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Image Gallery: 2015 Argentina MotoGP

Action photos from the GP Red Bull De La Republica Argentina at Termas de Río Hondo

April 21, 2015

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Marc Marquez - Photo courtesy of Honda

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez started from pole and led almost the entire race on the softer of the two tire options. "It’s a shame what happened, because we were having a good race! It was interesting, because our tyre choice was different from Valentino’s as I felt we were not as competitive the harder compound. The strategy was working out well for us – it’s just a pity about the last two laps."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Aleix Espargaro - Photo courtesy of Suzuki

Aleix Espargaro qualified on the front row and finished the race in seventh, the best result to date for the Suzuki GSX-RR. "For sure this seventh place doesn’t pay justice to the positive that we had this weekend and this is why I am a little disappointed after the race. We have transferred a lot of feedback to the engineers, therefore I hope we will get some improvement in the European races. So far we are too-far from the top than we actually deserve."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Marc Marquez - Photo courtesy of Honda

In the closing laps of the race, Valentino Rossi caught and passed Marc Marquez for the lead, but the riders made contact and Marquez crashed out unhurt. Marquez: "When he caught me, we fought for a few corners and unfortunately we touched and I crashed. I've always said that he's my idol and my reference, so you always learn things from him. Now we have to think about Jerez and begin to recover points."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Andrea Dovizioso - Photo courtesy of Ducati

Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso finished on the podium for the third race in a row, another strong result for the new GP15. “I am really pleased, even more so than in the first two rounds, because this was a very difficult track for us. In practice and qualifying we went quite well but we were not that fast, and managing such a demanding race with the drop in rear tyre performance was very important and rather complicated."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo - Photo courtesy of Yamaha

Movistar Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo qualified on the second row but got a lightning start to challenge Marc Marquez for the lead in the opening laps.From there, Lorenzo struggled to make the harder tire work, and faded to fifth at the finish.

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Valentino Rossi - Photo courtesy of Yamaha

Valentino Rossi (46, Movistar Yamaha) leads Andrea Dovizioso (4, Ducati) in mid-race action. Rossi, on the harder of the two tire compounds available, made a late-race charge to pull away from Dovizioso and challenge Marquez for the lead, eventually winning the race.

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Photo courtesy of Ducati

Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow celebrate on the podium.

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Andrea Iannone - Photo courtesy of Ducati

Andrea Iannone (29) and Cal Crutchlow (35, LCR Honda) battled for what would turn out to be the final podium spot, with Crutchlow passing Iannone in the final corner to earn the position.

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Bradley Smith - Photo courtesy of Tech 3

Yamaha Tech 3 rider Bradley Smith finished in sixth spot for the second race in a row. "It was a shame that the first corner didn’t go to plan, like it did last week and I wasn’t able to go around the outside and make up some places. A few guys got in underneath me who were riding on the racing line, whilst I was on the dirty section of the track. Afterwards, when you lose three or four seconds because of a tricky start like this, it’s impossible to get back with the leading bikes as the lap times are so similar."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Maverick Vinales - Photo courtesy of Suzuki

Maverick Vinales (25) on the Suzuki GSX-RR battles with Tech 3 rider Bradley Smith early in the race. Vinales finished the race in 10th position. "Unfortunately I had a bad feeling with the tyres in the early laps so I could not be as effective as I wanted, but then unexpectedly the feeling got better and better as the tyres got more worn, so at the end of the race I was lapping at nearly the same times as the race leaders."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Pol Espargaro - Photo courtesy of Tech 3

Pol Espargaro qualified in 18th position but worked his way up to finish eighth in the race. "I can't be disappointed with the result considering where we started. The first few laps were quite positive as I was able to put myself right behind the two Pramac bikes as well as Vinales. However after this, Hernandez’ bike caught fire right in front of me and I lost a lot of time compared to Brad and my brother."

2015 Argentina MotoGP - Nicky Hayden - Photo courtesy of the Aspar team

For the second race in a row, Nicky Hayden qualified well back in the field and struggled in the opening laps. However, from 20th on the grid, Hayden was as high as 12th during the race and battled for the top Open-class position. A mistake on the last lap cost the Aspar Honda rider several positions, and he finished in 16th.

It was a very dramatic fight for the lead on the last couple of laps of the 2015 Argentina MotoGP race at Termas de Rio Hondo, but there was plenty of action further down the field as well. Scroll through the gallery above to see photos from the race as well as comments on how each rider fared.

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