Moto2 Phillip Island Race: First victory for Oliveira's KTM, Morbidelli on the podium

Australian GP Phillip Island Moto2 Race – Miguel Oliveira dominated the Australian Grand Prix in the Moto2 class, achieving the first success of his career in the intermediate class, which is also the first success for KTM, who achieved a double thanks to the second position of Brad Binder (first podium in Moto2 ).

Also on the podium is our Franco Morbidelli, who, thanks to Thomas Luthi's tenth place, extends his lead to +29 in the world championship and who will already have his first match point for the title next week in Sepang.

Simone Corsi had a good race, seventh, while Francesco Bagnaia finished twelfth. Stefano Manzi and Lorenzo Baldassarri also scored points.

Race report

The riders of the Moto2 class are ready to compete in the Australian Grand Prix, the sixteenth stage of the 2017 world championship, which will be held on the wonderful Phillip Island track. Our Mattia Pasini will start from pole position, who will have Marcel Schrotter and Miguel Oliveira alongside him. Second row for Brad Binder, world championship leader Franco Morbidelli and Alex Marquez. Third row for Takaaki Nakagami, Dominique Aegerter and Jesko Raffin.

Thomas Luthi, second in the world standings (he must recover 19 points from Morbidelli) is on the fourth row, tenth fastest. With him our Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge. The other Italians are Simone Corsi fifteenth, Francesco Bagnaia seventeenth, Lorenzo Baldassarri nineteenth, Stefano Manzi twenty-first and Luca Marini thirty.

All ready, 25 laps to go for 111.2 km. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is Miguel Oliveira, riding the KTM. Followed by Binder, Morbidelli, Schrotter, Aegerter and Luthi. Pole man Mattia Pasini did badly, eighth.

Morbidelli attacks, moving into second position. The first lap ends, Oliveira ahead of Morbidelli, Binder, Aegerter, Schrotter, Pasini, Luthi, Vierge, Nakagami, Raffin, Locatelli, Cortese, Bagnaia, Baldassarri.

Fall for Marcel Schrotter, which also involves the innocent Mattia Pasini. The second lap sees Oliveira ahead of Binder, Morbidelli, Luthi, Vierge, Raffin, Cortese, Nakagami, Bagnaia, Aegerter, Alex Marquez, Baldassarri.

Falls for Locatelli and Navarro, riders ok.

The third lap ends, Oliveira precedes Binder, Morbidelli, Luthi, Vierge, Raffin, Nakagami, Cortese, Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, Aegerter, Baldassarri. The first three put a big gap on the second group. On the fourth lap Oliveira is ahead of Binder, Morbidelli, Luthi, Vierge, Raffin, Nakagami, Cortese, Bagnaia, Aegerter, Alex Marquez, Corsi, Baldassarri.

Morbidelli moves into second position, but South African Binder brings the KTM back in pursuit of team-mate Oliveira. Great performance for the KTMs, while Luthi loses ground, more than two seconds separate the Swiss from the leading group.

They continue to pull ahead, Luthi continues to lose ground and now has to watch his back from Nakagami, Vierge and Raffin. The Italians are Bagnaia ninth, Corsi twelfth, Manzi fourteenth, Baldassarri fifteenth and Marini twenty-third.

In addition to Schrotter, Pasini, Locatelli and Navarro, Fabio Quartararo is also out. Double attack, Morbidelli is second and Nakagami passes Luthi. The "virtual" world championship ranking sees our Morbidelli at +28 on Luthi.

Having reached the halfway point of the race we find Oliveira firmly in the lead ahead of team-mate Binder, our Franco Morbidelli, Nakagami, Vierge, Luthi, Raffin, Cortese, Bagnaia, Marquez, Corsi, Aegerter, Pons, Baldassarri and Manzi.

With Miguel Oliveira firmly in the lead, it's a tussle between Binder and Morbidelli for the second step of the podium. Morbidelli attacks, moving back into second position, while Luthi continues to lose positions, now seventh.

Risk for Morbidelli, who widens at Turn 1 after Binder's attack, while Nakagami sets the fastest lap and moves below the world championship leader. The fight for second position becomes interesting, with Binder, Morbidelli, Nakagami and Vierge competing, who has taken over the group. Jesko Raffin is also close to the four. Meanwhile, Oliveira extended his lead to over six seconds in front.

Five laps to go, the small group made up of Corsi, Marquez, Luthi, Bagnaia, Cortese and Aegerter is fighting for seventh position. In front, Nakagami takes second place, followed by Binder and Morbidelli. Meanwhile, a few drops of rain fall with three laps to go. Race at risk of red flag. Fall for Nakagami at turn 9, rider ok.

We move forward, the last lap begins, Oliveira leads the KTM to success, first victory in Moto2 for the Portuguese and the Austrian manufacturer. On the podium Binder and Morbidelli, who extends his lead in the world championship to +29 on Luthi.