Magic Marquez continues to star

MotoGP: All the threes…
1 Marc Marquez (Honda), 44m 52.463s • 2 Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 3.495s down • 3 Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 5.704s down

Understatement is one of the neatest forms of eloquence – and Marc Marquez has it down to a fine art. On Friday, after dominating the first day’s practice of the second half of the season, the young Spaniard said: “I have a fast bike”. And how! Marquez’s Honda topped every time sheet of the Indianapolis weekend, eclipsed the qualifying lap record then set a new race lap record on its way to his fourth victory of the season.

It was Marquez’s third consecutive Grand Prix victory of 2013. It was also his third win of the season in the United States, having taken out the Austin and Laguna Seca rounds already. It was also his third consecutive victory at the famous Brickyard, having won the Moto2 races there in 2011 and 2012. Not only that, but it gave Marquez a 21-point lead in the world championship with eight rounds of the season remaining.

It was the usual three suspects up front for the whole race as well. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo got the best start as he and Pedrosa both streaked away while Marquez dwelt on the line. The two men fighting back from pre-break injuries diced it out for the first few laps, but Marquez passed his teammate for second spot after six laps, then swept through at turn two on lap 13 of the 27 and left the other two in his wake to win by the handy margin of
almost three-and-a-half seconds.

Just to spoil the run of threes, this was the fourth win of his rookie season for the remarkable Marquez.

“I am very happy to have taken another 25 points!” he beamed. “I knew before we came here that this would be a good opportunity and I was able to take advantage of it. I felt very good throughout the weekend, and I think this has been my best GP overall since coming into the premier class.

“I was first in every session, so I couldn't ask for more. In the end I was able to break away and have some fun sliding the bike around and enjoying how good the ride was!”

There was another threesome behind the podium finishers too. Valentino Rossi lit up the race’s closing stages as he worked his Yamaha through from a lowly ninth on the grid to catch Cal Crutchlow’s Tech 3 Yamaha and the very quick Gresini Honda of Alvaro Bautista with five laps to go. The three men laid on a spectacular show of punching and counter punching, the Italian finally claiming fourth spot with a last-lap move on Crutchlow to head the Englishman home by just 0.060s.

“We still have to work and understand why in the first laps I can’t ride the bike and use the extra grip of the tyre,” said Rossi. “In the second part when the tyre slides I can enter the corner faster, I can go faster and I can make good lap times so we have to improve because the first three riders are very strong.”

Both Lorenzo and Pedrosa expect to be stronger again at Brno and Silverstone as the season accelerates over the next two weeks.

On a disappointing day for Americans, Attack Performance’s Blake Young was a first-lap retiree, while Ben Spies didn’t even take the start: a practice crash left the hapless Pramac Ducati rider with another dislocated shoulder; this after a seven-race absence before the summer break. Nicky Hayden created some home excitement with a dramatic last-corner tussle with Ducati teammate Andrea Dovizioso, an off-track moment that allowed Bradley Smith to nip through and claim an opportunistic eighth place for Tech 3 Yamaha.

Australia’s Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) finished a lap down in 19th position.

Moto2: Redding extends lead as West misses out
1 Esteve Rabat (Kalex), 43m 47.432s • 2 Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex), 0.766s down • 3 Scott Redding (Kalex), 1.741s down

“Beat Pol! Beat Pol!” That was the message pounding through Scott Redding’s brain as the Englishman set about defending his world championship lead in the second half of the Moto2 campaign. Even though neither of them won the 25-lap race, Marc VDS rider Redding did what he set out to do, finishing third behind Tito Rabat and Takaaki Nakagami while Espargaro could only manage fourth. Redding now enjoys a 26pt advantage over the Tuenti HP 40 Spaniard.

Nakagami’s Italtrans Kalex raced into the lead on the opening lap and stayed there until two laps from home, when Rabat’s irresistible rise through the field saw the Spaniard hunt him down.

“No secret, just hard work!” said Rabat when asked how he pulled off his third win of 2013.

The Japanese rider blamed severe chatter in the second half of the race and said it was impossible to keep his early lap times up. Still, ‘Naka’ had the consolation of claiming his first podium since the season’s opening round in Qatar.

Aussie Ant West showed up well in the early part of the weekend but could only qualify 23rd and despite his usual combative display came home 17th on the QMMF Speed Up.

Moto3: Rins claims hat-trick, Aussie duo enjoys mixed fortunes
1 Alex Rins (KTM), 41m 37.2s • 2 Alex Marquez (KTM), 0.177s down • 3 Maverick Viñales (KTM), 1.076s down

Alex Rins completed a trifecta for Spain with victory in the 23-lap Moto3 race – the Estrella Galicia ace’s own third straight win of 2013. Teammate Alex Marquez, brother of MotoGP phenomenon Marc, made it a double celebration for the Spanish outfit with second place to claim his own first World Championship podium, while polesitter Maverick Viñales rounded off a Spanish 1-2-3 with third place for Team Calvo, breaking the Indianapolis lap record in the process. Championship leader Luis Salom, handicapped by an ankle injury after a huge practice crash, fought hard to finish fifth on his Red Bull KTM Ajo behind Jonas Folger’s Mapfre Apar Kalex KTM.

Jack Miller and Arthur Sissis gave Aussie fans plenty to shout about in the opening stages: both riders started from the second row and Sissis on the second Red Bull KTM Ajo leapt into the lead with Miller’s Caretta FTR Honda in hot pursuit – until Miller high-sided on lap four, hit the ground hard and broke his right collarbone. Sissis meanwhile could not keep up the front-running pace but produced a fine sixth place, his best result of 2013, to move into eighth place overall.

For full results and standings, visit www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics.