Joan Mir won the Grand Prix of Europe for his first MotoGP victory on Sunday, extending his points lead with two races to go in the championship. Mir, who started fifth on the grid, earned his maiden victory after making a pass for the lead over fellow Suzuki rider lex Rins with 11 laps to go at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
The Spaniard opened a 37-point gap to Rins and Fabio Quartararo, who finish 14th after crashing on the first lap.
Maverick Viales, who started from the pits after being penalized for changing an engine, finished 13th. He is fourth in the standings, 41 points behind Mir.
The next race will be at the Ricardo Tormo track again next weekend, with the season-finale taking place in Portugal in two weeks.
Pole sitter Pol Espargar fell off the pace early and finished third. Valentino Rossi did not finish because of a mechanical failure.
Mir, who celebrated by flying the Spanish flag on his victory lap, was the ninth different winner in 12 races this season, and the fifth first-time winner. Six-time champion Marc Marquez is not racing because of an injury.