Round four of the MotoGP World Championship, brings the riders and teams, to Spain, for their first European race of the year. The venue is the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Jerez, Spain. Jerez is one of the crown jewel races in MotoGP. Marc Marquez wants to go four for four in MotoGP this season. Who will step up and stop Marc Marquez? Stay on the pace, and keep an eye on tires. Protect your line, and watch out. Recall that here, last year, Marc Marquez, and Dani Pedrosa collided with each other.
The action will go to the last lap, and the last corner. The last corner at Jerez saw Mick Doohan and Alex Criville have a dust up in 1996, Sete Gibernau and Valentino Rossi make contact in 2005, and Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo, collide last year. Since last year, this corner is called Jorge Lorenzo corner. Jorge Lorenzo turns 27 today, and, runs his 200th world Grand Prix motorcycle race. Mick Doohan, was the last rider to win four MotoGP races in a row, in 1992. Coming up, an update on qualifying, and then, it's time to turn 'em loose for the race.
Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama topped the first session. Aleix Espargaro crashed. Marc Marquez makes it four poles consecutively, with Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa, second and third. We're ready for a start at Jerez, ladies and gentlemen. The weather is perfect for racing, while the pavement, is hot, at 118 degrees. Tires will be a big issue. It's a packed house. Marc Marquez makes his 100th Grand Prix start. Can he win five in a row?
The bikes form up on the grid. 27 laps scheduled. Here we go. Go! At the start, Jorge Lorenzo wheelies and gets swamped. Andrea Dovizioso steams into the lead. Bradley Smith and Stefan Bradl move up. Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, as now, Marquez leads. Here comes Lorenzo into the Sito Pons corner. Rossi leads into Dry Sac on lap one. Can the Yamaha's do anything with Marquez in his 100th GP race? The fans are going berserk as they run into the Alex Criville and Ferrari corners.
Into Lorenzo corner, Marquez leads again over his rivals. Yes, Jorge Lorenzo has a corner on this track named for him. Rossi takes the lead and Marquez is coming back already. Dani Pedrosa passes Dovizioso. Back into Dry Sac again. Marquez comes back to the lead as Pedrosa wants by Lorenzo. He's pushing hard at first. Honda, Yamaha, Yamaha, Honda. Rossi on the inside, can't pass Marquez. He's quickest. Marquez runs fast lap in the 1:39 bracket.
Marquez opens a gap. Karel Abraham is off the road. He retires from this race. Game over. Can anyone do anything with Marquez? He wants a win here. Rossi, has won Jerez, eight times. Pedrosa must get by the Yamaha's. Jorge Lorenzo has won Jerez four times, and Dani Pedrosa, three times, as Michele Pirro is now out, too. Two bikes... out of this one. Rossi is on the harder front tire. Aleix Espargaro passes Bradley Smith for sixth spot.
Another fast lap for Marquez. 1:39.9. Jorge Lorenzo has won here on a MotoGP bike, and on the old 250cc and 125cc machinery. Andrea Dovizioso is caught by Aleix Espargaro. Marquez has a 9/10ths of a second advantage, and another fast lap, as Dani Pedrosa remains fourth. Smith struggles, trying to stay ahead of Andrea Ianonne. But, the big question is, can anyone stop Marc Marquez? Marquez's lead is 1.6 seconds. Marquez has run 22 tracks in MotoGP, and has won at 19. But, Jerez is one of three he hasn't won yet.
Andrea Ianonne's race is pear shaped. He rejoins, but he ended up ditching the bike in error, with no damage. Marquez is amazing, because he's leaving established World Champions, in his dust. We are seven laps in, working lap eight of 27. Lorenzo knows Rossi's tire choice, and also knows Pedrosa is there. Marquez is going to pull away, as long as these three other blokes are scrapping with each other. If Marquez wins, he'll have won at every track on the current MotoGP calendar.
Into Criville and Ferrari corner. Lorenzo almost runs into his team mate. Yikes! That would have been catastrophe! Pedrosa and Dovizioso are separated by 5.6 seconds. Down the back straight. Can Rossi make a pass? He runs wide at Dry Sac. Marquez leads by 2.5 seconds. Lorenzo gains on Rossi. Marquez is checking out. We've seen riders like Jarno Saarinen, and Freddie Spencer. But. Marc Marquez, is one of a kind.
He could become the first rider to win the opening four MotoGP races, since Rossi did it back in 2002. Cal Crutchlow is having issues with the brake. He's got braking issues, that could be mechanical, or, could be attributed to his injured hand. Mike DeMeglio pits, too. He might retire. DeMeglio is changing a tire, and he'll get back into the race because he didn't enter the garage. Marc Marquez still leads his 100th Grand Prix. DeMeglio is back in the race. Alvaro Bautista, Bradley Smith, and others battle. Stefan Bradl makes a pass.
But, for Karel Abraham, it's well and truly, game over. He's out. Stefan Bradl hangs it out in the last corner. He's right up behind Bradley Smith, or, Alvaro Bautista. Not sure who. Dani Pedrosa is trying to reel in Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa looks for Lorenzo to pass Rossi. They run through Michelin corner... turn two. Back through Pons and Dry Sac. Lorenzo is still being hounded by Pedrosa. He's not close enough into Dry Sac. Pedrosa runs too wide. Rossi will pull away. Marquez extends his lead, saying, "adios, y'all."
He's riding into the sunset. Marquez leads Rossi by 4.7 seconds working lap 15. So, we're past halfway, folks. Alvaro Bautista passes Bradley Smith for seventh. Smith fights back and steals the spot. Bautista retakes the spot. It's a good scrap. Stefan Bradl is behind these two. Bautista runs wide at Dry Sac, but in passing, Smith wobbles, tooi. Be careful. Bradl runs wide at Dry Sac, and so does Pol Espargaro. The battle will be for second, and also, further back between Aleix Espargaro, and Andrea Dovizioso. Marquez is on another planet right now.
Pedrosa can't get by the Yamaha factory bikes. Nine laps to go. Dovizioso and Aleix Espargaro tussle for fifth. It's Ducati vs. Open class Yamaha. Espargaro chases Bradl. Stefan Bradl has dropped from seventh to tenth. Can Lorenzo do anything about Rossi? Can Rossi do anything about Pedrosa? Marquez runs wide back into Dry Sac, watching Marquez from his onboard camera. Lorenzo made an error in the lead in 2012 at Jerez, trying to pass James Ellison. Marquez cannot make a similar mistake.
The gap increases to 4.9 seconds. It's now five seconds advantage for Marquez. Pedrosa gains on Lorenzo with six laps left. Pedrosa passes Lorenzo, on the brakes. He wants another podium. Dani Pedrosa is on the podium. Six laps left now. The gap comes down as Rossi is warned about Pedrosa. Scott Redding and Hiroshi Aoyama are battling on their customer Honda's. The gap is reduced between Rossi and Pedrosa. Honda wants a third straight 1-2 finish.
The gap is dropped at the front to 4.8 seconds. Dovizioso is fifth, 24 seconds behind the leader. Hector Barbera is running well after qualifying issues, and warmup issues. He takes the last points paying spot away from Colin Edwards. Pedrosa wants to have a last go at Rossi. Side by side between Aleix Espatgaro and Andrea Dovizioso. Espargaro passes the Ducati, but Dovizioso uses the horsepower of the Ducati, to get back by. But, Alvaro Bautista is also coming. Andrea Ianonne pits. Into Dry Sac, the battle for fifth continues.
Ianonne is done for this race. Rossi is reeling in Dani Pedrosa. He wants another second place finish. He did that in Qatar in the opener back in March. Now, we see Dovizioso retaining fifth and Aleix Espargaro runs wide and gets passed by Bautista. He almost went into the gravel trap. Bradley Smith is also in that battle. Both Espargaro brothers are in that battle. Marc Marquez is totally focused. The 170,000 Spanish fans, will go berserk if their hometown hero, wins.
Danilo Petrucci crashed in qualifying and hurt himself. So, he didn't start. Bautista is past Andrea Dovizioso. We're on the next to last lap, as Rossi and Pedrosa still fight. Rossi is ahead. Rossi is back to his old self, even though he's not in contention for the win. Dovizioso passes. Rossi is on the harder compound front tire. He has a tire that is better under braking. Pedrosa closes on Rossi. He'll have one shot, at Dry Sac. The Honda has more power. The Yamaha, has better brakes.
Pedrosa has to get a drive out of the Pons corner. Rossi fends him off. Pedrosa can't pass. No change in the top two. Jorge Lorenzo will languish in fourth. This is the final lap. Marc Marquez will win his home Grand Prix. Can Pedrosa pass Rossi? Marquez wins in his 100th GP. But, Rossi gets second, with Pedrosa third, and Lorenzo, fourth. He cannot get a birthday present for hiimself. Dovizioso gets fifth over Bautista, Espargaro, and Smith.
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Honda
The next MotoGP race, is the French Grand Prix at the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, in France, coming up in two weeks.
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