Alex Rins took MotoGP win in Americas GP after fall for Francesco Bagnaia, with Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo ending on podium.
It was a good start from pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia in his Ducati in MotoGP Americas GP to lead from LCR Honda’s Alex Rins as KTM’s Jack Miller moved up from 10th to third at the end of Lap 1 and brought Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo along in fourth.
The VR46 Ducati pair of Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi were fifth and sixth from Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco as RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira was eighth, KTM’s Brad Binder ninth and Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales rounding the Top 10.
There was a fall for Pramac’s Jorge Martin and he took Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez along – an incident which will be reviewed after the race. Further in the lap, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro had a fall from the Top 10 at Turn 12 and couldn’t continue on.
At the front, Bagnaia started to stretch out but Rins stayed with him as much, while Miller started to claw back on the tail of the LCR rider. But it didn’t last long as the Australian suffered his sixth crash of the MotoGP weekend to end his podium charge.
It allowed Quartararo to be third but with Marini very close behind along with Bezzecchi. But it soon became the fight for second when Bagnaia crashed at Turn 2 from the lead of Americas GP. It put Rins on top from Quartararo and Marini behind.
Bezzecchi was fourth from Vinales, who climbed up from 10th after poor start. Zarco was sixth from Oliveira, Binder, Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli and Honda’s Joan Mir in the Top 10. LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami was 11th from Gresini’s Fabio di Giannantonio.
Tech3 GASGAS’ Augusto Fernandez was 13th from Honda’s Stefan Bradl and Ducati’s Michele Pirro in the Top 15 points places. There was further change in the lower half of the points places when RNF’s Raul Fernandez retired and Mir crashed out.
This helped Nakagami to be 10th from Giannantonio, Fernandez, Bradl, Pirro and Tech3’s Jonas Folger in the Top 15. The attrition rate continued after a crash for Binder and Nakagami, but the South African managed to continue on despite the fall.
As Rins led the way, Marini stormed past Quartararo for second, with Bezzecchi at a distant fourth from Vinales and Oliveira. There was some distance to Zarco in seventh from Morbidelli, Giannantonio and Fernandez in the Top 10.
It was tense for LCR and Honda but Rins had it under control to win the MotoGP race in Americas GP, as Marini and Quartararo rounded the podium, with Vinales ending up fourth after a bad a start. Oliveira was fifth on his return with Bezzecchi dropping to sixth.
The Italian maintained his MotoGP points lead, as Zarco was sixth from Morbidelli, Giannantonio, Fernandez, Pirro, Folger and Binder as the 13 finishers after Bradl crashed out on the final lap from a good points position.
DNF: Bradl, Nakagami, Mir, Bagnaia, Miller, Fernandez, Espargaro, Martin, Marquez.
If you predicted that podium you're a genius! 😅#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/YyN8AirOtM
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 16, 2023
Here’s how MotoGP Sprint in Americas GP panned out