BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Jorge Lorenzo held off Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez to win the Catalonia Grand Prix on Sunday, tightening the overall championship race.
The defending world champion started from third on the grid but pushed his Yamaha in front of polesitter Pedrosa before the first curve and never looked back.
Lorenzo’s 26th career MotoGP win left him in second place with 116 points.
Pedrosa crossed the line second and leads the standings with 123.
Marquez completed the Spanish sweep in front of the home fans. The newcomer is third with 93 points.
Track temperatures reached about 124 degrees, leading to several riders crashing out when their tires lost grip on the 2.94-mile Circuit de Catalunya.
