Honda duo in last lap virtual MotoGP showdown
Honda teammates Marc and Alex Marquez in virtual MotoGP Misano showdown
THE fourth Virtual MotoGP race ended with Marc and Alex Marquez duelling it in a last-lap battle for the win.
Alex got the better of brother and teammate Marc Marquez in a thrilling final lap showdown at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The pair were joined on the podium by Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi, who profited from a last gasp crash for Fabio Quartararo allowing the Italian legend to claim a home podium.
Virtual MotoGP | Misano highlights
Quartararo led the field away from pole for the third time in Virtual MotoGP thanks to his most dominant performance yet. The Frenchman ended qualifying nearly a second clear of Alex Marquez in second place. After a, now typically hectic, opening few laps, two of the three previous victors, Maverick Viñales and Francesco Bagnaia, crashed out after clashing with the returning Takaaki Nakagami. Rossi also crashed after contact with Alex Marquez, allowing Quartararo to escape at the front, with the brother Marquez who seemed unable to match the pace of the Frenchman.
The younger of the Marquez brothers swooped through to second shortly after, however, with Marc admitting he’d rather try and secure a top-three finish then crash whilst chasing his brother...
Quartararo came across the line to complete the third lap with an advantage of nearly four seconds, but that lead suddenly evaporated when the Frenchman tucked the front and suffered another virtual race crash – allowing Alex Marquez to move into the lead. The Frenchman quickly set about chasing down the Mugello winner, and within two laps he was glued to the rear wheel of the Honda.
The pair would touch on a handful of occasions as the ante was upped, but ultimately on lap seven, the race was blown wide open. A touch from Quartararo caused Alex Marquez to go down before the Petronas Yamaha SRT machine then clipped the stricken Honda... leaving both on the floor.
That left Marc Marquez in clear air in the lead, much to his surprise and accompanied by a brilliantly evil laugh, and the race was on for the two men picking themselves up and chasing him down.
It would all come down to the final lap and the final sector in what was a thrilling finale, with all three split by nothing. As Alex Marquez closed in on his brother, Quartararo closed in on the pair of them and all three were pushing to the absolute limit before finally, one went over it: Quartararo. The Frenchman tucked the front once again and any chance of stealing a last-gasp win disappeared, with the two Repsol Hondas left to dice it out. The pair entered the final corner with Marc in front, but the eight-time World Champion ran slightly wide and his teammate needed no second invitation. Alex Marquez stuffed it up the inside and gassed it towards the line, getting there just ahead and taking his second virtual victory.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
