Thai GP | Marquez blasts Dovizioso to last-corner win
It was not the first time Marquez and Dovizioso met at the last corner, but this time Marquez roars to victory at Buriram, pipping the Ducati rider to a last-corner win. Maverick Vinales joins them on the podium.
Shades of the Austrian GP, as the main characters and the thrilling battle took a similar turn to what happened today at Buriram. However, the outcome was way different. This time around it was Marquez blitzing Dovizioso in a jaw-dropping last-minute duel, allowing the Spaniard to pick up yet another success and fly to Motegi with an even wider gap to the opposition.
The start did not featured any dramatic acts, as Marquez kept the leadership ahead of Valentino Rossi. The two engaged in a close fight since the very beginning, allowing Andrea Dovizioso to get closer.
Marquez started lapping faster than everyone else, but Rossi and Dovizioso quickly responded. The Doctor managed to grab the lead of the race, taking advantage of Marquez’s blunder at a corner exit. Shortly after, Dovizioso made the move on the Spaniard as well, who dropped to third ahead of Cal Crutchlow. Five riders were involved in the battle for first, with the Briton and Maverick Vinales in the mix as well.
Five laps later Rossi drastically slowed down, letting Dovizioso and Marquez go through. The three built a slightly thicker gap to Crutchlow and Vinales, while Zarco, Rins and Pedrosa followed a bit further off. As the race progressed, Pedrosa charged to 5th, behind Vinales and clear of Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow but crashed out 8 laps away to the end.
Maverick Vinales got past Rossi the following lap and started closing in on the Marquez-Dovizioso duo. The Honda rider backed off Dovizioso until the very end of the race, waiting for the propitious moment to impose his supremacy.
The two were involved in a breathtaking fight until the very last corner, with Vinales joining the duo at last, but with no real chances of getting a piece of it. Marquez finalised a powerful move in the very last lap, but metres before the final corner Dovizioso threw his bike nearly sideways on the outside. In the blink of an eye Marquez reacted an pulled a last-second move to cross the line as the winner of the Thai GP.
Bitter ending for Valentino Rossi who started 2nd and finishes the race in fourth down the podium, where his teammate Vinales is jumping today.
