Source: HRC.

A third lap crash in the Catalan GP could spell the end of reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez’s 2015 title hopes, now a mammoth 69 points behind current leader Valentino Rossi after seven rounds.

Marquez charged from fourth on the grid to challenge eventual race winner Jorge Lorenzo for the lead in the opening laps, but an error in turn 10 saw him exit into the gravel-trap and tumble out of the race.

The Spaniard has been struggling to match the Yamaha combination of Rossi and Lorenzo for much of this season, unable to find complete comfort on the latest Repsol Honda RC213V.

“I tried to give 100 percent at my home race, but I made a mistake trying to push too much as I wanted to do well – at all costs – and these things can happen,” Marquez said. “I was going well, trying to conserve my tyres behind Jorge, but I made a mistake and as a result I ran wide.

“When I was in the gravel I saw the wall was very close, so I leaned over a little but I couldn’t stop the bike. I was able to ride back to the garage, but I soon realised the gear lever was damaged and I was unable to shift gears. I want to thank the fans who came out today; the best thing about the day was hearing the cheers from them during the three laps I rode.”

Despite his incident that resulted in a third DNF in seven races, Marquez remains fifth in the championship standings. His lone win of the season so far came at Austin’s Grand Prix of the Americas.