Honda rider Marc Marquez of Spain celebrates on the podium after winning the Spanish GP. (Reuters)


AFP/Jerez, Spain


World champion Marc Marquez continued his perfect start to the season by winning the Spanish MotoGP for the first time at Jerez yesterday.
The 21-year-old won his 36th Grand Prix in just his 100th race with seven-time world MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi second on a Yamaha, just ahead of Marquez’s compatriot and Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.
Marquez, who had won all three previous Grand Prix this season, in Qatar, Texas and Argentina, extended his world championship lead over Pedrosa to 28 points.
He became the first rider since Australian Mick Doohan in 1992 to win the first four races of the year.
“I’m really happy, it’s a different kind of victory. I struggled a little bit this weekend and the level is so high with Pedrosa, Jorge and Valentino, who are all very strong,” said Marquez, who won in a time of 1min 39.841sec.
“In the beginning I was able to open a gap and push. I know that Dani and Valentino are so strong at the end of the race and with new tyres I felt better than on old tyres so I pushed very hard at the start.”
Marquez said he was reluctant to predict a fifth successive victory when the championship moves to Le Mans in France on May 18.
“Le Mans is a weekend with a big question mark over the weather. We finished third there in the wet last year and we feel strong in the dry. But for the moment we’ll enjoy this victory and get ready to test tomorrow,” said the Spaniard.
Marquez had started on pole and was in a class of his own all afternoon in the blistering Andalusian heat.
By the 12th lap he had already built up a four-second lead and after that he merely managed his advantage comfortably until the end of the race.
Behind him there was a great battle brewing between Rossi, who took his second podium of the year, and Pedrosa.
Rossi had to use all his 35 years of experience to hold off the charging Pedrosa on the final corner with the pair going neck and neck.  
“I’m very, very happy because Jerez is one of my favourite circuits and one of my favourite weekends because of the crowds around the track,” said Rossi after the race.

Results: MotoGP
1. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 3. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 4. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 6. Alvaro Bautista (ESP/Honda Gresini) 7. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Ymamaha Forward) 8. Bradley Smith (Yamaha Tech 3) 9. Pol Espargaro (ESP/Yamaha) 10. Stefan Bradl (GER/Honda)