Michael Scott | April 22, 2018
2018 U.S. MotoGP Sunday Results—Marc Marquez proved it once again—he is unbeatable in the USA. The 25-year-old defending champion arrived in a cloud of controversy after Argentina’s debacle, earned another penalty that took him off pole position in spite of setting the fastest time. And then produced a perfect run to claim his sixth successive win at COTA, his tenth straight MotoGP win on US soil, and a dozen of U.S. wins in a row if you add in two more in Moto2.
2018 U.S. MotoGP Sunday Results
The Repsol Honda rider was headed only once over 20 laps of the long and spectacular circuit outside Austin, when front-row qualifier Andrea Iannone (Ecstar Suzuki) nosed ahead for a few yards into the hairpin before the back straight on lap two of 20.
Marquez repassed him on the exit from the corner and pulled steadily clear.
“That was my strategy,” Marquez said. “I didn’t have the confidence for a battle, so I pushed from the start to get away.”
He celebrated his continued dominance in Texas with a victory lap carrying a tribute flag to the late Nicky Hayden, the last U.S. champion, before lifting the golden handlebar prize on the podium.
Iannone hung on to second until lap seven, when Maverick Vinales took over until the end. But Vinales’s Movistar Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi was never able to get close enough to attack, leaving Iannone to his first Suzuki podium, and finishing fourth.
Some three seconds back in a somewhat processional race, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) finally sneaked past Johann Zarco (Tech 3 Yamaha) for a valuable fifth.
Heroic Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) only lost touch with this battle in the final laps. Less than two weeks before, the Spaniard underwent surgery to pin a fractured bone in his right wrist and had been a dubious starter.
Tito Rabat got back ahead of fellow independent Ducati rider Jack Miller for eighth, both narrowly ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, to round out the top ten. All three had pushed ahead of disgruntled factory Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo late in the race.
Argentine winner and erstwhile points leader Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) slipped off in the early stages, remounting to finish outside the points.
With MotoGP now heading to Europe and three different winners for the first three races, the top five in the championship are covered by just eight points: Dovizioso 46, Marquez 45, Vinales 41, Crutchlow and Zarco both 38.
Moto2: Bagnaia Bags It
Italian Rossi protégé Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex) powered to a second win in three races at Austin, coming from row two of the grid to close down pole starter Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex).
The Spanish younger brother of Marc fought hard, but on lap 13 Bagnaia finally made a passing move that stuck, and he pulled clear to win by better than two seconds, resuming the lead in the championship in the process.
Marquez had to settle for second, keeping his head as Red Bull KTM rider Miguel Oliveira, through from the fourth row of the grid, closed remorselessly in the last laps. He was still just over a second adrift at the flag.
Class rookie Joan Mir (EG-VDS Kalex) was an impressive fourth, the reigning Moto3 champion fighting through after a first-corner skirmish dropped him to 19th at the end of lap one.
Close behind, Iker Lecuona (SII KTM) regained a career-best fifth after a long battle with second Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder. The pair had finally dropped early leader Mattie Pasini (Italtrans Kalex); with Navarro, a charging Aegerter and Baldassarri completing the top ten.
Moto3: Martin Gets Back On Top
Spanish title favorite Jorge Martin (Del Conca Honda) took a text-book Moto3 win in the first race of the day, biding his time in a lead group still a dozen strong at half distance, then kicking over the last five laps to eke out an advantage of just over a second over the line.
Enea Bastianini (Leopard Honda) came through the group to escape in second, but the last podium spot was in the fiercest contention through the final tight corners. Third went to Argentine GP first-time winner Marco Bezzecchi (KTM), with second KTM rider Andrea Migno, through from behind, taking advantage of the closing confusion for fourth, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Honda) and Philipp Oettl (KTM); third to sixth covered by less than three tenths.
Erstwhile title leader Aron Canet (Honda) was eighth after a poor tire choice.
MotoGP
- Marc Marquez (Hon)
- Maverick Vinales (Yam)
- Andrea Iannone (Suz)
- Valentino Rossi (Yam)
- Johann Zarco (Yam)
Moto2
- Francesco Bagnaia (Kal)
- Alex Marquez (Kal)
- Miguel Oliveira (KTM)
- Joan Mir (Kal)
- Iker Lecuona (KTM)
Moto3
- Jorge Martin (Hon)
- Enea Bastianini (Hon)
- Marco Bezzecchi (KTM)
- Andrea Migno (KTM)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (Hon)
RESULTS: http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/