MotoGP Laguna Seca

Marc Marquez extended his championship lead after claiming victory at Laguna Seca.

Marquez fought off the challenge of pole sitter, Stefan Bradl and Valentino Rossi to become the youngest ever rider to record consecutive top class MotoGP wins. The win opens up a 16 point gap over teammate Dani Pedrosa.

After claiming his first pole position, Stefan Bradl fought Marquez for most of the race before conceding defeat but still completed his best finish in MotoGP.

Valentino Rossi followed up his third place in Germany with another podium finish, which moves him above Cal Crutchlow, in the championship.

Alvaro Bautista impressed with fourth ahead of the injured pair of Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, with Crutchlow in seventh, his worst finish of the season.

Before the race began the whole MotoGP universe paid their respects to Andrea Antonelli – who was killed in a World Supersport race in Moscow earlier that day – with a minute's silence.

Bradl and Rossi were the two fast starters and the pair were the two leaders ahead of Marquez in the early stages.

In 2008 Rossi was involved in one of the most iconic MotoGP overtakes, when he dived past Casey Stoner at the notorious corkscrew. This time he was on the receiving end as Marquez dived up the inside to move into second, in the process sending both into the sand on the exit.

“I had been watching videos of Valentino from 2008 and I thought it was impossible to repeat that move.” Marquez told broadcasters. “But when I passed him I had to go wide and it was exactly the same.”

“It looks like Marc made my own overtake but I have a trademark!” Rossi joked after the race. “He owes me some money!”

The MotoGP universe will remain in America for the next round at Indianapolis in a month's time.

Results

1. Marc Marquez
2. Stefan Bradl
3. Valentino Rossi
4. Alvaro Bautista
5. Dani Pedrosa
6. Jorge Lorenzo
7. Cal Crutchlow
8. Nicky Hayden
9. Andrea Dovizioso
10. Hector Barbera