Jorge Lorenzo's MotoGP title defence remains alive after the Spaniard won an incident-packed Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, as championship leader Marc Marquez was disqualified due to a howling team error.
With tyre problems forcing riders to change bikes mid-race in a MotoGP first, the battle between the two-time world champion Lorenzo and Honda's 20-year-old wunderkind fizzled out in the 14th lap when Marquez was shown the dreaded black flag for failing to pit during the mandated window.
Lorenzo, on a Yamaha, toasted victory ahead of Honda's Dani Pedrosa and third-placed team-mate Valentino Rossi.
The win breathed new life into his title defence, trimming fellow Spaniard Marquez's lead to a more precarious 18 points with two races left in Japan's Motegi and Valencia.
