Rins wins a thriller in Australia as Bagnaia takes MotoGP title lead

Alex Rins has won the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix with a final-lap pass as Fabio Quartararo crashed out of the championship lead in a Phillip Island thriller.

Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) led Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) across the line, the latter recording his 100th podium finish and his first since his return to racing after surgery earlier this year.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) finished in third despite leading on the penultimate lap, but leaves The Island with a championship lead of 14 points.

Quartararo didn’t record a single point from his Australian, visit crashing out at the Southern Loop, while Jack Miller’s home race was over after nine laps when he was taken out at the corner that was newly named for him.

At lights out, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) bolted from pole position, with Marquez hot on his heels.

Quartararo had pushed his Yamaha into fifth and was fighting for fourth, but having trouble navigating Miller Corner as he twice went wide before coming undone.

The #20 lost his championship lead with an unforced error, coming into Turn 4 too hot, running off and dropping down to as low as 22nd.

That was before Quartararo ultimately crashed out of the race at the Southern Loop on Lap 11.

Miller was on an early charge and marked his territory on a corner that didn’t bear his name, making moves on Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Ducati) and Quartararo before his troubles, then on team-mate Bagnaia through MG.

The Bagnaia move didn’t stick, with the Italian using the slipstream down Gardner straight to come back on the Australian demoting him to fourth.

Miller’s heroics, however, were undone as he was clattered at his own corner by Alex Marquez (Castrol LCR Honda) and taken out of the grand prix on the ninth lap.

CLICK HERE for Miller reaction

At the halfway point, Martin had been moved out of the way and it was a Ducati, Honda and Suzuki battle for the lead with nothing separating Bagnaia, Marquez and Rins.

Marquez dropped back behind both Rins and Martin, the Repsol Honda rider situated in fourth still remaining in podium contention and quickly dispatching the Pramac pilot.

That battle brought VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi into the conversation, who then chased down Rins and race leader Bagnaia.

He put himself in second with six laps to go, while Rins and Marquez argued for third.

Marquez made an error at Turn 4 and dropped back to fifth on the road, before clawing himself back into contention.

The lead group had broken away from the rest of the pack with five laps to go, Bagnaia leading Bezzecchi, Rins, Marquez and Martin.

Bezzecchi was then dispatched by the Suzuki and Honda riders as they picked up the pace in the closing laps.

The fireworks kicked off on the last tour of the circuit and Rins dived past Bagnaia to take the lead, and making room for Marquez to follow.

The fight wasn’t over, with Marquez looking feisty over Lukey Heights but Rins had him covered and came to the line in first.

Bagnaia looked to slipstream Marquez up the Gardner Straight, but the Honda rider ultimately prevailed.

Bezzecchi finished fourth and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) fifth from 15th on the grid, ahead of Marini, Martin, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati), a fading Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).

Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM) picked up a single point in what may well be his only MotoGP race on home soil by finishing 15th, while Franco Morbidelli was the fourth DNF, and the second for Monster Energy Yamaha, when he had a late crash.

MotoGP’s tour next takes them to Malaysia’s Sepang on October 21-23.

Race results: Australian MotoGP

Race winner: 27 laps