For the past three years, Marc Marquez could only claim runner-up at his home Grand Prix in Barcelona. That changed Sunday when the Repsol Honda rider completely dominated the Catalan Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Catalonian earned the victory after leading 23 of 24 laps.When the Barcelona MotoGP race was complete, Marquez would finish 2.660 seconds ahead of the man who secured the pole, Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo. Finishing third was Mission Winnow Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci, who crossed the finish line 4.537 behind Marquez.Honda’s Marc Marquez
This was Marquez’s second premier-class win at Catalunya and his fourth victory of 2019 after seven of 19 rounds. With is win, Marquez now has 140 points — 37 ahead of Mission Winnow Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, who crashed out on lap two after he was hit by Repsol Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo’s RC213V at turn 10.Team Ecstar Suzuki’s Alex Rins is third overall in the standings, 39 points behind Marquez.“I chose the soft rear to try and push in the beginning and to try to not overheat the tire, but to try to be constant and fast,” Marc Marquez says. “All of the Repsol Honda Team did a really good job this weekend. We worked hard and prepared well for the race. The team told me something had happened to Dovi, so I just kept pushing and focusing on my own race.“We had the perfect strategy regardless and I want to thank all the fans who came out. Gracias! It’s always special when you can celebrate winning together with your brother, Alex rode well this weekend!”Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio QuartararoThe 2019 MotoGP Championship now breaks for two weeks ahead of round eight at The Cathedral in Assen.Pole sitter Quartararo, who at 20 years old became the second-youngest podium finisher in MotoGP by finishing behind Marquez, fell back to sixth on the opening lap as Dovizioso took the lead from a fifth-place start. It was Quartararo’s last chance to become the youngest MotoGP winner by breaking Marquez record.Dovi’s time out front was short lived. After he was passed by Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales and Lorenzo, the #99 Honda rider tucked his front end on braking, taking three other riders down with him — Vinales, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Dovizioso.Ducati’s Danilo PetrucciMarquez was able to quickly pull ahead, and behind a battle began between Petrucci, Rins, and Quartararo. Rins kept trying, but could not match the speed of Quartararo or Petrucci, and would finish fourth.Pramac Racing Ducati’s Jack Miller finished fifth, just ahead of the other factory Suzuki GSX-RR pilot Joan Mir. This was the rookie Mir’s best finish in MotoGP.Suzuki’s Alex RinsRed Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro claimed seventh and was followed by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out the top 10.The only other riders to finish were Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), and wildcard Suzuki test rider Sylvain Guintoli (Team Suzuki Ecstar).Besides Dovi, Lorenzo, Rossi, and Vinales, also crashing out were Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Francesco Bagnaia), Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team), Karel Abraham (Avintia Ducati), and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).Aleix Espargaro suffered damage to his femur and left tibia, knocking him out of the following day’s testing.Photos by Luciano BianchettoDucati’s Jack Miller
2019 Barcelona MotoGP Results
Pos.
Rider
Manufacturer
Nationality
Time
1
Marc Marquez
Honda
ESP
40’31.175
2
Fabio Quartararo
Yamaha
FRA
00’02.660
3
Danilo Petrucci
Ducati
ITA
00’04.537
4
Alex Rins
Suzuki
ESP
00’06.602
5
Jack Miller
Honda
AUS
00’06.870
6
Joan Mir
Suzuki
ESP
00’07.040
7
Pol Espargaro
KTM
ESP
00’16.144
8
Takaaki Nakagami
Honda
JPN
00’17.969
9
Tito Rabat
Ducati
ESP
00’22.661
10
Johann Zarco
KTM
FRA
00’26.228
11
Andrea Iannone
Aprilia
ITA
00’32.036
12
Miguel Oliveira
KTM
PRT
00’44.666
13
Sylvain Guintoli
Kawasaki
FRA
00’51.363
KTM’s Pol Espargaro
2019 MotoGP Point Standings (after seven of 19 rounds)