Cal Crutchlow picked up his second MotoGP victory of the season in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, capitalizing on a crash for world champion Marc Marquez just before half distance.
Crutchlow scored his long-awaited maiden MotoGP win in the Czech Republic earlier this year, and qualified second on the grid at Phillip Island on Saturday.
One week after being crowned MotoGP champion for a third time in Japan, Marquez made a clean getaway from pole to retain his lead and began to open up a gap to the chasing Crutchlow, who had battled back past Pol Espargaro and Aleix Espargaro after a poor start.
Crutchlow was handed the lead of the race on lap 10 when Marquez barrelled into the gravel at Turn 4, ending his race in the process.
The Briton could not rest on his laurels up front, though. Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi had battled back from 15th on the grid - his worst qualifying result since 2011 - to run second at half distance.
Crutchlow kept his cool, and when Rossi made a mistake that saw him fall back, victory was all but confirmed, allowing the LCR Honda rider to round out the final few laps and clinch his second MotoGP win of the year.
Rossi came under pressure in the closing stages from Pol Espargaro, Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Vinales, but held on to second place at the flag. Vinales managed to squeeze through to third place, following his future Yamaha teammate home.
Dovizioso finished fourth ahead of Espargaro, while Jorge Lorenzo rallied from 12th on the grid to cross the line sixth on the second factory Yamaha. Scott Redding and Bradley Smith made it three Brits in the top 10 by finishing seventh and eighth as Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller rounded out the top 10.
The penultimate round of the MotoGP season takes place in Malaysia next weekend.