MotoGP world championship leader Marc Marquez sent out an ominous warning as he went fastest in the first practice session for Sunday’s Aragon Grand Prix.
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Spain’s Marquez started on pole, but had to overcome a minor error early in the race that saw him briefly slip down to fifth before claiming his fourth win of the season.
Jorge Lorenzo later overtook Yamaha teammate Rossi to finish second, crossing the finish line almost three seconds after Marquez.
The Spaniard, who now has a 52-point advantage over Yamaha’s Italian Valentino Rossi with four races remaining, started on pole but nearly fell on the third lap before coming back through the field from fifth.
Three years after his maiden triumph at the Spanish venue, Marquez thundered back with a vengeance to defeat runner-up Jorge Lorenzo, while Valentino Rossi was forced to settle for third.
“I’m very happy because step-by-step Rossi was gaining points and now we’ve stopped (that run)”, said Marquez.
Joining Marquez on the front row for Sunday’s Aragon MotoGP is Suzuki Team Ecstar’s Maverick Vinales and Lorenzo; both riders finished over 0.6 of a second behind Marquez.
“I am very proud, we did our maximum in the race and finally we finished closer than we expected to the victor”. “In qualifying I was very comfortable on my first lap, as it is when the tyre had its maximum potential, and I also pushed on my second lap but not as close to the limit”, Marquez says.
In the other categories, British rider Sam Lowes won the Moto2 race from pole position, while Brad Binder of South Africa clinched the Moto3 title with a second-place finish.
Rossi was delighted with his start as he shot through the field.
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With two laps remaining, Rossi had a look down the inside at Turn 12 but had braked too late as he sailed past Lorenzo and wide onto the escape road. If that hadn’t happened we could’ve fought for second place, but anyway the podium is okay. A great start and the same consistency we have seen from the GSX-RR pilots could lead to a podium for the Spaniard; one that would be very much deserved.
