Photo: Crash.net
With no articles regarding pre season testing, and the first two Grand Prix of the year, for reasons I will explain in another article, today it was finally time to get back to writing!
The Circuit of the Americas, a place that Marc Marquez has never lost at since the series started going there, was again looking like it would see Marc dominate the 21 lap race. Marquez, also being the pole man, got balked slightly in the opening laps by Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Rossi attempting some overtakes that turned out to be fairly clumsy, and non of which stuck, as Marc started ease away. Crash crazed drama was to follow however, as Rossi lost the front end at turn 2, a rare mistake from arguably the Greatest of all time, and for him to crash on his own accord his almost unheard of. Dani Pedrosa wiped out Andrea Dovizioso under braking for turn one, the Spaniard misjudged how far away the corner was plowed into Dovizioso. Which was sadly another DNF for the Italian through no fault of his own. Pedrosa would carry on only to retire due to a broken screen.
Brits Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith both crashed at the pre back straight hairpin, on the very same lap! Bradley’s bike nearly hit Cal as he stood up, but fortunately both were uninjured and remounted, albeit in the last places.
The most entertaining battle on track was that of the two Suzuki’s of Vinales and Espargaro, but they still missed out on the podium, but with the bike being one of the most competitive of the year so far, it must be just around the corner.
Photo: Stephen English
Marquez took a massively dominant victory, and was pulling away from Lorenzo all the way to the flag, it’s almost a cliche to say Marc was in a lead of his own, but today the man truly was.
Jack Miller was declared unfit to race due to his leg injury, and says he will be back at Jerez.
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 43m 57.945s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 44m 4.052s
3. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 44m 8.892s
4. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 44m 16.367s
5. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 44m 18.656s
6. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 44m 26.906s
7. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 44m 30.057s
8. Michele Pirro ITA Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 44m 30.702s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 44m 32.537s
10. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 44m 38.156s
11. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 44m 43.368s
12. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 44m 45.072s
13. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 44m 45.371s
14. Yonny Hernandez COL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 44m 49.135s
15. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 45m 10.874s
16. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 45m 17.197s
17. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 45m 25.981s
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) DNF
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) DNF
Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) DNF
MotoJimmyP 