MotoGP | Gp Austin Race: Rins brings Honda back to victory, crash due to Bagnaia

MotoGP Gp Austin Race – An extraordinary Alex Rins won the MotoGP class Americas Grand Prix, the third round of the 2023 MotoGP, held on the Austin track.

The ex-Suzuki rider, who joined Team LCR Honda this year after the withdrawal of the Hamamatsu manufacturer, after finishing second in the Sprint Race held on Saturday, took the checkered flag first, breaking Honda's streak of victories which it had lasted for 24 Grands Prix, the last success at Misano 2021. For Team LCR it was the 100th podium in 27 years. For Rins it is the sixth success in the Top Class, 18th in his career, in 2019 he won in Austin astride the Suzuki.

The #42 also took advantage of the fall of Pecco Bagnaia, who with 13 laps to go lost the front of his Ducati Desmosedici Factory while leading, but this did not take anything away from Rins' amazing performance.

Speaking of Bagnaia, it is the second consecutive crash after the one that occurred in the rain at the Argentine Grand Prix, a bad blow for the #1 Ducati, even though the Championship has only just begun.

On the podium was an excellent Luca Marini (his first "real" podium after the one in the Argentine Sprint Race, ed.), who, riding the Ducati of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, after a good qualifying, got the better of a revived Fabio Quartararo, who, despite a slow Yamaha on the straight, took home a precious third place, unexpected before.

Fourth on arrival despite one of his usual bad starts was Maverick Vinales, who fell behind his brand mate Miguel Oliveira, Team RNF. Marco Bezzecchi riding the second Ducati of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team finished sixth, ahead of the Frenchman of Team Ducati Pramac Johann Zarco and the Italian-Brazilian Franco Morbidelli, eighth at the finish line with the second Yamaha Factory.

Fabio di Giannantonio had a good race as he finished ninth on the Team Gresini Ducati, ahead of GASGAS rookie Augusto Fernandez. Eleventh and twelfth position for testers Michele Pirro (Ducati) and Jonas Folger (GASGAS). Brad Binder finished 13th after a fall.

However, it was an elimination race, in addition to Bagnaia, Jorge Martin also crashed who overwhelmed the innocent Alex Marquez, Aleix Espargarò, Jack Miller, Joan Mir, Takaaki Nakagami and Stefan Bradl, all without consequences. Raul Fernandez retired due to a lowering problem on his Aprilia RS-GP.

The world championship ranking sees Marco Bezzecchi still the leader with 64 points against Bagnaia's 53, Rins' 47, Vinales' 45, Zarco's 44, Luca Marini's 38 and Fabio Quartararo's 34.