Marquez takes a momentous win at Jerez

Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

A masterful race performance by Marc Marquez at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto earned him and the Repsol Honda Team a second consecutive win and the leadership in both the Rider and Constructor Classifications. This was the 63rd win of his career and his 37th in MotoGP (equaling Mike Hailwood’s mark in the Premier class), and a great success at a track where he has always struggled, which demonstrates the great feeling he has with his RC213V this season.

In a pivotal day in the Championship, an unbelievable racing incident saw Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), teammate Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) all crash out in one go at Turn 6 – with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) then coming through to complete the podium.

Lorenzo got the holeshot after an unbelievable launch from the second row, taking the lead ahead of Pedrosa in second and Zarco in third as polesitter Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) lost out off the line. Marquez remained where he’d qualified in fifth, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in sixth.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Lorenzo pushed early from the front to set the pace, with Pedrosa holding station in second as Marquez, Crutchlow and Zarco squabbled for third. A moment for Zarco soon after then saw the Frenchman out wide and dropping back.

Then Crutchlow crashed out, before another name went missing from the front group as Rins followed suit not so long after. Meanwhile Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had made his way through to the front group – leaving a Repsol Honda vs Ducati Team duel of duos fighting it out.

With 16 laps to go, however, Marquez made his move – slicing past Lorenzo to take over in the lead as ‘DesmoDovi’ and Pedrosa looked for a way past the number 99. After some chopping and changing as Marquez pulled away, it was then time for the overwhelming headline of the race: the three-rider crash that saw Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Pedrosa all collide and tumble into the gravel.

Lap 1 and Marquez is already past his teammate
Lap 1 and Marquez is already past his teammate

Dovizioso had attacked Lorenzo into Turn 6 but headed too deep, with the number 99 then cutting back towards the apex – but Pedrosa was already there. The two collided with each other and then Dovizioso; the gravel trap waiting for the three men and the shockwaves of the moment ricocheting around the circuit as the dust settled. Costly in the Championship, but the three all walked away unharmed despite the incident.

That left Zarco with the unbelievable sight of a Repsol Honda and both Ducatis in the gravel as he came past, inheriting second and then facing seven laps to keep calm and take yet another impressive podium. The battle to complete that after the drama up ahead was hotting up, meanwhile, as Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) were closing in on the Suzuki of Andrea Iannone in third.

As the last lap dawned, Iannone was just able to make a gap and stay clear of the chasing Italians, despite Rossi having pulled back an awesome amount of distance on the penultimate lap to get himself in contention. So the ‘Maniac’ crossed the line in third for the third Suzuki podium in a row, Petrucci took fourth and Rossi a top five finish in the race in which he completed a lap of the world – now having raced the equivalent distance of the circumference of the Earth upon finishing Lap 15.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) just dropped off that battle to cross the line in sixth, with Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) making some progress from outside the top ten in the initial stages to take P7. Eighth was the best result of 2018 so far for Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) after he fought with Vinales for much of the race, with top rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) taking ninth and his first top ten result in the premier class.

Once Marquez takes lead he pulls away
Once Marquez takes lead he pulls away

ika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), wildcarding on a prototype of the 2019 RC16, completed the top ten in another stunning ride, and teammate Pol Espargaro took P11 as he won a battle against Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) by mere hundredths at the line. Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was incredibly close, too, taking P13 to make it three Austrian machines in the points. Those points were completed by Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) and Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).

The dust has settled at Jerez, but not yet in the title fight. There’s a new man at the top after the Spanish GP, and it’s race winner Marc Marquez. The chasing pack have some ground to make up at Le Mans

Quotes

Marc Marquez
1ST

Up on one wheel Marquez gives everyone yet another riding lesson
Up on one wheel Marquez gives everyone yet another riding lesson

“This win in front of these amazing fans is great! I’m very happy with the result, which is especially important at this track, because winning here is usually difficult for me. That said, I was convinced before the start that I could fight for the victory today. It was a tough weekend, but we did good work, and in the end I was able to manage the race in the best way, despite the fact that I wasn’t the fastest rider out there today. The key was the rear-tire choice; we made the decision after the warm-up to go with the medium, and that was the right move. Then I was able to take the lead at the right moment and push when I had the chance. I also had a big moment when I hit some dirt on the track. When I realized that the asphalt was covered in gravel, it was already too late. I closed the gas, but I had a huge slide! Let’s say it was a bit of a ‘Marquez style’ show! I’m happy to have taken my first win at Angel Nieto’s Circuit, and to have an advantage in the Championship. We’ll have a test here tomorrow, and we’ll try to continue the good work. It will be a long season and we must keep our focus high."

Dani Pedrosa
DNF
“I have a lot of pain in my right hip, which is very swollen at the moment, so tomorrow we’ll have to see how I feel and whether I’ll be able to ride in the test. Regarding the race, of course it’s a great pity. I was riding well and was able to keep a very good pace, even if I wasn’t totally comfortable with the acceleration, and making passes was difficult for me. I was just sticking to Dovi and Jorge, trying to see if I could conserve my tires and improve my pace at the end of the race, or if they would make a mistake. Finally they did, and they both went very wide. I kept the regular inside line, and the next thing I felt was a big hit, and I suffered a heavy high-side. Unfortunately, it ended up with the three of us crashing. I’m very sad and disappointed for all of us, as we were having a great race but ended with zero points, and also because all of us are used to a nice style of riding and didn’t deserve this result. However, what makes me sadder and more disappointed is that I could see that the Race Direction don’t seem to understand very well how to manage these situations, and how to make decisions about things that happen on the track. I went to speak with them, just because I wanted to understand how they make decisions. In the end, there are many people who watch us, and many other riders who look at us as examples. I asked them how they judge: Was I on the correct inside line? Yes. Were the other guys on the outside coming back from a mistake, re-joining the right line? Yes. So who has the preference in this case, the guy who is inside or those who are outside? The one on the inside. So, who was at fault? But I didn’t get an answer, only that they had already made their decision and that if I didn’t agree with it, which I don’t, to appeal against Jorge if I wanted. But I didn’t want that, as I don't want Jorge to be penalized, only for them to understand correctly what is happening on track."

Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Marquez Marc 93 SPA 25 Repsol Honda Team Honda 41'39.678
2 Zarco Johann 5 FRA 20 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 5.241
3 Iannone Andrea 29 ITA 16 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 8.214
4 Petrucci Danilo 9 ITA 13 Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 8.617
5 Rossi Valentino 46 ITA 11 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 8.743
6 Miller Jack 43 AUS 10 Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 9.768
7 Vinales Maverick 25 SPA 9 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 13.543
8 Bautista Alvaro 19 SPA 8 Angel Nieto Team Ducati 14.076
9 Morbidelli Franco 21 ITA 7 EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 16.822
10 Kallio Mika 36 FIN 6 KTM Test Team KTM 19.405
11 Espargaro Pol 44 SPA 5 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 21.149
12 Nakagami Takaaki 30 JPN 4 LCR Honda Honda 21.174
13 Smith Bradley 38 GBR 3 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 21.765
14 Rabat Tito 53 SPA 2 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 22.103
15 Redding Scott 45 GBR 1 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 36.755
16 Syahrin Hafizh 55 MAL 0 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 41.861
17 Simeon Xavier 10 BEL 0 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 49.241
18 Abraham Karel 17 CZE 0 Angel Nieto Team Ducati 1 lap
19 Lorenzo Jorge 99 SPA 0 Ducati Team Ducati 8 laps
20 Dovizioso Andrea 4 ITA 0 Ducati Team Ducati 8 laps
21 Pedrosa Dani 26 SPA 0 Repsol Honda Team Honda 8 laps
22 Crutchlow Cal 35 GBR 0 LCR Honda Honda 9 laps
23 Luthi Tom 12 SWI 0 EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 14 laps
24 Rins Alex 42 SPA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 20 laps
25 Espargaro Aleix 41 SPA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia

Rider Standings

Pos.

Rider

Num

Nation

Points

Team

Constructor

1

Marquez Marc

93

SPA

70

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

2

Zarco Johann

5

FRA

58

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

3

Vinales Maverick

25

SPA

50

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

4

Iannone Andrea

29

ITA

47

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

5

Dovizioso Andrea

4

ITA

46

Ducati Team

Ducati

6

Rossi Valentino

46

ITA

40

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

7

Crutchlow Cal

35

GBR

38

LCR Honda

Honda

8

Miller Jack

43

AUS

36

Alma Pramac Racing

Ducati

9

Petrucci Danilo

9

ITA

34

Alma Pramac Racing

Ducati

10

Rabat Tito

53

SPA

24

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

11

Pedrosa Dani

26

SPA

18

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

12

Rins Alex

42

SPA

16

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

13

Morbidelli Franco

21

ITA

13

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

Honda

14

Espargaro Pol

44

SPA

13

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

15

Bautista Alvaro

19

SPA

12

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

16

Syahrin Hafizh

55

MAL

9

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

17

Nakagami Takaaki

30

JPN

9

LCR Honda

Honda

18

Espargaro Aleix

41

SPA

6

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

19

Kallio Mika

36

FIN

6

KTM Test Team

KTM

20

Lorenzo Jorge

99

SPA

6

Ducati Team

Ducati

21

Redding Scott

45

GBR

5

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

22

Smith Bradley

38

GBR

3

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

23

Abraham Karel

17

CZE

1

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

Team Standings

Pos.

Team

Points

1

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

90

2

Repsol Honda Team

88

3

Alma Pramac Racing

70

4

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

67

5

Team Suzuki Ecstar

63

6

Ducati Team

52

7

LCR Honda

47

8

Reale Avintia Racing

24

9

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

16

10

Angel Nieto Team

13

11

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

13

12

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

11

13

KTM Test Team

6

Constructor Standings

Pos.

Team

Points

1

Honda

95

2

Yamaha

76

3

Ducati

62

4

Suzuki

55

5

KTM

14

6

Aprilia

11