Feature image from Gold and Goose / LAT Images
MotoGP rookie Johann Zarco appeared to be finishing seventh at the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday until his Yamaha ran out of gas. The Frenchman still managed a 15th place and a GP point by pushing his bike over the line. Zarco remains in sixth place in the championship points classification.
“From the last bend I had to run down next to the bike and run, and it was long,” said Zarco. “I knew there were two lines, the start line and the finish line. The finish line was really far. ”The crowd cheered him on all along the straight.
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Former MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo was less fortunate in the rainy race. The Spaniard had a great holeshot on the Ducati and finished the field until he made a highsider on lap seven, handing the lead over to Pramac Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci. The non-works driver held the lead until the last lap when Honda’s Marc Marquez set the fastest race lap and clinched victory. Andrea Dovizioso on the works Ducati came in third and was tied with Marquez for the points lead.
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“In rainy conditions you never know, but I tried to control the whole race, tried to control myself because I could be a bit faster, but I said you have to be patient,” said Marquez. to stay in second place. Then in the last lap I said: ‘I’ll try’. This championship is really close and five points can be a lot in the end. “
Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales finished fourth, finishing third before the next race in his home country of Spain. His teammate Valentino Rossi missed the race because he broke his ankle in a dirt bike accident two weeks ago. Despite speculation that he could return for Round 14 at Aragon, Spain, Yamaha have announced that Rossi will still be recovering from his injuries. While the former champ is making good progress, he is likely to stay away from the bike until Japan’s MotoGP at the Twin Ring Motegi on October 15th.
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Rossi’s Aragon plant is occupied by Yamaha’s WorldSBK rider Michael van der Mark. The 24-year-old Dutchman is a three-time winner of the 8 Hours of Suzuka and is very familiar with the Spanish circuit. This will be his first chance in MotoGP and he will be supported by Rossi’s regular crew.