MotoGP 2018 QatarGP: Dovizioso wins the Season Opener

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   Apr 12,2022
       

Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso took victory in a closely-fought first MotoGP race of the 2018 season in Qatar by just 0.027s clear of reigning champion Marc Marquez

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Dovizioso and Marquez formed part of a 10-bike queue that headed the field for much of the race, with poleman Johann Zarco converting pole position into an early lead aboard the Tech 3 Yamaha.

It wasn't until lap 18 of 22 that Dovizioso and Marquez finally made their moves, both passing Zarco at Turn 1 and quickly distancing the Frenchman to engage in their own private duel for victory.

In scenes reminiscent of their battles last year in Austria and Japan, the two 2017 title protagonists ran nose to tail for the final laps, with Marquez attempting a pass at the final corner on the last lap.

But Dovizioso managed to edge back ahead exiting the turn, getting superior traction and out dragging Marquez to the finish line by the tiny margin of 0.027s for his ninth career MotoGP victory.

Seven-tenths behind the lead duo was Valentino Rossi, who passed Zarco on the same lap as Dovizioso and Marquez but could not manage to keep up the pace in the closing laps of the race.

Cal Crutchlow was fourth on the LCR Honda, a further two seconds behind, ahead of Danilo Petrucci's Pramac Ducati. Both had been part of the leading group bottled up behind Zarco, but the extra lap they took to clear the satellite Yamaha allowed the leading three to escape.

Zarco ended up slumping to eighth at the finish, losing out to the second works Yamaha of Maverick Vinales and the second factory Honda of Dani Pedrosa in the latter stages.

Position Rider Number Rider Bike Timings
4  Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 42'34.654
93  Marc Marquez Honda 0.027
46  Valentino Rossi Yamaha 0.797
35  Cal Crutchlow Honda 2.881
9  Danilo Petrucci Ducati 3.821
25  Maverick Vinales Yamaha 3.888
26  Dani Pedrosa Honda 4.621
5  Johann Zarco Yamaha 7.112
29  Andrea Iannone Suzuki 12.957
10  43  Jack Miller Ducati 14.594
11  53  Tito Rabat Ducati 15.181
12  21  Franco Morbidelli Honda 16.274
13  19  Alvaro Bautista Ducati 19.788
14  55  Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 20.299
15  17  Karel Abraham Ducati 23.287
16  12  Thomas Luthi Honda 24.189
17  30  Takaaki Nakagami Honda 24.554
18  38  Bradley Smith KTM 31.704
19  41  Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 34.712
20  45  Scott Redding Aprilia 37.641
21  10  Xavier Simeon Ducati 46.706
Ret  44  Pol Espargaro KTM -
Ret  42  Alex Rins Suzuki
Ret  99  Jorge Lorenzo Ducati

Image courtesy: Autosport.com

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