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Aragon GP

2016 MotoGP Aragon GP

Spain
Sep 23, 2016 to Sep 25, 2016
Motorland Aragon, ES
Live text
MotoGP Aragon GP

Aragon MotoGP - Race

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So that's it for us today from Motorland Aragon - an exciting MotoGP race that nonetheless resulted in a widely expected outcome.

Marquez has taken his lead back over the two grands prix mark and will now just need to bring it home over the four remaining races.

Stick with Motorsport.com for all the post-race reaction, as a Marquez - Lorenzo - Rossi podium promises a very interesting press conference.
Marquez: "I start not to good, the first lap I attack cause I knew my rhythm was better. My target was to lead the race to avoid Rossi following me, but I made a mistake, I nearly lose the front.

"I said 'okay, stay calm', step by step I get a good rhythm when I overtake Valentino, I push two laps, I saw the gap was enough.

"Really happy because last races, step by step, Rossi was gaining points - and now we stopped, and this is good."
Lorenzo: "Well, you know, the crash from this morning probably made me finish second today.

"I crashed in the warm-up, I tried the first bike with the hard rear tyre and I liked it a lot - it was the first time the hard tyre liked me. I tried the soft, I didn't like it, the instict told me to choose the hard rear tyre - and the instinct was right."
Rossi: "We started with a different setting, we tried to be strong to the end of the race, but at the end I was spinning a lot.

"It's a shame because, with two laps to go, I did a mistake under braking - if not we could fight for the second place, but anyway the podium is okay."

Interesting stat that our Jamie Klein has dug up here - this is the first race since Estoril 2006 that there have been no Ducatis in the top 10.

if that turns out wrong, it's his fault.

Lorenzo is genuinely thrilled about second place, while Rossi looks very much downbeat.

Were they even racing Marquez today? Or were they just racing each other?

So that spells the end of MotoGP's record streak of different winners in consecutive races.

It couldn't go on for much longer - the top six today all have all taken a win each during that previous eight-race stretch.


The other two did not race.

Finishing order:
1 Marquez
2 Lorenzo
3 Rossi
4 Vinales
5 Crutchlow
6 Pedrosa
7 A. Espargaro
8 P. Espargaro
9 Bautista
10 Bradl
11 Dovizioso
12 Pirro
13 Barbera
14 Laverty
15 Hayden
16 Hernandez
17 Petrucci
18 Baz
19 Redding
DNF Rabat
It's fourth for Vinales, fifth for Crutchlow and sixth for Pedrosa, who worked his way past Aleix Espargaro on the final lap.
Two sectors to go for Marc Marquez, whose championship lead will be up to 52 points here.
Meanwhile, a miserable race for Ducati takes a turn for the worse as Dovizioso has now slumped behind both Aprilias.
Rossi dives down the inside of Lorenzo, it's way too late - and he runs very wide. Lorenzo will take P2.
Two laps to go, Marquez is cruising, Lorenzo and Rossi still dicing for P2.
Rossi is refusing to yield - he's been tucked behind Lorenzo for a couple of laps now.

He seems to gain early in the lap, before Lorenzo recovers the gap in the latter sectors.
Marquez is easing off now, he's running very similar pace to the battling Yamahas.
Rossi is managing to hang with Lorenzo. Same tyre selection, Lorenzo might've asked a little less of them - but this fight isn't over.
Jorge Lorenzo makes a smooth move down the inside of Turn 4 for P2. Won't be no debate about that one.
Marquez is three seconds in the clear with five laps to go.

Is Jorge Lorenzo about to return the favour to Rossi for a Misano overtake he reckoned wasn't fair?

He now only has to worry about the Italian, as Vinales has run wide and dropped a couple of seconds.

Rossi's pace has slumped dramatically - he's running high 1m49s and Lorenzo is now right behind.
Bad news for Rossi - Marquez is now two seconds up the road, and Lorenzo is clearly closing in.
It's looking a bad, bad, bad race for the factory Ducati team here, as Dovizioso has now slumped to P9 behind Pol Espargaro.

Pirro is going the other way, he's up to P12 - but almost eight seconds behind P11.
He's gone. Lap 15 from Marquez is the fastest lap of the race - 1m48.694s - and he's now a second and a half in the clear.
Big lap from Marc Marquez and he is now seven tenths up on Rossi.
Current order:
1 Marquez
2 Rossi
3 Lorenzo
4 Vinales
5 Pedrosa
6 Crutchlow
7 A. Espargaro
8 Dovizioso
9 P. Espargaro
10 Bautista
11 Bradl
12 Laverty
13 Hernandez
14 Pirro
15 Barbera
16 Hayden
17 Rabat
18 Baz
19 Petrucci
20 Redding
Gap now up to four tenths.

Rossi is now being seriously helped out by Lorenzo, because Vinales looks like he has the pace to catch up.
Rossi is still keeping with Marquez, but it will be a seriously tough ask to find a way past.
New leader - Marc Marquez, superb move down the inside of Turn 15 and outdrags Rossi on the back straight.
Marquez now firmly tucked in behind Rossi, and is looking to make a move any second now.
Marquez is the only rider in the 1m48s margin right now.
Espargaro runs wide and both Pedrosa and Crutchlow are now through.
Aleix Espargaro is three seconds behind Vinales right now, and is holding off Pedrosa and Crutchlow.
Lorenzo through on Vinales for P3, the Suzuki rider still looking a bit off his rhythm after that mistake.
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