2020 European GP: Joan Mir grabs maiden MotoGP win

    Alex Rins of Team Suzuki Ecstar finishes 2nd, followed by Pol Espargaro on the Factory KTM.

    Published On Nov 09, 2020 12:53:00 PM

    9,668 Views

    2020 European GP: Joan Mir grabs maiden MotoGP win

    Team Suzuki Ecstar rider, Joan Mir, clinched his maiden MotoGP victory at the European GP, on Sunday. He beat his teammate Alex Rins, while polesitter Pol Espargaro finished third. 

    Mir leads Suzuki 1-2

    Joan Mir finally managed to win a MotoGP race and it couldn't have come at a better venue than his home GP at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain. 

    Mir was in the lead of the 2020 MotoGP world championship going into Sunday's round, despite not winning a single race so far. It shows how he's been consistently gathering crucial points throughout the season, while his chief rivals faltered on many occasions

    Alex Rins held the lead for a significant portion of the race, but with 12 laps to go, Mir swept past him at Turn 11 to move into the lead. The two held position from there on, handing Suzuki their first 1-2 finish in 38 years.

    Pol Espargaro stayed within touching distance of the Suzukis, but ultimately had to settle for a third-place finish. This is the factory KTM rider’s fourth podium this season, and it sees him move nine points clear of Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso in the championship.

    Quartararo and Rossi crash out

    Joan Mir also has his lucky stars to thank, as other championship contenders had disastrous races at some point or another. Petronas Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, for instance, crashed on the opening lap of the European GP and dented his chances of clinching the championship. Maverick Vinales, on the factory Yamaha, had to begin from the pit lane after using more than five engines this season. Yamaha's technical issues also forced Valentino Rossi to retire, a comeback that 'The Doctor ' didn't hope for after missing out a few races due to testing positive for COVID-19.

    2020 MotoGP riders’ championship  

    With two rounds to go this season, the championship is still undecided, but Mir’s maiden victory takes him a step closer to clinching the title. At present, Mir has a solid lead, with 162 points in the bag. Quartararo is second with 125 points, followed by Alex Rins, also at 125 points.

    The next round will be held at Valencia on November 15, while the final round will take place at the Algarve Circuit in Portugal.

    2020 European GP results

    POS

    RIDER

    TEAM

    GAP

    1

    Joan Mir

    Suzuki

    41m37.297s

    2

    Alex Rins

    Suzuki

    0.651s

    3

    Pol Espargaro

    KTM

    1.203s

    4

    Takaaki Nakagami

    LCR Honda

    2.194s

    5

    Miguel Oliveira

    Tech3 KTM

    8.046s

    6

    Jack Miller

    Pramac Ducati

    8.755s

    7

    Brad Binder

    KTM

    10.137s

    8

    Andrea Dovizioso

    Ducati

    10.801s

    9

    Johann Zarco

    Avintia Ducati

    11.550s

    10

    Danilo Petrucci

    Ducati

    16.803s

    11

    Franco Morbidelli

    Petronas Yamaha

    17.617s

    12

    Stefan Bradl

    Honda

    24.350s

    13

    Maverick Vinales

    Yamaha

    25.403s

    14

    Fabio Quartararo

    Petronas Yamaha

    39.639s

    -

    Lorenzo Savadori

    Aprilia

    Retirement

    -

    Alex Marquez

    Honda

    Retirement

    -

    Tito Rabat

    Avintia Ducati

    Retirement

    -

    Francesco Bagnaia

    Pramac Ducati

    Retirement

    -

    Cal Crutchlow

    LCR Honda

    Retirement

    -

    Valentino Rossi

    Yamaha

    Retirement

    -

    Garrett Gerloff

    Yamaha

    Withdrawn

    -

    Aleix Espargaro

    Aprilia

    Retirement

     
    Also see:

    MotoGP: Morbidelli takes his second win of the season at Teruel GP

    MotoGP: Petrucci wins French GP as Alex Marquez takes maiden podium

    Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

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