MotoGP Grand Prix of San Marino 2018 Results: Andrea Dovizioso Dominates

Repsol Honda Team's Spanish rider Marc Marquez (C), Ducati Team's Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo (L) and Ducati Team's Italian rider Andrea Dovizioso compete during the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on August 12, 2018. (Photo by Jure Makovec / AFP) (Photo credit should read JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images)

JURE MAKOVEC/Getty Images

Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso won the 2018 MotoGP Grand Prix of San Marino on Sunday, while Honda's Marc Marquez strengthened his lead in the championship with a second-placed finish.

Jorge Lorenzo crashed out in the final laps, handing Marquez second place on a platter and pushing Cal Crutchlow into the top three.

Valentino Rossi, who entered the race as Marquez's closest rival in the overall standings, finished in a disappointing seventh place. The championship standings can be found here.

Here are the race results, via MotoGP writer Simon Patterson:

Simon Patterson @denkmit
An emphatic victory for @AndreaDovizioso, and a strong podium finish for @calcrutchlow #SanMarinoGP https://t.co/F5UneKmyzD

The Ducatis made a fine start and immediately started working on building a lead, knowing Marquez would have to battle his way forward before he could hunt them down.

Lorenzo did fine work early, but Marquez made his first impressive move in the second lap with this superb pass on Jack Miller:

MotoGP™??? @MotoGP
Show no mercy ? @marcmarquez93 barges his way past @jackmilleraus ? #SanMarinoGP ?? https://t.co/jv0jTfNo93

Miller would crash out of fourth place soon after.

Maverick Vinales struggled for pace early, while Dovizioso chased team-mate Lorenzo, posting some excellent times. He'd make the pass on the sixth lap, but at this stage, the championship leader had nearly caught up to the duo:

MotoGP™??? @MotoGP
It's a Ducati 1-2 as @AndreaDovizioso hits the front, with @marcmarquez93 in hot pursuit! ? #SanMarinoGP ?? https://t.co/GxE5MbFJQA

In the background, Crutchlow had excellent pace, moving up the field into fourth place. He had a ton of ground to make up to catch the front three, however. Dovizioso continued to lead the way in lap times, putting all kinds of pressure on Lorenzo and Marquez.

Soon, his lead was up to more than a second, and Marquez had to do something. He got the pass on Lorenzo Lap 14, courtesy of a mistake from the Ducati rider:

MotoGP™??? @MotoGP
We have a change for second ? @marcmarquez93 dives under @lorenzo99! Can he hunt down @AndreaDovizioso? ? #SanMarinoGP ?? https://t.co/b9G0eIxKCZ

But he couldn't shake Lorenzo, who opened up a brilliant fight for second place that greatly aided his team-mate in the lead. It was the Ducati man who would come out on top after the skirmish, regaining his spot.

Heading into the final laps, the duo started to post faster lap times than Dovizioso, setting up a thrilling finale. Lorenzo, desperately trying to catch his team-mate, crashed out of second place to give Marquez a free run at the leader:

Simon Patterson @denkmit
Nooooo - Lorenzo crashes out with two laps to go! #SanMarinoGP

Marquez ran out of time to mount an attack, however, as Dovizioso held on for the win.

While the Ducati man was the race winner, Sunday's result marked yet another major step toward a fifth championship for Marquez. Dovizioso moved past Rossi in the overall standings but has an enormous 67-point gap to make up. Rossi sits three points further back in third place.

The next race will be at Aragon, where Marquez has won the past two.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

: https://ift.tt/2NzG48c

Let's block ads! (Why?)