Maverick Vinales took an historic 500th Grand Prix win for Yamaha at the Le Mans MotoGP round after pressuring series leader and team-mate Valentino Rossi into a last-lap crash which saw him fall out of the lead only a couple of corners from home.
The pair had seen off a race-long challenge from Monster Yamaha’s Johann Zarco and set about each other for the win. Vinales made an error on the penultimate lap as he tried a pass through Chemin au Beouf which gave Rossi some space.
But the Spaniard was straight back on Rossi’s rear wheel and The Doctor ran wide at Garage Verte, allowing Vinales through. Then, as Rossi tried to close down a two-tenth gap, he lost the rear as he prepared for a last-corner lunge.
Vinales, however, had exterted pressure on the sport’s elder statesman as he set a new lap record of 1’32.309 on the last lap. Zarco was promoted to his maiden podium in front of his home crowd while Dani Pedrosa got the last rostrum spot in third after reigning champion Marc Marquez suffered his third crash of the weekend at Dunlop with 11 laps left to run.
A race pace of mid-1’33s had been expected but it was to be a second less than that as Zarco’s satellite M1 swept into the lead at Dunlop on the opening lap, passing poleman Vinales while Marquez squeaked ahead of Rossi.
Rossi wasted no time in re-passing the Spaniard, going under the works RC213V on the brakes into Garage Verte while Pedrosa pushed through from his 13th place grid slot, passing Scott Redding for seventh.
Zarco stayed at the front, making full use of his soft-option tyres against, for seven laps wen Vinales took the lead at Dunlop. Marquez - who unusually opted for medium Michelins all round - set a new lap record with 20 left to run as Repsol Honda team-mate Pedrosa ran into the side of Cal Crutchlow such was his eagerness to pass.
The also allowed Andrea Dovizioso’s Ducati to get ahead of the LCR Honda and the two exchanged laptimes for the rest of the race as Pedrosa vanished into the distance.
With 15 left to run, Rossi set a new lap record of 1’32.670 which was then broken by Pedrosa’s 1’32.633. Pedrosa got on to the back wheel of Marquez as they crossed the line for lap 17 but then the 93 machine went down in the same manner as Jack Miller yesterday, locking the front at turn two.
This seemed to take the wind out of Pedrosa’s sails and his challenge for the top spot wained. Rossi, meanwhile, put a move on Zarco at Dunlop to grab second and set off in pursuit of Vinales, who was half a second up the road. It didn’t take the Italian long to close it down and with three left, Rossi made a pass for the lead at Dunlop.
He then tried to break Vinales and opened up a half-second lead but Vinales was a match for it. Rossi then made his error at Garage Verte and eventually ended up in the gravel.
Vinales now leads the title chase by 17 points from Pedrosa while Rossi’s DNF drops him back to third. Marquez is now fourth but 27 points off the lead with Zarco now fifth.
Dovizioso got the better of Crutchlow for fourth place and is now sixth in the title chase. Crutchlow had to settle for fifth in the race after opting for the hard front tyre while Jorge Lorenzo ended in sixth, one ahead of Zarco’s team-mate Jonas Folger.
A battered and bruised Miller took his Estrella Galicia Honda to eighth place, one ahead of Frenchman Loris Baz with Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone completing the top ten.
It was also a race to remember for Sam Lowes who guided his Aprilia to his first championship points in 14th. It was one to forget for team-mate Aleix Espargaro who retired. Redding also pulled in with reported gearbox problems and Danilo Petrucci was another Ducati retirement, as was Hector Barbera and Karel Abraham. Alvaro Bautista crashed on lap one. Sylvain Guintoli was the final point scorer in 15th.
