Marc Marquez returned to winning ways with a typically dominant performance at the Circuit of the Americas, his sixth straight MotoGP win in the United States. The reigning champion proved too strong for the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi as the two Italians fought to the bitter end over second spot.
Pre-race weather forecasts suggested that a wet race was a strong possibility but the sun finally made an appearance in time for the Grand Prix. That didn’t prevent a delay to the race start though with water from an overnight downpour pouring from a bridge overlooking turn three, soaking the circuit in the middle of the left-hander.
After a near-40 minute delay, racing finally got underway with Andrea Dovizioso winning the uphill drag race to turn one ahead of Marquez and Rossi with Bradley Smith making a brave move around the outside to grab fourth. The leading quarter made an early break, thanks in no small part to an incident just behind them at turn eleven as Scott Redding crashed out, scooping up Pol Espargaro’s Yamaha.
Just as in Qatar, the Ducati GP15 looked a formidable weapon down the straights but Marquez used his prowess on the brakes to push past Dovizioso on lap five. Andrea used the horsepower of his machine to regain the lead straight away but Marquez would again steal a march once they arrived at the next corner, handing him a lead that he wouldn’t relinquish.
The outcome of the fight for second would remain in doubt all the way to the finish though as Rossi tried everything to hold off Dovizioso. Despite the Ducati’s straight-line advantage, Dovizioso would find a way past in the Yamaha-friendly first sector with a terrific move at turn three and with the Yamaha unable to make the most of any slipstream, Rossi couldn’t get back on terms.
Jorge Lorenzo grew in stature as the race unfolded and eventually climbed to fourth ahead of Andrea Iannone with both overhauling Bradley Smith. Nevertheless, the Briton maintained a superb sixth to finish as the leading satellite rider with Cal Crutchlow six seconds back in seventh. The Suzukis of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales took eighth and ninth respectively while Danilo Petrucci continued his impressive start to 2015 with tenth place.
2015 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas: Race Result (21 Laps)
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