Alex Rins beats Valentino Rossi and scores his first MotoGP victory. This also marks the end of Marc Marquez’s unbeaten run at the Circuit of the Americas.
Honda rider Marc Marquez converted pole into an early lead, and looked well on course for a seventh consecutive win at the Austin track as he stretched his advantage in the early laps. He had eased almost four seconds clear of Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha in second when he suffered a low-side crash at the Turn 12 left-hander on lap nine of 20, ending his race. Marc Marquez’s demise handed Rossi a slim lead over the Alex Rins, but the Italian was powerless to shake off the Suzuki rider, who managed to slip past on lap 17 at Turn 7 to take the lead.
Valentino Rossi tried to retaliate at Turn 12, but ran wide, and from then on he was never able to get close enough to mount another assault on Rins, who managed to hang on in the closing laps. The Spaniard eventually crossed the line with just 0.462s in hand to score Suzuki’s first premier class win since Maverick Vinales’ 2016 triumph at Silverstone. Some eight seconds behind the lead pair, Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller nursed fading soft tires to claim third, marking his first podium finish since his 2016 Dutch TT win.
Marc Marquez crash
