Lorenzo’s first win of the season

The 800th race in world Ccampionship history was one for the record-books in more ways than one as Jorge Lorenzo claimed his first victory of the season and Yamaha’s first success at MotorLand Aragon. In a 23-lap race white-flagged when rain began just past half-distance, Lorenzo refused to raise the metaphorical white flag of surrender and made his 32nd premier-class victory one of the most doggedly memorable of his outstanding career.

As Lorenzo and title leader Marc Marquez on his Repsol Honda battled for the race lead, drizzle began on lap 12 of 23 and soon turned into persistent rain. To everyone’s astonishment, including that of his team, Marquez opted to stay out on a rapidly rain-soaked track, keeping teammate Dani Pedrosa out there with him as the rest, Lorenzo included, headed for pit lane and their second bikes. A brave call soon looked foolhardy as first Pedrosa, then Marquez, crashed – though both men remounted, changed bikes and came home 13th and 14th respectively.

That left Aleix Espargaro, the season’s top Open class rider by a country mile, to fight off Cal Crutchlow’s Ducati and make it a Yamaha 1-2 with his first podium in MotoGP, with Stefan Bradl fourth on the LCR Honda entry ahead of Bradley Smith Yamaha and Aleix’s brother Pol on the two Tech 3 Yamaha machines.

Lorenzo was quick to express his relief after “a very crazy race” that brought Yamaha successive victories.

“When I saw Marc and Dani keeping on racing and without going into the pits in the last corner, I said ok, I will take a risk and enter,” the Spaniard explained. “I changed the bike, the new tyres were very difficult to warm up, not so much grip but I tried to be very focused and not make many mistakes.

"When I passed the board on the straight I was in fourth position so I thought we are going to finish very far but then the next lap I was first! I was surprised; I didn't expect to be first. Having this victory is a great relief for me after so many months of challenges and fights so I’m very proud.”

Marquez, who contrived to extend his title lead by a point and can win the title in Japan next time out, admitted he might have done things differently.

“Today's race was difficult because I, like many other riders in MotoGP, had never experienced track conditions like this before,” he said. “It was a shame that it started to rain; if it hadn't, then I think that Dani, Jorge and I would have made the end of the race really exciting for the fans. I think that we did a good job all weekend – it was just a pity about the crash. I tried to hold on because there were only a few laps remaining, but today I learned that in these situations it is better to use a different strategy.”

On a day when the conditions put unexpected points up for grabs Alvaro Bautista was seventh on the GO&Fun Honda, Hiroshi Aoyama finished just ahead of returning Drive M7 Aspar teammate Nicky Hayden and Scott Redding rounded out the top 10 on the second GO&Fun bike.

The early stages were marred by two violent crashes. The first claimed Andrea Iannone, who had a superb weekend until then on Ducati’s new 14.2 machine. Qualifying second, the Italian took the hole-shot but with just two laps gone he got up on the kerbing and was lucky not to see the bike come down on top of him. The second big accident, on lap five, saw Valentino Rossi run wide behind Pedrosa and lose control on the grass, the Yamaha cart-wheeling as the Misano winner landed heavily and was stretchered away. Rossi was given the all-clear but he was taken for a precautionary scan.

MotoGP
1. Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 44m 20.406 (av. 158.0 km/h)
2. Aleix Espargaro NGM Forward Racing Yamaha 10.295s
3. Cal Crutchlow Ducati Team 10.312s

Pole Position
Marc Marquez • Repsol Honda 1:47.187 = 170.5 km/h

Fastest Lap
Jorge Lorenzo 1:49.107 = 167.5 km/h

Championship top 3
Marc Marquez 292 points • Dani Pedrosa 217 points • Valentino Rossi 214 points

Moto2
Maverick Viñales started from his first Moto2 pole and took a masterful second victory of his rookie year in the class after what he called “a perfect race”. Viñales, 19, took the lead on his Yellow Pages HP40 Kalex on the fifth lap of the 21-lap race and held it comfortably as Tito Rabat rode sensibly into second place to extend his title lead to 33 points over Marc VDS Racing teammate Mike Kallio with just four races remaining.

It was Kallio who took the hole-shot ahead of pole-sitter Viñales and tried to force the early pace, but once he relinquished the lead a dispirited Kallio slipped back through the field and could only finish seventh, leaving his title hopes looking very slim indeed.

“Today it was impossible to catch Maverick,” said an elated Rabat after opting for points over home-race glory. “To finish second with these conditions, I’m so happy. Now we must just keep working because Viñales is so strong and Kallio as well.”

Third, continuing his strong form in the last three races, was Frenchman Johann Zarco on the Caterham Suter, just edging out a fast-finishing Tom Lüthi. Australia’s Ant West, on the QMMF Racing Team Speed Up, qualified down in 23rd but for once did not profit from tricky conditions, sliding off and out at Turn 9 on only the fourth lap. The Assen winner is now 10th overall on 65 points after four consecutive no-scores.

1. Maverick Viñales Paginas Amarillas HP 40 Kalex 40m 16.321s = 158.8 km/h
2. Esteve Rabat Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex 1.285s
3. Johann Zarco AirAsia Caterham Suter 4.876s

Pole Position
Maverick Viñales 1:54.073 = 160.2 km/h

Fastest Lap
Tom Lüthi • Interwetten Sitag Suter 1:54.254 = 160.0 km/h

Championship top 3
Esteve Rabat 278 points • Mika Kallio 245 points • Macerick Viñales 204 points

Australia’s Jack Miller found out the hard way that you don’t mess with a Marquez, crashed out of the 20lap Moto3 race after just four laps and now has his work cut out if he wants to move up to MotoGP next year as a World Champion after relinquishing his season-long lead to Alex, the combative younger brother of MotoGP World Champion Marc.

Miller continued his 2014 habit of failing to win when he qualifies off the front row, starting fourth, leading as early as the opening lap but coming off second-best at the infamous Turn 16 left-hander when Marquez forced his Honda up the inside of the KTM, the two touched and Miller spun off and out. Although he rejoined, it was only pride at stake as Miller trailed home 27th and last of the classified finishers. Second place was good enough to propel Marquez ahead of the Aussie, who now also has Marquez’s Estrella Galicia teammate Alex Rins just seven points behind him in third place overall.

Race Control summoned Marquez and Miller at the end of the day’s racing to give their accounts of the crash, with Miller philosophical about it all.

"In the crash, Marquez had tried to overtake me on the straight but did not have the pace to do so,” he said. “On the entry to the corner I was on the dry line and went in normally. I knew Marquez would try to block off the inside corner, but he did not cut the gas and made me fall off the bike. Sometimes these things happen – it’s racing.”

Romano Fenati zoomed through from 13th on the grid to claim his fourth win of 2014 on the Valentino Rossi-backed KTM, with Marquez just 0.057 behind and Briton Danny Kent third on a Husqvarna, his second podium of his comeback season in the class. Pole-sitter Rins also led at one stage but finished fourth.

Moto3
1. Romano Fenati SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM 40m 52.209s = 149.0 km/h 2. Alex Marquez Estrella Galicia 0.0 Honda 0.057s 3. Danny Kent Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo 0.283s

Pole Position Alex Rins • Estrella Galicia 0.0 Honda 1:58.318 = 154.5 km/h

Fastest lap Fenati 2:00.176 = 152.1 km/h

Championship top 3 Marquez 206 points • Miller 195 • Rins 188