Marquez cruises at Le Mans, Zarco crashes
MARC Marquez reeled off his third win on the bounce in the French MotoGP on Sunday as home favourite and pole sitter Johann Zarco crashed out.
Marquez took his 38th success in the top category unchallenged from Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Pramac) with Italian veteran Valentino Rossi ( Yamaha) in third.
“I saw that the track had a little bit less grip than yesterday and especially this morning,” said Marquez in the paddock. “But I’m happy because this victory is important on a circuit where normally we struggle.”
Zarco had the 105,000 home fans at Le Mans’s Bugatti circuit dreaming of a rare French win after his record-setting pole 24 hours earlier, but the Yamaha Tech star slid out of contention on lap seven.
“I overdid it trying to overtake Jorge Lorenzo,” said Zarco. “The fans will understand me – I was going all out for the win.”
Zarco’s premature exit left Marquez (pictured, AFP) in control in a race that after early drama turned into something of a procession. The result tightens Marquez’s g r i p o n t h e MotoGP standings with the defendi n g f o u r - t i me champion on 95 points.
Hi s c l o s e s t pursuer is Mave r i c k Vi nal e s, albeit 36 points behind, with Zarco on 58 points in third, and seven-time world champion Rossi two points f ur t her adrift.
At the start, Zarco was quickly displaced at the front by track specialist Jorge Lorenzo, as behind Andrea Iannone on a Suzuki came to grief at the sixth corner.
Andrea Dovizioso’s Ducati then swept past Lorenzo, but no sooner had the Italian made his move than he too crashed. It was then the hapless Zarco’s turn to e x i t , s t a g e l e f t , a s t h e French MotoGP idol parted company with his bike with 20 laps remaining.
With the great Gallic home hope out of the picture, it didn’t take long for Marquez to make his decisive move as Lorenzo backpedalled, eventually finishing sixth.
In Moto2, championship leader Francesco Bagnaia made it three wins out of five this season. Kalex’s Italian rider set off from pole and held off all challengers to add this to his wins in the opening race in Qatar and at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Joining him on the Kalex-dominated podium were Spaniards Alex Marquez – brother of MotoGP’s Marc – and reigning Moto3 champion Joan Mir.
Bagnaia moved up to 98 points in the Moto2 standings, 19 points clear of Miguel Oliveira.