The “Batmav” took its long-awaited victory for Aprilia since its arrival in mid-2021.
It was another exciting race under the Texan sun, full of action, drama and heart-warming moments.
And after all the intensity, Maverick Viñales took full advantage of his blistering pace to become the first rider in the MotoGP era to win for three different manufacturers.
He won in 2016 with Suzuki and the remaining victories with Yamaha between 2017 and 2021. Viñales had finally broken the deadlock with Aprilia after two and a half years of waiting. Upon his first arrival to Aprilia, many expected him to take the manufacturer's first victory, but instead veteran teammate Aleix Espargaro surprised the crowd.
After nine MotoGP seasons without victories, he managed to win three races, while Viñales often struggled with mechanical problems and even worse, motivation.
Viñales started the race in Texas on pole, after having also won the Sprint race the day before.
However, he had a bad start and dropped to 11th place. The start seemed quite hectic, with several riders going wide into the first corner after a late attack from Jorge Martin.
Pedro Acosta quickly took the lead and kept his composure, repelling several attempts by Martin to take the lead. The constant fighting allowed COTA king Marc Marquez to take advantage of the slowed pace and move forward.
However, it wasn't the best of moments as at the exit of Turn 11 he collided with Jack Miller, causing him to lose part of his front end.
Marquez had another close call shortly afterwards, this time trying to pass Acosta for the lead into the final corner. Despite the failed dive bomb, both riders managed to stay upright.
When Marquez finally took the lead at the first corner, it didn't last long as he crashed at Turn 11, locking the front wheel under braking. He crashed out just seconds after his younger brother Alex Marquez dropped out of the top 8, although the latter was not seen live on camera.
Marc's withdrawal gave the lead back to Acosta, as the rookie constantly controlled the pace against the riders behind him. However, unknown to him, Viñales had the fastest pace and eventually took the lead with 8 laps to go.
Vi ñales crossed the finish line to take his first win since the opening round of 2021. He took the checkered flag 1.7 seconds ahead of Acosta, while Enea Bastianini finished the podium as the best Ducati.
It was a dramatic moment for Viñales, who has struggled with consistency, bad luck and motivation over the years, especially as teammate Aleix Espargaro took most of the glory for Aprilia while the public had much higher expectations for Viñales.
It was also a big relief after the disaster in Portimão, where despite being the fastest, he had mechanical problems that ultimately led to a crash on the last lap. But this weekend he finally managed to prove the doubters wrong.
“This level of happiness is amazing,” the Aprilia rider told the media.
"It was a difficult way to get this victory. Last year we changed the balance of the bike quite a bit and I found again the speed that I had and that I could achieve."
"Of course not the way I did today, because you don't have races like this very often in your life. When I was tenth, I knew I had enough speed to get myself back together, but I didn't expect this rhythm either. "In the end I was already in the leading group after a few laps."
"We have to remember that we have to train again tomorrow. We shouldn't relax because the other boys are also working very hard. I am ready and I want to enjoy it."
Viñales stated that last season it was very necessary to understand his bike with his crew and that he is now able to tailor the bike to his own style, allowing him to ride calmly and with confidence.
Can Viñales and Aprilia maintain the consistency to stay in the title race? Stay tuned and find out, because in two weeks we're heading to the classic circuit of Jerez!
Featured image - Getty Images, Steve Wobser
Author - Liam van de Seijp
