Vinales claims Suzuki's first win since 2007!

The 2016 MotoGP season has added yet another glorious chapter following a brilliant victory by Ecstar Suzuki's Maverick Vinales at Silverstone on September 4.

The 21-year-old Spaniard became the seventh winner so far in 2016 with his dominant victory, which was Suzuki's first success in the premier class since Aussie Chris Vermeulen won in the wet at Le Mans way back in 2007.

Vinales won by over three seconds ahead of British polesitter Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), who got the better of a ferocious battle with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) – a dice which had also involved Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) before he crashed out with six laps to go. Marquez' teammate Dani Pedrosa completed the top five, with reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) in eighth.

“This victory has been really emotional, my first in MotoGP and also the first for Suzuki since 2007," said Vinales, who will leave the factory at the end of this season to join Yamaha. "I felt I was in a good condition and that here we had the potential, but until the race ends you can never know.

"The team did an absolutely great job, improving the bike since the last races and also in the whole weekend. After the first start I felt really confident and I thought I had a margin to keep ahead, and this gave me the needed confidence to do it again after the second start.

"My feeling with the machine was perfect, I tried to push hard at the beginning to take advantage and then I just controlled the race. After the last races we felt we had the potential and finally we proved that the job we are doing is really in the right direction.”

The first attempt at the race was red-flagged on lap one after an incident between Loris Baz (Avintia Racing Ducati) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) brought out the red flag and the two riders went to the medical centre.

It didn't take long for Vinales to hit the lead in the restart and start pulling away, leaving his opposition to fight over the minor placings.

Vinales has now moved up to fourth in the standings, displacing Pedrosa, while the top three remains the same – Marquez (210pts), Rossi (160) and Lorenzo (146) – ahead of what could be as season-defining race at Misano on September 11.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was sixth at Silverstone from Aleix Espargaro (Ecstar Suzuki), while Australia's Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda) was 16th.

Miller said: “Today’s race was a difficult one for me and the biggest issue I had was with the rear  tyre. I had a really good start in both races and I felt really comfortable in the opening laps. But after about five laps I started to have some issues with grip on the right side of the rear tyre.

"I was just out there doing laps for the remainder of the race and making sure I didn’t take any risks to avoid crashing. It was impossible for me to fight with anybody and I was happy to get in 19 laps on the bike after a difficult time with injuries. But I am disappointed because I’m sure I could have picked up some important points today.”

MotoGP results
1. Maverick Vinales, Ecstar Suzuki, 39m03.559s
2. Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda, +3.4809s
3. Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha, +4.063s

Australian:
16 Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda, +47.610s

Pole position: Crutchlow, 2m19.265s = 152.5km/h
Fastest lap: Vinales  2m02.339s = 173.6km/h

Championship top 3
Marquez 210 • Rossi 160 • Lorenzo 146

MOTO2
After sitting out the last GP with concussion, Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) hit back with a victory at Silverstone ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia).

The last five laps were incredible, in a period which saw championship leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) and polesitter Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) collide. Zarco was subsequently given a 30-second time penalty for the incident, which saw him classified in 22nd position, one spot behind Lowes.

Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) was fourth from early leader Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing) and title contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) – the latter in action after breaking his collarbone in a training crash in the week before the event.

Rins is now just 10pts (181 to 171) behind Zarco in the championship, followed by Lowes on 137.

Aussie Remy Gardner (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) was 20th, and also revealed over the weekend that he had secured a full-time Moto2 contract in 2017 to ride for the Tech3 Racing Team.

Moto2 results
1. Tom Luthi, Garage Plus Interwetten, 38m49.743s
2. Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, +0.856s
3. Takaaki Nakagami, IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia +1.179s

Australian
20. Remy Gardner, Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2, +31.722

Pole position: Sam Lowes, Federal Oil Gresini , 2m26.740s = 144.7km/h
Fastest lap: Luthi, 2m08.365s = 165.4km/h                    

Championship top 3
Zarco 181 • Rins 171 • Lowes 137

MOTO3
South African Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has now seemingly got one hand on the Moto3 trophy after getting back onto the winner's rostrum in a typically frenetic race. Polesitter Francesco Bagnaia (Pull & Bear Aspar Mahindra) was second ahead of rookie Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Binder is now a massive 86pts ahead of Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda), who crashed at Silverstone after a move by Stefano Manzi (Mahindra Racing) took him out.

Manzi completed the race in fourth from Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3).

Moto3 results
1.    Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo, 38m39.142s
2.    Francesco Bagnaia, Pull & Bear Aspar Mahindra, +0.183s
3.    Bo Bendsneyder, Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.366s

Pole position: Francesco Bagnaia, Pull & Bear Aspar Mahindra, 2m33.642s = 138.2km/h
Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega, Sky Racing Team VR46, 2m15.336s = 156.9km/h

Championship top 3
Binder 204 • Jorge Navarro 118 • Bagnaia 110

Next round: Misano, San Marino, September 8-11