MotoGP: Rins beats Rossi for debut victory

Alex Rins has taken his debut victory in the premiere class at the Circuit of the Americas, with Marc Marquez’s unbeaten streak coming to an end after he joined fellow Hond arider Cal Crutchlow in crashing out of the race. Rins held off Valentino Rossi’s advances in the closing stages of the race to defeat the nine-time world champion, with Jack Miller joining them on the podium in third.

Speaking afterwards, Rins said: “It’s incredible! I’m very happy to win the race here! In warm-up this morning we tried a different set-up and it didn’t work in the way we expected, so we reverted to the usual settings for the race and we won, it’s super! I’m lost for words! I managed the pressure well, even though I suffered a bit in the last laps. When I crossed the line all the feelings hit me at once. I just want to say a big thank you to all my team, everyone in Japan, and all the people around me!”