Marc Marquez Wins 2017 MotoGP Grand Prix of Americas, Maverick Vinales Crashes
Defending MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez took his first win of the 2017 season on Sunday at the Grand Prix of the Americas, while championship leader Maverick Vinales crashed out.
Vinales had won the first two races of the season but couldn't even manage two laps on Sunday before crashing. Behind Marquez, Valentino Rossi beat Dani Pedrosa into second place, despite a penalty.
For Marquez, it was his fifth straight victory at the Grand Prix of the Americas. Rossi is the new championship leader, just ahead of Vinales.
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Here's a look at Sunday's result:
| 1 | 25 | Marc Marquez | 43'58.770 |
| 2 | 20 | Valentino Rossi | +3.069 |
| 3 | 16 | Dani Pedrosa | +5.112 |
| 4 | 13 | Cal Crutchlow | +7.638 |
| 5 | 11 | Johann Zarco | +7.957 |
| 6 | 10 | Andrea Dovizioso | +14.058 |
| 7 | 9 | Andrea Iannone | +15.491 |
| 8 | 8 | Danilo Petrucci | +16.772 |
| 9 | 7 | Jorge Lorenzo | +17.979 |
| 10 | 6 | Jack Miller | +18.494 |
| 11 | 5 | Jonas Folger | +18.903 |
| 12 | 4 | Scott Redding | +28.735 |
| 13 | 3 | Tito Rabat | +30.041 |
| 14 | 2 | Hector Barbera | +31.364 |
| 15 | 1 | Alvaro Bautista | +1'06.547 |
| 16 | Bradley Smith | +1'22.090 | |
| 17 | Aleix Espargaro | 2 Laps | |
| DNF | Sam Lowes | 10 Laps | |
| DNF | Pol Espargaro | 12 Laps | |
| DNF | Loris Baz | 13 Laps | |
| DNF | Maverick Vinales | 20 Laps | |
| DNF | Karel Abraham | 20 Lap |
The current MotoGP standings:
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | 56 |
| 2 | Maverick Vinales | 50 |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | 38 |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | 30 |
| 5 | Cal Crutchlow | 29 |
| 6 | Dani Pedrosa | 27 |
| 7 | Johann Zarco | 22 |
| 8 | Jonas Folger | 21 |
| 9 | Scott Redding | 21 |
Recap
Marquez needed a good result to get his world-title bid on track and started from pole position, but Pedrosa shot past him and Rossi to take an early lead.
Jorge Lorenzo, who was also in dire need of some points, used his superior straight-line speed to move up the pack, while Vinales slotted in behind Rossi and Marquez. The 22-year-old appeared to be in fine position behind the leaders, but on Turn 18 of the second lap, disaster struck, per Crash.net MotoGP on Twitter:
The news was a major boost for Marquez, who clocked the fastest time on Lap 3, closing the gap to Pedrosa, with Johann Zarco gaining on Rossi.
Zarco continued to impress but nearly caused a huge crash for Rossi, making contact and sending the Italian off the track. Somehow, Rossi not only kept his position but actually won time during the incident, per MotoGP's official Twitter account:
It was later confirmed Rossi would get a 0.3 second penalty for the advantage gained.
At the front, Pedrosa and Marquez battled for the lead, with multiple overtakes in quick succession. The defending champion eventually found some daylight after nine laps, but time differences at the front remained minimal.
In the background, Loris Baz crashed out, and Pol Espargaro's race ended with smoke rising from his bike.
At the front, the battle between Marquez and Pedrosa continued, as shared by MotoGP:
The current world champion showed his class toward the end of the race, however, with Pedrosa soon dropping back into the reach of Rossi. The veteran made his move during Lap 19, but still had the penalty to worry about.
Pedrosa couldn't keep things close in the final two laps, while Marquez cruised to the win. In the background, Andrea Iannone stayed ahead of Lorenzo, whose poor start to the season continued.
The next race will be the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on May 7.
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