A SHOCKING crash took new MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez and Johann Zarco out of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in the early stages at Phillip Island. A slow start from the front row men had dropped them back into the pack, and were fighting for third place at the time of the incident. Marquez appeared to move across on Zarco as they committed to their lines as they braked from top speed at Doohan Corner. Watch every round of the MotoGP LIVE with no ad-breaks during racing. SIGN UP TODAY! RESULTS: Click here for full results from the Australian GP, Phillip Island REPORT: Vinales snaps Yamaha’s record winless streak in Australian GP SUPPORTS: Just 0.1 covers the first five riders in Moto3 thriller Replays showed Zarco’s front wheel making contact with the rear wheel of the orange and white Honda at around 280 km/h, the impact firing the black Yamaha up into the air and flicking its French rider onto the grass. Remarkably, neither rider was hurt, while Andrea Iannone behind them was lucky not to wear the flying Yamaha as it pinwheeled through the air. The view of the crash from Andrea Iannone’s on-board camera. Source: FOX SPORTS “The body is okay, a little bit of pain on the left but I’m okay,” Zarco said. “I got a good last corner exit, then I went next to Marc. Then he got the slipstream of Jack; he went to the side of Jack and then I got the slipstream of Jack. “I arrived very fast at the first corner and Marquez did not want to overtake him, so he braked not too far and went on the left side - and I was there. “I could not slow down even more; maybe I should have braked earlier but it was a bit complicated. “So I touched his rear wheel and I totally flew away. “It was a high-speed crash. I’m happy I stayed in the grass as long as I was sliding on my back, and in this way I could save my body.” Marquez limped his bike back to the pits but the damage was bad enough to force him to retire from the race. “I just feel very lucky, very lucky,” he said. “I was very close to having a high-side. “For me, I will not complain to Johann because it was a racing incident. In that speed at the end of the straight, the slipstream you feel a lot. “Maybe he take slipstream from me and Jack and it was too difficult to stop the bike. “The most important thing from this is that both riders are okay. “Luckily I already won the championship last week, but looks like again in Phillip Island I score zero points; this time not my fault, but happy both of us are okay.”<doc-sep>THE Phillip Island MotoGP track has had a few demons for riders with several crashes souring the day. The biggest name taken out was newly-crowned MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez. While he wasn’t dethroned, it was a lucky escape for Marquez despite his bike was taken out of commission. When competitor Johann Zarco spectacularly crashed out of the race after a Marquez move in front of him, his bike flipping up and slamming down on the back of Marquez’s bike, mangling his back seat and damaging his suspension. It was on the straight on lap six with the speeds at 280km/hr. Zarco slid off on his back but gave a thumbs up to show he was unhurt. Marquez now has the bizarre record now of failing to finish in Australia on three occasions after winning the world title in Japan (2014, 2016 and 2018). It was his first non-finish of the season, having won the last three races, but he refused to blame Zarco. “I feel very lucky. I will not complain because it was a racing incident,” he said in the pits. “The most important thing is that we are both okay. Luckily I won the championship last week, but unfortunately another non-finish for me at Phillip Island.” Marquez started from pole, and in dry conditions on the demanding and picturesque circuit he was super aggressive from the word go. Maverick Vinales powered to a dominant victory at the Australian MotoGP. The Spanish Yahama rider, who started second and took the lead after Marquez retired, scored his first win of the year, taking the chequered flag ahead of Andrea Iannone. Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso was third, strengthening his bid to finish runner-up in the world championship as his nearest rival, Valentino Rossi, could only manage sixth. “It feels amazing,” said Vinales. “I didn’t think I could win, but the bike was perfect. It means a lot to me, particularly in Australia because it’s a place I love to be.” The Moto3 race also had its share of spills including a spectacular crash between teammates. Marcos Ramierez caused the crash, sliding out with his teammate Jaume Masia hitting his bike at high speed. It wasn’t the only spill with Tony Arbolino and Dennis Foggia wiped each other out on the second last lap, while Marco Bezzecchi was taken out by Gabriel Rodrigo. The race was stunning however with less one second separating the first 14 riders. — with AFP<doc-sep>Zarco suffered a heavy crash at Turn 1 at the start of the fifth lap of the Australian Grand Prix as the Tech 3 Yamaha rider made contact with the rear of Marc Marquez's bike. The incident left some debris on the track, a piece of which hit Espargaro's hand after rebounding off the Aprilia rider's clutch lever - although he was able to continue and finish in ninth. Speaking post-race, Espargaro revealed that the impact had moved the titanium plate he had inserted in his hand in the wake of his crash at Phillip Island last year, which caused him some pain. "I couldn’t see anything, I was in the draft [with] many bikes in front of me," recalled Espargaro of the incident. "I was 20th or 18th at the beginning of the race so it was difficult to see in front. "I just saw a big black piece coming super-quick to me, it hit my handlebars, the clutch lever went completely down, then it hit my hand. At the beginning I thought I couldn’t continue, I’m lucky in MotoGP we don’t use the clutch. "Lap by lap I start to feel better but every time I opened my hand I felt a lot of pain. The problem is the plate has moved, the plate they put in last year here after my crash. It pushed the tendons, which is why I feel the pain." Espargaro said he doesn't anticipate the situation to prevent him racing again in this weekend's Sepang race. "I will try [to race]," he added. "It’s not related to pain, because if I could race here I can race in Malaysia. It’s more related to how the plate has moved, [whether] it is dangerous. We will see." After a couple of difficult races in Thailand and Japan, Aprilia prepared a 'lab' bike featuring a new chassis for Espargaro to use at Phillip Island, and the Spaniard said he was pleased with the results of the experiment. But he cautioned that the Italian manufacturer must wait and see how the revised machine performs at a more typical track like Sepang. He said: "I can see a little bit the light because the bike is a lot different. At the beginning of the race when the bike worked good, full tank, I started to lap [1m]30s low, I felt great during the race. "This track is quite strange. I don’t want to think what we tried here is good or bad; I want to go to Malaysia and just work this bike and see what the bike brings." Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images<doc-sep>Johann Zarco says as ‘sportsmen we totally understood each other’ after apologising to Marc Marquez following their collision during the Australian MotoGP which took both riders out of the race. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider felt fortune to walk away from his 200mph clash with the reigning MotoGP world champion when he ran into the rear wheel at the end of the home straight on lap six. Most successful riders in MotoGP history! Video of Most successful riders in MotoGP history! Zarco was thrown from his bike but avoided any broken bones or serious injuries, while Marquez was forced to retire due to heavy damage to the rear fairing, exhaust and seat unit of his Repsol Honda. Both riders have called the clash a racing incident, with race direction also opting not to take action, and Zarco apologised for the clash which he feels was triggered by the slipstreaming effect before Marquez came back on to the racing line to brake for Turn 1. “I went to him to say sorry because I totally destroyed the back of his bike and he told to me the most important thing was that I didn’t injure myself,” Zarco said. “As two racers and sportsmen we totally understood each other. “It was an accident as we are going so fast and there was not a lot of space on the left side. He was close to Jack and he came back on to the racing line at corner one but I was also there. So I crashed.” Zarco felt equally relieved neither he or Marquez were injured in the accident and the only lasting pain was caused by the fact he lost the opportunity to fight for the podium or a potential race win. “You just say ‘oh shit’,” Zarco answered when asked what went through his mind during the crash. “You have this moment that you crash and you also realise in this moment you are losing the race. Many things go through the mind but also I think the main thing is to survive and keep yourself well and cross your fingers.” Reflecting on the outcome of his first DNF since crashing out of his home race at Le Mans in May, Zarco lamented the missed opportunity in the battle for the top spot in the MotoGP Independent riders’ fight. Cal Crutchlow remains the best-placed Independent rider for LCR Honda despite missing the Phillip Island race through injury, while Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci moved ahead of Zarco by finishing 12th place in Australia. “I am feeling so sad that I didn’t finish the race and didn’t get more points than Danilo or Crutchlow even though he was not racing,” he said. “But on the other side if I think about the opportunity to have a podium or even maybe a victory because I’m so happy Maverick won the race as he did a nice job but I think I was not far from this good job also. “Thinking about that opportunity, that victory or podium opportunity, I feel I could have played my race like that. I had my opportunity to take and that is why I was pushing a lot at the beginning to not lose the opportunity.” Zarco falls to seventh in the overall MotoGP riders’ championship, level on points with Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone, four points behind Petrucci and 15 points behind Crutchlow.<doc-sep>
The Frenchman clashed with Marc Marquez at full speed at the end of the long straight early in the race, coming off his bike and bouncing wildly over the grass on the outside of Turn 1 on his back. While the crash looked easily as dramatic as Cal Crutchlow's frightening Friday shunt at the same part of the circuit, Zarco was quickly back on his feet and able to walk away without any serious injuries. Reflecting on the wild ride, Zarco said he felt like he was never going to stop while sliding across the grass, and that avoiding the gravel was key to not getting hurt. "When I was sliding at that speed I had the feeling it would never stop, so I was scared," said Zarco. "I was so stiff, pressing my fingers that I wouldn't hit anything. I did it to really make my entire body hard. "I was lucky that I stayed on the grass, I didn't touch the gravel. That's why I'm okay now. I stayed on the floor just to check if I was still okay. "I have some pain [in my right side], but I did an x-ray and nothing is broken." Detailing the clash with Marquez itself, Zarco said it was a product of a double two from both Marquez and Jack Miller, while the Honda rider was also in Miller's tow. "We were going so fast, there was not a lot of space on the left side," he said. "He was close to Jack and he came back into the race line for Turn 1. I was also there. "It was a pity, because I could have done a nice race. I was feeling good, I wanted to be in first or second or third to [use] my pace and maybe pull away. Maybe I could have pulled away with Maverick [Vinales], I don't know." He added that he's already cleared the air with Marquez, who managed to stay on his bike but was forced to retire from the race due to the impact. "I went to him just to say sorry, because I totally destroyed the back of his bike," the Frenchman added. "He told me no worries, the most important thing is that I didn't injure myself. "As a racer, as a sportsman, we totally understand each other." Marquez: Zarco and I both "lucky" Marquez agreed that the crash was a racing incident and nothing more. "It was completely a racing incident because that point of track we arrive very fast," the 2018 champion said. "Miller was in front, I was behind Miller, and [with] the slipstream from Miller we arrived over 300 [km/h]. "I braked even a little late, I just tried to stop more, but then I felt the contact because Zarco had slipstream from two bikes. Of course you can say maybe he can consider this, but for me it is a racing incident. "I already spoke with him and I feel really lucky today because me and him, we are okay, and this is the most important things." Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, damaged bike Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images