Spanish MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez dominated the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, becoming the first repeat winner of the 2019 campaign. Marquez grabbed the lead off the line and swiftly escaped from the chasing pack, his job made easier when rookie Fabio Quartararo – who had succeeded him as MotoGP youngest-ever poleman on Sunday – retired out of second place with a mechanical issue.

Having locked out the top two in qualifying, the Petronas Yamaha riders were immediately passed by Marquez off the line – and looked set to drop behind Andrea Dovizioso too, only for the Italian to be forced wide exiting Turn 1. This left Marquez leading Franco Morbidelli and teammate Quartararo, and while the Honda rider towed the Petronas pair along over the opening few laps, he soon began to make a break. All of a sudden, the Spaniard was a second and a half clear, with Morbidelli pace dropping dramatically behind him but the Italian still managing to keep Quartararo at bay.

The Frenchman finally found a pay past on lap 11, overtaking Morbidelli as the latter ran wide into the recently-renamed Pedrosa corner. Unlike Morbidelli, Quartararo could still just about keep pace with Marquez, which allowed the Frenchman to hold a clear second place, only for his Yamaha to get stuck in gear on lap 14, ruling the rookie out of podium contention. By that point, Suzuki rider Alex Rins had charged through from ninth place, gaining three places right away before picking off Dovizioso and then Maverick Vinales to come up on Morbidelli. Just as Quartararo bike expired, Rins found a way past Morbidelli for what was now second place – but by then Marquez was already almost four seconds clear.

The win allowed Marquez to move into the lead of the championship, aided by Dovizioso finishing only fourth, the Ducati rider unable to find a way past Vinales and deny the Yamaha man his first podium of the season in the closing laps. Danilo Petrucci took fifth place behind teammate Dovizioso, recording his best result yet as a Ducati works rider after three consecutive sixth-place finishes. Valentino Rossi, who had started 13th, spent much of the race stuck behind Jack Miller, but made speedy progress once he'd cleared the Pramac Ducati rider and eventually claimed sixth.

Spain MotoGP 2018: Marquez wins and take lead

Marc Marquez won his home Spanish Grand Prix and took the overall MotoGP lead after the reigning champion’s main rivals collided spectacularly. The Honda rider was in a race of his own for the last eight laps after the Ducati pairing of Andrea Dovizioso, the previous championship leader and Jorge Lorenzo collided with Honda Dani Pedrosa while fighting for second place.

Pedrosa, who had wrist surgery less than a month ago, was thrown high over his bike after trying to go past the two Ducati’s on the inside. Lorenzo came across into the corner as Dovizioso went wide, colliding with Pedrosa and sending the two Ducati’s into the gravel. All three riders walked away from the crash. French Tech3 Yamaha rider Johann Zarco was gifted the runner-up slot, 5.241 seconds behind, and is now Marquez's closest rival in the championship.

Four times world champion Marquez, who started the race from fifth place, now has 70 points after four races to Zarco's 58. Dovizioso dropped to fifth overall with 46. Italian Andrea Iannone finished third for Suzuki. Compatriot Valentino Rossi was fifth at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain in a race that saw him reach a career milestone by completing the circumference of the planet in race kilometers.

Rossi has now covered 40,075km in competition over 23 seasons, starting at the 1996 Malaysian Grand Prix. Britain's Cal Crutchlow started on pole position for the LCR Honda team but failed to finish, crashing out at turn one after nine laps and while in fourth place.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Spain

Dani Pedrosa took an impervious victory in his home Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana, storming away from his first pole position since Sepang 2015 and never looking back. The MotoGP™ race in Jerez was race number 3000 in the World Championship and one of the riders equal third on all-time podiums proved a fitting winner.

Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) made inroads in the points battle in second, ahead of a stunning home ride from another five-time World Champion – Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), sharing the podium with Pedrosa to keep the parity at 146 rostrum finishes apiece for the former nemeses.

Pedrosa got the holeshot from a great start off pole position, with Marquez slotting in behind ahead of an almighty tousle for third. LCR Honda rider Crutchlow was initially ahead of that battle - with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) warring Championship leader Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) once again until the flying Frenchman set off on a charge, taking bike after bike in now-signature style.

Arriving behind reigning Champion Marquez into third, the rookie held station for a lap as Lorenzo fought back in a tight midfield, getting past Rossi and then Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Zarco then took Marquez at the final corner, heading off after Pedrosa in the lead until the reigning Champion hit back. After Pedrosa stunning domination on home turf, the Championship is game on in Le Mans with Rossi now two points clear of Vinales, Marquez just behind and Pedrosa now fourth in the standings – only ten points back.