Italian Andrea Dovizioso has made it back-to-back MotoGP win after coming from behind to take victory at Barcelona, round seven of the world series, at the weekend.

The Ducati rider, an emotional home winner at Mugello just one week ago, rose from seventh at the Catalunya circuit to lead the last third of the race and win by 3.5s from defending world champion Marc Marquez.

Marquez’s Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa held the advantage during the middle stages, but on a day when sweltering heat took its toll on tyres Pedrosa would drop behind both Dovizioso and Marquez.

A lowly tenth for Maverick Vinales means that the Yamaha rider is now just seven points ahead of Dovizioso in the world championship standings.

Vinales and team-mate Valentino Rossi finished the weekend as they had started it; off the pace. Rossi did the best job of damage limitation by riding from 13th to 8th, while Vinales actually lost a place compared with his starting position.

The young Spaniard made a clear point by stopping on the slow down lap to take a long look at his rear tyre…

Dovizioso’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also led the race, converting his first Ducati front row into the holeshot at turn one. Lorenzo kept the lead until lap 6, when Marquez moved ahead, Marquez recovering from a start-line scare when he was hit by Danilo Petrucci.

After falling five times in practice, plus once when he tripped over in pit lane, Marquez thankfully kept his RC213V upright during the contact. The incident was under investigated by Race Direction, but Petrucci fell from fifth in the closing stages anyway.

While unable to match his team-mate’s heroics, Lorenzo put on a strong charge in the closing stages to fight his way back up from eighth to fourth, ahead of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 riders Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger.

Zarco just pipped fellow rookie Folger for fifth, the Frenchman again demonstrating his delicate touch by saving his tyres for a late charge. Nonetheless, it was easily Folger’s best MotoGP performance to date, the German sticking with the leaders until the final third of the race.

Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista was a safe seventh between Folger and Rossi, with Avintia Ducati’s Hector Barbera narrowly holding off Vinales for tenth.

After falling in qualifying LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow could only improve from 17th to eleventh, with Loris Baz (Avintia), Scott Redding (Pramac) and Tito Rabat (Marc VDS) completing the point scorers.

Andrea Iannone was a miserable 16th for Suzuki and only just beat stand-in team-mate Sylvain Guintoli. Pol Espargaro was the only KTM after team-mate Bradley Smith injured his finger on Saturday. Sam Lowes was 19th and last for Aprilia after also reporting some technical issues.

Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia suffered an engine failure, with Jack Miller (Marc VDS) joining Petrucci in crashing out.

After Friday on the new chicane, MotoGP switched back to the F1 design from Saturday morning.

Photo courtesy Ducati Europe

RESULTS:

1. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 41.518s
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 44m 45.062s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 44m 48.292s
4. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 51.126s
5. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 55.356s
6. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 55.439s
7. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 44m 58.281s
8. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 45m 2.339s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 45m 5.470s
10. Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 45m 5.707s
11. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 45m 9.847s
12. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 45m 14.799s
13. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 45m 16.718s
14. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 45m 20.954s
15. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 45m 22.390s
16. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 45m 24.739s
17. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 45m 26.173s
18. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 45m 30.511s
19. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 45m 37.010s

Danilo Petrucci    ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) DNF

Jack Miller  AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) DNF

Aleix Espargaro   ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) DNF

STANDINGS:

Riders’ World Championship after round seven:

1       Maverick Vinales Movistar Yamaha MotoGP      111

2       Andrea Dovizioso         Ducati Team        104

3       Marc Marquez      Repsol Honda Team      88

4       Dani Pedrosa       Repsol Honda Team      84

5       Valentino Rossi    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP      83

6       Johann Zarco      Monster Yamaha Tech 3        75

7       Jorge Lorenzo      Ducati Team        59

8       Jonas Folger        Monster Yamaha Tech 3        51

9       Cal Crutchlow      LCR Honda 45

10     Danilo Petrucci    OCTO Pramac Racing    42

11     Alvaro Bautista    Pull&Bear Aspar Team 34

12     Scott Redding      OCTO Pramac Racing    33

13     Jack Miller EG 0,0 Marc VDS         30

14     Loris Baz    Reale Avintia Racing     23

15     Hector Barbera    Reale Avintia Racing     21

16     Andrea Iannone   Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 21

17     Tito Rabat EG 0,0 Marc VDS         19

18     Aleix Espargaro   Aprilia Racing Team Gresini   17

19     Karel Abraham    Pull&Bear Aspar Team 11

20     Aleix Rins   Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 7

21     Michele Pirro       Ducati Team        7

22     Pol Espargaro      Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 6

23     Bradley Smith     Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 6

24     Sam Lowes          Aprilia Racing Team Gresini   2

25     Sylvain Guintoli   Team Suzuki ECSTAR   1