Spaniard Alex Rins has celebrated a surprise first MotoGP victory in Texas with Australian Jack Miller taking third as world champion Marc Marquez crashed out, ending a six-year winning streak at the Circuit of the Americas.
Starting on pole for a seventh year in succession and chasing his seventh win in a row at the Austin circuit on Sunday, Marquez lost control of his Honda and slid out on the ninth of 20 laps while leading by nearly four seconds.
Yamaha’s Italian great Valentino Rossi inherited the lead but could not hold off Rins, who went past on lap 17 and then held on to win by 0.462 seconds.
Australian Miller finished a distant third for the non-works Pramac Ducati team, with Italian Andrea Dovizioso fourth on a factory Ducati to take the championship lead after three races.
Dovizioso has 54 points with Rossi on 51 and Rins moving up to third on 49, while Marquez has 45. Miller sits two places below with 29.