Marquez scores sensational comeback victory

Marc Márquez mastered a strategic call as he extended his unbeaten run in Germany during a wet/dry race at the Sachsenring, opening up a 48-point championship lead in the process.

Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

Márquez, who has not been beaten at the circuit since 2009, started from pole position on a soaked circuit but slipped down to sixth during the opening few laps.

Márquez then erred at Turn 8 and slid through the gravel but stayed upright and recovered to ninth, opting to change to his slick-shod second bike.

Márquez lit up the timing screens and carved his way forwards, closing in on a group of riders who had stayed out on wet tyres, led by Andrea Dovizioso, after initial pace setter Danilo Petrucci crashed out.

That group eventually dived into the pits and Márquez consequently inherited a sizeable lead, as he stormed to yet another victory at the Sachsenring.

Scott Redding emerged in second position after the bike changes but was overhauled by Cal Crutchlow at the start of the final lap, as the LCR Honda rider surged forwards.

Crutchlow had started from outside of the top 10 but picked off rivals during the first stage of the race and jumped the group led by Dovizioso after the pit stop phase.

Redding tried to hold onto third place on Intermediates but was jumped by Dovizioso into the penultimate corner, while Andrea Iannone finished fifth.

Iannone was forced to slow dramatically in order to make it into the pit lane, due to having other riders on the inside line, but recovered well during the final few laps.

Dani Pedrosa was sixth, while Assen winner Jack Miller emerged in the front group in wet conditions before eventually winding up seventh.

Valentino Rossi briefly led but tumbled through the order late on, losing out during the pit stop phase, with his crew agitated at the Italian initially ignoring his pit board.

Rossi, who had been within sight of podium finisher Dovizioso as the circuit gradually dried, eventually finished eighth after switching to Intermediates, losing further ground to Márquez in the title race.

Héctor Barberá fought for the podium in the wet prior to classifying ninth, with Álvaro Bautista completing the top 10 for Aprilia.

Eugene Laverty was 11th, as Suzuki had a low-key performance, with Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró split by Tech 3's Bradley Smith.

Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo capped off a dismal weekend with a lacklustre performance as he struggled to 15th place, almost a lap behind Márquez, picking up just a solitary point.

A poor race for the Yamaha riders means Márquez heads into the summer break with a 48-point lead over Lorenzo, with a further 10 points back to Rossi.