Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) sealed his seventh victory of the season in a hard fought battle to strengthen his championship lead.

On the first corner of the first lap, eight riders went down in two separate incidents. Those involved - Iker Lecuona (CarXpert Interwetten), Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto3), Tetsuta Nagashima (Teluru SAG Team), Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Stefano Manzi (Sky Racing Team VR46), Lorenzo Baldassari (Forward Racing Team), Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP40) were all thankfully okay and the race continued without a red flag.

In one of the most interesting Moto2 races we've seen in a while, Morbidelli stormed into the lead from the very beginning and absolutely ran with it. There were very few moments where he came under pressure from those behind him, and the real battle was going on behind him. Thomas Luthi (CarXpert Interwetten) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) were locked in a fierce battle for second, with both of them running wide on a number of occasions to allow the other through. And while they were making mistakes, it not only allowed Morbidelli to get away at the front but also allowed Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to sneak up behind them. Oliveira was setting fast lap after fast lap and was consistently running quicker than the leading group. Oliveira looked like a serious podium contender, but crashed out with five laps to go in a massive highside that left him reeling in the gravel trap.

All the while, Luthi was closing in on Marquez but with three laps to go he ran wide, allowing Marquez to create the gap he so desperately needed to finish on the second spot of the podium. Luthi needed a win this weekend to put pressure on Morbidelli in the overall standings, and a third place has not allowed him to do that. 

Moto2 top ten:

1. Franco Morbidelli- EG 0,0 Marc VDS - 37:39.370
2. Alex Marquez- EG 0,0 Marc VDS +1.312
3. Thomas Luthi- CarXpert Interwetten +2.544
4. Francesco Bagnaia- Sky Racing Team VR46 +3.070
5. Mattia Pasini- Italtrans Racing Team +3.745
6. Takaaki Nakagami- IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia +8.827
7. Brad Binder- Red Bull KTM Ajo +9.018
8. Jorge Navarro- Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 +13.692
9. Dominique Aegerter- Kiefer Racing +14.955
10. Hafizh Syahrin- Petronas Raceline Malaysia +18.997

To round off a fantastic day of exciting racing, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took his third victory of the season, after a tense race long battle with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

It was actually Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) who took the early lead, managing to create a gap within the first two sectors. But Marquez was on the hunt, and slowly made up time on Lorenzo who was storming away in front. Dovizioso wasn't far behind either, and was constantly attacking Marquez, finally getting the better of him just a few laps in. 

Marquez and Dovizioso really did take it down to the wire, constantly passing the lead between each other. It came down to an extremely tense final lap, but it looked like Dovizioso's victory going over the line into the final lap. Marquez made a last ditch attempt to take the victory on the final corner but ran it wide, almost forcing the two of them off the track completely.

In the end, Dovizioso had the edge by an extremely close margin. Marquez had to settle for second, with his team mate Dani Pedrosa rounding out the podium. 

By far, the stand out performances of the weekend were from Lorenzo, Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) and Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The way Lorenzo held his own at the front is something we haven't seen for a long time.

It was great to see the old Lorenzo back, and a fourth place finish is exactly what he needs to boost his confidence. Loris Baz too held his own, coming under attack from the likes of Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

Baz kept it steady, and came over the line in ninth to prove to his team that he should be keeping his ride next year, something that is currently in doubt. Kallio is KTM's test rider, and he outperformed both of the full time KTM factory racers. Kallio finished in tenth, a massive achievement for not only the team, but also for the man who wants a full time ride in the future.

The MotoGP circus will roll into Silverstone for the British GP in two weeks time, and we hope that the fantastic racing we've seen today will continue into round twelve.

Race Result:

Moto3, the first race of the day at the fastest track on the World Championship calendar. Concerns about safety - especially heading into turn one, have been expressed all weekend, but there was no fear in the lightweight class. 

Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) took an absolutely dominant victory, in a classy ride that sees him solidify his title chances. It certainly wasn't plain sailing for the Spaniard though, as he started from tenth on the grid after being hit with a penalty for exceeding track limits on his fastest lap in qualifying. As the race began he actually went backwards from tenth, but he managed to rectify his wrong and quickly pick off the pack in front one by one. With only eighteen laps to go, Mir took the lead for the first time and ran with it, not coming under attack from any of his rivals as he stormed to a three second lead and extended his title lead to sixty four points. 

Mir's title rival Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) didn't have such a great weekend. At this vital point in the championship - especially when Mir is looking so strong, Fenati needed a solid result to prevent Mir from running away at the top of the standings. He qualified in eleventh, and we expected big things from a man who is usually racy, aggressive and determined. He'd started to work his way up through the pack, but only a few laps in he ran out wide and pushed himself back to eighteenth. From there it was purely damage limitation for the feisty Italian, who brought it home in thirteenth and only gaining three points.

John McPhee (British Talent Team) was looking extremely strong at the beginning of the race. He briefly led the first lap, but even after being pushed back he remained within the top five. With nine laps to go, he was at the back end of the top ten, coming under threat from Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). As they crossed the line, Bendsneyder rode into the back wheel of the Scot, sending them both flying into the gravel and leaving McPhee visibly annoyed. The DNF knocked McPhee back to sixth in the championship, but he'll be looking to come back fighting at his home round in two weeks time.

A stand out effort for Jaume Masia, who is filling in for the injured Darryn Binder at the Platinum Bay Real Estate KTM team. This was the wild card's first GP race, and what a race it was. He blitzed through the field, and was sitting in podium contention for a number of laps. Unfortunately, he got pushed out of the top three after a risky move that saw him run out wide. He came home in ninth after a truly impressive ride.

But by far the highlight of the race was Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), who qualified in thirteenth but battled his way to third carrying the after effects of a broken foot which leaves him hobbling around the paddock. As he carefully wobbled onto the podium, it was clear to see just how much it meant to him, as going into round eleven it was still uncertain whether he would race. It was a spectacular race from the Spaniard, and one that leaves him with a twenty point gap over his team mate in the overall standings.

Moto3 top ten:

1. Joan Mir- Leopard Racing - 37:23.124
2. Philipp Oettl- Südmetall Schedl GP Racing +3.045
3. Jorge Martin- Del Conca Gresini Moto3 +3.377
4. Livio Loi- Leopard Racing +3.385
5. Aron Canet- Estrella Galicia 0,0 +3.502
6. Fabio Di Giannantonio- Del Conca Gresini Moto3 +3.730
7. Gabriel Rodrigo- RBA BOE Racing Team +3.804
8. Adam Norrodin- SIC Racing Team +4.183
9. Jaume Masia- Platinum Bay Real Estate +4.310
10. Enea Bastianini- Estrella Galicia 0,0 +4.858