Spoilers ahead!
2018 MotoGP Argentina – Carnage in Argentina!
It’s Miller time!
It’s here! The second round of the 2018 MotoGP series has begun, and we were treated to one of the best races that I have ever borne witness to. With equal parts anger, confusion and celebration, let’s dive into the 2018 MotoGP Argentina.
Starting from way up on the grid, the Australian Jack Miller, who set blistering times in qualifying to land himself in pole position. On a miserable, damp track and on slick tyres no less, Jack ‘Jackass’ Miller seems poised and ready for the ride of his life.
Just as the race is due to start, Marc Marquez hops off his Repsol Honda and attempts to bumps start his bike! Marquez is clearly seen being instructed by a race official to make a start from pit lane for this mistake. However, Marquez appears to ignore race officials and heads back to his grid spot. Confusion can be seen as other riders shake heads, wondering what is going on. Nevertheless, the race start takes place and Jack Miller immediately sinks into the first corner and begins his well-deserved lead after his performance in qualifying.
Great starts from the likes of Dani Pedrosa, Johann Zarco, Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow who all dive into the corners, making the most of the what little grip is available on this damp track. Many riders running wide in sector 1 as the position shuffling takes place. Many being forced to sit up out of the corners after sliding on the standing water still present around the track.
Our first casualty comes before the first lap is even over; Johann Zarco’s attempts to hold on with Miller, Marquez and Pedrosa costs Dani Pedrosa the race. A touch between the Repsol Honda and Tech-3 Yamaha forces Pedrosa wide, ultimately high-siding Dani over the bars in a painful looking crash. We hope you’re OK Dani!
As Marc Marquez continues with his usual blistering pace, he overtakes Jack Miller and begins to make his lead as we’ve seen him do many times before. Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow chomp at Miller’s heels while Tito Rabat is having a brilliant ride in 6th place, followed by 2018 Qatar winner Dovizioso.
As we see the tagline at the bottom of our screens letting us know about Marquez’s questionable grid antics, we wait with baited breath. Marquez is to carry out a ride through pit lane as sanction for ‘riding opposite direction during race start procedure’. This can’t have comes a surprise to Marquez, who knows the rules just as well as every other rider. His decision to ignore officials has cost him big. After his embarrassing ride through pit lane, Marc Marquez reappears in 19th place while Jack Miller resumes his role as race leader of the 2018 MotoGP Argentina.
Arrogant Marquez
As the race unfolds at the front with Miller, Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow, drama is unfolding at the back of the pack too! A combination of frustration and desperation forces Marc Marquez to begin making some very questionable moves. With 15 laps to go, Marquez is surely catching up to Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia. The number 93 Honda lunges deep into a turn 12, making contact with the Aprilia and forcing Aleix out wide! I can’t believe what I’m witnessing! Marquez bullying riders out of their race lines! A brief hand up as an apology from Marquez and he carries on. At the start of the next lap, Marc Marquez is instructed via his onboard dashboard to drop a position due to his behaviour, relinquishing 15th place to Franco Morbidelli.
A dim weekend for the Movistar Yamaha boys as Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi sit in 6th and 7th behind the Ducati of Dovizioso in 5th place with 12 laps to go. Jack Miller’s lead is vanishing at an ever more rapid rate. Alex Rins slip-streams behind him, waiting on a moment to captialise on his fantastic race pace on the Suzuki. Alex Rins does taste the 1st place feeling, but runs wide and allows Miller to return to the front. This doesn’t last for long as Rins dives back underneath, moving into first place at the 2018 MotoGP Argentina… for now.
A big mistake from Rins drops him from 1st to 4th in the blink of eye! Miller, Crutchlow, Zarco and Rins make up the top 4 with 7 laps to go. Crutchlow continues to pick up the pace, refusing to run out of steam even as his rear tyre spins and disintegrates beneath him. Meanwhile, Marquez has overtaken Dovi to move up into 6th place behind Valentino Rossi. Considering his penalties, he may well make it into the top 5 of this race before its over!
Miller makes a fatal mistake at the front, allowing Crutchlow to dive underneath and take the lead! Go on Cal! ‘Ave it! He’s not the only one as Zarco and Rins easily slip through. It’s cost Jack Miller big but with crumbling tyres, he’s not quite out of the podium running yet!
The Doctor in the dirt!
Marc Marquez is all the while closing in from the back. He’s angry and frustrated and you can’t help but feel disappointed for him. What happens next though is completely inexcusable! Having already been penalised for barging into Aleix Espargaro earlier in the race, Marc Marquez continues in the same manner, diving into the corner and colliding with Valentino Rossi! This forces both riders way out wide resulting in the Doctor being forced onto the wet grass and falling from his Yamaha M1. Another collision caused by Marquez. The Rossi fans in the crowd cannot believe it! How can Marquez be allowed to continue? Rossi picks up his bike and bump starts it with the aid from race marshals, beginning his race again in 19th place.
Meanwhile, Zarco has slipped through Cal Crutchlow to claim first place position, while Rins is biding his time in third. The soft front tyre on the Tech-3 Yamaha may prove a problem for Zarco but only time will tell. It’s difficult for these three riders, given how much they all want the win but how little grip is left in these battered tyres.
With just two laps to go, Crutchlow dives through on Zarco and shuts the door, pushing on into first place and trying to build up his lead. Crutchlow puts in his fastest lap of the race as he leads into the last lap. Zarco sits on his tyre, slip streaming eagerly behind and waiting for the opportunity. He fails to get past Crutchlow and Cal screams across the line on the LCR Honda! A British win in Argentina! What a performance from Cal and a well deserved win at the 2018 MotoGP Argentina!
The Aftermath
Marquez is given a thirty second penalty for his collision with Rossi, pushing him to 18th place. Later scenes show Marc heading to Rossi’s paddock, presumably to apologise. Rossi is nowhere to be seen, however Rossi’s good friend Uccio confronts Marquez and tells him to do one, or words to such effect. Reactions from fans afterwards accuse Rossi of being childish and not accepting the apology. To be honest, if I’d been trying to keep my head down and finish the race to stay in the points and been wiped out through no fault of my own, I wouldn’t want to talk to Marquez either. I know in my previous blog from the 2018 Qatar race, I said I enjoyed watching Marquez’s last minute lunges. This was too much. Unnecessary, dangerous, arrogant and uncontrolled. Marquez needs to change his attitude going into Austin, Texas and every other race henceforth.
It’s a real shame that Marquez’s brutal performance and multiple penalties has overshadowed a fantastic victory from Cal Crutchlow. The LCR Honda man put in a fantastic performance with great pace, tyre conservation and calculated overtaking to take the top spot at the 2018 MotoGP Argentina. Well done, Mr Crutchlow! You’ve done yourself proud!
Top Ten:
1: Crutchlow
2: Zarco
3: Rins
4: Miller
5: Vinales
6: Dovisioso
7: Rabat
8: Iannone
9: Syahrin
10: Petrucci
All images courtesy of motogp.com
