Source: Supplied.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) became the first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1990 to win the first two races of the year on Sunday, taking a stunning victory in Argentina as drama hit the grid behind.

Teammate Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) created another miracle in P2, with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow completing the podium in style as top Independent Team rider.

It was reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) who leapt into the lead from pole, with Rossi another electric starter from seventh on the grid. Marquez led Crutchlow as the pack shuffled behind, then making a stunning break for it as the Brit backed up the chasing Movistar Yamaha pairing of Viñales and Rossi.

Viñales soon attacked Crutchlow to take second, before the first of the high drama hit up ahead and Marquez suddenly hit the floor at turn two, having been almost two seconds clear.

That left Viñales in the lead with Crutchlow and Rossi on the chase, the gap holding steady just above half a second, before the man of the moment began to pull away. The Doctor was left to hunt down Crutchlow, getting past at turn five with seven laps to go and pulling away for a podium in his 350th start.

There was all-out war for fourth as Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) battled to get past Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) getting in the mix.

After a short and spectacular duel between Pedrosa and Zarco, the Spaniard broke free to set the fastest lap, before disaster struck as he crashed out of the race in the same place as teammate Marquez had done a handful of laps earlier.

Even then, the drama wasn’t done as Dovizioso went wide at turn five soon after, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) taking the inside line and then losing the front, sliding helplessly into the Italian and both out the race.

Behind Crutchlow, it was another fantastic day for the Independent Teams as the dust settled, with Bautista taking fourth and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookies Zarco and Jonas Folger taking fifth and sixth. Petrucci crossed the line in a solid P7, ahead of a good fight back from his teammate Scott Redding at the head of the next group.

Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) enjoyed another top ten result in ninth behind Redding, with front row start Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) completing the top 10 only tenths ahead of Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) after the Frenchman was pushed wide early on.

Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was P12 in front of Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing), with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pairing Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith incredibly close to the two men ahead in P14 and P15 respectively. The Austrian manufacturer is now a points scorer with both riders, opening their account early in only round two.

After a great start from a difficult grid position, it was disaster for Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo on the first lap as the five-time world champion crashed out early after contact with old nemesis Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). After continuing, The Maniac was also given a ride-through penalty soon after for a jump-start.

In Moto2 it was an EG 0,0 Marc VDS duel at the front, won under intense pressure by Franco Morbidelli, as teammate Alex Marquez crashed in final lap drama. Pole-sitter Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a first podium for the new KTM chassis as he crossed the line in second, with Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) third.

Remy Gardner’s unlucky start to the season continued aboard his Tech 3 Racing Mistral machine, the Australian rider taken out on the opening lap for the second-consecutive race, sustaining a broken ankle in the fall.

Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) took the Moto3 victory for his second race win in a row, staging a stunning comeback from P16 to survive a last lap attack from British Talent Team rider John McPhee, with Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) completing the podium.