Malta Independent

Marquez wins Aragon MotoGP as Lorenzo crashes out on 1st lap

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Marc Marquez won the Aragon Grand Prix to extend his overall lead of the MotoGP championsh­ip to 72 points on Sunday, after polesitter Jorge Lorenzo crashed on the opening lap.

Lorenzo flew off his Ducati on the race's first turn and was stretchere­d off the track and taken to the MotorLand Circuit's medical center, where medical staff determined he had a dislocated toe on his right foot.

Lorenzo lashed out at Marquez, who he will join at Honda next season, after the race.

"Marc's move meant that I couldn't take the curve and I had to go off the driving line . and I lost control," Lorenzo said. "I just hope that he comes to say sorry and ask how I am, and above all, that he won't do it again."

Marquez, who started from third on the grid, traded the lead with Andrea Dovizioso until finally taking charge for good on Lap 21.

Marquez finished ahead of Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone to claim the race for a third consecutiv­e year.

It was Marquez's first win in five races.

"I had been taking risks in races but it wasn't enough to win," Marquez said. "This time I saw I could finish it off, and I said 'Let's go for it.' I wanted to win. I have an advantage but I wanted to end this drought."

Marquez stayed on course to securing a fifth MotoGP world title with his sixth win of the season. The Spaniard has 246 points, followed by Dovizioso with 174 and five races remaining. Riders get 25 points for each win.

In Moto2, Brad Binder won from pole followed by Francesco Bagnaia and Lorenzo Baldassarr­i. Bagnaia leads the category by 19 points ahead of Miguel Oliveira.

In Moto3, points leader Jorge Martin won to increase his lead over Enea Bastianini to 13 points. Bastianini finished third in Sunday's race behind Marco Bezzecchi.

Lorenzo: 'Marc destroyed my race, my foot'

Jorge Lorenzo pinned the blame for his first corner highside and resulting foot injuries at the Aragon MotoGP firmly on Marc Marquez.

The Ducati rider, who had qualified on pole, was passed by his future Honda team-mate into turn one.

Both went wide, but Lorenzo's situation turned disastrous when his rear tyre began to slide, then dug in and spat the triple MotoGP champion high into the air.

"From the outside, it looked like I entered too fast, went wide, leaned too much on the dirty part of the track and that's why I crashed," said Lorenzo.

"From what I believe and what I experience­d, I entered in the normal line to make the corner, just as I did in the last seven years here at Aragon.

"But I watched Marc going to the inside very aggressive­ly and not making the corner, because you saw he finished the corner [over the outside kerb] on the green.

"When he saw I was there on the outside, he tried not to let me pass into the corner and I didn't have any option other than to go onto the dirty part of the track.

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