If you think that the 2020 MotoGP championship season is pretty exciting, then yesterday’s round in Misano should take you over the top as Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took home his first-ever victory for the new season. Seven races so far and we already have six different race winners.
It was indeed a crash-fest for a lot of high-profile riders yesterday, from home crowd favourite, Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and even the one that had glory written all over him when he was leading the race, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing).
Conditions were indeed difficult for all riders in the field but Maverick Vinales managed to control his pace without making any big mistakes. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also had a good time battling for podium contention with one of the favourites to win this year’s crown, Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT).
That swiftly ended by the charging Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and his Suzuki GSX-RR who clearly had the better pace, which saw him crossing the chequered flag in second place. Fabio Quartararo followed suit in third, but thanks to a three-second time penalty for exceeding track limits (and not taking the long-lap penalty), the final podium spot was awarded to KTM’s Pol Espargaro.
Despite all the drama, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso still leads the championship even after finishing yesterday’s race in P8, but only by a single point at 84 points. Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales are tied with 83 points each, followed by Joan Mir with 80 points. Marc Marquez must be sitting at home enjoying all this telenovela-like drama.
