Alex Marquez leads overall standings by 20 points from racewinner Jack Miller. Rins holds third position in the class, 41 points behind Marquez.
The Moto3 race held today at Phillip Island was exciting and spectacular. The three major players in this intense season –Repsol duo Alex Rins and Alex Marquez, along with Australian Jack Miller– put on a show for the fans with a great battle at the front.
The race developed, as everyone had predicted, with a large group at the head of the field. Eleven riders took their turn at the front of the pack, as numerous overtaking moves changed the order repeatedly. The group was reduced to nine by the final lap. With four laps to go, Marquez dropped to ninth, but was able to recover positions and contest the victory with Miller and Rins on the last lap. Finally the home rider emerged victorious, followed across the line by Marquez and Rins. The top three were separated by just 0.032s.
After this race 50 points remain in play, and Marquez holds a 20-point lead in the overall standings from Jack Miller. Rins is now 41 points behind his teammate. Next weekend, the penultimate round of the 2014 season takes place in Malaysia.
Alex Rins >> Audio
3rd to 0.032 Sec.
“It was a very difficult race with lots of overtaking, and I’ve learned from today. I’m not entirely satisfied with third place, because I could have done better. I knew that on the last corner we were getting swallowed up, so I tried to latch onto Miller to pass on the straight. In the end that happened to me and others got past me. Now we head to Malaysia with virtually no rest in between, and there we will go for it”.
Alex Marquez >> Audio
2nd to 0.029 Sec.
“Today we took 20 very important points. It was a very difficult race, in which I tried to set my pace from the start. Both Rins and I were superior today in that aspect. However, with 3 laps to go I had a problem and dropped to ninth, although I was able to recover. I am satisfied with the strategy I chose; perhaps on the last lap I lacked some decisiveness, but I’m happy with the outcome and with the work of the team. We will go to Malaysia with the same mentality: To try to work as we have done here”.
