Tactical masterstroke for Honda as it claims 1-2 in Czech Grand Prix

A gamble on tyre choice turned into a tactical masterstroke in the Czech Grand Prix held on August 7, 2017, as defending World Champion Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda Team made an early pit stop to switch bikes after only two laps of the 23-lap race.

The tenth race of 2017 started on a damp track, after Marquez had made a last-minute change to a soft rear rain tyre, while everyone else went with the medium. He led away from pole position, but quickly realised he had made the wrong choice. This convinced the 24-year-old Spaniard to make an early pit stop to take his slick-equipped bike before anyone else made the move. His second-guess tactics helped him to win the race by 12 seconds, his biggest MotoGP victory margin in his 32nd success in the class of kings.

Marquez’s decision to switch bikes so early was inspired – by the time all his rivals were also on slicks the three-times MotoGP king had built an unassailable 20-second lead. His progress to his second successive win and his third of the season was deceptively serene – he admitted that the early laps on slicks had been fraught with risk. This latest success increased his championship lead to 14 points over Maverick Vinales (Yamaha), who finished a distant third.

Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa was a little more cautious, changing bikes two laps after his team-mate. But the veteran Honda rider’s pace, which had put him on the front row of the grid for a second race in a row, soon paid off. By lap nine, he was in second place, and was never threatened in his ride to the runner-up spot.

This was the 31-year-old Spaniard’s fifth podium of the season and his 150th across all three categories: MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc. The result also paid dividends for his championship chances, moving him to within nine points of fourth overall in a still-close battle at the top of the table.

The all-Spanish podium dedicated their results to Spain’s 13-times World Champion Angel Nieto, who recently succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident.

The next race is the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, next weekend.The next stop on the calendar will be heartening for Lorenzo and the Ducati team, as MotoGP heads to Austria – a track that suits the ‘Desmosedici’ like no other. And despite Marquez’ domination at Brno, everything remains very much an open book – with Vinales, Rossi, Dovizioso and Pedrosa still in hot pursuit ahead of next weekend’s visit to the Red Bull Ring.