Dovizioso goes back to back

Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso has scored a runaway win in the MotoGP round at Catalunya, making him the first rider to score back-to-back victories for the factory since Casey Stoner in 2010.

Continuing the red-hot form he displayed at Mugello the weekend before, Dovizioso started from row three and crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in third, and he then moved up to second on lap eight after passing his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda).

'Dovi' then hounded Pedrosa until lap 17 before taking the lead, which he maintained until the chequered flag.

Marquez eventually finished in second place, ahead of Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammates Johann Zarco and new lap record holder Jonas Folger.

Aussie Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda) crashed on lap 14, while it was a disappointing day for Movistar Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales who finished eighth and 10th respectively as they struggled for grip like so many other riders.

FULL RESULTS AND STANDINGS

Vinales' waning form over the last two rounds and Dovi's two-week blitzreig now means that the race for the championship has tightened appreciably. Vinales is on 111pts, ahead of Dovizioso (104), Marquez (88), Pedrosa (84), Rossi (83), Zarco (75) and Lorenzo (59).

“I’m so happy but also a bit surprised by this win," said Dovizioso.

"I had a great feeling before the start because I knew that we could be very competitive, not because we were the fastest out there on the track, but because yesterday we worked well to prepare for the race.

"It was a strategic race more than anything else and we were good at interpreting the limits of the track and the tyres. The track was very difficult and all the riders had problems with grip, which dropped off a lot and so we concentrated on administering tyre consumption and on consistency, and this decision paid off.

"In the race I was able to be very fast without pushing hard when I found myself behind Pedrosa and this helped me a lot in the last 10 laps, when I passed him and then pulled out a small gap over the two Hondas. I can truly say that today we were on really great form!”

For Marquez, his excellent second place was relief more than anything else after a spate of crashes on Saturday and another in warm-up left him in limbo.

“I’m really happy with how this weekend ended because with five crashes, four yesterday and one this morning, the situation was quite tough mentally," said Marquez.

"Anyway, my team helped me a lot to regain confidence in myself and in the bike. Before the race I said to myself that I was the same Marc as last year and that my style is to always keep pushing and never give up, something I think makes the difference sometimes.

"So I started the race with victory as a target. At the start I was really lucky when Petrucci hit me, as the contact was completely lateral – otherwise it would have been a disaster. From then on I tried to remain focused and calm and when I finally passed Dani for second place, I tried to push to close on Dovi.

"Within a couple of laps I realized that I couldn’t, that today was Dovi’s day, so I settled for second. The championship is kind of a rollercoaster so we don’t really know what to expect from race to race. We must only think about ourselves, keep the concentration high, and try and give 100 per cent."

Alvaro Bautista (Pull & Bear Ducati) finished seventh, ahead of Rossi, Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Ducati) and Vinales.

Vinales was disappointed with the result but philosophical. He said: It was a really difficult day, but there are some days that you just have to get the points and that's what we did.

"Tenth place was the best we could do, for sure that's not our normal placement, but for today that was the best and we have to be happy with the 6pts we took today and at least we are still first in the championship. We will continue to work hard to get a better result in the next races."

After a strong warm-up session, Miller settled into a nice rhythm in the race before crashing on lap 14.

"I was catching the group of Rossi, Lorenzo and Zarco and felt really comfortable and braked at the same point at the downhill left but got caught out by the camber and crashed," said Miller.

"I’m disappointed because I had worked hard to get into a good position and felt comfortable with 11 laps to go when I went out. The positive is that I got some front feeling back today so I’m looking forward to the next race in Assen.”

MotoGP results
1. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 44m41.518s
2. Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda, +3.544s
3. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda +6.774s

Australian
DNF. Jack Miller, EG 0,0 Marc VDS, +12 laps

Pole position: Pedrosa, 1m43.870s = 161.3km/h
Fastest lap and new record: Jonas Folger, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1m45.969s = 158.1km/h

Championship top 3
Maverick Vinales 111 • Dovizioso 104 • Marquez 88

Moto2
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was in a class of his own, running away from the start and never headed as he took the win from Mugello winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten).

“A victory feels great anywhere but here at this race it feels amazing, just like my first win at Jerez just a few races ago," said Marquez.

"The last lap was incredible; I could hear the cheering of all the fans so thanks very much for that support. This is a really important victory for me in the championship and for the team on this special day for them. Now I need to keep this momentum for the next race in Assen, but first we will enjoy the win with a party tonight.”

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crossed the line in fourth ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) and championship leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS)

Australia's Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) was 20th.

"It was a long hard race and it was always going to be tough after qualifying where we did," said Gardner.

"The temperature was much higher and it was quite slippery right from the start. My pace at the end of the race was decent so it was definitely much more positive than Mugello despite us not picking up any points if that makes sense.

"The team continues to work hard as do I and I am confident we can do pretty well at the next one in Assen. Thanks again to everyone supporting me, it’s been a tough start to the season but we will get there!”

Moto2 results
1. Alex Marquez, EG 0,0 Marc VDS, 39m30.974s
2. Mattia Pasini, Italtrans Racing Team, +3.525s
3. Tom Luthi, CarXpert Interwetten, +4.452s

Australian
20. Remy Gardner, Tech 3 Racing, +29.261s

Pole position: Marquez , 1m49.408s = 153.1km/h
Fastest lap and new record: Marquez, 1m49.712s = 152.7km/h
Championship top 3
Franco Morbidelli 123 • Luthi 116 • Marquez 103

Moto3
Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) increased his advantage in the Moto3 title after moving past fellow Honda riders Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold) and Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) on the last lap to take a stunning win – his fourth in a stellar 2017.

Fenati finished in second ahead of polesitter Martin, Enea Bastianini and Aron Canet (both Estrella Galicia 0,0).
Mir's victory followed on from the weekend announcement that he's signed a three-year deal with the EG 0,0 Marc VDS team to join the Moto2 class from 2018.

Mir now leads the standings by 45pts over Fenati.

Moto3 results
1. Joan Mir, Leopard Racing Honda, 42m11.846s
2. Romano Fenati, Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda, +0.091s
3. Jorge Martin, Del Conca Gresini Honda, +0.279s

Pole position: Martin, 1m53.368s = 147.8km/h
Fastest lap and new record: Martin, 1m53.861s = 147.1km/h

Championship top 3
Mir 133 • Fenati 88 • Aron Canet 85

Next round: Assen, Netherlands, June 23-25