Marquez resumes his winning ways

Marc Marquez turned the tables in last lap stoushes by winning the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano after an enthralling encounter with rookie Fabio Quartararo.

Having been pick-pocketed in separate last lap passes by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in Austria and Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) in Silverstone, the reigning world champion resumed his winning ways on Sunday night, extending his championship lead to 93 points aboard the Repsol Honda.

Petronas Yamaha’s Quartararo came home with an impressive second, a valiant effort in what will likely be the first of many duels between he and Marquez, while polesitter Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) finished third.

Marquez was made to work for the victory, first by getting by an army of factory and satellite Yamahas in the opening laps, and then by chasing down Quartararo. Marquez made his move on the final lap, exchanging leads with 20-year-old Quartararo before a small mistake from the rookie in the dying stages allowed Marquez to blast uninterrupted to the chequered flag.

The victory was made all the more sweeter for Marquez following a well-publicised stoush in qualifying with Rossi, which forced the Spaniard to start the race from fifth on the grid.

“Honestly speaking I knew it wasn’t necessary to win because I saw Rins was out and Dovi was far,” said Marquez.

“But yesterday was extra motivation, an extra push for the race. What I did was just try to stay there and stay there, I wasn’t sure…but then I decided I would just try on the last lap.

“I knew that Fabio was really fast in T3, so I tried to overtake him before there, close the door through each corner and be smart. It’s really nice to win and it’s even nicer to have a 93-point advantage in the championship.”

Further back, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) finished his home race with a solid fourth place, ahead of Petronas Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli and Dovizioso.

Pol Espargaro ran home seventh and completed a promising weekend for Red Bull KTM, Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) impressed on his return from injury with eighth, while Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati) finished ninth – a good result after struggling for pace through practice and qualifying.

Meantime, Rins couldn’t replicate his efforts in Silverstone, crashing out of the race before making any real impact.

FULL RESULTS HERE

In Moto2, Remy Gardner crashed out of the race with 15 laps remaining while running in eighth. It was a disappointing end to the weekend for the Australian, who qualified in fourth and just inked a contract extension with the SAG Racing squad to the end of 2020.