Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Live text
General

MotoGP Argentinian Grand Prix

Live Text

Sort by
Checkered flag
Thanks for tuning in, we'll have more this evening and between now and the next round in Austin in a fortnight.
Autosport
Here's our report on a chaotic second race of the season, as Vinales' dream start with Yamaha continues:

Argentina MotoGP: Vinales leads Rossi home as Marquez crashes

Maverick Vinales scored a second successive MotoGP victory in Argentina, taking advantage of a crash for early leader Marc Marquez to win by three seconds from Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi

Argentina MotoGP: Vinales leads Rossi home as Marquez crashes
Quote
“It was a difficult race, I was quite good but Marc was very fast,” Vinales says.

“When he crashed, I was just thinking to bring home all of the points I could. I’m so happy, the team is working well.”
Quote
“Difficult to say,” Rossi says, when asked if he could have caught Vinales.

“On the grid, my mechanics said, ‘it’s race 350, make it a good race’. I felt good, relaxed, concentrated and knew I could do good race.

“I got a good start, overtook some slower riders at the beginning and had a great battle with Cal, and had a little bit more pace.”
Quote
“Obviously a fantastic ride by Valentino, again, from that far back, he hasn’t had that pace all weekend,” Crutchlow says in parc ferme.

“The pace was not that fast, I was managing the bike, then had a warning light come up.

“I pushed Maverick a few times, thought it possible to catch him, then tje warning light came back on and I cruised to the finish. I was quite easy to follow Vale.”
Rins crashed and ultimately retired, while Aprilia rookie Sam Lowes had a gearbox problem.
Marquez and Pedrosa both fell at Turn 2, the world champion from a lead he was rapidly building, and Aleix Espargaro skittled Andrea Dovizioso at Turn 1 mid-race.
Of the seven riders that did not make it to the chequered flag, crashes accounted for most of them, including Lorenzo at Turn 1 after getting tangled up with Iannone.
Iannone had a tough day, but it looks like he's made the day of some fans, throwing his gloves into the crowd. Not sure where his Suzuki is, though, he hasn't completed the lap back to the pits.
Fun fact - Vinales is the first Yamaha rider to win the first two GPs of a season since Wayne Rainey in 1990.
Iannone was the only other rider home, in 16th, he finished 2.7s behind Smith.
Baz was 11th, then it was the pack of Rabat, Barbera and KTM pair Pol Espargaro and Smith - points for the Austrian manufacturer in just the second race. They'll be stoked.
Bautista grabs fourth, ahead of Zarco, Folger, Petrucci, Redding, Miller and Abraham.
The Yamaha pair started sixth and seventh, remember. Would have been interesting to see if Vinales would have had anything for Marquez, who was cruising away before crashing at Turn 2.
Rossi finishes second in his 350th grand prix start, completing a Yamaha 1-2, while LCR Honda's Crutchlow will join them on the podium.
Checkered flag
Vinales wins the Argentinian Grand Prix, continuing his perfect start to life with Yamaha.
Last lap for Vinales, he's 3.1s clear of team-mate Rossi.
In fact, the third factory bike in the order is Pol Espargaro in 14th for KTM.
Folger has found a way past Petrucci for sixth. Behind the Yamaha pair, the top 10 is all satellite riders.
Folger is now behind Petrucci, looking for a way past in the closing laps.
There's a fair old fight going on for 12th at the moment. Barbera has found his way back past Pol Espargaro and Rabat, while Espargaro is now 13th ahead of Rabat.
Rossi has edged away from Crutchlow gradually, that gap is now 0.6s with four laps to go.
Iannone is still circulating in 16th place. He's seven seconds behind Smith, in the last points-paying position, lapping a second-a-lap quicker than the KTM at the moment.
Fourth would be a good result for Bautista on Aspar's 2016 Ducati. He showed plenty of pace during testing, but the first two GPs of 2017 had not gone to plan before today, he crashed out of the Qatar race.
Crutchlow would be happy enough to take a podium here, you would think. Since winning at Phillip Island last October, he has crashed out of the 2016 Sepang and Valencia races, and the Qatar opener a fortnight ago.
Rossi fires up the inside of Crutchlow at Turn 5, he makes it stick and takes second with seven laps to go. Vinales is a comfortable 2.694s up the road.
Pol Espargaro is up to 13th, he's passed Barbera.
But how would this be for another Rossi recovery? From how far behind he was during testing, and how forlorn he seemed at times, he'll start the season with a pair of podiums - it seems - and head to Austin only second to Vinales in the championship.
Crutchlow is on the hard front tyre, the Yamahas are on the medium. All three riders are using the medium rear.
Vinales is 2.349s up on Crutchlow and Rossi, with eight laps to go. Rossi is right behind Crutchlow.
Bautista is pulling away from Zarco a little bit. Zarco will have work to do later on, he was smoking the rear tyre on that Tech3 Yamaha earlier. Spectacular, but not good for its longevity.
Check out those KTMs in 14th and 15th, ready to pick up some cheeky points.
So, with all of that, here's the order, with 10 laps to go. Vinales leads Crutchlow, Rossi, Bautista, Zarco, Petrucci, Folger, Redding, Miller, Abraham (10th), Baz, Barbera, Rabat, Pol Espargaro, Smith and Iannone.

By: Mitchell Adam

Published: