Jorge Lorenzo hammers home his pace with sublime win in Barcelona

Barcelona, 17 June 2018: Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) hammered home the race victory at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in flawless style, taking victory by over four seconds to secure his second consecutive win. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crossed the line second at his home Grand Prix to extend his Championship lead, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) securing third place for the third race in a row.

Just like it was in Mugello, Sunday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was all about Lorenzo. However, the number 99 didn’t get the perfect launch from pole position, with Marquez out-dragging the Ducati into the first corner. Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also made a great start, slotting into second place on the opening laps, with Lorenzo sitting tightly in third.

The Spaniard wasn’t there for long though, keeping his composure to get past Iannone and Marquez to lead into Turn 1 on the second lap and from there, it was hammer time. By now, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was tucked up behind the number 93 in third, before the Italian crashed out at Turn 5 on lap 9 – his third DNF of the season and another massive dent in his title aspirations.

Back on track, Lorenzo and Marquez had pulled the pin, with Rossi picking up third position, 3.2 seconds back. The gap between the two Spaniards at the front flirted at just under a second, with Lorenzo looking imperious, setting 1:40.0s lap after lap. In the end, the Championship leader had no answer, and eventually finished 4.479 seconds back from the number 99 – who now draws level on points with teammate Dovizioso in the overall standings.

Rossi was a lonely third at the checkered flag, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) enjoying a fantastic ride to finish as top Independent Team rider in fourth. The Brit was locked in a battle with Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa in the latter stages of the race before getting the better of the Spaniard down into Turn 4 – Pedrosa rounded out the top five.

Maverick Viñales’ (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) opening lap woes continued, finishing the first lap down in P10 after starting fourth. The home rider managed to salvage 6th at the flag, holding off Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), with the two locked together throughout the race. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) crossed the line eighth, with fellow Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) seven seconds further back in ninth.

Iannone slipped right back after a fantastic start, the Italian rounded out the top ten. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) picking up his fourth straight P11 finish, with Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Karel Abraham (Angel Nieto Team) the only other riders to finish the race in P12 and P13 respectively.

Fabulous Fabio takes flawless first Grand Prix win

Fabio Quartararo (HDR – Speed Up Racing) stormed to a stunning first Grand Prix victory to take his first podium finish since Assen 2015 in Moto2™. The Frenchman finished 2.492 seconds ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who came through from P17 on the grid, with home rider and last year’s race winner Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) taking the final step on the podium in third.

It wasn’t the start the Frenchman would have wanted from pole position, dropping down to fourth on the opening lap as Marquez grabbed the hole shot going down into Turn 1, with Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) slotting in behind. Oliveira again produced a lightning start to get into the top six on the first lap after starting 17th, and by lap 6 the Portuguese rider was shadowing Marquez in second.

The number 44 hit the front a lap later, but Quatararo was on the move. The double Junior Moto3™ World Champion passed Marquez into Turn 10, and set his sights on Oliveira, making his move at Turn 4 on lap 9 after the KTM rider ran slightly wide.

From there, it was an exhibition job for the 19-year-old. Quartararo was consistently the only rider to dip into the 1:43s, setting new lap records lap after lap to create a 2.2 second gap to Oliveira by lap 18. Meanwhile, the second-place man had pulled away from Marquez, with the Spaniard holding off the chasing Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) and the recovering teammate Schroetter, who ran wide at Turn 1 on lap 6 after setting the fastest lap of the race.

Quartararo took the checkered flag 2.492 seconds ahead, getting himself onto the top step of the podium for the first time since 2014. Oliveria crossed the line second, but was then involved in a scary looking incident with Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) down into Turn 1 on the cool down lap – riders ok. Marquez held off Schroetter to earn a home turf podium, he now sits 20 points behind Bagnaia heading to Assen.

Vierge was a solid fifth at his home GP, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) holding off a late charge from Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) to finish 6th, the Italian 0.087 behind in 7th. Championship leader Bagnaia had a disappointing day in eighth, seeing his overall standings lead cut to just one point over Oliveira.

Bastianini wins breathless Moto3™ race

Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) took his first victory since Motegi 2016 in a dramatic Moto3™ race with Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) taking second by 0.003 from Gabriel Rodirigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider), who secured his first Grand Prix podium and Argentina’s first GP podium since Sebastian Porto in 2005.

The lightweight class race in Barcelona was full of drama for two World Championship protagonists. Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) crashed out of the lead on lap 9 at Turn 9, with fellow-Championship rival Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) involved in a huge crash at Turn 5 on lap 16, with Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) and Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) also involved in the incident – Canet was stretchered away.

Then, on lap 18 of 21, there was more drama as Jaume Masia (Besta Capital Dubai) collided with Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team) down into Turn 1 with both in the hunt for victory – both riders were taken to the medical centre for a check-up.

An almighty battle at the front developed, with John McPhee (CIP Green Power) Bastianini, Bezzecchi, Rodrigo and Suzuki the five riders left at the front in the final three laps after the two huge crashes. McPhee led over the line onto the final lap, but it was ‘The Beast’ who expertly slipstreamed his way to the front, with Rodrigo and Bezzecchi also getting past McPhee. The Italian rode a flawless last lap to take a much-needed victory, as Championship leader Bezzecchi pipped Rodrigo on the line to grab second place – McPhee had to settle for fourth, his best result of the season.

Suzuki was an excellent fifth in the end, with reigning Junior Moto3™ World Champion Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) grabbing sixth, 5.961 back from the top five.