It was a second consecutive victory for Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in a stunning performance in the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, as the rider from Roses chalked up another little bit of history to become the first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1990 to win the first two races of the year. Viñales, who started P6 after a damp qualifying saw him tackle the M1 in the wet for the first time, kept his Championship lead from Qatar as he moved up through the field and took over in the lead after key rival Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crashed out – keeping the target on his back as the Championship heads back north to Texas.

Waiting in the north is Marquez territory and the Circuit of the Americas – where the number 93 has reigned supreme, and the number 25 aims to change that.

Maverick Viñales, P1: “It was a difficult race, I started from sixth and this time was not so bad., I found my way to overtake as fast as I could until I got to cal – it was hard to overtake cal who is a good braker. I thought I had to catch marc because he was so fast. Then I just tried to run my own race – and Cal was still behind! So it was a difficult race. I need to say thanks to the team because they’re working so hard, and they’ve done great in these two races. They’re really motivated, I’m really motivated and I’m so happy and pleased – two victories in a row is incredible. Today I enjoyed it a lot, I was really calm and riding the bike was incredible. Marc is really strong in Texas but it’s also one of my favourite tracks. We know we have a competitive bike, I think it’s possible. It’s always been a good track for me and I’m confident we can make a good result.”