Marquez Makes It 4 in Jerez
Moto GP 2014
www.motorcycle-usa.com By Byron Wilson
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took his fourth consecutive MotoGP win of 2014 from pole position in as many rounds at Jerez. Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi finished in second-place followed by Marquez’s teammate, Dani Pedrosa, in third.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso dropped into Turn 1 off the start at the head of the pack, though Marquez got a strong start as well and passed the Italian rider in the following corner. Rossi and his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, kept close to the leaders too, as did Pedrosa, and the opening laps were filled with exciting back-and-forth racing.
Rossi gave Marquez a serious run early on, pushing past the defending world champion at one point, though Marquez was quick to retaliate. The Doctor held fast to the Repsol rider’s rear tire but after the opening three laps Marquez had established himself as the clear leader, opening a slight gap on the field that grew as wide as half-a-second later in the race.
After Marquez started to pull away, Rossi, Lorenzo and Pedrosa settled into the number two, three and four positions, respectively. While each rider stayed close to the other, there weren’t any big moves attempted until late in the race. Rossi actually built a gap of his own on Lorenzo and Pedrosa mid-race, gaining a slight advantage which helped him fend off Pedrosa’s attack in the final laps.
Pedrosa started making his run from fourth-place with seven laps remaining, making a clean pass on Lorenzo after sizing the Mallorcan up for a number of laps. Pedrosa then set to closing in on Rossi, but the Doctor maintained a quick pace and defended any passing lines Pedrsoa may have utilized, especially during the final lap when the Repsol rider had gotten within serious striking distance.
Lorenzo dropped off pace significantly after falling out of podium position, crossing the line over seven seconds behind Pedrosa in fourth.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso finished in fifth-place, prevailing in a late race battle with Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Aleix Espargaro and Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith. Dovi and Espargaro managed one another for much of the race but Bautista was able to close in during the final laps, bringing Smith along with him. Espargaro was challenging Dovi for fifth position as the other competitors closed in, but then a big wobble sent the Forward-Yamaha rider wide, allowing Baustia to slip ahead into sixth-place. Espargaro finished in seventh followed by Smith in eighth.
Marquez maintains the overall points lead with a perfect 100 points through the first four rounds. Pedrosa trails in second followed by Rossi in third and Dovizioso in fourth. Lorenzo has moved up to fifth-place, 65 points adrift of the leader.
MotoGP Jerez Results 2014
1. Marc Marquez (Honda)
2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
4. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati)
6. Alvaro Bautista (Honda)
7. Aleix Espagaro (Forward-Yamaha)
8. Bradley Smith (Yamaha)
9. Pol Espargaro (Yamaha)
10. Stefan Bradl (Honda)
11. Nicky Hayden (Honda)
12. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
13. Scott Redding (Honda)
14. Yonny Hernandez (Ducati)
15. Hector Barbera (Avintia)
16. Michael Laverty (PBM)
17. Broc Parkes (PBM)
MotoGP Championship Points 2014
1. Marc Marquez, 100
2. Dani Pedrosa, 72
3. Valentino Rossi, 61
4. Andrea Dovizioso, 45
5. Jorge Lorenzo, 35
6. Stefan Bradl, 30
7. Aleix Espargaro, 30
8. Bradley Smith, 28
9. Andrea Iannone, 25
10. Pol Espargaro, 25