A sublime performance handed victory to reigning champion, Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda for the 2019 Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina. After his struggles at the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo in 2018, it seemed Marquez had a score to settle – and settle it he did, leading from pole, not making a single error.
He finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi, who secured his first podium since Catalunya 2018. Rossi was able to secure second place after passing Mission Winnow Ducati rider, Andrea Dovizioso on the final lap of the race.
Numerous riders battled over the final two podium spots before Rossi and Dovizioso broke away to fight their own battle. It seemed experience allowed the pair to hold their position whilst still saving tyres and break away from the pack.
But it wasn’t until the final lap when Rossi finally took second place. Despite Dovizioso leading his compatriot since lap 8, Rossi snuck up on the inside of turn 7 to masterfully secure this spot with just a few corners to spare.
Image Credit: MotoGP.com
First of the riders to miss out on a podium was, last years pole sitter, Jack Miller and his Pramac Ducati who showed wisdom beyond his years as he held back a late attack from Alex Rins, who subsequently finished in fifth. Rins also enjoyed an impressive ride, recovering from his starting position of sixteenth.
The pair battled on ahead of a nasty clash between Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Vinales, knocking them out sixth and seventh, respectively, on the final lap of the race. They clashed at turn 7, as Morbidelli hit the back of Vinales and ruined both their races.
Further retirements came from Joan Mir on a Suzuki Ecstar with mechanical issues and Avintia Ducati team-mates, Tito Rabat and Karel Abraham who crashed on the penultimate lap.
Some might argue that the toughest day of all was faced by Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo was pushed back to last place after just the first corner of the race, whilst Crutchlow was given a controversial ride-through penalty for a jump start. The pair recovered and climbed through the pack to finish twelfth and thirteenth respectively.
They finished just behind siblings, Aleix and Pol Espargaro who rounded out the top ten after the Morbidelli and Vinales incident.
2019 Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina Results
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Championship standings
After two races, Marquez now leads the championship ahead of Dovizioso despite his win in Qatar. Rossi has been promoted to third after his impressive return to form, ahead of Rins and Danilo Petrucci.
