MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the San Marino Grand Prix for Yamaha yesterday but Honda’s Marc Marquez extended his overall lead to 34 points after finishing second.
Lorenzo’s second win in a row left the Spaniard level on points – but ahead on race wins – with Honda-riding compatriot Dani Pedrosa on 219.
Marquez, the 20-year-old Spanish rookie who had taken the season by storm, has 253.
Pedrosa finished third at the Misano Simoncelli circuit in eastern Italy with local hero Valentino Rossi ending up fourth for Yamaha for the fourth race in a row.
“I started really convinced, really motivated, and tried to push from the first corner to the last,” said Lorenzo, who passed pole-sitter Marquez at the start and streaked away to a comfortable 28th win in the top class.
“It is important to win because we don’t lose points but we have only recovered five... it doesn’t make a big difference really.”
With five races remaining, Marquez does not need to win again and can clinch the title by finishing second in all of the remaining grands prix.
“Marc is very consistent. We’ve got five races to go and 34 deficit so if we keep going, we have a chance,” said Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis.
Marquez, who crashed in the morning warm-up, had to fight back from fourth after losing ground to Pedrosa and Rossi and the scrap between him and Pedrosa for second provided most of the afternoon’s thrills.
Pedrosa passed Marquez again with six laps to go but the move was short-lived, with the championship leader taking back the position within seconds.
“That second place is so important,” said Marquez.
“In the beginning I was struggling a lot... I went wide two times. But anyway we did a good race and took 20 more points for the championship.”
Germany’s Stefan Bradl, on the LCR Honda, took fifth place on the last lap from Britain’s Cal Crutchlow, riding the Tech3 Yamaha.
“At the end of the day I’m pleased. We came here and were 13th and 14th, 10th in practice, useless all weekend, I was borderline crashing a lot and had no confidence during the race,” said Crutchlow.
In the Moto2 class, Spain’s Pol Espargaro won to deny Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami the first victory of his career after passing him on the penultimate lap.
Britain’s Scott Redding finished sixth and saw his overall lead slashed to 23 points.
The next race is at Aragon in Spain in two weeks’ time.
MotoGP standings
1. Marquez (Honda) 253 points; 2. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 219; 3. Pedrosa (Honda) 219; 4. Rossi (Yamaha) 169; 5. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 146; 6. Bradl (Honda) 124; 7. Bautista (Honda) 112; 8. Dovizioso (Ducati) 104; 9. Hayden (Ducati) 95; 10. Smith (Yamaha) 71.