If you ever needed to convince someone of the excitement of motorcycle racing, you only ever need show them a replay of the 2015 Australian MotoGP in which Marc Marquez took one of his finest ever victories in the premier class.
The current MotoGP World Champion reeled in long-time race leader Jorge Lorenzo after a titanic battle with championship leader Valentino Rossi and an inspired Andrea Iannone, the trio swapping paint for nearly every one of the 27 laps that made up the Australian MotoGP.
It was hard to distinguish just who would be the man to beat at Phillip Island, although Marquez did qualify on pole, but it would be Lorenzo who would make the running for the majority of the race at the front. Valentino Rossi started on the third row of the grid in seventh and lagged early on in the race before steadily making forward progress. Rossi tagged onto the ultra-fast Ducati of Andrea Iannone, who collected a seagull into MG Corner for his troubles which smashed part of his fairing, the pair swapping positions constantly as the tide of the race changed rapidly. At three-quarter race distance Rossi looked like he might reel in the charging Marquez and Lorenzo, however the Ducati power was just too strong and he ended up taking fourth place.
Lorenzo meanwhile had tried to make a break for the win, but on the last two laps Marquez rode an inspired race, shutting down the Majorcan on the last lap and making the pass stick at Lukey Heights to take the victory by 0.248sec from Lorenzo. Iannone beat Rossi to the line in third, a result that could prove pivotal in the championship, however Rossi still heads to Sepang in Malaysia with a crucial 11 point lead in the title race.
1 Marc Marquez Spa Honda
2 Jorge Lorenzo Spa Yamaha +0.249
3 Andrea Iannone Ita Ducati +0.930
4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha +1.058
5 Dani Pedrosa Spa Honda +5.062
6 Maverick Viñales Spa Suzuki +6.800
7 Cal Crutchlow Gbr Honda +9.375
8 Pol Espargaro Spa Yamaha +18.401
9 Aleix Espargaro Spa Suzuki +20.039
10 Bradley Smith Gbr Yamaha +20.657
