MotoGP: Marquez untouchable at Austin for second successive win

MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez utterly dominated the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas race, taking victory by a four second margin from his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completing the podium.

A jump start ruined the race for Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and he finished 10th after a ride through penalty. Lorenzo took the holeshot after a bizarre error from the former World Champion and he rode through pit lane at the end of the first lap, leaving Marquez clear at the front. Pedrosa tried to stay with Marquez, who was the only ‘Factory’ rider to run the hard rear tyre, but the youngster sped away to become the first rider to win the first two races of the year from pole in the premier-class since Mick Doohan in 1995.

A first podium for Dovizioso as a Ducati Team rider was great news for the Italian factory, though there was some bad news for them too as Cal Crutchlow crashed out and injured his right hand, having earlier pitted due to tyre problems.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) missed the podium by just under two seconds after winning a battle for fourth with Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), whilst Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) was sixth.

Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) dropped back to seventh having been third in the early stages, whilst there were problems too for Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) as he hunted the podium in the early stages and faded to eighth in the second half of the race.

Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) was ninth at a track that he has admitted is not his strongest, whilst Lorenzo rounded out the top ten after his mistake at the start.

Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) finished as the top ‘Open’ Honda rider and top American in 11th – whilst his compatriot Colin Edwards (NGM Forward Racing) was unable to finish his home race. Crashes for Alvaro Baustista and Scott Redding also ruined GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s weekend.

Honda riders have now won the last nine MotoGP races in the USA and the last non-Honda MotoGP winner in the States was Lorenzo, at Laguna Seca in 2010.

 

Moto2™: Viñales charges to win at round two

The Moto2™ race at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas brought victory for Maverick Viñales (Pons HP 40) in just his second appearance in the intermediate class, with Esteve Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) second and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) third.

Moto3™ World Champion Viñales rode brilliantly from sixth on the grid, holding his nerve in an incident-packed ‘dry race’ which was slightly delayed by rain in Texas, the Spaniard eventually crossing the line four seconds ahead of Rabat.

Aegerter took the final podium spot a further three seconds back with Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) crashing out of the rostrum hunt at the end of the penultimate lap having earlier led the race.

There was chaos at the first corner when the race got underway as a crash hindered the race of many riders, with Josh Herrin (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing), Mattia Pasini (NGM Forward Racing), Axel Pons (AGR Team), Nico Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2), Sam Lowes (Speed Up) and Luis Salom (Pons HP 40) all involved. Of that group only Herrin, Terol and Salom were unable to finish the race and all riders were ok.

Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) crashed out on lap two taking Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team) with him, though the latter remounted to finish 23rd. There were crashes too for Louis Rossi (SAG Team), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Gresini Moto2) and Jonas Folger (AGR Team), though they too escaped injury.
Behind the front three Mika Kallio Marc (VDS Racing Team) missed the podium by just over a second, whilst Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) also made the top five.

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2), Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team), Alex De Angelis (Tasca Racing Moto2) and Tech 3 pair Marcel Schrotter and Ricard Cardus completed the top ten.

 

Moto3™: Miller takes second victory of the season

The Grand Prix of the Americas brought victory in the Moto3™ race for Jack Miller, with the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider being joined on the podium by Romano Fenati and Efren Vazquez.

A crash for Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) on the final lap ruined his day when he was in the hunt for the podium, leaving Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Vazquez (SAXOPRINT RTG) to chase the rampant Miller to the finish line, with the Australian ultimately outpacing his rivals.

After winning at Qatar Miller now has maximum points from the first two rounds and he deservedly won from pole after leading for most of the race.

Behind the podium finishers an off colour Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) finished fourth by a seven second margin from the front, with Jakub Kornfeil (Calvo Team) following the Spaniard across the line in fifth.

The experienced Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold) was sixth, with Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46), Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo), John McPhee (SAXOPRINT RTG) and Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) all in the top ten.

There were early crashes for Arthur Sissis (Mahindra Racing), Andrea Locatelli (San Carlo Team Italia) and Matteo Ferrari (San Carlo Team Italia), with Locatelli rejoining to finish 25th.

Hafiq Azmi (SIC-Ajo KTM) crashed and rejoined for 24th, whilst Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team) crashed out at turn 19 on lap 8 with Niccolo Antonelli (Junior Team GO&FUN) going down at the same corner a lap later. Antonelli was taken to the medical centre by ambulance to be checked over after the race.

Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing) jump started and faced a penalty, riding through pit lane to rejoin but finishing 23rd. There were late retirements meanwhile for
Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing) and Gabriel Ramos (Kiefer Racing.

Source: motogp.com