MotoGP – The Australian Grand Prix 125 lap by lap –

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The Australian Grand Prix 125 lap by lap

MotoGP - The Australian Grand Prix 125 lap by lap -

With 36 points ahead of the overall standings, the French Mike di Meglio has never been so close to offering a fifth world title to all fans of French motorcycle racing … Between pressure and tricky weather, Magic Mike will know how to – he materialize ? Round by round !

Throughout the season, whether in the dry or in the wet, the young Toulouse rider Mike di Meglio managed the tour de force of winning against a horde of opponents determined to win the world crown in the spectacular category of eighths of a liter. Victorious in France (read), Catalonia (read) and Germany (read), the n ° 63 and his Derbi are nevertheless approaching this antepenultimate Grand Prix with growing pressure…

Zoom on …

The French prize list : since the creation of the world championship in 1949, only four drivers have been able to make the colors of France shine: Jean-Louis Tournadre in 1982 (250 cc), Christian Sarron in 1984 (250 cc), Olivier Jacque in 2000 ( 250 cc) and Arnaud Vincent 2002 (125 cc)…

After having given in under the pressure of a rampaging Corsi in San Marino (read) and accepted that mechanical hazards come to hinder access to the highest distinction of the category in the USA (read), Mike di Meglio showed responsiveness from the first tests at Phillip Island: widely leader in the championship, the Toulouse driver is aware that this race could well be the one that would open the doors to the very closed club of French world champions (see box opposite) !

Laid-back but more focused than ever, the 20-year-old driver takes the provisional pole on Friday on a wet and slippery track where many of his opponents are at fault. In front of Danny Webb, Michael Ranseder, Stefan Bradl, Esteve Rabat and Lorenzo Zanetti, Mike di Meglio immediately demonstrates his objective for this race disputed at the antipodes: to win !

Pole man for the second time in his career the next day on a dry track, the Derbi driver confirms and deals a moral blow to his closest opponent for the title, Simone Corsi. Only seventh on the starting grid (just ahead of Talmacsi), the Italian is nervous: uncomfortable on the Australian track, the Aprilia rider knows that if he finishes 6th in the race and that his opponent is imposes, his title hopes soar…

The race !

Departure : Bradley Smith had the best takeoff ahead of Andrea Iannone, Raffaele de Rosa, Nico Terol, Sandro Cortese, Marc Marquez and Mike di Meglio. While the second group was fighting at daggers drawn, the Englishman at n ° 38 fell at the head of the race in a straight approached a little wide.

Andrea Iannone regains de facto leadership ahead of Cortese, Marquez and di Meglio, chased by reigning world champion Gabor Talmacsi. The Frenchman’s teammate, Dominique Aegerter, in turn made a mistake in a fast right and his bike rolled over. At the start of the last left, the Toulouse attacker from the inside and overtakes him.

2nd round : Sandro Cortese gets rid of Iannone in the pit straight and Mike tries to do the same in the ultra fast first curve on the right: Iannone resists, but is forced to widen at the exit and the Derbi of di Meglio s ‘infiltrate immediately! Persistent, Gabor Talmacsi also overtakes the unfortunate Iannone and the Hungarian even tries to put the brakes on Mike di Meglio at the entrance of the next right !

The Toulouse driver resisted very well, while in 17th position Jules Cluzel clung to try to get into the points, followed in 20th position by Cyril Carrillo who made a very good start to the race! Alexis Masbou and his Loncin are 29th.

Easy, Mike di Meglio passes Cortese to a left: he becomes distracted and loses the front of his machine !

3rd and 4th rounds : Di Meglio and Talmacsi find themselves temporarily alone at the front of the race, while Iannone brings Marquez, Bradl and Gadea back into contact with the leaders. Simone Corsi is only in ninth place: virtually, "Magic Mike" is world champion! But the race is still long…

The three leading men have widened a slight gap, while Joan Olive passes Marquez and Gadea and is now aiming for Bradl, currently 4th! Iannone overtakes Talmacsi in the last corners, but the Hungarian is better placed to re-accelerate from the last left and his factory Aprilia has no trouble putting down that of n ° 29.

5th round : The I.C team rider hangs on and dives under the wheels of his rival in the first right! The three men precede Stefan Bradl, Joan Olive, Sergio Gadea, Marc Marquez, Scott Redding, Simone Corsi and Pol Espargaro. Jules Cluzel is holding on to his 17th position, while Federation driver Cyril Carrillo has lost two places and is now in 22nd place. Alexis Masbou suffered a slight fall and left.

Talmacsi regains the advantage over Iannone, but the guy resists and achieves superb braking in a straight downhill! The incessant overtaking between the two drivers is the business of Di Meglio who continues to prance in the lead, while his opponent for the title, Simone Corsi, has just lost one place and is tenth !

6th and 7th rounds : In the long straight line of the pits, Gabor Talmacsi makes speak the power of his official Aprilia and gets rid of Andrea Iannone. This one resists in the fast grand right, but n ° 1 closes the door: the Italian then changes lines at high speed, but nothing helps! Stefan Bradl takes the opportunity to pick up Iannone and Talmacsi, taking Joan Olive in his wake and – a little further – Sergio Gadea.

In his turn, the German of the Grizly team dislocates Iannone in the straight line, thereby giving Olive ideas: the official Derbi rider tries to dive under Iannone‘s wheels in the first straight, but the Italian slams him the door in the face !

8th and 9th rounds : The little Spaniard will repeat his maneuver from the next loop, but Iannone passes it again from the next left! Joan Olive then tangents around the approaching curve and finally taxes an Iannone who has sold her skin dearly! The two pilots precede Sergio Gadea who is struggling to keep up, while much further ahead, Scott Redding, Pol Espargaro and Stevie Bonsey are pulling the plug. !

Joan Olive brakes mid-track at the entrance to a right and the Spaniard overtakes Stefan Bradl. In front of Mike di Meglio has already taken a substantial lead over Talmacsi (1.9 seconds). Bradl reacts immediately and plays Olive again in the next sequence !

The hot Iberian tries to regain third place by delaying his braking at the exit of the pit straight, but Bradl conscientiously closes the door, and Olive is forced to pull away copiously at the entrance of the next left! Crushing to come back, the No.6 will finally overtake Bradl on Lucky Height braking !

10th and 11th laps : The German patiently waits for the return of the long straight to recover his third place, and the young winner of the Motegi race also brakes at a low bleeding Talmacsi, followed like his shadow by Olive who saw him- also the opening !

In front of the four men, Mik di Meglio manages his lead of more than three seconds already, well paneled by his team which sees the first hopes of the title appear with the current twelfth place of Corsi! Andrea Iannone remembers to everyone’s fond memories of taxing Talmacsi and Olive when braking the first right !

12th round : Mike di Meglio crosses the pit straight with 3.675 seconds ahead of Stefan Bradl and Joan Olive who has just passed Iannone under braking. The n ° 29 is again ahead of Talmacsi who seems to slow down as the race progresses: his recent scaphoid operation is certainly not unrelated to this loss of form..

The Hungarian nevertheless has 4.442 seconds ahead of Segio Gadea who continues to follow the leading group at a distance while keeping Bonsey, Rabat and Espargaro several cables away..

13th round : As in every lap now, the four men in pursuit of "Magic Mike" take a little less than a tenth by the French, but especially Joan Olive tries the braking on the man in front of him near the first fast right! The Spaniard tax Stefan Bradl, while Talmacsi waits for the second turn to overtake Iannone from the inside! Incredible fight for the podium !

A fight from which the young Joan Olive will not emerge unscathed: losing the back of his yellow and red Derbi on the verge of a rapid break, the pilot at number six soars very high and ends up in the grass! Fortunately, he got up immediately without apparent injuries and asked the marshals to help him restart his 125 single cylinder. !

14th and 15th rounds : Mike di Meglio ends this lap with a comfortable lead over Stefan Bradl, Andrea Iannone, Gabor Talmacsi, Sergio Gadea and Pol Espargaro. Simone Corsi is 7th, Redding 10th, Cortese 11th and the unfortunate Olive 12th.

Gabor Talmacsi comes back in contact with Iannone in the pit straight and passes him thanks to the suction phenomenon: struggling with all his might, Iannone brakes at the last moment and infiltrates under the wheels of the Hungarian in the first straight! The n ° 1 is slightly, surprised no doubt by the reactivity of his rival! The two men find themselves neck and neck in the fast break to the left and Talmacsi seems to gain the upper hand: Iannone is nevertheless better placed to tackle the braking of the next right and the n ° 29 turns in front of his rival !

Further behind, Espargaro still contains Marquez, Rabat and Corsi who do not seem to find the necessary respondent to pass his opponents and return to the leading group, in order to prevent his rival from being titled … Sergio Gadea returns to the pits , a priori on mechanical problems.

16th and 17th rounds : Mike di Meglio has 8.293 seconds ahead of Stefan Bradl who – in the current standings – recovers second place overall to the detriment of Simone Corsi. French and German precede Gabor Talmacsi, Andrea Iannone, Pol Espargaro, Marc Marquez, Esteve Rabat, Simone Corsi and Sandro Cortese.

18th and 19th laps : Six laps from the end of this Australian race, the French clan begins to trample: from his 8.5 seconds ahead of Bradl, Mike di Meglio is entering the history of motorcycle and safe sport error and / or breakage, the Toulouse driver rushes like a rocket towards his first world title !

Gabor Talmacsi had a good end of the race and gradually the Hungarian broke away from Iannone, to catch up with Bradl. Pol Espargaro still contains Marquez and Rabat at the cost of incredible braking, but Marc Marquez ends up finding the loophole near the first fast right! Disconcerted, the official Derbi lets Esteve Rabat pass him in stride !

20th round : Four laps from the final deliverance, the future 5th French world champion continues his solitary escape to the title that awaits him at the end of this Grand Prix disputed at the antipodes, focused on especially not to commit the irreparable…

Behind him, Stefan Bradl is definitely too far away to attempt anything on the regular, ahead of Talmacsi and Iannone who play cat and mouse. Joan Olive emerged under braking from the straight line and managed to take the lead of the group of four drivers !

More important for the title, Simone Corsi comes out of her torpor and will in turn bite into flap and Marquez under braking and here is the Italian sixth! If the n ° 24 still grabs a position, it will deprive – temporarily – di Meglio of his world crown! Certainly not taking these mathematical considerations into account, Marquez overflows Corsi a few curves further! Illico, the Repsol rider lets go of the Italian to wear the Espargaro saddle pad !

21st and 22nd laps : Mike di Meglio now has 10.362 seconds ahead of Bradl and now the Frenchman is only dependent on Simone Corsi’s result! The Italian is fighting tooth and nail with Olive, Marquez and Rabat, but the first two seem quicker on a lap.

Iannone and Talmacsi continue their terrible duel, behind Di Meglio and Bradl, but there a few seconds, the fight between the five pilots turns into a fight! Marquez managed to regain control of the group, ahead of Olive, Rabat and Corsi. The drivers are overtaking each other in all directions, inside and outside and the pressure of the last laps seems to transcend them !

Joan Olive tries braking on Marquez at the same time as Rabat and here are the three pilots in front at the entrance of a hairpin on the right! The Derbi rider is the quickest to dive and keep the rope, followed by Marquez, Rabat, Corsi and Cortese.

Last round : Mike di Meglio enters his last lap with a considerable lead, but without knowing what will happen at the end of this final loop: Olive, Marquez, Rabat and Corsi continue to fight like ragpickers and no one can rule on Corsi’s final position !

The French crossed the finish line in front of Stefan Bradl, Gabor Talmacsi and Andrea Iannone, while the group of enraged people came into the last corner: Olive turned widely in the lead followed by Rabat and Cortese. Marc Marquez comes out very wide in front of Simone Corsi, whom he strikes with his elbow – at the limit of the volunteer – at high speed, leaving the Italian in the grass! Simone Corsi does not cut and nevertheless manages to cross the finish line behind Marquez, but her ninth place final offers the first 125cc world title to her rival Mike di Meglio, six years after the coronation of Arnaud Vincent in the same category !

They are explained:

The mood of a world champion

"At the checkered flag, I didn’t know if I was World Champion or not and while stopping to retrieve a flag that a fan passed me, I saw ‘World Champion’ marked on TV, and I couldn’t believe it, I said to myself ‘it’s not possible’", explains di Meglio."It’s wonderful to be World Champion, and I thank everyone. This year we are World Champion, we all worked together, the team and Derbi, we all did a huge job, and I want to thank them again. At the moment I don’t have anything for next year yet, I had two difficult races in Misano and Indianapolis, so I think for my manager it’s going to be a little easier now. But hey, we’ll see. There are still two races left. I will try to give the maximum. It’s not because I’m World Champion that I don’t want to win anymore". Congratulations Mike !

Mike di Meglio (1st) : "I had an excellent race, I finished in first position in every practice session. The bike ran really well throughout the weekend, and was impeccable during the race. I absolutely did not slip. Thanks to my team, they worked a lot this year to get this result. I do not consider myself to be the World Champion yet, but I think I will realize tonight".

Stefan Bradl (2nd) : "Getting second place was very difficult today. I got off to a bad start and pushed a lot. Olive fell right in front of me and I was lucky not to follow him. Gabor and Iannone were with me and they were pretty quick, but my bike was good too. I widened the gap and held it, but had a little problem in the back and slipped a lot. Mike was the fastest all weekend, congratulations. I’m happy to have been on the podium five times in six races".

Gabor Talmacsi (3rd) : "First of all, congratulations to Mike and his team. I am very happy with my race, because I have never had a good result here! Today Iannone could pass me in all the brakes because of my wrist, so I used the suction to get to the podium. There are two races left, I will try to recover and I will not give up."

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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