MotoGP Silverstone: Maiden win for Vinales, Crutchlow second

Ecstar Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales has taken his maiden MotoGP win at Silverstone this afternoon, putting in a riding masterclass to take the lead on lap one of the re-started race and never looked back, crossing the line with a 3.4s lead to secure the factory’s first win since 2007.

And the home crowd had something to shout about following Sam Lowes’ disappointment in Moto2 as Cal Crutchlow got the better of Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi to finish in second place just two weeks after his maiden win at Brno.

Valentino Rossi completed the podium in his 250th Grand Prix race after a colossal battle with Marquez saw the Spaniard eventually run out of space after some no-holds-barred moves and ran off track at Stowe as he tried to pass Crutchlow, coming back on in fifth place abut passing team-mate Dani Pedrosa at Maggotts to take fourth.

Vinales, who is the first man to win races in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, passed Rossi at Stowe and then Crutchlow at Abbey on the opening lap to take the lead and was never-again headed, so it was left to Rossi, Marquez and Crutchlow - with some added Andrea Iannone later on - to fight for the two remaining podium spaces.

Marquez showed pace early on and went under poleman Crutchlow for second as Stefan Bradl crashed out, pushing Eugene Laverty off track, while Scott Redding went down on the following lap. Rossi, in third, also tried a move on Crutchlow at the Loop but the Isle of Man resident was having none of it.

But Rossi’s next attempt at Brooklands stuck as Vinales went away at more than half a second a lap. The Doctor then went after Marquez and passed him on the exit of Chapel as the Honda’s acceleration let him down. Redding crashed again, this time at the Loop, and decided discretion was the better part of valour.

With ten laps to go, Crutchlow passed Marquez for third place and then, almost from nowhere with soft Michelins front and rear, Iannone joined the party and pushed the Repsol Honda man back another place.

Iannone looked to have the pace for second and he went past Crutchlow and then Rossi on successive laps but Rossi was back past on the exit of Chapel, where he was strong all race. With seven laps left, Iannone outgunned Rossi at Copse and began to pull away.

Crutchlow also stuffed The Doctor at Maggotts for third place and then Marquez began his charge, pushing past the Movistar Yamaha at the Loop as Iannone asked too much of his front at Luffield, crashing out.

With five to run, Marquez ran off track as he traded paint with Rossi and Marquez pushed back past Rossi at the Loop, which allowed Crutchlow to make a break. With two to run, Marquez passed Crutchlow but the LCR Honda man was not to be denied and got better drive out of Chapel to re-take second.

Marquez then tried a very late braking pass but ran off and had to re-join behind Pedrosa in fifth. He went past his team-mate at Magotts for fourth and only lost a handful of points to Rossi in third place.

Pedrosa lost his fourth place in the championship chase to Vinales despite finishing fifth while Andrea Dovizioso had a quiet race in sixth. Aleix Espargaro finished in seventh even with a one-second penalty for exceeding track limits while it was another disaster for Jorge Lorenzo, who was down in eighth.

Danilo Petrucci and Alvaro Bautista completed the top ten.

Laverty scrapped his way back 12th place after the incident with Bradl damaged the back of his Aspar Ducati last early doors while Alex Lowes picked up points for 13th in his first ever race.

The race was red-flagged at turn two after Loris Baz and Pol Espargaro tangled. Both were taken to the medical centre. We are awaiting official updates but Baz has already tweeted he is ok.