes that claimed Kent reduced this to six, including McPhee. A determined Miller looked like he was in do or die mood and somehow managed to overcome his KTM's lack of top-end speed to take a thoroughly deserved win. McPhee finished fifth.
The British Superbike championship's climax turned into a bit of a damp squib when Kiyo broke his collarbone in practice, handing his fourth BSB title to Shane Byrne. A lot of fans were rooting for Kiyo to take BMW's first BSB title and the Hawk squad, who are a great bunch, really deserved better than this sad finale. Never mind, that's racing, congratulations to Shakey and Kawasaki.
MotoGP
1. Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP)
2. Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP)
3. Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3)
Moto2
1. Vinales (Paginas Amarillas HP40)
2. Luthi (Interwetten Sitag)
3. Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team)
Moto3
1. Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo)
2. Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0)
3. Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0)
Brit watch
Cal Crutchlow (MotoGP) - DNF
Bradley Smith (MotoGP) - 4
Michael Laverty (MotoGP) - 13
Scott Redding (MotoGP) - 7
Sam Lowes (Moto2) - 5
Gino Rea - (Moto2) - 21
John McPhee (Moto3) - 5
Danny Kent (Moto3) - DNF