Grand Prix of The Americas Race Results | Bastianini snatches win, MotoGP lead

Enea Bastianini has swept back into the lead of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship with an outstanding second victory of the season at Circuit of The Americas.

A formidable performance that echoed the plot of his emotional maiden victory at the top of the season in Qatar, Bastianini’s now signature late race burst of pace told again by reeling in long-time leader Jack Miller to nose ahead with five laps remaining.

An electric race that fizzed with intriguing tussles across the top ten, Bastianini’s win marks another popular triumph for the privateer Gresini Racing squad to consolidate his growing status as a genuine contender for this year’s title, while Alex Rins and Miller completed the podium.

Bringing up the tail end of a landmark Ducati 1-2-3-4-5 on the grid, Bastianini made the most of a strong opening lap to settle into third position, trailing Miller and Jorge Martin, the pole man having lost out to the Australian in the climb to Turn 1.

Further back, Marc Marquez saw his hopes of a record ninth victory at COTA come unstuck with a bizarre issue at the lights when his Repsol Honda appeared to glitch under acceleration, leaving him crawling as the field streamed by to dump him to the back of the field.

However, while his feisty ride back through the field would be one of the stories of the day, all eyes were on the front to see whether anyone could penetrate the solid wall of Ducatis circulating out front.

Indeed, it would take until lap six for anything other than a Desmosedici to break into the top five as Suzuki's Rins mounted the first of several brave lunges on a Ducati to begin his ascension into what would become a run to the podium.

Regardless, at no point did Ducati look like losing victory, with the only doubt being exactly which rider would take it.

For his part Miller - under pressure following a dismal run to 14th just a week earlier in Argentina - put on a much-needed show of strength as he repelled the shadow of Martin behind him early on, before stretching out his advantage as the Spaniard faded late on.

However, as Martin faded, Bastianini came alive, passing Martin with nine laps to go before setting off in pursuit of Miller ahead. Quickly getting the gap right down as the race entered its closing stages, Bastianini took advantage of a squirming Miller struggling for grip on the exit of Turn 11 to slipstream into the lead on the run to the Turn 12 hairpin.

Thereafter Bastianini wasn’t pressured, the Italian giving both the factory and Pramac Racing bosses something to think about as he sprinted clear for another intelligently executed victory.

Behind him, Miller’s declining pace dropped him into the clutches of Rins, whose hard work picking off the staunch Ducati defence paid off with a gutsy lunge for second on the penultimate corner and a second MotoGP podium in seven days.

Miller held on for a strong but humbled third, the Australian leading home Joan Mir on the second of the Suzukis in fourth and Pecco Bagnaia, the pre-season title favourite enduring an anonymous afternoon in fifth.

That was in stark contrast to the rider that finished behind him as Marquez put on a thrilling performance to haul his way back into the top six, in so doing prevailing in a entertaining late tussle with defending champion Fabio Quartararo.

Though his issues at the start robbed him of a chance at victory from ninth on the grid, Marquez proved he at least had the pace to do so as he carved his way back up the order, the Spaniard letting the Honda hang loose with some wild racing.

At times perhaps pushing the limit too far as he got out of shape on the kerbs and very nearly collected three riders when a missed braking point into Turn 1 was saved by the tiny gap he was forced to thread through to avoid them.

Nevertheless, he carried his tempo back into front-running contention, before fending off a determined Quartararo to seal sixth at the flag.

Another frustrating race for Quartararo that could have a pivotal bearing on his decision to stay with Yamaha or leave at the end of the year, the Frenchman battled hard to negate a lack of grip early on and his ever-problematic top speed disadvantage but couldn’t finish any higher than seventh.

A contender for victory early on, Martin’s pace slumped in the closing stages en route to eighth, the Spaniard going backwards with Pramac team-mate Johann Zarco in ninth.

Maverick Vinales sneaked into the top ten on the Aprilia, in so doing getting the better of Aleix Espargaro, the Argentina winner ceding his briefly held championship lead in 11th.

Brad Binder delivered scant reward on a dismal weekend for KTM with a run to 12th place, ahead of Honda duo Pol Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami, while Andrea Dovizioso denied factory Yamaha counterpart Franco Morbidelli the final point with 15th as Yamaha once again looked all at sea beyond Quartararo.

Elsewhere, Marco Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez were the only non-finishers after crashes at Turn 15 and Turn 11 respectively.

2022 Grand Prix of the Americas | Circuit of The Americas | RACE Results