French Grand Prix: Marc Marquez bags third straight win in Le Mans

Le Mans (France), May 21: Defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez enjoyed another fantastic race, taking his third consecutive victory this season and extending his own Championship lead to 36 points over second-place rider Maverick Vinales.

For Marc, the victory was 64th of his career, and his 38th in MotoGP, equalling Casey Stoner's Premier Class GP win tally. The only rider on a hard Michelin rear tyre, Marc managed the race perfectly in every phase, on a track that is usually challenging for him. He kept his cool during the early laps until his tyres were ready, took the lead after the crashes of Title-chase rivals Andrea Dovizioso and Johann Zarco, and eventually built a comfortable gap at the front, which he managed until the chequered flag fell.

What do you do when you're forced to spend Saturday night in hospital after a HUUUGGGEEE high side? Study of course! That's serious commitment! 💪(Pic courtesy of @LCRHondaTeam) pic.twitter.com/7X1tL4Q5wG
— MotoGP™🇫🇷🏁 (@MotoGP) May 21, 2018

Dani Pedrosa rode a strong race, recovering from the fourth row on the grid to finish in fifth place, keeping a good pace for the entire race. Repsol Honda Team Rider, Marc Marquez said: "I'm particularly happy with this win here in Le Mans, as it's one of the most difficult tracks for us! Today I was the only one on a hard rear tyre, and that made my approach to the race a bit different because I knew it would take a little more time to reach the right temperature.

"But during the warm-up, I had the opportunity to verify that once the tyre was ready, it was very constant, and I was able to keep a very good rhythm. To be honest, things were a bit challenging at the beginning of the race: Zarco touched me in the second corner and I went a bit wide, then Iannone crashed and nearly hit me, so I lost some more positions. I decided to cool down for a while.

Gran carrera, buen trabajo equipo! 💪🏼
Great race, good job team! #FrenchGP @MotoGP pic.twitter.com/IvDt9BLKsw
— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) May 21, 2018

"When I saw that Dovi and Johann were out, my approach to the race again changed a bit. At a certain point, I had one big moment in turn three, where I had already crashed in FP3, which is why I was being extremely careful there; I think that helped me to avoid a crash in that moment."

Re-live another dramatic title-shaping #MotoGP race from the #FrenchGP 🇫🇷

Watch it all again with VideoPass ➡️ https://t.co/KBIJkbZeXz pic.twitter.com/P9lrXfMvdQ
— MotoGP™🇫🇷🏁 (@MotoGP) May 21, 2018

Moto3 rider leaps over crashed rival

In the Moto3, Jakub Kornfeil made a sensational evasive save to avoid a competitor.

Sometimes, you just got to SEND IT! 🚀@JakubKornfeil84 goes BIG in the craziest save in #Moto3 history!#FrenchGP pic.twitter.com/VnSPFB7Jlf
— MotoGP™🇫🇷🏁 (@MotoGP) May 21, 2018

The Czech rider appeared certain to collide with the bike of fallen rival Enea Bastianini but, just as he was about to make contact, Kornfeil managed to vault over the sliding machine.

Even more impressively, Kornfeil landed the jump in a gravel bed and recovered to finish sixth in the race.

"The first thing I was thinking of was to open the gas and stand up on the pegs," he said in quotes reported by Fox Sports. "The landing was so heavy, my rear suspension went down to its maximum. It even activated my leathers' airbag."