MotoGP Grand Prix of Valencia 2018 Results: Andrea Dovizioso Wins Chaotic Race

Christopher Simpson @@CJSimpsonBRFeatured ColumnistNovember 18, 2018

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR's Spanish rider Alex Rins (L) and Ducati Team's Italian rider Andrea Dovizioso compete during the MotoGP race of the Valencia Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, on November 18, 2018. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images)

JOSE JORDAN/Getty Images

Andrea Dovizioso picked up his fourth win of the year on Sunday as he battled through wet conditions to win the 2018 MotoGP Grand Prix of Valencia at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain.

The final race of the season had to be restarted after the red flag was deployed following multiple crashes, but the Italian capitalised to take the chequered flag.

Alex Rins came in second, and Pol Espargaro rounded out the podium places, while Maverick Vinales' failure to finish ensured Valentino Rossi secured third place in the season standings.

A superb start from Rossi saw him climb six places in the first lap alone. At the head of the race, his team-mate Vinales did not fare as well, as he quickly slipped behind Rins, Dovizioso, Espargaro and Marc Marquez.

The racing quickly took a back seat as the conditions worsened, though, with the field struggling to stay on the track.

Aleix Espargaro crashed out at Turn 3 in the third lap before Jack Miller crashed on the same turn two laps later.

Danilo Petrucci was the next to succumb to water as Espargaro and Marquez followed in quick succession, albeit the former was able to continue:

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MotoGP™🇪🇸🏁 @MotoGP
It's been a crash fest in the early stages and a disastrous couple of laps for @pramacracing as @Petrux9 has gone down unhurt, as did Pirro & Luthi! #ValenciaGP https://t.co/GinCGkD7Fa

BT Sport shared footage of Marquez's crash, which cause him to dislocate his shoulder:

MotoGP on BT Sport @btsportmotogp
Marc Márquez has dislocated his shoulder for the second time this weekend... This crash was horrible 😧 #ValenciaGP https://t.co/Zp4FZAM76S

The drama wasn't done there, and after Andrea Iannone, Vinales, Franco Morbidelli and Bradley Smith joined the others in the gravel, the red flag was finally deployed in Lap 15.

The race was restarted with just 15 riders based on the standings recorded two laps previously, with Smith also allowed to restart:

MotoGP on BT Sport @btsportmotogp
When/If the race restarts Alex Rins will start on 'pole' ahead of Dovizioso and Rossi. 📺 BT Sport 2 HD https://t.co/THAZVG4ceP

Dovizioso took the lead in the second lap of the restart, while Espargaro quickly shot up the standings at the expense of Dani Pedrosa:

MotoGP™🇪🇸🏁 @MotoGP
It was Rins who lead across the finish line but Dovizioso moves past at turn one on the second lap! Rossi in 3rd ahead of Pol Espargaro!🙌 #ValenciaGP https://t.co/gehy88dtuJ

Rossi dove inside Rins at Turn 4 of Lap 7 to move up to second, but a slide into the gravel at Turn 12 four laps later put an end to his chances of leapfrogging his compatriot into top spot.

From there Dovizioso rode unchallenged to the finish line, while Espargaro secured his and KTM's first-ever podium finish at this level.