Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi claimed victory in the United States Grand Prix to make it three wins in a row at the start of the MotoGP season.
Aprilia rider Bezzecchi, who won the first two rounds in Thailand and Brazil, took the lead on the opening lap at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and did not surrender first place after that.
Having also finished top of the podium in the final two races of last season, it was a fifth successive win for the 27-year-old as he also set a MotoGP record for consecutive laps led by taking his tally to 121 – beating the previous best of 103, set by Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
“I’m happy. I’m very happy,” said Bezzecchi, who won on Sunday after having crashed out of Saturday’s sprint race. “Yesterday I made a mistake so it was very important to make a good race today.”
Bezzecchi’s team-mate Jorge Martin, who won the sprint race, was second and Pedro Acosta finished third, while defending champion Marc Marquez ended up fifth.
Bezzecchi is top of the MotoGP standings on 81 points, four ahead of second-placed Martin.
The next round of the MotoGP season will take place in Jerez, Spain, from 24 to 26 April.
