Marquez’ slick masterstroke victory

WORLD MotoGP champion Marc Marquez pulled off a tactical masterstroke at the Czech round in Brno on Sunday, diving into the pits to swop to a slick-shod Honda after only two laps of a wet but rapidly drying circuit, and then walking away to win by 12 seconds from team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

With light rain at the Brno circuit, riders started with wet tyres but as the track dried, Marquez was one of the first to change to slicks and it paid off with the Spaniard gaining a significant lead over his rivals.

“This championship will be long and hard but these 25 points will be important,” said Marquez, who moved 14 points clear at the top.

Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales completed the podium while his team-mate Valentino Rossi led the race from the beginning but a delayed bike change cost him as the 38-year-old finished fourth.

“In the first laps it was difficult to make the tyres work. We did a good job and after a tough weekend a podium is a good result,” said Vinales

Last year’s winner, LCR Honda rider Cal Crutclow, completed the top five.

Marquez has 154 points with Vinales second on 140 followed by Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, who finished sixth, on 133. Rossi has 132.

South Africa’s Brad Binder was 12th in the rain-interrupted Moto2 race, after running sixth before the race was briefly halted so that the riders could fit wet-weather tyres.

His brother Darryn Binder was forced to miss the Moto3 race after breaking his thumb in a supermoto crash while training in South Africa.

The next round is at Austria’s Red Bull Ring this weekend.

- Reuters