Honda Repsol’s Marc Marquez emerged victorious at the 2018 MotoGP Grand Prix of Spain, where Yamaha Tech 3’s Johann Zarco and Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone followed in second and third place. Race-hopefuls Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo of Ducati were wiped out of contention by the Honda of Dani Pedrosa mid-race.
Things got off to an interesting start at the Circuito de Jerez when Jorge Lorenzo’s Ducati catapulted to the front of the pack as soon as the lights went out. The red Desmosedici GP 18 was simply a blur in the visor of pole-sitter Cal Crutchlow, who was basically left standing still by the Ducati. Lorenzo went on to lead the field and fend off Marquez, Pedrosa, and others courtesy of the soft front tire he had opted for prior to the race start.
By lap eight, the Spaniard’s rubber began to deteriorate and he had no choice but to surrender the lead to Marquez, who didn’t waste time at the front and began to build a solid gap to Lorenzo, Dovizioso, and his teammate Pedrosa. At this stage of the race, Cal Crutchlow had fallen to fourth place from first and was enjoying a lonely tour of the famous Spanish circuit.
Chaos struck in the closing stages of the race when Dovizioso began growing impatient at the fact that Lorenzo, who was still struggling with his tires, wouldn’t allow him to pass, further allowing Pedrosa to catch up. Dovizioso attempted a move on his teammate on Turn 6 but ran wide, forcing Lorenzo to move to a higher line and causing the massive collision that saw Pedrosa fly through the air in dramatic fashion. While the collision can’t be blamed on Dovizioso (Pedrosa carried way too much speed into the corner), it surely triggered a chain reaction.
Further down the field, Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales wrapped up a weekend to forget due to poor qualifying and race pace. Rossi got lucky with the attrition rate up front and eventually finished in fifth place, while Vinales had to settle for seventh.
