Pedrosa Victory Ends Marquez 100% 2014 MotoGP Record

Dani Pedrosa ended Marc Marquez's winning streak with victory at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic.

Pedrosa becomes the first man, other than Marquez, to win a race this season as he headed home the Yamaha pair, of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. Marquez looked off the pace and could only finish fourth.
The result sees Marquez's championship lead cut to 77 points, but the World Champion is still in a very strong position.

It seemed the weekend was heading for another Marquez win, when he took pole position ahead of Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. However, in the early stages, it was Lorenzo who led the race with Pedrosa following him.

Marquez had dropped as low as sixth in the opening laps. And it didn't seem the Honda man was going to have it all his own way, battling with Iannone and Rossi. It took some force and contact between Marquez and Iannone before the Champion found his way through.
From there it was Honda versus Yamaha, Pedrosa and Lorenzo scrapped for the lead as Marquez and Rossi diced over the final podium place.

At just over half-race distance, Rossi had closed onto the back of Marquez and looked the much faster man. The Doctor found his Spanish rival wanting and easily passed the Honda for third. Many expected Marquez to put up more of a fight but in the end Rossi pulled away easily.

With seventeen laps to go, Pedrosa overtook Lorenzo and was never headed again.

It was the 26th top class victory for the man with 26 on his bike. It still means Repsol Honda have won every race of 2014 so far.

“I think, before I've already had good experiences at this track,” said Pedrosa. “When you are having fun, and things are coming to get, you get more motivation and finally today everybody is so happy and I'm happy.”

It was a better afternoon for Jorge Lorenzo who battled from the second row of the grid, to take second place and came so close to claiming victory with a late race surge.

“When Dani passed me, I wasn't able to stay with him,” Lorenzo said after the race. “And that was my mistake because, at the end of the race, I just needed one more lap to have a chance to go for the win.”

Iannone would later get the better of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) for fifth in the final stages.

The top ten was completed by Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing), Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini).
Home rider Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) scored points in 14th, with substitute rider Leon Camier (Drive M7 Aspar) scoring his first ever MotoGP point in 15th.

A crash and subsequent retirement saw Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) end his race early. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Michael Laverty (Paul Bird Motorsport) both crashed out, whilst Danilo Petrucci (Octo IodaRacing Project) and Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) both retired with technical issues.

MotoGP now moves to the UK and Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

MotoGPâ„¢ Race Classification

1- Dani Pedrosa SPA Honda 42’47.800
2- Jorge Lorenzo SPA Yamaha +0.410
3- Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha +5.259

1st OPEN
8- Aleix Espargaro SPA Forward Yamaha +29.621