Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) took home his sixth consecutive MotoGP win yesterday at the Circuit of the Americas.
Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) got his groove back and finished strong in second place.
Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) gave Suzuki their first back-to-back podium finishes by finishing the race in third.
Despite receiving a three-place grid penalty which saw Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez starting the race from the fourth position, the defending champion and the Circuit of the Americas records holder showed everyone why he’s still the man to beat this year.
After an intense race, Marquez came up on top but it wasn’t as easy as previous years. This time around, it was Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) who benefitted from the race start and took the holeshot lead into turn 1. Marquez wasn’t far behind and quickly made his move to take the lead.
Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) kept his head down for the entire race before and after making his move on Iannone. He finished second behind Marquez followed by Iannone which happens to be their first podium finishes of the season.
Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) put the pressure on his teammate on the earlier part of the race but maintained his position in fourth upon crossing the chequered flag. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was the top Ducati rider in fifth followed by Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in sixth.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) impressively finished in seventh place even after a surgery for a broken wrist just last week. Two Ducati battles followed suit between Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing). Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completed the top 10 finishers in COTA.
Our hometown hero, Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) unfortunately suffered a massive highside on Lap 9. He was in P11 at the time fighting in between Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro. The good news is that Hafizh is okay and uninjured from the incident.
With the results at the Grand Prix of the Americas, Andrea Dovizioso is now the new 2018 championship leader with 46 points. He is followed by Marquez with 45 points and Vinales in third with 41 points. Only eight points are separating the top five and it’ll get even more intense once they reach Jerez, Spain for the Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana.
Image source: MotoGP
