#SanMarinoGP MotoGP Race: Marquez punishes Ducati

With rain having cleaned a Misano track which was erased for two days during the various test sessions, it is a San Marino Grand Prix undecided to say the least who showed up to honor the thirteenth meeting of the season. Conditions desired by some and feared by others. But everyone was wondering about the possibility of having to change machines in the middle of the event, using, for the first time in official competition, the new procedure in the pits imposed since the incidents caused by the previous one in Brno.

Before embarking on this competition, here is the traditional overview:

#SanMarinoGP MotoGP	2016	2017
FP1	1'33.451 Valentino Rossi	1'33.556 Marc Marquez
FP2	1'32.769 Pol Espargaro	1'33.231 Danilo Petrucci
FP3	1'32.451 Marc Marquez	1'32.958 Marc Marquez
FP4	1'33.043 Valentino Rossi	1'33.338 Andrea Dovizioso
Q1	1'33.059 Michele Pirro	1'33.287 Alvaro Bautista
Q2	1'31.868 Jorge Lorenzo	1'32.439 Maverick Vinales
Warm Up	1'33.068 Marc Marquez	1'48.170 Marc Marquez
Course	Pedrosa, Rossi, Lorenzo
All time lap record	1'31.868 Lorenzo 2016

 

We will recall the appearance of this crazy campaign: the three manufacturers, who won this year, each recorded four successes. The last time three different brands scored at least three wins was in 2006. Honda took eight wins, Yamaha five and Ducati four.

After 12 races, the Top 3 is held in 13 points. 26 units separate the leader Andrea Dovizioso from the fourth and for the forfeit Valentino Rossi. Finally Dani Pedrosa, currently in fifth place, is 35 lengths behind. These are the smallest gaps since the points system was introduced in 1993. Likewise, Yamaha, Honda and Ducati are within 19 points in the Championship, the smallest gap since the MotoGP category was introduced. In short, in Misano, the championship was just beginning!

The races of Moto3 and Moto2 were characterized by a significant number of falls. Was it going to be the same during the 28 laps scheduled in MotoGP? At the beginning, Lorenzo imposed itself with authority on Marquez et Abraham fell at the start of turn 3. Dovizioso Vinales et Crutchlow followed the leading duo.

Marquez was getting warm by keeping the rhythm of Lorenzo while Dovizioso was building up a lead over the rest of the peloton marked by a battle between Vinales, Crutchlow et Petrucci. The latter took the advantage and left to join Dovizioso. Miller invited himself to the party and titillated Crutchlow et Vinales, not very comfortable in these conditions.

After five rounds, it's Petrucci who sounded the charge on Lorenzo after settling the accounts Dovizioso and Marquez.  Vinales was seventh and under threat of Loris Baz in full recovery. One turn later and Lorenzo, leader, made a mistake in window six while Crutchlow also fell at turn 3, but resumed the race. Petrucci found himself in the lead, in front Marquez et Dovizioso. Vinales was fourth and Baz fifth. zarco was eighth.

After eight laps, the leading trio was riding isolated from the rest of the peloton kept in check by Vinales which contained Miller et Baz. Unfortunately, the latter made a mistake at turn 8, thus ruining a great performance. We noted, in passing, a Sam Lowes in twelfth place on his Aprilia, behind Kidneys et Redding which closed a top 10 also composed ofAlex Espargaro, Johann zarco, Barbera et Pirro closing the top 5.

Barbera fell at turn 16 while in the HRC box the second RC213V of Marquez equipped with slicks... The consequence of this message sent a little earlier?... At Ducati, the second bike nevertheless remained in conditions for the rain.

Alex Espargaro fell at turn 14 and left Sam Lowes alone to manage Aprilia's interests. The Briton was tenth. Marc Marquez spared no effort to stay in touch with Petrucci and had his third scare in this race where he was stuck between two Ducatis. Sam Lowes ended up falling… A word on Pedrosa... Anonymous seventeenth! Iannone returned to the pits to retire. Which allowed Baz, gone back into battle, to regain the points!

Two laps from the goal, Pirro took the hunt for Vinales on his own account to the detriment of Miller. In front, Petrucci continued to set the pace by setting the best time in the race. The two title contenders Marquez et Dovizioso Would they tempt the devil by going to get him? Falling at turn 6, Rabat reminded that danger was present at every corner of this Misano track...

With five rounds to go, Dovizioso let go and Petrucci fell into the clutches of Marquez by getting scared.

At the start of the last round, Marquez took the lead and headed towards victory. Petrucci et Dovizioso completed the podium and Vinales saved fourth place. Pirro was fifth and zarco ran out of fuel in the final turns but pushed his bike to the checkered flag to finish fifteenth.

Baz was sixteenth. In the championship, it's a perfect tie between Dovizioso et Marquez ! There are five Grands Prix left…

#SanMarinoGP MotoGP Race: Ranking

 

1	93	Marc Márquez	Honda	50'41.565
2	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	+1.192
3	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	+11.706
4	25	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+16.559
5	51	Michael PIRRO	Ducati	+19.499
6	43	Jack Miller	Honda	+24.882
7	45	Scott REDDING	Ducati	+33.872
8	42	Alex Rins	Suzuki	+34.662
9	94	Jonas Folger	Yamaha	+54.082
10	38	Bradley SMITH	KTM	+57.964
11	44	Pol Espargaró	KTM	+ 1'00.440
12	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Ducati	+ 1'17.356
13	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	+ 1'35.588
14	26	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	+ 1'38.857
15	5	johann zarco	Yamaha	+ 2'02.212
16	76	Loris BAZ	Ducati	1 laps
17	17	Karel ABRAHAM	Ducati	1 laps
		Not Classified
	53	Tito RABAT	Honda	9 lapses
	29	Andrea Iannone	Suzuki	12 lapses
	22	Sam LOWES	Aprilia	13 lapses
	41	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	15 lapses
	8	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	17 lapses
	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	22 lapses