Andrea Dovizioso riding the Ducati missile won the third race of this season after an epic battle with Marc Marquez. This race would certainly become one of those gems in the likes of Laguna Seca 2008 or Catalunya 2009. Marc Marquez finished in a close second place after trying it all in the last corner. Dani Pedrosa completes the podium, making it his 7th visit in 9 races. As the lights went out at the RedBull Ring, it was Jorge Lorenzo who took the lead from Marquez. Viñales also ran wide at Turn 1, allowing Lorenzo in. It was Lorenzo, Marquez, Dovizioso, Zarco, Rossi and Viñales at the front fighting closely without much of a gap. Jorge Lorenzo as usual began to drop off and was passed easily by both Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso.
Zarco and Rossi then put up a tight battle, which resulted in Rossi going in too hot at Turn 1 allowing both Zarco and Viñales to peek in. Meanwhile Dani Pedrosa hammered down to catch the lead group, and was seen at P3. Marquez at the front had his intentions clear, as he made a blistering move to pass Dovi at turn 7 using the maximum of his corner speed.
It was not the end, as Dovi lined up Marquez to attack. The last corner in the last lap saw Dovizioso and Marquez in a battle similar to Catalunya 2009, but this time the front runner closing the door shut. This last lap will be recorded as one of the bests in years to come. With Dovi, Marc and Dani completing the podium, Jorge Lorenzo came home at P4 which would be a huge confident boost.
*** Dovi and Marc have all smiles after a tough battle
Johann Zarco finished at P5, followed by Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi at P6 and P7 respectively. Alvaro Baustita and Loris Baz were both impressive finishing inside the top 10. KTM Factory test rider Mika Kallio made a wildcard entry and finished at a very competitive P10. Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding complete the top 12 of the points table. Aleix Espargaro, Karel Abraham and Cal Crutchlow finish at point scoring positions. Jack Miller crashed at the end of lap 9, while Jonas Folger and Pol Espargaro suffered mechanical failures.
The grid now moves to Great Britain in two weeks time, for the British GP at the legendary Silverstone circuit. Meanwhile, stay tuned to BikesMedia for further updates on the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.
By: Aravind Rb