Bastianini wins at US Grand Prix as Marquez struggles on his comeback

Enea Bastianini takes his second victory of the 2022 MotoGP season at the Americas MotoGP in Austin, Texas.

The Gresini rider thus becomes the first repeat winner of the year and retakes the world championship lead.

After leading most of the race before Bastianini’s pass, Jack Miller’s fortunes got worse when Alex Rins snatched second place with just two corners to go. Nonetheless, it was the Australian’s first podium of the season, becoming the tenth different rider this season.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez’s hopes of an eighth COTA win ended with a nightmare start.

Jorge Martin, who headed an all-Ducati top five in qualifying, had lost out to Miller at Turn 1 with the fellow Desmosedicis of Bastianini, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco slotting in behind the Pramac rider.

Rins – the only other Austin MotoGP winner on the starting grid, courtesy of a 2019 victory after Marc Marquez fell from the lead – lined-up on the third row, but was soon challenging Yamaha’s reigning champion Fabio Quartararo for best of the rest behind the Ducatis.

After getting the better of Quartararo, Rins gatecrashed the Ducati party by passing Bagnaia for fifth on lap 7 of 20, then wrestled fourth from Zarco just before the midway stage.

Bastianini was Rins’ next target but used the GP21’s straight-line speed to keep the GSX-RR at bay. When Bastianini snatched second from Martin, Rins followed to put the pair on the podium with just under half the race to go.

By then, Rins’ team-mate Joan Mir was also making an impression on the lead group, passing Bagnaia and then Martin to reach fourth.

Ninth on the grid, ‘COTA king’ Marc Marquez needed a strong start to keep his hopes of an eighth Austin victory alive. Instead he got the worst getaway of his career (presumably due to a technical isssue) leaving him 24th and last at turn one.

The Repsol Honda star, competing in his first race since the Qatar opener after missing Mandalika and Argentina due to double-vision problems caused by a huge accident in Indonesia, was up to 18th by the end of lap 1 and 14th by lap 3.

Lapping faster than the race leaders, Marquez duly broke into the top ten on lap 7 by passing team-mate Pol Espargaro. After breaking the official lap record, the #93 overtook Frenchmen Zarco and Quartararo in quick succession (Quartararo forcing Zarco wide) for seventh place with 7 laps to go.

Martin was Marquez’s next victim, with Quartararo seemingly inspired by the sight of Marquez just ahead and locking on to the RC213V’s rear wheel for the closing stages. The Frenchman even momentairly passed the Honda star before they crossed the line in sixth and seventh.

Pramac team-mates Martin and Zarco faded to eighth and ninth.

Aleix Espargaro, world championship leader after claiming Aprilia’s first MotoGP victory a week earlier in Argentina, began the race from 13th, just ahead of team-mate and warm-up leader Maverick Vinales.

Rookie satellite star Enea Bastianini takes his second victory of the 2022 MotoGP season at the Americas MotoGP in Austin, Texas.

The Gresini rider thus becomes the first repeat winner of the year and retakes the world championship lead.

After leading most of the race before Bastianini’s pass, Jack Miller’s fortunes got worse when Alex Rins snatched second place with just two corners to go. Nonetheless, it was the Australian’s first podium of the season, becoming the tenth different rider this season.