Record-breaking Marquez rounds up perfect weekend with maximum points

Marc Marquez added another race win to his career statistics with the Repsol Honda rider’s victory in the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas today giving him a maximum 50 points from the first two races of the year. Making it two from two at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Marquez can now add the record of being the first rider to win the first two races of the year from pole in the premier-class since Repsol Honda’s Mick Doohan in 1995.

The jump start from Movistar Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo startled Marquez a little but he quickly gained his composure before taking a commanding hold on the race before clearing off into the distance. The 21-year-old was delighted with his 8th career MotoGP win and this weekend he also added a fastest pole position record at the Circuit of the Americas as well as the fastest race lap.

Speaking after the race Marquez said, "I'm very happy! I got a really good start, but when I saw Jorge overtake me off the line at first I was a little worried, but then I saw that he had jumped the start. It was a different race to previous ones because I led from start to finish; although it might seem easier that way, it is tough because you have to maintain concentration. It was a perfect weekend and gives us plenty of confidence, although we are aware that the coming races will be different. I know that the race was a little boring for the fans, but sometimes these types of races are good for a rider. Let's hope that the next one is more exciting!”

Pedrosa gave chase early on and kept Marquez honest for a short while before holding station and concentrating on securing a healthy 20 points to see him leapfrog Valentino Rossi in the overall championship standings. He said, “It was a tough race as Marc was that little faster than me and although I tried to improve with every corner, it was too difficult to gain ground on him and the distance between us increased with every lap. In the end, he was too far away from me. I didn't have anyone behind me either, so I just kept up my pace as best I could. I learnt a few things in this race and we will try to apply them and make the maximum improvement possible, in order to be able to put up more of a fight next time”

Dovizioso was thrilled with taking his first podium for the Ducati team saying, “I am very pleased with the way I managed the race because in the early laps I didn’t have the right pace. But I kept calm and kept up a constant pace, and this paid off because I didn’t stress the tyres too much. My performance dropped off a bit towards the end but obviously less than the other riders I was fighting with and this allowed me to do the final stages in a good condition. Then I pulled out a small gap over Bradl and Smith, which allowed me to take the checkered flag with an advantage of almost two seconds.

I am very pleased with this result for my team. We’ve been working hard for a year and suffering a lot, and we are still not as quick as we would like to be. Getting a result like this at this time of the season is very important, also for all the engineers and mechanics in the racing division back in Bologna, who are working very hard to improve the Desmosedici’s competitiveness,” Dovizioso added.