Aragon Grand Prix, MotoGP, Race: Marquez impeccable, Dovizioso defeated, Lorenzo down and the Suzukis celebrating!

Aragon is the last European stage before embarking on four Grands Prix overseas which will be decisive in the awarding of this world title at stake. Marc Marquez manages his capital by refusing head-on combat with the visibly dominant Ducati, he will achieve his goals. But we know the phenomenon and he is this Sunday on a route he likes, in front of his audience... Lorenzo felt the blow by declaring that of the three present on the first line, it was he who had the least to lose. Atmosphere !

Before getting to the heart of the matter, here is the table which recalls the facts…

Aragon MotoGP™	2017	2018
FP1	2'01.243 Marc Marquez	1'48.020 Andrea Dovizioso
FP2	1'59.858 Dani Pedrosa	1'47.382 Marc Marquez
FP3	1'48.252 Marc Marquez	1'47.393 Cal Crutchlow
FP4	1'48.709 Maverick Vinales	1'48.129 Jorge Lorenzo
Qualification 1	1'48.179 Jorge Lorenzo	1'47.823 Maverick Vinales
Qualification 2	1'47.635 Maverick Vinales	1'46.881 Jorge Lorenzo
Warm Up	1'48.832 Marc Marquez	1'47.888 Andrea Iannone
Course	Marquez, Pedrosa, Lorenzo
All time lap record	1'46.635 Marc Marquez 2015

 

Jorge Lorenzo scored, this Saturday in Aragón, the 69th pole position of his career, his fourth of the year. The Mallorcan has never had three poles in a row since 2012 (Aragón, Japan and Malaysia). It is also necessary to go back to Casey Stoner in 2008, to see three poles in a row from Ducati. If Por Fuera obtains an additional podium, he will move up to third position in the ranking of drivers having obtained the most podiums during his career, i.e. 153, a figure identical to that of Dani Pedrosa.

Marc Márquez, who has won the last two editions in Aragón, has the possibility of equaling fourth place this weekend in Mike Hailwood in the ranking of drivers who have won the most with Honda. That’s 41 achievements.

Si Andrea Dovizioso registered a new Top 3, he will arrive at the height of Casey Stoner (89). Finally, if Ducati wins, it will be the first time in history that the Bologna brand has had four successes.

For the rest of the competition, we will remain silent on Yamaha in a coma to talk about Suzuki. Andrea Iannone, credited with the fifth fastest time in qualifying, had never appeared so well on the grid since Montmeló. This result also constitutes the best performance by a Suzuki driver at MotorLand since the second time signed by Maverick Vinales, two years ago. Despite a fall, Joe the Maniac achieved the best time in the morning warm-up.

But this afternoon, the temperatures are very different for the 23 laps of the race: 30° in the air and 45° on the track. Dovi has warned since the first day in Aragon, the key will be managing rear tire wear. Lorenzo bet on a soft front with a hard rear. His two grid companions take on tough guys everywhere. Iannone is in medium soft, like zarco. Red is in medium hard.

Lorenzo starts in the lead but falls at the first turn while Marquez made him inside. Dovizioso is in the lead, Iannone third behind Marquez. Lorenzo is evacuated on a stretcher…

Kidneys, Pedrosa et Alex Espargaro follow the leading men. Crutchlow is eighth and zarco tenth. Red twelfth. Vinales nineteenth… We discover that Marquez took a hard and a soft rear rather than the two announced Hard… The two Suzukis are fighting hard for third place. Kidneys is hard soft and Iannone in medium soft. No one is yet in 1'48, so the two Suzukis are indeed in contact. Alex Espargaro contains as best it can Crutchlow with his Aprilia. So much so that the Englishman made a mistake… His third fall of the weekend.

Baptist is also on the ground. The top 5 is in one second. And Kidneys is threatening Marquez. Red is ninth in front zarco. Vinales fifteenth. After seven laps, DesmoDovi clocked a 1'48.934. The only one under 1'49. He is only three tenths ahead of the Honda of Marquez. Kidneys clings and Iannone stalls somewhat.

Dovizioso continues to set the pace in the lead. Here he is with a little more than four tenths ahead of Marquez after 10 rounds. Iannone stuck back to Kidneys and the Honda.

Alex Espargaro is still an excellent sixth. And Marquez regains two tenths from the leading Ducati…zarco is twelfth. Then fourteenth a lap later, under threat from his teammate Syahrin.

The halfway point announced, Marquez is 1'48 but Dovizioso responds instantly. The Suzukis stall. The final sprint is launched... We learn that the toe of the right foot of Lorenzo is touched.

10 laps from the goal, Marquez calls the charge and passes Dovi to the forceps at turn 12. Behind Iannone pass Kidneys. With eight laps to go, Dovi et Marquez are in a duel and by passing and then passing again, they allow Iannone to reglue.

Kidneys is also in the mix. The two Suzukis are ready to take advantage of the slightest crumb from the leading duo in a duel. There are six rounds left. With five rounds to go, Iannone worried by turning a little faster than Marquez et Dovizioso... He even took the lead for a moment after a skirmish between the two leaders. The four rounds that follow are crazy, under the gaze of Kidneys very close to the unleashed trio!

Last round ! Marquez whip in the head. He teaches a lesson to Dovizioso which must be resolved in second place. Iannone is an excellent third ahead of a no less good Kidneys. Pedrosa closes the top 5 and Alex Espargaro hoists his Aprilia to sixth place in front Petrucci et Red. Vinales is tenth. zarco fourteenth. Morbidely, eleventh is the best among beginners.

Aragon Grand Prix, MotoGP, Race: classification

1	Marc MARQUEZ	41'55.949		93	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	25
2	Andrea Dovizioso	41'56.597	+0.648 / 0.648	4	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	20
3	Andrea Iannone	41'57.208	+1.259 / 0.611	29	ITA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	16
4	Alex Rins	41'58.587	+2.638 / 1.379	42	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	13
5	Dani PEDROSA	42'01.223	+5.274 / 2.636	26	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	11
6	Aleix Espargaro	42'05.345	+9.396 / 4.122	41	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	10
7	Danilo PETRUCCI	42'10.234	+14.285 / 4.889	9	ITA	Alma Pramac Racing	Ducati	9
8	Valentino ROSSI	42'11.148	+15.199 / 0.914	46	ITA	Yamaha Motor Racing	Yamaha	8
9	Jack Miller	42'12.324	+16.375 / 1.176	43	AUS	Alma Pramac Racing	Ducati	7
10	Maverick VIÑALES	42'18.406	+22.457 / 6.082	25	SPA	Yamaha Motor Racing	Yamaha	6
11	Frank MORBIDELLI	42'22.974	+27.025 / 4.568	21	ITA	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	5
12	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	42'23.906	+27.957 / 0.932	30	JPN	LCR Honda IDEMITSU	Honda	4
13	Bradley SMITH	42'24.77	+28.821 / 0.864	38	GBR	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	3
14	johann zarco	42'28.294	+32.345 / 3.524	5	FRA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	2
15	Karel ABRAHAM	42'33.588	+37.639 / 5.294	17	CZE	Angel Nieto Team	Ducati	1
16	Scott REDDING	42'35.534	+39.585 / 1.946	45	GBR	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	0
17	Thomas LUTHI	42'36.712	+40.763 / 1.178	12	SWI	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	0
18	Hafiz Syahrin	42'52.245	+56.296 / 15.533	55	MAL	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	0
19	Xavier SIMEON	42'54.93	+58.981 / 2.685	10	BEL	Royal Avintia Racing	Ducati	0
20	Jordi TORRES	42'55.462	+59.513 / 0.532	81	SPA	Royal Avintia Racing	Ducati	0
-1	Cal Crutchlow	07'21.99		35	GBR	LCR Honda CASTROL	Honda	0
-1	Alvaro BAUTISTA	01'53.554		19	SPA	Angel Nieto Team	Ducati	0
-1	Jorge Lorenzo	00'00.		99	SPA	Ducati Team	Ducati	0

 

 

 

 

 

 

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