Andrea Iannone won his first MotoGP race at the Red Bull Ring as Ducati ended a near six-year premier-class drought in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Casey Stoner's Australian GP win in October 2010 was the last time the Italian manufacturer had won a race, with Yamaha and Honda dominating for years.
Iannone, often a controversial figure due to his aggressive riding style, won from pole as he and Ducati stable-mate Andrea Dovizioso secured a richly deserved one-two.
Championship leader Marc Marquez finished fifth after dislocating his shoulder in practice, with Ducati's victory limiting the damage as Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished third and fourth respectively and struggled to eat into the Repsol Honda star's advantage.
IANNONE STRATEGY WINS RUNAWAY DUCATI SCRAP
With Iannone and Dovizioso expected to compete for victory between themselves after Ducati's Audi-financed upgrades in the post-season break, a split strategy between the pair added a mouthwatering layer to the race.
Iannone took the softer compound on his front tyre, with Dovizioso on a medium and it paid dividends as degradation was kept to a minimum on fresh tarmac at the Red Bull Ring. An early battle between the Ducatis and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo soon dissipated as Iannone and Dovizioso took control and maintained a second's advantage for the latter half of the race.
With seven laps to go, Iannone took his chance, surging past his team-mate in the final sector, despite nursing a rib injury sustained in MotoGP's break.
DAMAGE LIMITATION FOR MARQUEZ
Marquez started and finished fifth, with little of note in between as he appeared to take things steady after a practice crash threatened to wipe out his race entirely.
Protecting a 46-point advantage pre-race, Ducati's runaway lead meant Jorge Lorenzo could only finish third – the reigning champion's first podium in four attempts. It leaves Marquez still 41 points clear, although his and Dani Pedrosa's Honda bikes rarely looked capable of moving up the field, which could raise concern for the campaign ahead.
BIZARRE BARBERA BLACK FLAG
Hector Barbera was the highest placed Ducati rider heading to Austria, but the Avintia Racing man was black-flagged in bizarre circumstances. One of four riders penalised for a jump start, Barbera flatly refused to head into the pits for his ride-through penalty and was disqualified after five laps of defiance.
It ended the Spaniard's run of points-scoring finishes in every race this season, with Eugene Laverty also seeing his season-long streak of top-15 placings come to an end thanks to a last-lap collision.
NEXT UP
Another speed circuit that could result in another Ducati success is next up as MotoGP heads to brno and the Czech Republic Grand Prix.
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