Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Edition

Global Global
Race report
Moto2 Phillip Island

Australia Moto2: Binder scores win, Marquez struggles

Brad Binder took a lights-to-flag win at Phillip Island ahead of Ajo KTM teammate Jorge Martin as Moto2 championship leader Alex Marquez struggled and finished only eighth.

Brad Binder, KTM Ajo

Binder made a better start than pole-sitter Jorge Navarro and led into Turn 1, with his teammate Martin also passing the Speed Up rider for second on the opening lap.

The Ajo duo then stayed first and second until the chequered flag with Binder claiming his third win of the season.

Only Navarro and Tom Luthi were able to stay with Binder and Martin in the first half of the race, but even they lost ground as the race came to a close.

Martin was able to keep up with Binder for the most part, at one point even looking stronger, but he never upset his championship-contending teammate's run before losing a bit of time in the end and finishing 1.9s adrift.

He still secured the best result of his rookie Moto2 season and stood on the podium for the second time in a row.

Luthi passed Navarro for the final podium position, the Intact GP rider remaining Marquez's closest title challenger, cutting the gap by eight points to 28.

Pons rider Lorenzo Baldassarri led a group of riders to secure fifth ahead of Remy Gardner (SAG Kalex) and Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM), who recovered from a long lap penalty - received for dive-bombing both Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap.

Marquez was fourth after the start but he spent the whole race coming under pressure from other riders and was overtaken by several rivals.

He was battling with Tetsuta Nagashima (SAG) for ninth but was eventually able to salvage eighth by passing Stefano Manzi (Forward MV Agusta) on the penultimate lap. Manzi and Nagashima completed the top 10.

Marquez's Marc VDS teammate Xavi Vierge crashed at Turn 14, while Somkiat Chantra took Dominique Aegerter out at the same corner.

With two races to go, five riders remain in the title battle, with Binder, Navarro, and 19th-place finisher Augusto Fernandez (Pons) sitting 33, 43 and 50 points respectively behind Marquez.

Cla Rider Bike Laps Time
1 South Africa Brad Binder KTM 25 -
2 Spain Jorge Martin KTM 25 01.968
3 Switzerland Thomas Luthi Kalex 25 06.021
4 Spain Jorge Navarro Speed Up 25 08.151
5 Italy Lorenzo Baldassarri Kalex 25 08.806
6 Australia Remy Gardner Kalex 25 08.955
7 Spain Iker Lecuona KTM 25 09.455
8 Spain Alex Marquez Kalex 25 10.055
9 Italy Stefano Manzi MV 25 10.699
10 Japan Tetsuta Nagashima Kalex 25 11.132
11 Germany Marcel Schrotter Kalex 25 14.353
12 Italy Nicolo Bulega Kalex 25 14.641
13 Switzerland Jesko Raffin NTS 25 18.541
14 Italy Fabio Di Giannantonio Speed Up 25 20.255
15 Netherlands Bo Bendsneyder NTS 25 29.238
16 United States Joe Roberts KTM 25 30.870
17 Italy Enea Bastianini Kalex 25 31.031
18 Italy Andrea Locatelli Kalex 25 31.764
19 Spain Augusto Fernandez Kalex 25 33.324
20 United Kingdom Sam Lowes Kalex 25 37.341
21 United Kingdom Jake Dixon KTM 25 37.392
22 Germany Philipp Ottl KTM 25 01'09.178
23 Malaysia Adam Norrodin Kalex 25 01'10.717
24 Germany Lukas Tulovic KTM 25 01'11.606
25 Andorra Xavi Cardelus KTM 25 01'12.066
26 Indonesia Dimas Ekky Pratama Kalex 25 01'21.622
27 Switzerland Dominique Aegerter MV 24 1 lap
  Thailand Somkiat Chantra Kalex 14 11 laps
  Spain Xavi Vierge Kalex 3 22 laps
  Italy Mattia Pasini Kalex 3 22 laps
  Italy Luca Marini Kalex 0 25 laps
  Italy Marco Bezzecchi KTM 0 25 laps

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Motegi Moto2: Marini passes Luthi for back-to-back wins
Next article Sepang Moto2: Marquez crowned champion as Binder wins

Top Comments

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Edition

Global Global