Jack Miller earns second-ever MotoGP win at sunny Jerez

Fabio Quartararo’s loss was Ducati’s Jack Miller’s gain when the Factory Yamaha rider relinquished a commanding 1.6-second lead after being struck by arm pump at the half-way point of the 25-lap Spanish Grand Prix.

The Australian took the holeshot and led the race for the first four laps while pole-man Quartararo picked his way through from fourth after being swallowed up at the first corner. Quartararo used the superior mid-corner agility of the Yamaha to slip past the Aussie at the start of the fifth lap and, like he did in the Portuguese GP, put his head down and reeled off quick laps to eke out a 1.4-second lead over Miller by half race distance.

“I didn’t think he’d come back to me, he did, and I knew if I could keep my head down and punch out the laps without making any mistakes…it’s indescribable what I’m feeling right now,” said a very emotional Miller at the end of the race.

And that’s exactly what the Australian did to take his second premier-class victory five years after winning the 2016 Dutch TT, and his ever first dry-weather win. With five or so laps to go, it looked as if his factory Ducati teammate Pecco Bagnaia might challenge him for the top step after the hard-charging Italian took Quartararo for second place with eight laps to go. Franco Morbidelli rode his two-year-old Yamaha YZF-M1 to a very impressive third place, describing his podium placing as ‘like a victory’ saying he was over the limit all race to achieve his result.

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Behind him, LCR Honda rider Taka Nakagami found great pace late in the race and was lapping half a second quicker than the race leaders, he finished fourth ahead of Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) and Aleix Espargaro who equalled his best-ever Aprilia finish in sixth. Maverick Vinales (Monster Yamaha) was seventh ahead of Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) who got a terrible start off the second row of the grid and was forced to fight his way back through the field. Repsol Honda teammates of Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro rounded out the top 10, while Quartararo ended up a disappointing and evidently painful 13th.

Alex Marquez’s (LCR Honda) woes continued for the 2021 season we he crashed out on just the opening lap, while Brad Binder tipped off his Red Bull KTM shortly after and remounted, only to crash again in the later stages of the race. Suzuki’s Alex Rins’ podium hopes were dashed when he ran wide at turn six early on and slipped off his GSX-RR, he remounted and finished the race in 20th place and last, Enea Bastianini (Avintia Ducati) was the other faller.

It left Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati) as the top rookie in 16th, he crossed the line almost two seconds clear of his half-brother Valentino Rossi on his SRT Petronas-branded factory Yamaha.

The result puts Pecco Bagnaia at the top of the title chase on 66 points, two points clear of Quartararo and 16 in front of Maverick Vinales (50). Reigning world champ Joan Mir (49) moves up one spot to fourth, while Zarco drops one to fifth on 48 points. Miller (39) sits in sixth ahead of Aleix Espargaro (35), Franco Morbidelli (33), Alex Rins (23) and Brad Binder (21) in tenth.

Fabio di Giannantonio’s first-ever Moto2 victory was a flag-to-flag affair after starting from the middle of the front row. Aussie Remy Gardner put his Red Bull KTM on pole position after setting a new lap record in FP3, but ended the race in fourth, the first time this season he’s finished off the podium but a strong enough result to keep him at the top of the standings.

With six laps to go, Marco Bezzechi took Gardner’s teammate Raul Fernandez for second place and he held his position to the line to score his first podium this season, and while it looked like Gardner was also lining up a move on his rookie teammate, the Aussie ran wide which let title rival Sam Lowes (Marc VDS) through.

With a handful laps to go, Fernandez had little left in the way of grip and he ran wide into turn six on the penultimate lap which let both Lowes and Gardner through. Gardner started the last lap four tenths down on Lowes, but the Aussie kept a level head and settled for the points instead of risking a move on the British rider.

It means Gardner (69) heads to the fifth round with a three-point buffer to Lowes (66), who in turn sits three points ahead of Fernandez (63). Marco Bezzechi is in fourth ahead of 56 ahead of Di Giannantonio on 52.

At 16 years old, Moto3 rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM) became the youngest rider ever to celebrate three wins in a row and the first rider in history to stand on the podium in his first four races.

From 13th on the grid, the Spaniard won a thrilling last-lap battle to take the historic victory nearly half a second ahead of far more experienced Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Indonesian Racing Gresini Team’s Jeremy Alcoba.

The victory puts Acosta firmly in charge of the title chase on 95 points, 51 clear of Niccolo Antonelli’s 44, and 53 points clear of Andrea Migno’s 42. Fenati moves into fourth on 40 points ahead of Jaume Masia (39) in fifth.

The series moves to France for the fifth round held at the Le Mans Circuit over 14-16 May.