Dovizioso beats Marquez in thrilling desert duel

Doha : MotoGP burst back into life in spectacular fashion as Andrea Dovizioso beat Marc Marquez in a thrilling duel in the season-opener in Qatar Sunday.

Ducati’s Dovizioso held off Repsol Honda’s Marquez on an intense final lap to win by just 0.027 seconds for the first blow in the fight for the title.

Dovizioso gave no quarter as four-time MotoGP champion Marquez attempted a typically audacious last corner pass.

As his pit crew watched through their fingers the Italian resisted the Spaniard’s robust challenge, powering across the line to delirious celebrations in the Ducati garage.

Veteran factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi finished in an impressive third place under the dark desert sky, ahead of Briton Cal Crutchlow’s LCR Honda. Frenchman Johann Zarco led early on, having taken pole position with a swashbuckling qualifying lap that smashed the desert track’s record -- the longest standing on the MotoGP calendar.