(Reuters) – Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales won the sprint at the Grand Prix of the Americas on Saturday to claim his second straight sprint victory of the season ahead of Marc Marquez and championship leader Jorge Martin in an all-Spanish podium.
Pole-sitter Vinales, who also won the sprint at the Portuguese Grand Prix, had the perfect start to take the lead while Marquez moved up from third to second when he overtook GasGas Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta as soon as the lights went out.
The trio peeled away from the rest of the pack but behind them Martin, who crashed twice in qualifying, moved up to fourth in an attempt to reel them in.
Although Vinales continued to increase his lead out in front, Martin managed to elbow Acosta out of the way with five laps to go and set his sights on Marquez.
But Marquez, who has won at the Circuit of the Americas seven times, managed to keep hold of second place after Vinales took the chequered flag. Martin extended his championship lead.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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