Ducati’s Dovizioso wins Austrian GP after horror crash halts race

SPIELBERG, Austria (Reuters): Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso won an action-packed Austrian Grand Prix which was halted for 20 minutes after Franco Morbidelli’s Yamaha collided with the Avintia Ducati of Johann Zarco in Spielberg on Sunday.

The red flag came out immediately when Morbidelli and Zarco came together at turn three, with their cartwheeling bikes missing Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales by inches as the two Yamahas navigated the turn.

Both riders walked away from the crash relatively unscathed and MotoGP said they were taken to the medical centre for a check-up where they were declared fit as the race restarted with 20 laps.

Dovizioso, who said on Saturday that he would not be renewing his contract with Ducati, took the chequered flag after race leader Alex Rins of Suzuki crashed with 10 laps to go to keep the team’s perfect record at the Red Bull Ring intact.

Ducati have won every race since the circuit was introduced on the calendar in 2016 and it was the Italian rider’s third victory on the track having won in 2017 and 2019 while it was Ducati’s 50th premier class win.