MotoGP

Jorge Lorenzo won an incident-packed MotoGP Grand Prix at Aragon on Sunday. The Yamaha rider emerged victorious after a long battle with the Honda duo Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, who both made mistakes late in the race and finished 13th and 14th, respectively. 

Aleix Espargaro finished second on the Forward Yamaha, while Ducati's Cal Crutchlow came home in third. Valentino Rossi crashed out early in the race but was declared fine by the medics on site.

Here's the full race result, courtesy of the MotoGP Twitter account:

#MotoGP Full results on: http://t.co/BotafVhHn9 pic.twitter.com/5fxh7mY6Id

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2014

Ahead of the race, Lorenzo suggested on Twitter that he was primed for a battle in front of his home supporters:

Con ganas de correr mañana delante de la afición! /I'm looking forward to racing for all my fans tomorrow! #Motorland pic.twitter.com/2D3GkU4PX5

— Jorge Lorenzo (@lorenzo99) September 27, 2014

Pedrosa got off to a wonderful start and held the lead into Turn 1, but Andrea Iannone came roaring back to overhaul the Spaniard at Turn 2. The pair looked set for a wonderful early battle at the front, but Iannone came under pressure from Marquez, ran wide and ended up off the race track. 

It was a nasty fall, as we can see here, courtesy of Crash.net MotoGP:

After battling for the lead in early laps of Aragon #MotoGP, Iannone runs wide and destroys Ducati. Rider unhurt. pic.twitter.com/pb70iPo7m7

— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) September 28, 2014

Marquez eventually emerged at the front of the field, showcasing the kind of form that's allowed him to build up a real head of steam in the race for the MotoGP World Championship. But it was clear the 21-year-old wasn't going to have things all his own way here.

With no pressure from behind after Iannone's error, Pedrosa was able to stick the afterburners on and went about setting the fastest lap of the race. But he was held up by Lorenzo—who had taken second place—and was unable to put any real pressure on Marquez, who was beginning to find his rhythm at the front of the pack.

Rossi has endured a frustrating time of things this weekend, and a poor few days were compounded after he ran wide on Lap 4 and suffered a terrible smash. Once again, Crash.net MotoGP gives us a closer look:

Valentino Rossi is out of Aragon #MotoGP after running wide and falling. The Italian taken away on a stretcher. pic.twitter.com/5csNZ0RKBG

— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) September 28, 2014

Rossi was later confirmed to be fine, and the focus quickly shifted back to what was happening on the race track. Lorenzo was doing superbly to preserve second place, but things were about to get even better for the 27-year-old as he passed Marquez to take the lead on Lap 9.

But the Honda rider quickly found his feet and regained the lead on Lap 12 after going wheel-to-wheel with the Yamaha superstar. And not long after, Pedrosa was clear of him too, seemingly paving a way for a scrap between the two Honda riders for the Grand Prix victory.

As is often the case in MotoGP though, things didn’t transpire quite as planned. Pedrosa was chasing Marquez with gumption in the latter stages, but his endeavour ultimately cost him, as he went too hard into Turn 1 and crashed. 

Marquez looked home and dry, but he had gambled by not pitting during the race, and although he was way clear at the front of the pack, he was losing a lot of time as the rain came down. It was a hugely brave decision from the Spaniard, and with two laps to go it cost him; he went down in Turn 2, allowing Lorenzo to take first position with two laps remaining.

The experienced Spaniard made no mistake in the latter stages and raced home to take a dramatic victory. It was the first of 2014 for the Yamaha man, and he celebrated in style at the end of the race, as noted here by the MotoGP Twitter account:

#MotoGP @lorenzo99 takes his first win of 2014 in the #GP800! pic.twitter.com/4uBuBs6CLN

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2014

Presenter Matthew Roberts was delighted for Lorenzo:

What a race!! So chuffed for @lorenzo99 and @calcrutchlow - great to see their patience and hard work pay off 👍

— Matt Roberts (@matt77roberts) September 28, 2014

It was a hugely disappointing day for Honda. They would have been looking at a one-two finish during the latter stages of the race, but ultimately some elementary errors and poor decision-making cost them dearly. Despite that, Marquez remains well in charge in the race for the World Championship and will be desperate to bounce back next time out in Japan.

For Lorenzo, this victory is a massive bonus and timely reminder of his undeniable quality. In front of home supporters, the victory will be even sweeter for the Yamaha man, and from his perspective, hopefully the win at Aragon can inspire a fruitful end to the season.

Here are the updated standings in the World Championship, courtesy of MotoGP.com:

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	292
2	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	217
3	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	214
4	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	202
5	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	142
6	Aleix ESPARGARO	Forward Yamaha	SPA	112
7	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	108
8	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	92
9	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	87
10	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	85
11	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Honda	SPA	73
12	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Ducati	GBR	63
13	Scott REDDING	Honda	GBR	60
14	Hiroshi AOYAMA	Honda	JPN	51
15	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Ducati	COL	39
16	Nicky HAYDEN	Honda	USA	36
17	Karel ABRAHAM	Honda	CZE	33
18	Colin EDWARDS	Forward Yamaha	USA	11
19	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	11
20	Danilo PETRUCCI	ART	ITA	9
21	Broc PARKES	PBM	AUS	7
22	Alex DE ANGELIS	Forward Yamaha	RSM	7
23	Mike DI MEGLIO	Avintia	FRA	4
24	Michael LAVERTY	PBM	GBR	2
25	Hector BARBERA	Avintia	SPA	2
25	Leon CAMIER	Honda	GBR	1

The 2014 MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon will see teams from Honda and Ducati compete for top spot. The former has had the advantage, thanks to riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez.

The latter won this race in 2013 and will want a repeat to cement his status as the leader of the Championship standings. Pedrosa meanwhile, will be keen to upset his teammate and repeat 2012's success.

Before taking a closer at the top riders, here's the race schedule and live streaming details:

Date	Class	Event	Time
Saturday, September 27	Moto3	FP3	8 a.m. - 8:40 a.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	MotoGP	FP3	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	Moto2	FP3	9:55 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	Moto3	QP	11:32 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	MotoGP	FP4	12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	MotoGP	Q1	1:10 p.m. - 1:25 p.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	MotoGP	Q2	1:35 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (BST)
Saturday, September 27	Moto2	QP	2:05 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	Moto3	WUP	7:40 a.m. - 8 a.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	Moto2	WUP	8:10 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	MotoGP	WUP	8:40 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	Moto3	Race	10:00 a.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	Moto2	Race	11:20 a.m. (BST)
Sunday, September 28	MotoGP	Race	1 p.m. (BST)

Live Stream Links: BT Sport App , Motogp.com.

Here is a closer look at three of the top riders expected to dominate the elite MotoGP class:

Top Riders

Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda

Striking for Poll 

Marquez and Pedrosa will naturally be among the favourites at Aragon. Both have a good history on the track. The pair confirmed their status as the drivers to watch by setting a commanding pace during the FP1, per Motogp.com:

Marquez, who rates Aragon as one of his favourite tracks, finished a chilly FP1 in third position, behind Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing). A time of 1’49.290s had Marquez just 0.295s behind pace setter Iannone on his updated Ducati.

Pedrosa finished further down the order in fifth for the opening session. FP2 two saw Pedrosa’s time improve by almost a whole second, down to a 1’48.734s. This put the experienced Repsol Honda rider third overall.

Interestingly, Pedrosa noted that both riders tried different types of tyres to see how the rears of their respective bikes dealt with the unforgiving Brno circuit.

The results were apparently inconclusive, per the same Motogp.com report:

We tried the soft and hard tyres and it is still difficult to say which is better on the rear, but the intermediate worked well for us on the front. We have to keep putting in laps at this circuit to improve our feeling, because this is a track where the tyres give plenty of grip at the start and then performance drops off, so you need to get used to finding pace with used tyres.

This is something that could prove significant for the riders in Aragon. A drag in the rear has already been noticeable during some of the practice sessions.

Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi both experienced the problem during the FP1. However, like Pedrosa, a solution to the traction issue was not obvious, at least to Rossi.

That's according to another Motogp.com report:

Together with Yamaha and Bridgestone we decided to try the hard rear to understand if it’s good option but it proved difficult. At the same time I struggled with the front as I was suffering some under steer so we decided to try the soft front; that was not so bad.

Getting the mix right will be vital on a MotorLand course noted for its high number of sharp corners, as well as some tricky narrow stretches.

If Marquez and Pedrosa struggle to strike the right balance, a chief rival could take full advantage.

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati

Andrea Dovizioso has already made a strong impression on the Spanish circuit. He posted the fastest practice time in the second session, per the Ducati Team official Twitter feed:

Congratulations @AndreaDovizioso, fastest in Friday practice @AragonMotorLand today!! #forzaducati pic.twitter.com/juSFZOGU0q

— Ducati (@DucatiMotor) September 26, 2014

At the moment though, that is merely a psychological advantage. However, it does show Dovizioso has quickly adapted to the tricky Aragon track.

His 1:48.285 time was certainly proof of impressive riding:

At the top of the Aragon first day timesheets with @AndreaDovizioso !! #forzaducati pic.twitter.com/S07SiTWOKW

— Ducati (@DucatiMotor) September 26, 2014

What Dovizioso was able to show off was the capability and efficiency of his new GP14.2 bike. He combined the new engine with soft rubber tyres, per Motogp.com, to produce speed and handling power that was just too much for the rest.

The factory Ducati rider will hope his slim-lined bike and more forgiving tyres hold up to make quick work of such a fast track. While other riders are still working out the best way to approach the Aragon circuit, Dovizioso already seems to have hit upon a workable balance.

However, MotoMatters.com writer David Emmett is skeptical about the early pace set the Ducati bike. He cited the pace of the G14.2 over a solitary lap, as scant evidence of the biker delivering over the full race.

It will be fascinating to see if that carries over into the race proper. It will be equally intriguing to see what prime contenders such as Marquez and Pedrosa come up with to counter.

Valentino Rossi broke Honda's grip on the 2014 MotoGP season thanks to his triumph at the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, becoming just the third rider to win a race this year. 

The official MotoGP Twitter account confirmed the result in Misano, Rossi's first stage victory since last year's Dutch TT, with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in second place and Dani Pedrosa following in third:

#MotoGP @ValeYellow46 wins the race! @lorenzo99 & @26_DaniPedrosa join him on the podium. pic.twitter.com/CIHq4XzLkD

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 14, 2014

Here's a complete rundown of the finish in Misano, with a full leaderboard available at MotoGP.com:

Position	Rider	Team	Time/Gap
1	Valentino Rossi	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	44'14.586
2	Jorge Lorenzo	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+1.578
3	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	+4.276
4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati Team	+5.510
5	Andrea Iannone	Pramac Racing	+11.771
6	Pol Espargaro	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+18.999
7	Bradley Smith	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+23.100
8	Alvaro Bautista	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	+36.458
9	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati Team	+38.480
10	Yonny Hernandez	Energy T.I. Pramac Racing	+45.878
11	Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	+54.765
12	Hiroshi Aoyama	Drive M7 Aspar	+56.775
13	Scott Redding	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	+1'02.734
14	Alex De Angelis	NGM Forward Racing	+1'13.546
15	Marc Marquez	Repsol Honda Team	+1'15.948
16	Leon Camier	Drive M7 Aspar	+1'20.760
17	Michael Laverty	Paul Bird Motorsport	+1'26.422
18	Broc Parkes	Paul Bird Motorsport	1 Lap
19	Hector Barbera	Avintia Racing	1 Lap

Heading in to today's race, 11 of the previous 12 stages so far this campaign have been won by reigning champion Marc Marquez, but the standings' leader could only muster 15th place after crashing with 19 laps to go. 

At the time of the incident, Marquez was duelling with Rossi for first place, but it's a testament of his character that he was able to battle back into championship points, albeit very little.

With that slip adding an intriguing spin to what's otherwise been a simple campaign for the Spaniard, his lead at the top of the table now falls to 74 points, a somewhat more realistic figure for the likes of Pedrosa and Rossi to hound down.

Here's how the riders' standings look after this weekend's result:

Position	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Marc Marquez	Honda	289
2	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	215
3	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	214
4	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	177
5	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	142
6	Pol Espargaro	Yamaha	98
7	Aleix Espargaro	Forward Yamaha	92
8	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	92
9	Stefan Bradl	Honda	74
10	Bradley Smith	Yamaha	74
11	Alvaro Bautista	Honda	64
12	Scott Redding	Honda	54
13	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati	47
14	Hiroshi Aoyama	Honda	43
15	Yonny Hernandez	Ducati	38
16	Karel Abraham	Honda	33
17	Nicky Hayden	Honda	29
18	Colin Edwards	Forward Yamaha	11
19	Pirro Pirro	Ducati	11
20	Broc Parkes	PBM	7
21	Mike Di Meglio	Avintia	4
22	Danilo Petrucci	ART	4
23	Alex De Angelis	Forward Yamaha	3
24	Michael Laverty	PBM	2
25	Hector Barbera	Avintia	2
26	Leon Camier	Honda	1

With Rossi and Lorenzo in the top two, it was a strangely advantageous day for Yamaha, with the pair now taking podium places in the last four consecutive races.

Sunday's victor also marked his win with an astonishing MotoGP achievement, becoming the first-ever rider to reach 5,000 career points, showing just how long The Doctor has reigned among this sport's elite icons:

#MotoGP @ValeYellow46 is the first rider to reach 5,000 career points! #Rossi5000 pic.twitter.com/PGnBEbXGvc

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 14, 2014

This was Rossi's third triumph at the San Marino Grand Prix but also his first in five years, having won the event in both 2008 and 2009.

Prior to the race, Rossi spoke of his feelings surrounding the event, with his hometown of Tavullia situated just a short drive away. MotoGP.com provides words from Sunday's victor regarding the extra pressures in front of so many home supporters:

It’s quite hard. On the one hand it’s really nice because perhaps after talking to you I can go home and eat there, which is obviously convenient, but on the other hand I have so many friends and family who want to come to the race. It’s tricky, you have to manage the situation carefully.

Ex-Formula One champion Mario Andretti congratulated his countryman upon grabbing his first win of the 2014 season:

Fantastic win for you Valentino @ValeYellow46 #MisanoMagic #MotoGP you showed the "kids" how it's done today on @FOXSports1

— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) September 14, 2014

Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone also ensured it was a generally bright day for Italy, claiming fourth and fifth, respectively, to give Ducati a nudge in the manufacturers' standings.

This marks the second in the past three races that Marquez has failed to win, displaying a drop in form that the youngster won't have grown used to given his success in recent months.

What's more, it's the first time he's actually finished a race and come in lower than fourth place, having retired from last year's Italian Grand Prix and been disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix in 2013.

Is there a rider capable of overturning the superb advantage Marquez has built up so far this season, or is the lead too great at this point?

To ensure his run to a second successive title is maintained, he'll need to bounce back strongly at the Aragon Grand Prix in a fortnight's time, but for now, Rossi will enjoy his time back in the spotlight.

With only five stages left in the 2014 campaign, time is running out for any last-minute contenders to make their bids for the title.

Marquez can afford to slip up once or twice more and still find his way to the trophy with enough podium places in the remaining races, but he won't be taking any such chances in the search to continue his prolific start to life in MotoGP.

Marc Marquez heads to San Marino with a chance to equal Mick Doohan's record of 12 race wins in a single season as the 2014 MotoGP season heads to the tiny state for the 13th event of the year.

Repsol Honda have dominated the race calendar but will face a different challenge at Misano, as the technical track will give their riders less of an advantage. Honda's engines may have superior power in 2014, but it won't have as much of a chance to shine in San Marino.

The race schedule:

Day	Event	Time
Saturday	Qualifier 1	12:10 p.m. BST-12:25 p.m. BST
Saturday	Qualifier 2	12:35 p.m. BST-12:50 p.m. BST
Sunday	Race	12 p.m. BST/7 a.m. ET

The entire race will be broadcast by BT Sport (for UK viewers) and Fox Sports 1 (for US viewers), with mobile coverage available via the BT Sport app and Fox Sports mobile.

Top Riders

Marc Marquez

Watching Marquez in 2014 is like watching a 14-year-old playing a video game with the difficulty set to easy. The defending World Champion has won 11 out of 12 races, his sole blemish coming in Brno.

He finished second in San Marino last year, and he told reporters it will take hard work to do one better in 2014, per GPupdate.net:

It was nice to be back on the top step of the podium in Silverstone, the team did a great job the whole weekend.
Now we head to Misano which is a smaller and slower track compared to others on the calendar. We will have to work hard from Friday to get the setup on the bike just right, to suit the demands on braking at this twisty track.

Let's hope the weather is also nice!

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, the weather has not been nice. Conditions on Friday were rainy, as Marquez clocked the fourth-best practice time. Even football legend Andrea Pirlo was not impressed, per Juventus' official Twitter feed (then again, he never is):

We're doing absolutely everything we can and even took him along to the MotoGP in Misano, but... #PirloIsNotImpressed pic.twitter.com/W3f3jzZ8KZ

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 12, 2014

The youngster should improve on that result dramatically, however, as Repsol Honda works out the best setup for their bikes going into the race.

As shared by SuperSport, Marquez has a chance to make history on Sunday:

Marc Marquez heads into this weekend's race with a chance of equalling Mick Doohan's record of 12 wins in a season. pic.twitter.com/8CpWeRhr2y

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 12, 2014

He's been close to untouchable since the start of the season and should be the strong favourite to take the win on Sunday.

Dani Pedrosa

Marquez's Repsol Honda teammate sits second in the standings, and after a mediocre run Friday morning, he took second in FP2 to finish with the third-best time.

Dani Pedrosa struggled with the rain, and he too told Motogp.com he was hopeful the weather would clear up: "It was very slippery today, not easy to find the grip. There were a lot of crashes because it was so slippery. I noticed a big difference between the hard and soft Bridgestone rain tyres. I’m hoping that the weekend gets a lot dryer."

Sporting a 10-point lead over Valentino Rossi, Pedrosa will be gunning for a strong result in San Marino in order to keep his lead in the standings safe.

Valentino Rossi

Rossi was one of many to crash during Friday's practice session, but the Italian veteran wasn't seriously hurt in the incident. In fact, he was able to laugh it off, as he shared this tweet of another crash from Cal Crutchlow:

Ehi @calcrutchlow great style this morning! pic.twitter.com/vQeBOQD4x7

— Valentino Rossi (@ValeYellow46) September 12, 2014

The track at Misano has always been dear to Rossi, as it's situated very close to his house in Tavullia. Racing so close to home, the sport's most dominant performer will have circled Sunday on his calendar. Consistency is always key for Rossi, but expect him to try to do a little more this weekend.

Andrea Dovizioso

Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest man on Friday, overcoming an early clash to clock in at 1:49.195. The Ducati rider is one of the pack's best technicians, and the narrow track in San Marino should help offset his bike's relative lack of power.

The 28-year-old has been steadily climbing in MotoGP's hierarchy, and if the difficult weather conditions keep up, he has a chance of besting his best result of the season, a third-place finish in Texas.

Follow @ReverschPass

It was only a temporary blip that Marc Marquez spent away from the top of the MotoGP podium after firing back at Silverstone on Sunday with his 11th victory of the 2014 season. 

The Czech Grand Prix earlier this month was the first of the year that Honda's starlet had failed to win, but British settings provided the means for a resurgent return to the throne, per the official MotoGP Twitter account:

Sunday's triumph didn't come without its share of tests as Jorge Lorenzo pushed his compatriot close to the wire at times, but Marquez was forced to show grit, improving on the second place taken at this track last year.

Lorenzo ultimately settled for second place and remains stuck in fourth, with Valentino Rossi taking third place for the third race in succession:

That was the order of things for the great majority of the battle in Northamptonshire, but there were several occasions where the head-to-head duel between Marquez and Lorenzo got particularly feisty.

Coming into the closing stages of this weekend's fixture, the pair came together as Lorenzo skipped past the younger rider only to be put back in his place, unable to make those small advantages count in the end:

Lower down the order, Dani Pedrosa continued his switching with Marquez, finishing fourth after halting the reigning champion's winning streak in Brno.

The veteran remains second behind his countryman in the riders' standings, but Marquez's lead once again stands at 89 points as a result of Sunday's outcome:

Position	Rider	Team	Nation	Points
1	Marc Marquez	Honda	SPA	288
2	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	SPA	199
3	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	ITA	189
4	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	SPA	157
5	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	ITA	129
6	Aleix Espargaro	Forward Yamaha	SPA	92
7	Pol Espargaro	Yamaha	SPA	88
8	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	ITA	81
9	Stefan Bradl	Honda	GER	74
10	Bradley Smith	Yamaha	GBR	65
11	Alvaro Bautista	Honda	SPA	56
12	Scott Redding	Honda	GBR	51
13	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati	GBR	40
14	Hiroshi Aoyama	Honda	JPN	39
15	Yonny Hernandez	Ducati	COL	32
16	Nicky Hayden	Honda	USA	29
17	Karel Abraham	Honda	CZE	28
18	Colin Edwards	Forward Yamaha	USA	11
19	Michele Pirro	Ducati	ITA	11
20	Broc Parkes	PBM	AUS	7
21	Mike Di Meglio	Avintia	FRA	4
22	Danilo Petrucci	ART	ITA	4
23	Michael Laverty	PBM	GBR	2
24	Hector Barbera	Avintia	SPA	2
25	Alex De Angelis	Forward Yamaha	RSM	1
26	Leon Camier	Honda	GBR	1

Scott Redding was the highest finisher of any Briton running, clinching 10th while Cal Crutchlow came in at 12th.

Having taken an impressive run of top-10 places earlier in the year, Bradley Smith will be disappointed with his outing, as he was forced to retire, per Silverstone's official Twitter:

With Marquez now firmly back in the winning hot seat, attentions turn to San Marino in a fortnight's time, where he'll strive to emulate this performance and re-establish the streak that would see him lift two world titles in as many seasons.

The budding icon's start to life in MotoGP has been a whirlwind journey so far, and Sunday's win showed there's a lot of substance to his style, producing the goods when his back was against the wall and impressing in front of a British crowd.

MotoGP’s flagship event gets underway on Sunday, as the best riders in the business descend on the world-famous Silverstone Circuit for the Grand Prix of Great Britain.

While the race always has a special buzz around it, this year’s instalment has a bit of added spice to it.

Marc Marquez entered to MotoGP history books by winning the opening 10 races of the season, but surrendered his dominance in the Czech Republic Grand Prix last time around, with Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa taking to the top of the podium.

All eyes will be on how Marquez responds from his setback, and here, we look ahead to what’s set to be thrilling race in Northamptonshire.

Race Schedule

Date	Event	Time
Saturday, August 30	Moto3 QP	12:35 p.m. BST
Saturday, August 30	MotoGP Q1	2:10 p.m. BST
Saturday, August 30	MotoGP Q2	2:35 p.m. BST
Saturday, August 30	Moto2 QP	3:05 p.m. BST
Sunday, August 31	Moto2 Race	11:20 a.m. BST
Sunday, August 31	MotoGP Race	1 p.m. BST
Sunday, August 31	Moto3 Race	2:30 p.m. BST

 

Live Stream:

Watch all the weekend's action via the BT Sport website.

Marquez Looking to Bounce Back

The MotoGP sensation that is Marquez has a lot to live up to this week, not just in terms of upholding his reputation, but putting on a similar show to the one he served up last year.

Marquez was part of one of the fiercest tussles in MotoGP history with Jorge Lorenzo at Silverstone in 2013, though the Yamaha star just about came out on top.

In fact, Lorenzo has won three of the last four Grand Prix of Great Britain races, and he comes into this year’s event full of confidence—as he revealed via Twitter:

Winning the 2012 and 2013 races was a fantastic achievement by the Spaniard, but making it a hat-trick will prove difficult with Marquez in a determined mood to atone for his disappointment in Brno.

Early mistakes cost the 21-year-old at the Czech Republic Grand Prix on his quest for 11 victories on the spin, but he told MotoGP.com that it could be a blessing in disguise as he switches up his focus on the World Championship title:

Brno was a difficult weekend but the most important thing is that we took important points. Also, I feel less pressure now as I know everyone was expecting me to win all of them, and it’s the Championship that’s important, not winning every race! We had a good test on the Monday and then some time off after a hectic back-to-back schedule. Last year my race was affected by my crash in warm up so this year I hope to be fully fit so I can give it 100 per cent in the race!

While the Championship does rather look in the bag for Marquez, winning races is all that he’s programmed to do, and he’ll be going all out for win No. 11 of the season at Silverstone.

However, the temperamental weather in England may well halt his progress, as when the Silverstone track gets wet, the race can be anyone’s.

A fast track with lots of tricky corners, both slow and quick, rain forces riders wide, and in the event of a downpour, it could be that he who dares, wins.

Luckily for Marquez, though, his courageous side is what makes him the best racer in the world, and he’s proved throughout the season that no gap is too small, and no corner too tight.

Honda teammate Pedrosa will likely be Marquez’s main rival for the crown, but you can never write off the likes of Valentino Rossi and Lorenzo.

Meanwhile, there’s a strong home showing for Great Britain, with Cal Crutchlow, Bradley Smith, Scott Redding, Michael Laverty and Leon Camier all in action, but the title will likely be heading back to Spain.

With Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Marquez all in blistering form, any one of the trio could well be standing top of the podium come Sunday.

It’s always a dramatic race at the British Grand Prix, and with so many top-class riders battling it out for the title, 2014 could well eclipse the heart-stopping brilliance of 2013.

The king of MotoGP has finally been dethroned. Marc Marquez’s streak of 10 grand prix victories in a row came to an end at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic on Sunday, as Dani Pedrosa claimed the title with an excellent ride. 

Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished second and third, respectively, with Marquez crossing the line in fourth on an off day for the Spaniard—as MotoGP revealed:

Here’s how they finished on an eventful day of racing in Brno:

Position	Rider	Nationality	Team	Time/Gap
1	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	42'47.800
2	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+0.410
3	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+5.259
4	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	+10.454
5	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Pramac Racing	+17.639
6	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	+17.834
7	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	+23.819
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	NGM Forward Racing	+29.621
9	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+30.364
10	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	+37.639
11	Scott REDDING	GBR	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	+55.604
12	Michele PIRRO	ITA	Ducati Team	+56.727
13	Hiroshi AOYAMA	JPN	Drive M7 Aspar	+56.908
14	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	+1'04.135
15	Leon CAMIER	GBR	Drive M7 Aspar	+1'04.902
16	Alex DE ANGELIS	RSM	NGM Forward Racing	+1'20.666
17	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Avintia Racing	+1'24.282
18	Mike DI MEGLIO	FRA	Avintia Racing	+1'27.436
19	Broc PARKES	AUS	Paul Bird Motorsport	+1'38.867

Though Marquez was starting at pole position in the Czech Republic, a shaky start saw his chances of performing his usual wire-to-wire victory blown out of the water.

The Spanish sensation found himself in sixth after the first few turns with the Ducatis starting brightly and Lorenzo setting the early pace.

The two-time world champion simply flew around the course in the early stages, setting a new circuit record in the process—per MotoGP:

While Marquez managed to creep up to third place, that’s as good as it got for the 21-year-old, who finished over 10 seconds behind Pedrosa.

Patience was the name of the game for Pedrosa in Brno, and while Lorenzo was looking good at the front, the 28-year-old always looked in a good position to strike.

And that’s exactly what he did on Lap 5 of 22, going inside him on the corner to lead the pack.

It was a lead that Pedrosa never surrendered after that, and while Lorenzo kept within touching distance of his countryman, there was little he could do as the Honda man put himself top of the podium.

While Marquez’s dominance of MotoGP is now over, the Honda team’s certainly isn’t, as they revealed via Twitter:

That dominance is echoed in the general classification standings, too, as victory for Pedrosa saw him keep his place in second behind Marquez, as we see below:

Position	Rider	Points
1	Marc MARQUEZ	263
2	Dani PEDROSA	186
3	Valentino ROSSI	173
4	Jorge LORENZO	137
5	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	118
6	Aleix ESPARGARO	85
7	Pol ESPARGARO	78
8	Andrea IANNONE	73
9	Stefan BRADL	65
10	Bradley SMITH	65
11	Alvaro BAUTISTA	56
12	Scott REDDING	45
13	Hiroshi AOYAMA	37
14	Cal CRUTCHLOW	36
15	Nicky HAYDEN	29
16	Yonny HERNANDEZ	27
17	Karel ABRAHAM	25
18	Colin EDWARDS	11
19	Michele PIRRO	11
20	Broc PARKES	7
21	Mike DI MEGLIO	4
22	Danilo PETRUCCI	4
23	Michael LAVERTY	2
24	Hector BARBERA	2
25	Leon CAMIER	1

How exactly Marquez will recover from not being on the podium will be on everyone’s lips as the British Grand Prix comes around in a fortnight, but you can guarantee that he’ll be more determined than ever to take his grand prix crown back.

Pedrosa’s victory showed that Marquez is indeed mortal, but with hunger and desire to be a champion once again, Silverstone may well be in trouble next time around.

Round 11 of the MotoGP season heads to Brno for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, with Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez still unbeaten in 2014.

The 21-year-old from Spain has been all-conquering during his campaign, winning all 10 rounds of the season.

He took the victory in the previous race in Indianapolis by a slim margin over Jorge Lorenzo. Marquez now stands a staggering 89 points ahead of Dani Pedrosa in the championship race, per MotoGP.com, and will surely retain his crown in the very near future.

Here is the schedule for proceedings at Brno, with start times and stream information.

Session	Date	Time	Live Stream
Free Practice 3	Aug 16	8:00 a.m BST/ 3 a.m ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Free Practice 4	Aug 16	12:30 p.m. BST/ 7:30 a.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Qualifying 1	Aug 16	1:10 p.m BST/ 8:10 a.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Qualifying 2	Aug 16	1:35 p.m BST/ 8:35 a.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Race	Aug 17	1 p.m. BST/ 8 a.m ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)

 (The BT Sport app is available here.)

Marc Marquez

Reigning world champion Marquez has seemed unstoppable this year, beating all contenders in a wide range of conditions.

The current championship leader goes into the race at Brno full of expectation after testing on the track three weeks previous.

Marquez explained his thoughts going into Round 11 and how Yamaha pose a threat to his current dominance, per MotoGP.com:

I feel good after winning at Indianapolis. Here in Brno it is a completely different circuit to Indy but we did a test three weeks ago, so we should have a good set up. Yamaha were close to us in Indy and I expect them to be strong again here, but I am feeling good and we’re ready to fight.

Marquez sits on 250 points for the season so far, and the Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will do well to chase him down at this stage. 

Five-times world champion Mick Doohan believes Marquez has taken the sport to a new level, saying he makes the other riders seem like "amateurs," per the Sydney Morning Herald:

He's certainly the man of the moment – he's making the other guys look like amateurs. He's got a teammate on a similar bike, he's got good rivals on other competitive bikes, but he's just riding on a different level to everybody. There is no doubt there's every chance he's going to win all 18 [races this year].

Marquez is the overwhelming favourite to take an 11th straight win, and based on current form, only the mid-season break to his rhythm presents a serious threat on paper.

Valentino Rossi

Race legend Valentino Rossi will only have been able to sit back and admire the quality produced by Marquez since the Spaniard broke through as a rookie last year.

But Rossi showed good speed at the previous meeting in Indianapolis, and there is a train of thought developing that he could compete with Marquez this weekend. 

However, Rossi's form at this track has been shaky in recent times, with the Italian rider saying, per MotoGP.com:

You can use the maximum potential of the bike here. My recent results here have not been great and last year I was too far from the top three. So my target this weekend is to improve my lines, improve my riding, I need to do that if I want to be on the podium. I think the race from Indy was one of the best in the recent period.

Rossi currently sits in third position in the World Championship table and will leapfrog Pedrosa should he outperform the Honda rider.

Jorge Lorenzo

Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo performed wonders in Indianapolis, challenging Marquez all the way to the line, eventually edged out into second place.

Lorenzo ended the race less than two seconds behind the world champion and proved how competitive he can be on his Yamaha. He climbed to 117 points for the season, consolidating fourth position in the overall race.

The Spanish star is buoyant going into the Czech GP after his brilliant performance in Round 10, per MotoGP.com:

I was really pleased with the second place at Indianapolis. We arrive here now at a track which theoretically is good for our bike and my riding style, with the chicanes and the importance of corner speed. We’re very motivated this weekend and we will be aiming to repeat Indy.

Brno is faster and wider than Indy and I have won here four times, so we need to do the job on the track.

Lorenzo ran Marquez very close in the previous race, and Brno gives both him and Rossi the chance to catch the unstoppable racer. Lorenzo's record in the Czech Republic is superb, and he will be brimming with confidence going into the race.

But Marquez knows his form dictates that he is on his way to history. He will feel he can win every race of the current MotoGP season and seal his place among the greatest grand prix riders in the history of motorsports. 

The motorcycling phenom that is Marc Marquez made it 10 MotoGP victories in a row on Sunday, cruising to victory in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, as MotoGP revealed via Twitter:

Starting from pole, there never looked like being another winner—as has been the case in every race this season, as Marquez etched his name into the history books at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Claiming 10 victories in succession matched a record set 17 years ago by Mick Doohan for Marquez, who just seems to be getting better with every race, per MotoGP:

Jorge Lorenzo put up a good fight to come second behind the 21-year-old, while Valentino Rossi claimed third, as we see below:

Position	Rider	Nationality	Team	Time
1	Marc Marquez	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	42'07.041
2	Jorge Lorenzo	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+1.803
3	Valentino Rossi	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+6.558
4	Dani Pedrosa	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	+10.016
5	Pol Espargaro	SPA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+17.807
6	Bradley Smith	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+19.604
7	Andrea Dovizioso	ITA	Ducati Team	+20.759
8	Cal Crutchlow	GBR	Ducati Team	+39.796
9	Scott Redding	GBR	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	+40.507
10	Hiroshi Aoyama	JPN	Drive M7 Aspar	+55.760
11	Karel Abraham	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	+1'05.130
12	Mike di Meglio	FRA	Avintia Racing	+1'05.346
13	Colin Edwards	USA	NGM Forward Racing	+1'08.919
14	Michael Laverty	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport	+1'09.203

The defining feature of Marquez’s brilliance this season has been the timing of his attacks, and he once again demonstrated how lethal he can be at the perfect moments in Indianapolis.

The Spaniard remained patient for the opening 10 laps, but he struck in Lap 11 to overtake Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso to put himself on course for victory, as MotoGP’s video shows:

From then on, it was the Marquez show, taking corners in his usual, perfect style to cross the line just short of two seconds ahead of Lorenzo.

While Marquez’s dominance this season is something MotoGP has scarcely seen before, one man that’s been a consistent force for almost two decades is Rossi, whose third-place finish earned another personal milestone.

His Grand Prix of Indianapolis points took him over the 4,000 mark for his astonishing career, and he could well have capped such a historic day with victory, but it wasn't to be:

The Italian did all the early running with Dovizioso but just ran out of steam after Marquez passed him.

Maybe that was due to the realisation setting in that the Spaniard was once again going to be top of the podium ahead of him, but his overall performance was still something to be admired.

Not nearly as much as Marquez’s performance, though, who looked incredibly comfortable once he moved into the position he’s grown accustomed to being in—the lead.

Speaking after the race, the 21-year-old reflected on what he labelled a tough race, saying that front-tyre problems almost cost him the title, per MotoGP:

However, he certainly didn't look like he was having any problems as he breezed around the track, which begs the question: What could possibly stop Marquez?

Here’s a look at the rider standings after another fantastic win in India:

Position	Rider	Team	Nationality	Points
1	Marc Marquez	Honda	SPA	250
2	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	SPA	161
3	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	ITA	157
4	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	SPA	117
5	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	ITA	108
6	Pol Espargaro	Yamaha	SPA	78
7	Aleix Espargaro	Forward Yamaha	SPA	77
8	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	ITA	62
9	Bradley Smith	Yamaha	GBR	58
10	Stefan Bradl	Honda	GER	56
11	Alvaro Bautista	Honda	SPA	50
12	Scott Redding	Honda	GBR	40
13	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati	GBR	36
14	Hiroshi Aoyama	Honda	JPN	34
15	Nicky Hayden	Honda	USA	29
16	Yonny Hernandez	Ducati	COL	27
17	Karel Abraham	Honda	CZE	23
18	Colin Edwards	Forward Yamaha	USA	11
19	Michele Pirro	Ducati	ITA	7
20	Broc Parkes	PBM	AUS	7
21	Mike di Meglio	Avintia	FRA	4
22	Danilo Petrucci	ART	ITA	4
23	Michael Laverty	PBM	GBR	2
24	Hector Barbera	Avintia	SPA	2

Next up for the Spaniard is the Czech Republic Grand Prix, where he comes into the race as defending champion.

The early form of Marquez was blistering, but it was always deemed too early to talk about him winning every grand prix of the season.

Ten races down and eight to go means that it’s a distinct possibility, though, and mission one of eight begins in Brno next week.

The second half of the MotoGP season gets underway this weekend with the Indianapolis Grand Prix as standings leader Marc Marquez goes for his 10th straight victory.

The winner of the opening nine races of the season, the 21-year-old Spaniard currently sits on 225 points, 77 clear of his second-placed Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.

Along with Pedrosa, the likes of Jorge Lorenzo and veteran Valentino Rossi will finally be looking to beat Marquez at the improved Indianapolis Motor Speedway come Sunday's race.

Read on for a full race schedule, live streaming information and a look at the top riders going into the Indianapolis Grand Prix. 

Session	Date	Time	Live Stream
Free Practice 3	Aug. 9	2:55 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. BST/9:55 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Free Practice 4	Aug. 9	6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Qualifying 1	Aug. 9	7:10 p.m. - 7:25 p.m. BST/2:10 p.m. - 2:25 p.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Qualifying 2	Aug. 9	7:35 p.m. - 7:50 p.m. BST/2:35 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)
Race	Aug. 10	7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET	BT Sport app (subscription required)

Top Riders

Marc Marquez

Marquez's dominance of the 2014 MotoGP season has been nothing short of extraordinary. His nine consecutive race wins have come in a variety of different conditions, and he has claimed many victories with ease.

The youngster was crowned champion last year in his rookie season, winning by just four points over Yamaha rider Lorenzo. It is not going to be such a close-run thing this year.

He won on the Indianapolis circuit in 2013, and his competition will be unhappy to know that he is raring to go once again after the summer break, per The Sydney Morning Herald:

We had some rest over the holidays, one week more or less but now we are ready to go again. We are excited to ride again and to look at the new layout and the new surface here at Indy.

A 10th win in a row looks highly likely with Marquez set to extend his championship lead even further in the United States on Sunday.

Valentino Rossi

The 35-year-old Rossi has suffered from some poor qualifying results so far this season, and the Italian will look to perform well on Saturday to set himself up to challenge Marquez on Sunday.

Rossi has taken second place in four races this season and currently sits third in the standings on 141 points, eager to see Marquez's winning streak end, per Crash.net:

For Marc it is positive, for us a little bit less! We have to try to beat him before the end of the championship for sure. It is a big domination, he's done great work, but in some way we have to try to beat him - for us and for the championship.

A winner on the Indianapolis circuit in 2008, the Yamaha rider finished fourth in Germany last time out and will no doubt be looking for at least a podium finish this weekend.

With rain a possibility on race day, Rossi could certainly be set to compete as he won in atrocious conditions six years ago.

Jorge Lorenzo

Rossi's Yamaha teammate Lorenzo comes into the weekend having just signed a two-year extension to his current contract, as he confirmed on his Twitter feed:

He sounded very motivated ahead of the race weekend with ambitions to improve for the second half of the season as the Spaniard currently sits fifth in the standings on 97 points, per MotoGP.com:  

I am very proud to have reached this agreement with Yamaha because it was always my priority and I want to end my career with them. I had a lot of problems in the first half of the year but I think that we can learn from this and come back stronger. I’m really fit and I’ve been training a lot over the summer, I’m fit, slim and motivated. 

He is another rider who has previously won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—in 2009—and after a third-place finish in Germany will be high on confidence ahead of the race. 

However, it is once again Marquez who is set to be the front-runner, with nothing so far this season suggesting he won't go on to claim an incredible 10th consecutive win.

A victory in the U.S. would take him one step closer to a second consecutive world championship at the age of just 21.