Rossi takes stunning win after clash with Marquez

Published: 19 April 2015 Updated: 19 April 2015

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Valentino Rossi secured his second win from the opening three races of 2015 in Argentina to increase his overall lead in the world championship standings. The factory Yamaha man demonstrated his skills as a master tactician by opting for the extra hard Bridgestone rear tyre, where the majority of his rivals opted for the hard option.

Having qualified in a lowly eighth, Rossi was off the pace at the beginning of the race, while Repsol Honda man Marc Marquez got to the front and pulled away from the chasing pack.

Rossi bided his time before catching the battle for the podium and subsequently disposed of team-mate Jorge Lorenzo – also on the extra hard tyre – Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso. By the time Rossi had made it in to second position there were 14 laps remaining and he has a 4.151s deficit to Marquez.

Closing down a gap that size to Marquez, seemed unthinkable, but no one told Rossi and with each lap he slowly bust surely chipped away, helped by rising track temperatures and degradation of Marquez’s rear Bridgestone.

By lap 23 Rossi was on the back wheel of the Spaniard, but what should have been a straight forward overtake given the Italian’s superior grip and speed turned into a spectacular collision between the two riders with Marquez losing out and crashing out of the race.

Rossi went on to win comfortably by 5.685s, with Dovizioso securing his third podium in a row on-board the Ducati Desmosedici GP15. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow rode brilliantly to secure his first podium of 2015 after fighting his way past Iannone at the final turn.

Fellow Brit Bradley Smith backed up his impressive form in 2015 by claiming sixth position behind factory man Jorge Lorenzo. Scot Redding secured ninth place with Irishman Eugene Laverty in 17th.

By Michael Guy

Sports Editor - If you’re looking for sport insight that’s got its finger firmly on the pulse and gets to the very heart of the action with the fattest contacts book in bike sport (rather than simply relying on watching TV coverage and hoovering up what other people are saying on social media) – then Michael is your, erm, ‘guy’.