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MotoGP Americas GP: Vinales surges to victory from Marquez in Austin sprint

Maverick Vinales dominated the Americas Grand Prix sprint race from pole to score back-to-back Saturday MotoGP wins, with Marc Marquez second as the factory Ducatis struggled.

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Going without a win for three years before the Portuguese GP sprint, Vinales made it back-to-back wins in the half-distance races as he streaked away from the field.

Securing the holeshot from pole, Vinales came under no trouble as he moved over two seconds clear of the pack over the 10 laps before eventually taking the chequered flag 2.294 seconds in front.

Marquez scored his second successive runner-up sprint result on the Gresini Ducati, having fended off Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta before pulling clear of third when championship leader Jorge Martin moved into the position.

Martin increased his championship lead to 24 points as factory Ducati duo Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia struggled for pace.

Bastianini was 8.6s from the win in sixth, while Bagnaia struggled to a lowly eighth having languished outside of the sprint points for much of the 10 laps.

At the start, Vinales led Marquez and Acosta as Bagnaia faded to 10th following a poor launch, while Bastianini jumped up to fourth on the sister factory team Ducati.

That leading trio quickly broke away from Bastianini, who was already 0.7s adrift on lap two.

Martin moved ahead of Bastianini at Turn 7 on lap three, but faced a 1.2s gap to the final podium spot as Vinales in the lead twisted the knife.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The Aprilia rider posted the fastest lap of the race with a 2m02.275s on the third tour to take a 0.9s lead over Marquez, which he swelled to 1.5s come the start of the fifth lap.

That gap would only grow as Acosta tried to take second from Marquez on lap six, attempting a move on the inside of the Turn 7 left-hander.

But Acosta ran wide and Marquez swooped back through into Turn 8, before Martin took third from Acosta moments later into Turn 11.

Despite a small error at Turn 12 on lap eight, Vinales’ lead came under no threat as he eased to the chequered flag.

Marquez pulled the pin in the latter stages to get second, 2.1s clear of Martin, with Acosta fourth and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro 0.177s adrift in fifth.

Bastianini was sixth after a late battle with KTM’s Jack Miller, while Bagnaia recovered to eighth ahead of Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez.

Only one Honda made it to the finish, with Luca Marini 22.989s off the lead in 17th and last after team-mate Joan Mir and LCR duo Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco all suffered crashes.

Fabio Quartararo was the lead Yamaha in 15th, while VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio dropped out on lap one with a bike issue.

Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez also crashed out of the race.

MotoGP Americas GP Sprint Race Results

   
1
 - 
5
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Rider # Bike Laps Time Interval km/h Retirement Points
1 Spain M. Viñales Aprilia Racing Team 12 Aprilia 10

-

      12
2 Spain M. Marquez Gresini Racing 93 Ducati 10

+2.294

2.294

2.294     9
3 Spain J. Martin Pramac Racing 89 Ducati 10

+4.399

4.399

2.105     7
4 Spain P. Acosta Tech 3 31 KTM 10

+6.480

6.480

2.081     6
5 Spain A. Espargaro Aprilia Racing Team 41 Aprilia 10

+6.657

6.657

0.177     5
6 Italy E. Bastianini Ducati Team 23 Ducati 10

+8.621

8.621

1.964     4
7 Australia J. Miller Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 43 KTM 10

+9.237

9.237

0.616     3
8 Italy F. Bagnaia Ducati Team 1 Ducati 10

+9.349

9.349

0.112     2
9 Spain R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team 25 Aprilia 10

+9.637

9.637

0.288     1
10 Italy F. Morbidelli Pramac Racing 21 Ducati 10

+9.894

9.894

0.257      
11 Portugal M. Oliveira Trackhouse Racing Team 88 Aprilia 10

+10.364

10.364

0.470      
12 South Africa B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 33 KTM 10

+10.724

10.724

0.360      
13 Italy M. Bezzecchi Team VR46 72 Ducati 10

+11.549

11.549

0.825      
14 Spain A. Marquez Gresini Racing 73 Ducati 10

+15.468

15.468

3.919      
15 France F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing 20 Yamaha 10

+15.574

15.574

0.106      
16 Spain A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing 42 Yamaha 10

+18.146

18.146

2.572      
17 Italy L. Marini Repsol Honda Team 10 Honda 10

+22.989

22.989

4.843      
dnf France J. Zarco Team LCR 5 Honda 6

 

    Retirement  
dnf Spain J. Mir Repsol Honda Team 36 Honda 3

 

    Accident  
dnf Italy F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46 49 Ducati 0

 

    Accident  
dnf Spain A. Fernandez Tech 3 37 KTM 0

 

    Retirement  
dnf Japan T. Nakagami Team LCR 30 Honda 0

 

    Accident  

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