Spain's Marc Marquez stormed to his sixth consecutive victory at the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday, launching the four-time champion back near the top of the season standings.
Marquez had been the fastest through qualifying, but was forced to start fourth after a penalty for interfering with Maverick Vinales on Saturday. A great start saw Marquez jump toward the front through the first turn and he had the lead halfway through the first lap.
Marquez has been unbeatable at the Circuit of the Americas. He's won every race on the track since it first hosted MotoGP in 2013. The latest win pushed Marquez to second in the season standings, a single point behind Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso of Italy.
Movistar Yamaha's Vinales of Spain finished second and Suzuki's Andrea Iannone of Italy was third.
Britain's Cal Crutchlow came into the race as the season points leader. He had a crash and finished 19th Sunday, dropping him to fourth in the season championship.
Marquez was gunning for a big start after the penalty in qualifying had spoiled a mostly dominant week.
He and Iannone bolted off their lines to quickly jump ahead of pole sitter Vinales by the first turn. Iannone held the lead through the slingshot downhill left turn and but couldn't put up much of a fight to keep it.
By the time their bikes were ripping down the long straight, Marquez was on the hunt and his powerful Repsol Honda made an easy pass for the lead.
There was little anyone could do to reel Marquez back to the pack as he kept pulling away lap by lap, leaving Vinales and Iannone to battle for second.
That left Marquez free and clear of the kind of wild racing three weeks ago in Argentina that earned him two penalties for bumping other riders and causing a crash. His antics in South America drew warnings from MotoGP officials that dangerous racing would draw heavy sanctions for all riders, and Marquez was the first to feel the consequences with his penalty in Texas for impeding Vinales in qualifying.
Marquez had seemed cavalier about the latest penalty and showed why on Sunday: No other rider was in his class once the race started.
As he crossed the finish line, Marquez stood on his bike, thumped his chest with both hands and took a bow toward his garage. He now trails Dovizioso by a single point in the championship as the series heads to Europe. Before leaving Texas, he grabbed an American flag for his post-race victory lap.
Vinales is just four points behind Marquez after earning his first podium of the season. He won three of the first five races of 2017 but hasn't taken the checkered flag since winning in France nearly a year ago.
2018 Austin MotoGP - Race Results
- Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 41m 52.002s
- Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 41m 55.562s
- Andrea Iannone ITA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 41m 58.706s
- Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 42m 1.589s
- Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP18) 42m 5.572s
- Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 42m 6.233s
- Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 42m 10.203s
- Tito Rabat ESP Reale Avintia (GP17) 42m 20.539s
- Jack Miller AUS Pramac Ducati (GP17) 42m 20.673s
- Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 42m 20.877s
- Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (GP18) 42m 23.357s
- Danilo Petrucci ITA Pramac Ducati (GP18) 42m 26.995s
- Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 42m 29.266s
- Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V)* 42m 31.337s
- Alvaro Bautista ESP Angel Nieto Team (GP17) 42m 32.889s
- Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 42m 40.477s
- Scott Redding GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 42m 41.997s
- Thomas Luthi SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 42m 43.117s
- Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 42m 51.057s
- Xavier Simeon ESP Reale Avintia (GP16)* 42m 51.749s
- Franco Morbidelli ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 42m 52.515s
Alex Rins ESP Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) DNF
Hafizh Syahrin MAL Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1)* DNF
Karel Abraham CZE Angel Nieto Team (GP16) DNF