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Barcelona MotoGP race

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Another replay of that tangle shows just how fortunate Marquez was. He overtook Dovizioso at the exact right time.
Of course, Marquez was in this position in Texas and look what happened there. Nothing is ever assured in motorcycle racing.
Marquez now 3.1s clear now. How is your luck Marc? He just needs to stroke it home and he's into a commanding position in the championship heading to Assen.
Rins eases past Quartararo on the pit straight for third at the start of lap seven. Quartararo had a big moment exiting Turn 14.
Bagnaia has gone down at Turn 6. That's the ninth retirement.
My fingers have cramped up after a manic five laps. Onto lap six, Marquez leads by 2.2s now. Rins moves back into third.
Vinales makes his feelings clear in the Yamaha garage: 'use your head, Jorge' was the message.
Ducati needs its newest race winner to step up in a big way now, but Marquez has pulled another two tenths on Petrucci.
Quartararo running third at the moment, with Rins, Miller, Mir, Espargaro, Nakagami, Crutchlow and Morbidelli completing the top 10.
Huge moment for Rins at Turn 3. Almost flicked himself into the air. Somehow, he only lost a place.
What a shame. That was shaping up to be amazing. What a shot for Marquez to do serious damage in the standings now.
Lorenzo tried to pass Vinales, loses the front and wipes out Dovizioso. Vinales and Rossi got caught up in that. Petrucci second now, Rins up to third ahead of Quartararo.
Massive crash. Lorenzo has wiped out Dovizioso, Rossi and Vinales!
Lorenzo is up to fourth now, as Petrucci runs a bit wide at Turn 4.
Onto lap two, Dovizioso leads Marquez - who blasts past Vinales on the straight into Turn 1.
Vinales is challenging Dovi now at Turn 10, but backs off. Marquez third.
Marquez wide at Turn 4. He almost hit Dovizioso. Lorenzo is up to fifth, mugging Quartararo at Turn 5.
Great start by Dovizioso, who takes the lead at Turn 1. Marquez tried to fight back, but is being swarmed by Quartararo now at Turn 3.
Zarco and Morbidelli are the only riders on the hard rear, according to the tyre sheet. Soft rears for Dovi, Petrucci, Vinales, Iannone, Nakagami, Smith, Espargaro.A, Espargaro.P, Bagnaia and the Honda duo.
The works Ducatis have gone for the soft/soft combination - which is what Jorge Lorenzo won on last year.
A real mix in tyre choice. Quartararo has gone for the soft front, medium rear. Marquez is on the hard front, soft rear.
Van Halen's 'Jump' is currently echoing around the circuit. Hopefully none of the riders take that advice to heart with the start looming.
So this is what the grid looks like for this 24-lap Catalan race:

1. Quartararo - Marquez - Morbidelli
2. Rossi - Dovizioso - Vinales
3. Petrucci - Rins - Crutchlow
4. Lorenzo - Mir - P.Espargaro
5. Bagnaia - Miller - Abraham
6. Nakagami - A.Espargaro - Zarco
7. Rabat - Oliveira - Syahrin
8. Smith - Guintoli - Iannone
Quartararo had arm-pump surgery just under two weeks ago and, having gritted his teeth all weekend, has been prescribed some painkillers for the race.

However, Autosport is unsure if MotoGP doctors have prescribed him the tablet kind of painkiller or the Judas Priest kind. I've always preferred the latter, personally.
Pole sitter Fabio Quartararo needs to win this race if he is to take Marc Marquez's record as the youngest ever MotoGP race winner, who in turn took that record from the legendary Freddie Spencer back in 2013.
This weekend marks the 70th anniversary of the very first world championship races, which took place in 1949 at the Isle of Man TT.

Another bit of history for you: this is the first race since 2009 in Valencia that 10 current MotoGP race winners have lined up on the grid.

By: Matt Beer

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