Marquez wins crazy race in Argentina

Marc Marquez has taken victory in one of the craziest races in recent memory in Argentina, triumphing in a battle in which the mandatory pit stop enforced due to a tyre failure yesterday was only one of a number of incidents.

Marquez was an early leader, breaking away from the pack with Valentino Rossi to battle with his foe for the first ten laps of the race, up until the mandatory pit stop brought them into the garages.

And, with Rossi failing to find the same pace from his second bike, it was left to Marquez to break clear – and leave the chaos to erupt behind him.

The first to fall was Cal Crutchlow and Aleix Espargaro on the opening lap, followed by reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo and Suzuki rider Maverick Vînales, battling for what would have been their first podium since their return.

But the real chaos was to erupt in the last corner, when the Ducati pairing of Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, clear of Rossi and metres from a double podium, collided with Iannone bringing down his teammate and gifting Rossi and Dani Pedrosa a podium finish.

Incredibly, Eugene Laverty was also able to make the most of the race’s chaos, making a move on Hector Barbera and Pol Espargaro when the duo tangled on the last lap to move through into his best ever result of fourth.

Scott Redding was left spectating from the sidelines after a mechanical problem, while a wrong direction with set-up before the race left Bradley Smith a distant eighth.