Honda young gun Marc Marquez made history again in Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix at the historic Brno circuit as he became the first rookie to claim five wins in his maiden season - in this case after a race-long battle with team mate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha factory rider Jorge Lorenzo.
Marquez’ ride was a mixture of patience, aggression and defence, starting as he dived into Turn 1 second behind Lorenzo after the reigning World champion had made what he later described as the best start of his career to grab the hole shot off the second row of the grid.
The two swapped places a number of times during the 22 laps of the roller-coaster Brno circuit, but when Marquez blitzed the Yamaha in Turn 3 with just under four laps to go Lorenzo, his rear tyre in shreds, had no answer. Two laps later Pedrosa also got by the slowing Yamaha, but was unable to close the get within striking range in the two laps remaining
He was only 0.313sec behind at the line, however, so had the race been a lap or two longer, it might have been a different story.
Pole position starter Cal Crutchlow crashed out of fourth on lap eight, while Lorenzo’s team mate Valentino Rossi ultimately came out on top of a race-long duel with Honda privateer Alvaro Bautista, making the crucial pass on the final lap to take fourth by 0.077sec.
Stefan Bradl (Honda) put in a lonely ride for sixth, 10 seconds behind Bautista and 15 behind Ducati works riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden who, as usual, were too busy racing each other to worry about who was ahead of them.
RESULTS
1 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda - 42in5.729
2 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda +0.313sec
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha +2.277
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha +10.101
5 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda +10.178
6 Stefan Bradl (Germany) Honda +19.807
7 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati +35.015
8 Nicky Hayden (United States) Ducati +35.354
9 Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati +51.149
10 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) ART +56.392
POINTS after 11 of 18 rounds
1 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda – 213
2 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda – 187
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha – 169
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati – 143
5 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha – 127
6 Stefan Bradl (Germany) Honda – 103
7 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati – 96
8 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda – 92
9 Nicky Hayden (United States) Ducati – 80
10 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) ART - 62
MOTO2
Mika Kallio (Kalex) took his maiden Moto2 win after a dramatic and closely fought race, sharing the podium with Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) and Tom Luthi (Suter), while championship leader Scott Redding (Kalex) limited the damage caused by a lack-lustre weekend by finishing four places behind closest rival Pol Espargaro (Kalex).
Kallio started fourth, moving up to second behind pole-sitter Nakagami on the drag down to Turn 1 – the opening shot in what would be a titanic contest for the lead with Luthi and Suter rider Nico Terol.
The Finn moved into the lead on lap four but was unable to break away until the last of the 20 laps, when he opened crucial half-second lead as the chasing three battled furiously among themselves.
It was Kallio’s first Grand Prix win since the 2008 250cc race at Donington Park.
The other big bout of the day was that of the title pretenders, as Espargaro and Redding banged elbows and bumped fairings at last once, much to Espargaro’s surprise because he’d started from the front row while Redding – who has a poor record at Brno – qualified 13th.
Redding, with a point to prove, sliced through the field to pass his rival for fifth on lap nine but soon paid for his prodigal use of rubber so early in the race and dropped dto eighth while Espargaro forcefully took fourth from Johann Zarco (Suter) on the final lap.
South African rider Steven Odendaal (Speed Up) crashed out on lap 13.
RESULTS
1 Mika Kallio (Finland) Kalex - 41min11.785
2 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex +0.590sec
3 Thomas Luthi (Switzerland) Suter +0.799
4 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Kalex +0.965
5 Johann Zarco (France) Suter +1.100
6 Nicolas Terol (Spain) Suter +1.539
7 Esteve Rabat (Spain) Kalex +2.496
8 Scott Redding (Britain) Kalex +4.490
9 Simone Corsi (Italian) Speed Up +5.777
10 Jordi Torres (Spain) Suter +5.796
Steven Odendaal (South Africa) Speed Up - DNF
MOTO3
KTM privateer Alex Rins led into Turn 1 from his third consecutive pole position, but lost out to Maverick Viñales (KTM) and works KTM rider in the next two corners, setting off a five-way dice that included Rins’ team mate Alex Marquez and Kalex KTM rider Jonas Folger that went all the way to the line.
Heading into the final lap, Rins and Marquez were running first and second, heading for a repeat of last weekend’s Indianapolis result, when Salom, who is rapidly establishing a reputation as a master tactician, slipped neatly past Marquez in Turn 1 and Rinz in Turn 3 - at which point it became obvious that the Estrella Galicia team mates were two busy racing each other to strike back at Salom.
So much so, in fact, that Viñales swept round both of them in Turn 4 and Folger was able to pass them on the second-last corner to snatch the final rostrum placing.
Salom, who posted the fastest lap of the race on the final lap despite a fractured heel, collected his fifth victory of 2013, finishing half a second ahead of Viñales to ensure that the latter remained second in the standings despite being the only rider to have finished on the podium at every one of the first ten events in 2013.
South African rider Brad Binder (Suter Honda) was among five riders who failed to finish, crashing out of 23rd on lap 13.
RESULTS
1 Luis Salom (Spain) KTM – 40min58.770
2 Maverick Vinales (Spain) KTM +0.507sec
3 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex KTM +1.015
4 Alex Rins (Spain) KTM +1.081
5 Alex Marquez (Spain) KTM +1.240
6 Alexis Masbou (France) FTR Honda +4.787
7 Jack Miller (Australia) FTR Honda +17.638
8 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) (Kalex KTM) +21.380
9 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) Mahindra +21.404
10 Niccolo Antonelli (Italy) FTR Honda +21.516
Brad Binder (South Africa) Suter Honda – DNF