Dovizioso delivers for Ducati, as Binder puts up a fight at Austrian MotoGP

Andrea Dovizioso won an eventful Austrian MotoGP for Ducati on Sunday, just 24 hours after revealing he would leave the Italian team at the end of the season, while South African rider Brad Binder held on to grab fourth place on his KTM.


Spain’s Joan Mir on a Suzuki robbed Ducati of a one-two by clinching second spot from Australian Jack Miller with a single corner to spare.

Further back, though Binder missed out on the podium, he did enough to climb one position to fourth overall in the season standings.

The race featured a string of crashes and narrow escapes notably for Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli and Frenchman Johann Zarco.

In a two-way tangle on lap eight at the empty Speilberg circuit, Yamaha’s Morbidelli and Zarco hit the deck at high speed.

Zarco’s Ducati carried on without him, cut a corner and narrowly missed the veteran Valentino Rossi, who was clearly shaken by the close shave.

The riderless bike exploded into pieces at a safety barrier scattering debris through the air as the race was red flagged.

Morbidelli was taken away on a stretcher but was later able to walk to an ambulance as Zarco appeared unhurt.

The accident followed a similar spectacular spill in the earlier Moto2 race.

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Brad Binder MotoGP

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