VOL. 53 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 18, 2016 P89
He crashed on the previous left-
hander, also unhurt.
Marquez's 25-point win, under
the proud gaze of Honda's top
brass, made him unassailable
over the final three races, and
added more records to his
growing list of "youngest-ever"
achievements.
The Honda rider had dominat-
ed practice, until Rossi snatched
a surprise pole with a new circuit
record. Lorenzo was alongside
on the grid.
Marquez led away, but Lorenzo
took over the lead early in the
lap, and he was able to eke out a
small advantage as Marquez and
Rossi traded blows in his wake.
Marquez observed later that
while Rossi's strategy—to try to
win—had been correct, "he was
riding a bit strangely—braking late
and going wide. I thought he was
a bit nervous, and I didn't want
that battle, so I pushed to get
away."
On lap four he was also ahead
of Lorenzo, and soon moving
firmly clear, setting the fastest
lap on the sixth, just short of the
record. Rossi also passed his
teammate in pursuit. It looked as
though desperation had led to
downfall, but he said otherwise.
"Sincerely, I felt nothing like I was
going into the corner too wide or
too deep. But I lost the front, so
