Jorge Lorenzo took the early lead but would later relinquish it to eventual victor Marc Marquez. Image: MotoGP.com.

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez has claimed victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix and in doing so wraps up a rare hat-trick of victories in the United States.

The rookie sensation topped every session of the Brickyard weekend, before battling back from a slow start off pole position to secure what would eventually be a comfortable win.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo made the best start to the 27-lap race and took the early advantage from Marquez’ teammate Pedrosa.

Marquez clung to third, challenged in the opening sequence of corners by Monster Tech3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith who had made a lightning start from the third row.

The battle for the top three was frenetic, with Pedrosa taking a series of defensive lines in an effort to stave off his teammate’s advances.

The inter-squad battle was allowing Lorenzo, who was fighting at less than full fitness, the chance to settle into a race rhythm, and on lap six he reeled off a customary fastest-lap to maintain the gap over his pursuers.

On lap nine Marquez made his way by Pedrosa, and set the fastest lap on the 11th tour of the circuit prior to a textbook pass on Lorenzo two laps later.

Better drive and straight-line speed saw Pedrosa catch and pass Lorenzo with just two laps remaining, confirming a Honda one-two finish and allowing Marquez to increase his world championship advantage to 20 points.

The battle for fourth place was hardly as composed as the podium fight, with Cal Crutchlow, Alvaro Bautista and Valentino Rossi dicing aggressively over the closing stages.

In the end it was Rossi, with a final corner move on Crutchlow, who would take fourth, with his Tech3 Yamaha colleagues fifth and Bautista sixth.

Factory Ducati riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso clashed at the final corner, with heavy contact forcing both riders to run over track kerbing and allowing Smith to take eighth behind Stefan Bradl who was a quiet seventh.

Australia’s Bryan Staring finished the race in 19th after qualifying his Gresini Honda CRT mount in 20th place.

Moto2 victory went the way of Tuenti HP 40’s Esteve Rabat who made a solid charge in the second-half of the race to move from fourth to first.

Polesitter and points leader Scott Redding led early, fending off title rival Pol Espargaro into the first turn. The duo would be surprised by the early pace of Takaaki Nakagami who sliced by and stole the lead on the second lap, maintaining his advantage until lap 23 of the 25-lap race.

Rabat was another making moves. He passed Redding on lap 19 and displaced teammate Espargaro two laps later before putting a decisive overtake on Nakagami with just two laps remaining.

Rabat won by 0.766s over Nakagami, with Redding third and Espargaro fourth. Dominique Aegerter claimed position five followed by Simone Corsi, Mikka Kallio, Johann Zarco, Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres.

Aussie Ant West was a solid 17th, lacking the straight-line speed to make his customary move through the pack.

The 23-lap Moto3 race was one of high attrition, with 12 riders – over a third of the field – failing to finish.

Estrella Galicia teammates Alex Rins and Alex Marquez completed a solid one-two finish, with Maverick Vinales taking the final podium position.

Australia’s Arthur Sissis led the race early on his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, before slipping back as the laps ticked over. He would eventually finish sixth, his best result of the 2013 season to date.

Various mechanical problems and crashes saw the field deplete lap by lap, with Aussie Jack Miller an unfortunate retirement.

The Caretta Technology – RTG rider suffered a significant high-side crash during the race, sustaining a confirmed right collarbone fracture. The development is a blow for the Aussie who had qualified in fifth and was consistently challenging riders on superior machinery in the races leading up to Indy.

2013 MotoGP World Championship

Round 10 – Indianapolis, United States

MotoGP race:
1. Marc MARQUEZ
2. Dani PEDROSA +3.495
3. Jorge LORENZO +5.704
4. Valentino ROSSI +19.895
5. Cal CRUTCHLOW +19.955
6. Alvaro BAUTISTA +20.061
7. Stefan BRADL +24.842
8. Bradley SMITH +40.690
9. Nicky HAYDEN +40.701
10. Andrea DOVIZIOSO +40.823
11. Andrea IANNONE +59.668
12. Aleix ESPARGARO +1m06.650
13. Colin EDWARDS +1m09.462
14. Claudio CORTI +1m15.207
15. Hiroshi AOYAMA +1m20.159
16. Hector BARBERA +1m25.879
17. Danilo PETRUCCI +1m29.616
18. Michael LAVERTY +1m36.388
19. Bryan STARING 1 Lap

MotoGP world standings (after round 10 of 18):
1. Marc MARQUEZ 188
2. Dani PEDROSA 167
3. Jorge LORENZO 153
4. Valentino ROSSI 130
5. Cal CRUTCHLOW 127
6. Stefan BRADL 93
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO 87
8. Alvaro BAUTISTA 81
9. Nicky HAYDEN 72
10. Bradley SMITH 59
11. Aleix ESPARGARO 56
12. Michele PIRRO 36
13. Andrea IANNONE 29
14. Hector BARBERA 24
15. Colin EDWARDS 20
16. Randy DE PUNIET 19
17. Danilo PETRUCCI 18
18. Ben SPIES 9
19. Claudio CORTI 7
20. Yonny HERNANDEZ 7
24. Bryan STARING (AUS) 2

Click here for detailed results