Fabio Quartararo makes it back-to-back MotoGP wins in Jerez

In an incident packed 25-lap Red Bull Andalucia Grand Prix, Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo was an emphatic winner finishing over four seconds clear of Monster Energy Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi, writes Maurice Montgomery.
By Sports Desk
Published 26th Jul 2020, 19:03 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2020, 19:05 BST
Yamaha top three (L-R) Valentino Rossi, race winner Fabio Quartararo and Maverick VinalesYamaha top three (L-R) Valentino Rossi, race winner Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales
Yamaha top three (L-R) Valentino Rossi, race winner Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales

The 21-year-old pole setter Quartararo led from start to finish to stretch his lead in the championship with eleven rounds remaining of the shortened 2020 season.

In searing heat that reached 60 degrees track temperature and without the threat of the injured Marc Marquez, Frenchman Quartararo was in a class of his own as fellow Yamaha riders Rossi and Viñales fought for second in the dying stages of the race after Franco Morbidelli’s Petronas Yamaha ground to a halt at the end of lap 16 followed by Pecco Bagnaia’s Pramac Ducati that stopped in a cloud of smoke three laps later.

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Rossi seemed to have second place in the bag as the duo closed in on the finish but Viñales who said later that he struggled to breath in the heat, had other ideas and two laps from home squeezed past his team mate to stay within ten points of Quartararo in the title race as they head to Brno for the Czech GP in two weeks time.

“I waited until three laps in to the race to see if the tyres were working ok then I made an amazing pace. It is an amazing feeling to win back to back MotoGP races,” said race winner Quartararo.

Vinales added: “I was stuck behind Vale, and I couldn‘t breathe most of the laps, I was destroyed. I was saving something for the last five laps, and I pushed at the end.”

“I‘m happy to be back on the podium. For me it‘s not quite like a victory, but it‘s similar,” said Rossi.

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Scotland’s John McPhee rode his Petronas Honda to a brilliant second place 0.064 seconds behind race winner Tatsuki Suzuki, while in the Moto2 race Britain’s Sam Lowes couldn’t match his qualifying performance where he was second fastest and had to settle for his second fourth place finish of the year.

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Related topics:Fabio QuartararoValentino Rossi

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