Iannone, what are you doing? What a mess in Austria! What happened in Bagger Race 1

Disaster in Bagger Race 1 in Austria, only two remain in the hunt for the championship. Report and standings.

The unexpected twist: Andrea Iannone and Eric Granado were soon out of the first race of the Austrian weekend due to an incident caused by the Italian rider himself. Thus end the hopes of both, especially for the Brazilian, furious with his rival after what happened. Oscar Gutierrez eventually wins ahead of Archie McDonald, now mathematically the only two contenders for the first Bagger World Cup title. The two are separated by 21 points, although we can say that the Australian, the championship leader, is now just a step away from clinching the title... And it would be an emotional story; we can already guess who he would dedicate it to, as already happened with the previous win at Silverstone. Tomorrow morning it’s Race 2, which will close out the championship—here’s how today went in the meantime.

After Eric Granado’s pole position over championship leader Archie McDonald and Andrea Iannone, the first race of the grand finale of the inaugural Bagger World Cup season gets underway. McDonald gets the best launch and immediately takes the lead, but soon comes the dramatic twist: Iannone attempts an inside pass on Granado, but there isn’t enough room. Contact is inevitable—what a mess! The two end up in the gravel and Granado is furious, mathematically saying goodbye to his title dreams. Up front, however, the points leader won’t win: Oscar Gutierrez charges back, catches his rival and passes him to take the victory. He remains the only one still in contention, 21 points behind the ever-leading Archie McDonald, with just one race left. Podium also for James Rispoli, a championship debutant called up to replace Jordi Torres, who is busy with the final FIM EWC round. Also note the debut of Max Flinders, fielded by ParkinGO in place of Filippo Rovelli, absent due to the concurrent CIV round in Cremona.

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