Marquez nicks San Marino victory

Marc Marquez showed exactly why he has won three MotoGP titles in the last four years by producing a superb last lap to win the San Marino GP and take a share of the championship lead.

The Spaniard started third on the grid at Misano with the rain proving troublesome for the riders from the outset, Jorge Lorenzo’s early lead wiped out after sliding off at turn 6 on the seventh lap.

Danilo Petrucci started strongly to force the pace soon after from Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso with early season leader Maverick Vinales some way off the pace back in fourth.

Italian Dovizioso struggled to make the jump to the leading duo, however the Repsol Honda of Marquez looked more than capable of overhauling Petrucci’s Pramac Ducati despite the slippery conditions.

The 24-year-old, though, had to wait until the final lap for his opening and duly pounced with a breathtaking move on the brakes into turn 1 that few would have attempted with championship points on the line.

Marquez said, “With rain conditions, you never know. I was trying to control all the race, because I was able to be a little bit faster.

“When I saw that we started to open a a gap with Dovi, I thought maybe just stay in second position but then the last lap I said, ‘Let’s try’. This victory is very important for myself and the team.”

Petrucci’s wait for his first victory continues, while Ducati’s Dovizioso had to be content with third at the Marco Simoncelli Circuit after winning the previous two rounds in Austria and Great Britain.

The Movistar Yamaha of pole sitter Vinales finished behind in fourth to keep his championship hopes alive as he enters the next round in Aragon 16 points adrift of the leading duo.

Marquez’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa must rely on a storming finish to the season to have any hope of winning the title after his 14th spot leaves him 49 points behind Marquez and Dovizioso.

Briton Bradley Smith ended a creditable 10th for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ahead of team-mate Pol Espargaro to leave them level with Aprilia Racing Team Gresini in the team standings.