Marquez secures sixth consecutive victory in Austin
Washington: two-time defending world champion Marc Marquez won his sixth consecutive Motogp Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin on Sunday despite being dropped from pole position to fourth on the starting grid by a qualifying penalty.
The Spanish Honda rider won by 3.5 seconds from compatriot Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) over 20 laps of the 3.426-mile (5.513km), 20-corner circuit at Austin, Texas with Italy’s Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) third.
The 25-year-old Spaniard was a winner from the pole in all five prior Austin races, taking his first Motogp win at the track in 2013, and led qualifying for a sixth consecutive year.
But Marquez only started fourth on the grid after a three-spot penalty for slow riding and disturbing Vinales on a fast lap in Saturday qualifying.
Marquez jumped to second at the start, was in the lead before the first lap ended and stayed in front to the finish.
“It was my strategy to start and just push,” Marquez said. “I didn’t have confidence to battle. I just push and open a gap and hopefully I go away.
“A race like this is not normal. You don’t expect to get such a big lead.”
Marquez said he was ill and concerned he might not be up for a fight at the finish.
“I felt a little bit sick and I didn’t know how I would feel at the end of the race,” Marquez said.
“I was just pushing. Today after all the things I just wanted to get a lead and open a gap if it was possible.”