Marc Marquez’s hopes of setting a record 11 straight MotoGP wins ended yesterday as Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa of Spain won the Czech Republic MotoGP in Brno.
Pedrosa, who won at Brno in 2012, finished the 22 laps on the dry 5.4km circuit in 42 minutes, 47.8 seconds, ahead of Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, with Marquez finishing fourth.
Marquez was looking to become the first premier class rider ever to win the 11 opening races of a season.
Photo: AFP
Italian legend Giacomo Agostini won the opening 10 races of the premier class season in 1968, 1969 and 1970 at a time when he dominated the sport.
However, no one has ever won the first 11 — in part because Agostini’s perfect season in 1968 comprised only 10 events.
Meanwhile, French Honda rider Alexis Masbou won his first ever Grand Prix as he took the Moto3 honors after a nerve-wracking last-lap showdown with championship leader Jack Miller.
Italy’s Enea Bastianini rode his KTM to second ahead of third-placed British Husqvarna rider Danny Kent who claimed his first podium finish this season.
Masbou fought with Miller, Bastianini, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez at the front of a long group of riders that stayed together until the finish.
Rins lost momentum one lap from the end, claiming a technical problem, and Marquez and Miller lost pace in the start-finish straight to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
Miller retains the overall Moto3 lead with 169 points. Marquez has moved into second spot with 146 points, one ahead of fellow Spaniard Efren Vazquez.
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