Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Álex Márquez claimed his maiden Moto2 Grand Prix victory with a dominant performance in his home race at Jerez today.

Márquez’s emotional victory came in his 39th Moto2 race start and triggered joyous celebrations. The 21-year-old Spaniard dedicated his Mother’s Day triumph to his mother Roser.

Márquez started the Spanish GP from pole position and set a fast early pace with teammate Franco Morbidelli a constant presence in second place.

But Morbidelli’s bid for a fourth consecutive win this season ended when he crashed on lap nine leaving Márquez to control the front-running to the chequered flag.

On a hot and sunny day in southern Spain Márquez finished 3.4s ahead of Pecco Bagnaia in second place.

World Championship leader Morbidelli scored zero points with his dramatic early exit when he lost the front-end at turn nine.

Just one lap earlier Morbidelli had taken the lead from Márquez when the Spaniard ran wide at turn five. But it was a brief appearance up front with Morbidelli’s shock early exit coming in full view of the closely following Márquez

Despite the DNF Morbidelli retains the lead in the standings with 75 points thanks to his three consecutive wins in the opening races of the season.

In advance of the next race at Le Mans Morbidelli is 11 points ahead of Tom Lüthi with Márquez fourth on 49 points.

Álex Márquez: 1st
“This is unbelievable, I could not have imagined a victory like this in front of my home fans. I want to dedicate this win to my mum on Mother’s Day. It was a long wait for three years to catch a victory and winning in Jerez is a dream come true. It was a difficult race in hot conditions and when I saw Franco crash I knew how easy it was to make mistake. I could not hold my maximum pace because I was on the limit with the front grip so just controlled the gap to the riders behind. I want to thank everyone in the team and all those who support me in Spain.”

Franco Morbidelli: DNF
“I made a mistake and lost the front-end going into turn nine, I’m sorry for this but it was my fault. I did not have the pace of Álex; I tried to go ahead out front but then crashed. I’m OK and still leading the points and will now focus on the next race in Le Mans.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It is a special day for the team when a rider wins his first race, this is something no one can take away. Álex was in fantastic form all weekend so he deserved this victory. It is disappointing that Franco did not finish as we had the chance of 1-2 result but racing is like this. But today we showed that both of our riders are capable of winning and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS maintained its 100% winning record for the season so far.”