For the first time in a while, Marc Marquez (Team Honda Repsol) was not on top of the grid at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin. A crash during practice on Friday had plagued his first day at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, giving enough room to his rival Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to set the fastest time of the day. Then a tumble on day 2, and an incident with Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) as Marquez was re-entering the track, where Vinales came up to the slow-moving No.93 bike and had to cut short on his attempt at the fastest lap. Marquez set the fastest time and was ready to sit in P1, but the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel reviewed the incident and determined a sanction against him, placing the 93 in second row on P4, behind Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha), Andrea Iannone, and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
It looked like he had everything against him, and if there’s been a year when most spectators at COTA doubted Marc Marquez, it was definitely 2018.
Seeing Marquez on row 2 at the start looked somewhat strange, but he did not show any signs of distress. Just as he was smiling on Saturday while answering questions during the press conference, he kept that same smile during pre-grid, while getting ready for the start of the race.
And the Texas racetrack rewarded Marquez’s display of confidence and gave him a good reason to smile even more. Behind him, also on in row 2 in the starting grid, were Valentino Rossi ‘The Doctor’ of Movistar Yamaha, and Jorge Lorenzo of Team Ducati.
Row 3 Included the two men that were leading the classification: Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda Castrol and Andrea Dovizioso of Team Ducati, followed by Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa.
At the start of the race, Iannone got into the lead, immediately followed by Marquez. The two kept battling for the lead as Marquez got in P1, but Iannone refused to give up and tried to hold on for podium.
The hardest battle, as Marquez managed to pull a gap from the rest of the group, was for the two lower podium spots. Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales, and Andrea Iannone were fighting behind, until Vinales found an opening near turn 1 and passed Iannone to claim 2nd place.
Valentino Rossi finished 4th, followed by Dovizioso in 5th which gave him enough points for the top spot in the classification.
This first place is the sixth win for Marquez in Texas, and his tenth consecutive top spot in the US. With Maverick Vinales on the podium in second, Andrea Iannone finished third for his first podium finish of the 2018 season.
The Texas GP made the championship race very tight, with Andrea Dovizioso ‘Desmo-Dovi’ (Ducati Team) on top of the standings, and five competitors within eight points. Second in the standings, just one point off, was Marquez, followed by Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow, who took a small tumble early in the race but recovered quickly and got back in contention.
But as always, The MotoGP had more surprises in store with the following event on the calendar – the Red Bull Grand Prix of Jerez, in Spain.
Former points leader Cal Crutchlow was set to start on P1, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Johann Zarco. Marquez lined up again in row 2, behind Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo.
It was Lorenzo who took the early lead in Jerez, followed by Pedrosa and Zarco. Marquez and Crutchlow were not far behind. Then, some early crashes changed the picture of the Spanish GP: Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) slid off the track onto gravel in the first few laps, and Cal Crutchlow took a fall with 18 laps to go, a tumble that would cost him his shot at the podium. Marc Marquez started the comeback, overtaking Zarco first, and then Pedrosa and Lorenzo to take the lead.
As Marquez put his head down to take the race, more drama developed behind him in the race for the podium spots. A crash took out Dani Pedrosa of Honda Repsol and both Ducati Team riders Dovizioso and Lorenzo with 8 laps to go, leaving Zarco, Iannone, and Petrucci to fight for 2nd and 3rd. Zarco crossed the finish libe behind Marquez, followed by Iannone who gets his second consecutive podium this season.
The podium at the Spanish GP also brings some changes in the classification: Marc Marquez sits on top with 70 points, followed by Zarco and Vinales.
Valentino Rossi, who currently sits in sixth place in the championship race, got to add another item to his incredible list of records: with the Spanish GP, he has now raced long enough to cover the distance equivalent of a lap of the earth – 40,075km in his 23 seasons since 1996.
Coming up next is the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France in Le Mans, and it is expected to be a heated battle. Follow the next race at MotoGP.com
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