MotoGP Argentina: Chaos and Crashes Put Marquez On Top

The MotoGP Argentina saw disasters, surprises and a decisive victory for Honda.

MotoGP Argentina Race Report

If we wanted some excitement this season, we certainly got it! A damp track and unreliable tyres set the stage for an unpredictable and thrilling MotoGP Argentina. It became clear in qualifying that the tyres might not last an entire race, so a pit stop to change bikes was ordered on lap 9, 10 or 11. The race was also shortened to 20 laps… but these safety measures didn’t stop an incredible 8 riders crashing out.

Marc Marquez pulled away from lap four, one of the lucky racers to get a good feel on his bike. The fans were treated to a genuine Rossi vs Marquez battle for the first half of the race, with thundering cheers going up from the stands as Rossi successfully passed Marquez for first.

When it was time to change the bikes, Valentino Rossi just couldn’t jump on as quick as the shorter, younger Marquez. A couple of seconds was all it took for Marquez to pull away, with a better feel on his second bike. Rossi soon found himself being hunted down by Ducatis, only managing second place through other riders’ crashes.

It was a Honda-dominated podium as Dani Pedrosa got a surprise third place. He was grateful for his good fortune after a difficult race: “This was maybe the luckiest day of my career because many riders crashed in front of me and I was able to take third.” Due credit to Dani for holding his line, but he certainly is a lucky man. Let’s see whose misfortune helped him to the podium…

Ducati Disaster

On the penultimate corner of the last lap, after pushing past a flagging Rossi, the Ducati duo of Dovizioso and Iannone were ready to complete the podium behind Marc Marquez. Before they could pop the champagne, though, both riders were sliding off the track in the blink of an eye.

In the midst of the confusion, it seems that Iannone lost his grip and sent his teammate flying. He hadn’t left enough space on the corner to avoid disaster, so both of the riders’ hopes were gone in a matter of seconds. This pushed every other rider up two places, a major gift to Rossi and Pedrosa.

This race was an absolute howler for Ducati, who were almost certain of some podium glory. Groans and shouts from the garage showed the team’s bitter disappointment. Iannone had this to say for himself: “When I arrived at the penultimate corner, I lost the front and brought down Dovizioso in the crash. Unfortunately that’s the way it went and I am really sorry for my team, for Andrea and for everyone in Ducati because for sure a podium today with both Ducati Team riders would have been an exceptional result.”

Ducati may have to keep a tighter leash on Andrea ‘The Maniac’ Iannone – we certainly wouldn’t want to be in his boots right now! As for ‘Desmo Dovi’, he didn’t give up even when he came off the bike, pushing his battered machine over the finish line for 13th place – that’s determination!

Who else crashed out in Argentina?

The first riders to hit the tarmac were Yonny Hernandez after two laps and Australia’s Jack Miller one lap later. If this was a normal race, we might expect some satellite rider casulaties with the tyres causing so much uncertainty. But this was far from a normal race.

It quickly became clear that anything could happen, as the reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo lost the front and crashed out with 15 laps to go. It’s not the end of his season by any means, but it is a shame for Lorenzo fans to have been denied a real battle with Marquez or Rossi.

Lorenzo commented: “It was a weekend to forget…in some corners I wasn‘t comfortable. I think it was my fault…I went in a little bit too wide on this particular lap and just lost the front and couldn‘t continue. This is racing; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You have to accept it and think positive, just forget this race and think about the future.”

Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Vinales deserves a special mention in this race report. He had an absolutely brilliant ride to the front of the pack in Argentina, even challenging the great Valentino Rossi in the battle for the podium. Unfortunately, his stellar performance was ended early as he came down off the bike on turn 1 – with just 3 laps to go!

Vinales had tears under his visor as he was forced to retire. What an anti-climax for Suzuki, and the team can only hope that their star rider’s obvious talent carries him onto the podium this season.

A bad day for Britain… but a fantastic day for Ireland!

The British riders overall had a disappointing race in the MotoGP Argentina. The nickname ‘Crash Crutchlow’ was resurrected as the unfortunate Cal Crutchlow nearly completed the race. He rode 19 laps before coming off the bike – another crushing blow for the Brit and his team. He must be due a good race soon, surely?

With just 5 laps to go, Scott Redding was also forced to retire as his bike suddenly lost power. After a rocky qualifying session the day before, Redding looked strong in the race itself before his bad fortune. He was up to the top six before the crash, but all that hard work went up in smoke.

Bradley Smith did much better for Monster Yamaha Tech 3, pushed up to an 8th place finish thanks to several late crashes. We know that Smith can do better than this, though – we hope to see some more great performances from him as the season goes on.

Eugene Laverty managed an astonishing fourth place, again aided by the Ducati wipeout on the last lap. The luck of the Irish seemed to be a real thing as a stunned and ecstatic Laverty took full advantage and gained 13 championship points.

The Irishman was more than happy with his achievement: “That last lap was something a bit special! I think I started it in eighth position and finished it in fourth, it was an incredible race…Last year I managed nine points over the whole championship so to get thirteen in one race is great…I want to thank the whole team for their efforts.” Congratulations Eugene!

Were you watching the MotoGP Argentina?

If you were, let us know your thoughts and reactions by leaving a comment below. If you missed the first race in Qatar or just want to relive the magic, check out our MotoGP Qatar race report. We’ll be back on
April 11th to give you the lowdown on the Grand Prix of the Americas – see you then!

Photos courtesy of motogp.com.