Marc Marquez as highly expected, won the inaugural race at the Circuit of the Americas with his second ever MotoGP race.
The 20-year old Repsol Honda rookie entered the history books of motorcycle racing, becoming the youngest rider to ever to win a GP race and destroying Freddie Spencer’s last standing record and he won the race with the craft of a consummated rider pressuring Pedrosa for almost twelve laps only to take the lead with relative ease and then break his team mate on the rest of the distance, but able to give Repsol Honda 1-2 with Jorge Lorenzo taking the third spot on the podium.
Pedrosa got the holeshot in a very confused first lap that saw paint exchanged and criss crossing racing lines with Stefan Bradl getting ahead of Marquez, while Jorge Lorenzo had a bad start as his rear tire slid at the start and he was fourth and followed by Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Alvaro Bautista.
Marquez (betting on a hard tire) took back the second spot from Bradl and put Pedrosa in his sights, while Lorenzo put in a hard overtake on Bradl (the only other rider on hard tire) to grab third that he would keep, uncontested until the chequered flag, happy that he was able to keep the top spot in the standings, albeit tied with Marquez and waiting for more Yamaha friendly tracks.
Yamaha’s Tech 3 satellite rider Cal Crutchlow took a highly impressivefourth but he didn’t make it easy for himself as he ran off track and found himself behind Bradl, Alvaro Bautista and Valentino Rossi and having to pass all these riders to claim his final position, but satisfied that he was able to beat Stefan Bradl who previously tested at the Austin circuit.
After a horrible weekend Valentino Rossi finished in sixth finding himself battling with Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Dovizio but he managed to shake both riders halfway through the race and finished 16 seconds off pace, struggling with the front tire that was completely ruined on the right side.
Bautista and Dovizioso battled to the finish line and the Ducati rider prevailed and he finished in 7th, while Nicky Hayden finished in ninth ahead of Andrea Iannone who closed out the top ten.
Aleix Espargaro rode to a lonely 11th ahead of Bradley Smith and a struggling Ben Spies who couldn’t do better that 12th and he was more than a minute behind the leaders.
2013 MotoGP Austin Race Results:01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 21 giri in 43’42.
123 02- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 1.
534 03- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 3.
381 04- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 6.
616 05- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 12.
674 06- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 16.
615 07- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 22.
374 08- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 22.
854 09- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 33.
773 10- Andrea Iannone – Energy T.
I.
Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 42.
112 11- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 48.
837 12- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 50.
705 13- Ben Spies – Ignite Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1’14.
132 14- Randy De Puniet – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 1’15.
651 15- Yonny Hernandez – Paul Bird Motorsport – ART GP13 – + 1’19.
591 16- Michael Laverty – Paul Bird Motorsport – PBM 01 – + 1’34.
391 17- Hiroshi Aoyama – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 1’39.
823 18- Hector Barbera – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 1’39.
952 19- Claudio Corti – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – FTR Kawasaki – + 1’46.
773 20- Bryan Staring – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – FTR Honda MGP13 – + 1’48.
084 21- Blake Young – Attack Performance Racing – Attack Performance APR – 1 lapThe Briton had been stuck behind LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl in the early stages, but eventually picked his way past on lap nine and was largely able to match the lead trio’s pace thereafter.
Bradl was fifth ahead of a relatively lonely ride from Valentino Rossi on the second works Yamaha.