Aragon MotoGP: Lorenzo wins crazy race as Marquez crashes again

A rain shower in the closing laps totally changed the complexion of a race that also featured a violent crash for Valentino Rossi, who has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

The leaders tried their utmost to hang on with slicks tyres as the rain arrived, while midfielders were soon coming in to change bikes.

As the weather worsened, Marquez started escaping from what had been a ferociously close, place-swapping, lead battle with Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Lorenzo's Yamaha.

Lorenzo lost touch with the Hondas and finally pitted for wets, emerging just ahead of Aleix Espargaro, who had been the first man to come in.

Pedrosa then crashed under braking for Turn 1, while Marquez continued to persist with slicks even as Lorenzo began to close down what had become a half-minute lead.

Eventually the conditions became too much and Marquez fell on the way into Turn 2.

Like Pedrosa he was able to rejoin and tiptoe back to the pits to finally take his second bike and wet tyres, but it relegated the championship leader to a distant 13th place, one spot ahead of his team-mate.

After the Hondas' accidents, Lorenzo rapidly escaped from Espargaro, who was coming under pressure from the resurgent Cal Crutchlow and Stefan Bradl.

Crutchlow caught the Forward Yamaha on the last lap, with the pair banging fairings on the run to the line.

Espargaro held on to claim his first MotoGP podium by 0.017s over Crutchlow, whose third place was his first rostrum with Ducati.

Lorenzo's win ended a personal drought stretching back to the final race of 2013 at Valencia.

Rossi's crash came in the early, dry, part of the race, when he nearly clipped Pedrosa under braking as they battled for third.

The Yamaha slewed over the kerbs and had a big accident in the run-off area.

Rossi was taken away from the scene on a stretcher, but was able to walk into the medical centre himself before heading to hospital for checks.

Other crashers included Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso on the two new Ducatis.

Iannone had battled hard with Marquez and Pedrosa for the race lead at first, heading the field after lap one.

But he then ran wide at high speed, destroying his Pramac Ducati when he eventually lost control on the wet grass and sent his bike tumbling end over end.

Dovizioso's crash was more gentle but still race-ending, as he fell from fourth while among those trying to stay out on slicks as the rain came.

Bradley Smith narrowly beat Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Pol Espargaro and Gresini's Alvaro Bautista to fifth.

The incidents and pitstop issues helped several underdogs to make it into the top 10, with Hiroshi Aoyama taking eighth ahead of Aspar team-mate Nicky Hayden and the second Gresini bike of Scott Redding.

RESULTS - 23 LAPS:

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: