The non-works LCR Honda rider, celebrating a third career MotoGP win and Honda’s 750th grand prix success, now has 38 points and leads Ducati’s Italian Andrea Dovizioso by three after two races. Sheene, a double world champion for Suzuki in the old 500cc era, last led the standings in 1979.
“It was nice to win, but it was to be expected to be honest,” said Crutchlow.
“I was comfortable in the battle, I felt I took no risks. I stayed with riders I probably should have and would have been able to drop if I needed to.
“I think we could have fought no matter which circuit it would have been this weekend.”
Frenchman Johann Zarco finished a close second for Tech3 Yamaha after a last lap battle for the lead while Honda’s reigning world champion Marc Marquez was penalised for a collision with Yamaha’s Italian great Valentino Rossi. Spaniard Alex Rins was third for Suzuki, his first MotoGP podium, at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
The race start was delayed for safety reasons amid farcical scenes, with rain before the event leaving all riders except Australian pole sitter Jack Miller on wet weather tyres. The fast-improving conditions then triggered a mass return to the pits for a change of tyres with only Miller’s Pramac Ducati remaining on the grid.
Organisers decided, after consultations with team bosses in order to avoid a mass start from the pits, to leave Miller alone out front and several rows clear of the others after grid penalties.
Marquez then stalled, the four-times MotoGP champion wheeling the bike clear, bump-starting it and then riding the wrong way down the track to resume his starting position against the rules.
Marquez quickly reeled the Australian in and passed him before receiving a ride-through penalty for the start infringement, knocking him back to 19th.
Miller, Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow broke clear with all four leading in turn while Marquez and Rossi tangled with four laps to go. The Spaniard was handed a 30 second penalty, dropping him down to 18th with Rossi, who went off track and fell following the collision before resuming, in 19th.
RESULTS
MOTOGP
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/LCR Honda) 40:36.342, 2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Yamaha Tech3) at 0.251sec, 3. Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 2.501, 4. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati Pramac) 4.390, 5. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 14.941, 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 22.533, 7. Tito Rabat (ESP/Ducati A1vintia) 23.026, 8. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suzuki) 23.921, 9. Hafizh Syahrin (MAL/Yamaha Tech3) 24.311, 10. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/Ducati Pramac) 26.003
Selected others
15. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Ducati) at 42.274, 18. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 43.860, 19. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 52.082
Overall standings
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/LCR Honda) 38 points, 2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 35 pts, 3. Johann Zarco (FRA/Yamaha Tech3) 28, 4. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 21, 5. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 20, 6. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati Pramac) 19, 7. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/Ducati Pramac) 17, 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 16, 9. Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 16, 10. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suzuki) 15.
Angry Rossi accuses Marquez of ‘destroying’ MotoGP
Italian MotoGP great Valentino Rossi has accused reigning world champion Marc Marquez of ‘destroying’ the sport by riding dangerously and without respect for his rivals. The pair clashed on a damp track in Argentina on Sunday, with Rossi falling after being pushed onto the grass by the Spaniard who had already incurred a ride-through penalty for a breach of start procedures. Rossi finished 19th with Marquez, who was handed a 30 second penalty for the collision, also out of the points in 18th position. “I’m OK, but this is a very bad situation,” Rossi said of the incident, with Marquez refused access to the Yamaha garage in an attempt to apologise that the Italian dismissed as mere PR for the cameras.
“If you take what happened this weekend as an example, one incident can happen to anybody, you can make a mistake in braking, you can touch the other guy. It can happen, it’s racing.
“But from Friday morning on, Marquez did this to (Maverick) Vinales, to (Andrea) Dovizioso, to me, and on Saturday morning, and today he went straight through four riders,” added the 39-year-old nine-times world champion.
Rossi said such behaviour created a dangerous situation, which would only be made worse if others acted in the same way as Marquez, who has won four of the last five world championships. He said he had spoken to race director Mike Webb and hoped his words had an effect.
“They have to do something,” added Rossi. “I’m scared on the track when I’m with Marquez. I was scared today when I saw his name on the board.
“I’m not race direction -- they will decide -- but like this he is destroying our sport, because when you do 300-kilometre an hour on the track, you have to have respect for your rivals.”
Marquez accepted in a Honda release that he had been to blame for a high speed collision with compatriot Aleix Espargaro but said the Rossi clash was down to the conditions.
“I touched a wet patch, locked the front, and released the brakes. I tried to turn, again making my best effort to avoid contact. When he crashed I immediately apologised,” said the Spaniard. “It was a tricky Sunday. Of course today I made some mistakes, which I recognise.
“Other mistakes were made by race direction on the grid, and others were due to the difficult conditions, but one thing I know for sure: never in my career have I intentionally hit another rider.”