Crash.net's Top 10 race reports of 2013

2013 was another year were there was plenty of dramatic action on-track, on both two-wheels and on four.

Over the course of the season, Crash.net reported on a wide range of events around the globe, telling the stories as the main championship titles were decided.

But which race reports added to the website last year grabbed your attention and got you talking?

1. Australian MotoGP: Lorenzo wins frantic pit stop race, Marquez black flag - 20 October

The MotoGP title fight has taken a massive twist after rookie Marc Marquez was black flagged from the Australian Grand Prix, won by nearest rival Jorge Lorenzo.

Phillip Island was the first ever MotoGP race to feature mandatory pit stops, due to concerns over overheating tyres on the new asphalt.

But Marquez - who had been battling Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa for victory - failed to change to his spare bike within the ten lap limit...

2. Qatar MotoGP: Lorenzo wins - Rossi, Marquez steal the show - 7 April

Reigning double MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo claimed a lights-to-flag victory in the 2013 season-opening Qatar night race.

Lorenzo held his pole position into turn one, then eased into the distance to win by almost six seconds.

However it was returning team-mate Valentino Rossi and MotoGP rookie Marc Marquez who stole the show with an enthralling late-race battle over second place...

3. Dutch MotoGP: Imperious Rossi dominates at Assen - 29 June

Valentino Rossi was back to his imperious best as the Factory Yamaha rider dominated the Dutch MotoGP at Assen to earn a landmark 80th victory in the premier class - his first since 2010.

Rossi, who started from fourth on the grid, seized the lead from Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa on lap 6 of 26, at the final chicane.

The Italian then produced a commanding performance reminiscent of the Rossi of old, dictating matters at the front to eventually win by two seconds from Marc Marquez...

4. Italian MotoGP: Lorenzo beats Hondas for Mugello three-peat - 2 June

Jorge Lorenzo has won the Italian MotoGP for the third successive season, breaking away from his Honda rivals at half-distance to claim Yamaha's first victory since round one in Qatar.

Inured rookie Marc Marquez looked set to claim an impressive second, overtaking Repsol team-mate Dani Pedrosa with five laps remaining - but threw away his perfect MotoGP podium form by sliding off with just three laps to go.

The put title leader Pedrosa back into the runner-up spot, although he faced late pressure from Tech 3 Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow, who finished one-second from the Spaniard to complete the podium...

5. Le Mans 24 Hours: Audi wins dramatic - and tragic 2013 Le Mans - 23 June

Say what you like about the 81st running of the world famous Le Mans 24 Hour race, but it was certainly eventful and incident packed.

The rain wouldn't stay away for more than half an hour at a time, making for a record number of safety cars and time spent under yellow flag condition: every time it appeared that the race was settling down into a procession it was soon clear that the weather had very different ideas.

The first shower hit the race just as the tricolour was waved to get proceedings underway, and the sudden onset of the slippery track surface made for treacherous conditions. Allan Simonsen was immediately caught out in the #95 Aston Martin Vantage V8 on the second run through Tertre Rouge; his car lost grip over wet kerbs and snapped left into a brutal impact with the Armco barrier.

Although it was initially reported that the Dane was conscious and talking to medics, tragic news came from the hospital two hours later with confirmation that the 34-year-old from Odense had died of his injuries...

6. Malaysian GP: Vettel plays dirty to win in Malaysia - 24 March

All complaints about tyre wear were put to one side as Red Bull and Mercedes filled the top four places in the Malaysian Grand Prix, but harmony within both teams took a hit as their drivers squabbled over position.

Sebastian Vettel emerged on top to claim his 27th grand prix win, putting him level with fellow three-time champion Jackie Stewart in the all-time list, but it appears that he did so against team orders, with Mark Webber reminding him post-race of the instruction 'multi21', apparently Red Bull code for its drivers to turn down their engines and hold station.

It was a similar story in the battle for the final podium spot, with Nico Rosberg imploring the Mercedes team to allow him to pass Lewis Hamilton, only to be told to accept fourth position...

7. Chinese GP: Alonso master of strategies in Shanghai - 14 April

A terrific start off the line at the beginning of the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix combined with a combative and assertive display of controlled, thoughtful driving throughout the 56 laps of the race in Shanghai was enough to hand Fernando Alonso a comprehensive victory in China on Sunday.

It was a race of multiple pit and tyre strategies, all of which clouded the relative positions and strengths of teams and drivers until deep into the race, but once all the tactics shook out it was clear that no one had an answer for Alonso who had proven himself to be quite simply the best driver on the day...

8. Spain WSBK: Tom Syke wins 2013 World Superbike Championship - 20 October

Tom Sykes has been crowned the 2013 World Superbike Champion after securing the third place finish he needed to secure a popular title victory at Jerez, while Eugene Laverty took a dramatic last corner victory over Marco Melandri.

Sykes came into the first race of the day knowing a finish on the podium would be enough to seal the title slightly earlier than expected, regardless of what closest rival Eugene Laverty achieved.

As it happens, Sykes would endure a fairly uncomplicated race, slotting into second initially before being bumped down to third position by a charging Marco Melandri on lap two...

9. Assen BSB: Ellison wins after Lowes excluded over contentious Byrne clash - 22 September

James Ellison has been awarded a third MCE British Superbike Championship win of the season at Assen after original winner Alex Lowes was excluded for his controversial coming together with title rival Shane Byrne.

A hugely dramatic race of high attrition that could have major repercussions on the title battle, the encounter was turned on its head on lap four by a controversial collision involving Lowes and Byrne when the former attempted a pass for the lead into the high-speed Hoge Heide left-hander, where he had completed a successful last lap pass for the win in race one.

However, with Byrne holding his line on this occasion and Lowes unable to prevent the Honda from running out wide, the youngster would clip Byrne's Kawasaki at the rear, sending the reigning champion down at high-speed...

10. Austin MotoGP: Smart Marquez powers to historic maiden win - 21 April

A veritable inch-perfect performance from Marc Marquez has seen him record an astonishing maiden MotoGP victory in only his second start around the new Circuit of the Americas, ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

An absorbing race that came to life with just under ten laps remaining, aside from a botched attempt at holding the lead from the first corner, Marquez put in a mature and controlled performance from start-to-finish, even during the opening half of the race as he intentionally played second-fiddle to Pedrosa.

Indeed, with Pedrosa getting his trademark lightning start from second, Marquez attempted to recover the ground by going deep into turn one, but would instead slip behind both his Repsol Honda team-mate and Stefan Bradl...