AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Alex Rins won the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin on Sunday after MotoGP world champion Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia, the Saturday sprint winner, crashed while leading from pole position.
The Spaniard’s surprise victory on a clear afternoon in Texas was a first for his LCR Honda team since Britain’s Cal Crutchlow in Argentina in 2018.
Italian Luca Marini, MotoGP great Valentino Rossi’s half-brother, was second for the VR46 Ducati team and France’s 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo completed the podium on a Yamaha.
VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth to stretch his championship lead to 11 points over fellow Italian Bagnaia after three rounds.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)