#AUSTRIALIANGP: DIGGIA ON THE PODIUM AS MARTIN EXTENDS LEAD
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit has witnessed an incredible Moto3 race in what was the 2018 edition of the Australian GP, which saw Fabio Di Giannantonio and Jorge Martin back in the driving seat after the double DNF at Motegi.
Despite a poor qualifying performance, Di Giannantonio found an unexpected podium finish; with today’s 20 points, not only he turns the page of the disappointing result of Japan, but also bounces back in contention for the world title, the Italian being only 20 points shy of leader Martin.
If Di Giananntonio had nothing to lose, the same cannot be said for Jorge Martin. The early retirement of Bezzecchi halfway through the race has forced the Spaniard to aim at scoring as many points as he could without throwing away such a great opportunity. His race was not drama-free however – the coming together with Vietti being the riskiest moment – but the rider #88 managed to keep it on two wheels.
With today’s fifth-place finish, Martin extends his championship lead to 12 points over his nearest rival. Meanwhile, Team Del Conca Gresini Moto3 clinch their first award of the season by winning the special world championship classification for teams with two races still to be contested after amassing a 92-point margin over the team of Bezzecchi and Kornfeil.
Martin da così solidità alla sua leadership con 12 lunghezze sul primo rivale, mentre arriva il primo obiettivo stagionale per il Team Del Conca Gresini Moto3, che nel magico scenario di Phillip Island si laurea Campione Del mondo per Team con due GP d’anticipo grazie ai 92 punti di vantaggio sul duo Bezzecchi-Kornfeil.
2nd– FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #21
“It was a tough race and honestly speaking at the beginning I wasn’t thinking about the podium, given the crash in Japan and the tumble on Friday. I was feeling good physically speaking, but not 100%. After making my way through the field and finding myself towards the front, I had to give it a go. This is a great podium finish that forces us to give our very best in the next two races and see what happens. We will be charged up heading to Malaysia: we will exploit our potential there as it’s a track I love; fitness condition will be crucial and I think I’ll be ready for it.”
5th– JORGE MARTIN #88
“What a crazy race! Honestly I think we did what we could: I wasn’t feeling good on the bike and I think we did something wrong with gearing. In any case we were able to be among the leading protagonists and now we hope to fix some issues before Malaysia, especially under braking. Sepang is a track I really love and one where I’ve always been strong: we will have our first match point there but we’ll keep focusing on winning the race and then we’ll see.”
