Yes, you read it right! The 16th round of the Moto GP calendar saw the race taking part first than the Sprint, as Weather conditions saw possible big rains for tomorrow, so the main event could take place on better track conditions.

It was a contested qualy session for both championship contenders, as Jorge Martin went flying on track and snatch pole position, meanwhile Pecco Bagnaia closed the front row with a solid 3rd , as Brad Binder went between them as runner up.

Qualy results:

1. Jorge Martin /// 2. Brad Binder /// 3. Francesco Bagnaia
4. Aleix Espargaro /// 5. Johann Zarco /// 6. Fabio Di Giannantonio
7. Marc Marquez /// 8. Jack Miller /// 9. Maverick Viñales
10. Marco Bezzecchi /// 11. Pol Espargaro /// 12. Enea Bastianini
13. Alex Márquez /// 14. Raul Fernandez /// 15. Joan Mir
16. Fabio Quartararo /// 17. Augusto Fernandez /// 18. Luca Marini
19. Miguel Oliveira /// 20. Franco Morbidelli /// 21. Takaaki Nakagami

Riders took their place on the grid, with the lights going off and the race was underway. All top 3 riders kept their respective spots on the first lap of the race, as Fabio Di Giannantoino, Johann Zarco, Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez were following behind.

Gaps were starting to develop, as Martin was taking a second gap ahead of Brad Binder, meanwhile Fabio Di Giannantoino was provisional 3rd. Big battle for 5th between Marquez and Zarco was occurring in the meantime, as Aleix Espargaro was also joining in the mix.

Laps were passing and Martin was increasing the gap space, with more than 2 seconds of difference with Binder. Meanwhile the first racing incident happened on track, as Joan Mir found the gravel after a contact, Augusto Fernandez would follow up a couple of laps later. Some riders were losing the pace, as Marc Marquez was now 9th after a couple of laps; Some others, like Johann Zarco, were climbing at the standings, as the frenchman was able to overtake Francesco Bagnaia for 4th.

Big battles were quickly happening, as now Brad Binder and Fabio Di Giannantoino were in a dispute for 2nd place, as Jorge Martin looked far ahead, with a +3 seconds gap as race leader. It looked like the Spaniard had it in the bag, but things were soon unraveling for the Pramac rider.

Massive battles for 2nd and 3rd in the meantime, as Binder attempted to recover 2nd spot and Zarco finally overtook Bagnaia for the provisional podium, as drama develops up front. Jorge Martin was quickly losing the pace on his bike, as the tyres quickly faded away, with 2 laps to go, the Pramac rider was caught and quickly demoted to 5th place, as the Spaniard saw his title’s hopes take a big blow.

As a Pramac rider fell on the standings, another one was able to take advantage of the circumstances, as Johann Zarco quickly overtook both Brad Binder and Fabio Di Giannantoino and saw himself leading the race, as the French rider was able to hold the lead from Francesco Bagnaia, the Pramac rider saw the chequered flag and gets his maiden win on the premier class. Big results for Francesco Bagnaia as the Ducati rider extends the lead in the championship standing, with Fabio Di Giannantoino getting his first premier class podium, a must needed result for a rider that doesn’t have a secured seat for next season.

Race results:

1. Johann Zarco/// 2. Francesco Bagnaia /// 3. Fabio Di Giannantoino
4. Brad Binder /// 5. Jorge Martin /// 6. Marco Bezzecchi
7. Jack Miller /// 8. Aleix Espargaro /// 9. Alex Marquez
10. Enea Bastianini /// 11. Maverick Viñales /// 12. Luca Marini
13. Miguel Oliveira /// 14. Fabio Quatararo /// 15. Marc Marquez
16. Raul Fernandez /// 17. Franco Morbidelli /// 18. Pol Espargaro
19. Takaaki Nakagami

DNF: Augusto Fernandez, Joan Mir

A thriller at Phillip Island that saw Johann Zarco getting his first career win at the premier class, a current world champion on pace for going back to back, a much needed result for a Italian rider looking for a seat and a Spaniard seeking to reduce the damage, on tomorrow’s sprint race.