Former MotoGP champion Marc Marquez deliberately causes chaos on the grid before crashing out of race
MARC MARQUEZ caused chaos at Sunday’s MotoGP race as he bolted from the grid before the start of the race.
The motorcycle racing championship was at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend – Formula One will race there in October – for the third race weekend of the season.
However, changeable conditions at the track sparked a bizarre sequence of events led by Marquez before the race had even started.
Ahead of the scheduled start of the race, Marquez was sitting on his bike, which had been equipped with wet weather tyres following pre-race rainfall.
But the six-time champion then suddenly bolted back to the pitlane to retrieve another bike, this one fitted with slick tyres for a dry track, for a pit lane start.
The move from the 32-year-old prompted many of his rivals to follow suit and also change bikes from a wet to a dry fit, with three others gambling on slicks from the very beginning.
Normally such a move would lead to a penalty, however, if enough riders change vehicles then no penalties are applied and a new race start procedure takes place.
And sure enough race director, Mike Webb, declared the race start would be delayed and take place under the original grid order – with Marquez on pole – and no penalties applied.
Speaking following the race, the Spaniard revealed the act had been done on purpose after admitting the original strategy was not correct.
He said: “I really know the rules and how to do that, and how to be on the limit all the time.
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“I asked to [Marco] Rigamonti (engineer) seven minutes before the start if the second bike was ready. He said to me yes, and then I said to him maybe I will leave the grid.
“Why? Because I predicted that when I leave… I saw that the rain tyres was not the correct strategy.
“And then I predicted that more than 10 riders would follow me, and then they would stop the race. So, it’s what happened.”
Marquez later added to TNT Sports: “Because I already know that if I leave the grid most people will follow and then the start will be delayed.
“I understand with the Michelin guide that three or four riders were already with the slicks.
“I saw that our strategy on wet was not a good one and then I forced that situation.”
Marquez’s ingenious gamesmanship looked to have worked wonders after building up a two-second lead as the race approached the halfway stage.
However, disaster struck at Turn 4 of lap nine when he suddenly crashed on the inside kerb of the corner.
Marquez, who won the first two feature races and all three sprint races this season, rejoined the race on a badly damaged bike before retiring on lap 13.
Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia raced through to take the lead before converting it into his first win of the season.
The Italian acknowledged the victory had only come about because of his team-mates crash, but was “very happy” to achieve his first win at COTA.
Marquez’s crash allowed his brother Alex Marquez, who is riding for Gresini, to take a one-point lead in the rider’s championship.
Marquez, 28, has finished runner-up in all six races so far this season but is now leading the championship for the first time in his premier-class career.
The next race weekend of MotoGP takes place in Qatar on April 13.
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