---
title: "Marquez seals crucial Aragon win as title rivals falter"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/09/24/marquez-seals-crucial-aragon-win-as-title-rivals-falter/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2017-09-24T13:05:31Z"
modified: "2017-09-24T13:33:43Z"
---

# Marquez seals crucial Aragon win as title rivals falter

Marc Marquez took a 16-point championship lead after beating Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa to a crucial victory in the MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had not won a race from outside of the front row since storming to victory from fifth at the Valencia race in 2014.

![Dan Istitene/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/09/852846270.jpg)

At the start, Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo eased into the lead from second on the grid, while Valentino Rossi mugged Yamaha team-mate and pole man Maverick Vinales for second at Turn 12 on the opening lap.

Rossi – just 23 days after he suffered a double break of his right leg – immediately began to gap Vinales, who slid to fifth behind Andrea Dovizioso and Marquez after running wide at the final corner.

Vinales‘ struggles continued as dropped two seconds adrift of the podium group in front, while Rossi hounded Lorenzo for the lead.

By mid distance, though, fatigue started to settle in for Rossi and he was powerless to stop Marquez – who two laps prior recovered from an off at Turn 12 to re-pass Dovizioso – from coming through on the back straight. Behind, just a few corners later, Pedrosa finally moved ahead of Vinales for fifth.

![Dan Istitene/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/09/852846104.jpg)

Vinales was able to follow Pedrosa through on Dovizioso, who by now was severely struggling on his soft rear tyre, but got stuck behind a determined Rossi, who was not relinquishing fourth spot without a fight.

At the front, Marquez finally cleared Lorenzo with eight laps to go and instantly put daylight between himself and the Spaniard. With three laps to go, Lorenzo slid behind Pedrosa.

Pedrosa had been the quickest rider on track for some time – setting a race fastest lap of 1m49.140s on lap 19 – but could do nothing to close down the one-second gap between himself and Marquez, allowing his team-mate to cruise to a fifth win of the season.

![Dan Istitene/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/09/852846442.jpg)

Lorenzo held onto third – his second rostrum of the year – while Vinales eventually moved ahead of Rossi, his deficit in the standings increasing to 28 points, with the Italian holding onto a heroic fifth spot.

Aleix Espargaro equalled Aprilia’s best-ever MotoGP result in sixth, passing the ailing Dovizioso in the closing stages, with the Italian only just holding Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista at bay in eighth.

Johann Zarco took his Tech3 Yamaha to ninth ahead of the KTM duo of Pol Espargaro and Mika Kallio, while Andrea Iannone, Jack Miller on his 100th race appearance, Scott Redding and Tito Rabat taking the last of the points.

Cal Crutchlow was involved in the intense battle for the top six when he fell at Turn 14 with seven laps to go. Karel Abraham was an early crasher, the Czech rider tumbling out of 14th at Turn 8.

![](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/09/2017-09-24-1.png)