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MotoGP, Phillip Island GP: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

A free for all in Australia,  a moral victory for everyone but it's Marquez who takes 25 points on Dovizioso's worst day

MotoGP: Phillip Island GP: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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Not since the days of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill had we seen so many punch ups. Slaps that don't hurt but are so entertaining. They should have had a six-step podium, for Marquez, Rossi, Vinales, Zarco, Iannone and Miller, as these were the men who turned a bike race into a real thriller.

It was Marquez who took the win at Phillip Island, readying himself to sew #1 onto his leathers again. The only man not smiling in Australia was Dovizioso, and Ducati. Marc now has a 33-point advantage and can head to Malaysia worry-free.

Like Mir, who secured the Moto3 title by winning the race. Morbidelli didn't win in Moto2, but reaching the podium behind the 2 KTMs means he can close the deal at Sepang.

THE GOOD – Sharks are sometimes seen in the waters around Phillip Island but the biggest and most dangerous on Sunday was out on track. Marc Marquez first reeled in his prey before swallowing it whole. He didn't just win, but did so at the right time, on Dovizioso's worst day of the season. The title is now just one step away and when a predator closes in on its 'prize', we all know what happens.

THE UGLY –  The important thing was to make no mistakes and limit the damage, but Ducati feel into a deep abyss, pulling Dovizioso in too. Andrea made mistakes in the race, but the fact that, for the first time this year, no Ducati finished inside the top ten gives him some kind of alibi. Now they need to pick up the pieces and quickly put them back together, with everything to play for in a few days' time.

THE BAD – When the going gets tough, the tough get going. John Belushi wasn't thinking about MotoGP in Animal House but the phrase sums up the Australian race well. A great battle in which scars were swapped with black tyre stripes on leathers and every punch equated to a pass. Wide shoulders, a lot of heart and a touch of stupidity, as highlighted by Valentino. He, Marquez, Iannone, Zarco, Vinales and Miller were the baddies, but instead of finishing in the corner they deserve a prize.

THE DISAPPOINTMENT – The only positive was finishing ahead of Dovizioso, helping Marquez, something that meant his participating in the Phillip Island race wasn't entirely useless. For the rest though, it was as if Dani Pedrosa wasn't even there, simply blending into the background.

THE CONFIRMATION – The real Mir was back at Phillip Island, the one who battles and wins, not the version who raced at Motegi. His 9 wins this season say a lot more than our words could, a worthy title winner. Some might say he was lucky that the rain came on, cutting the race short, but it's not his fault if champions attract good luck.

THE MISTAKE – Just one in the MotoGP race, the work of Aleix Espargarò. It also cost him a fractured hand, luckily not serious enough to cause him to miss Sepang.

THE SURPRISE  – Medicines might work miracles but Miller also did his bit at his home race. On Thursday, less than three weeks since fracturing his tibia, he was walking in the paddock. On Sunday he greeted his fans, even leading the race for a few laps.

THE PASS – Let's leave the front group aside and look further back, at the the flying pass that Pedrosa and Redding made on Dovizioso, proving that when things are going badly they can always get worse.

THE INTERESTING FACT – Marc Marquez has set 44 pole positions in 88 races run in the reigning class. Exactly 50%.

I TOLD YOU SO – Lorenzo after Aragon: “we're moving ever closer to the win”. After Motegi and Phillip Island perhaps the opposite is in fact true.

Translated by Heather Watson
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