That is all from me as the Argentina Grand Prix has concluded for the MotoGP World Championship. Thank you for following my live coverage of the race! I will now be switching to live coverage of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach; click here for the LIVE of the third race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season!
The option to change to the hard tire - the extra-hard option for Marquez was disastrous. He leaves Argentina earning no points and handed Rossi his second victory of 2015; Rossi will open up a large gap in the points because of it.
CHECKERS: Valentino Rossi wins his second race of the year! Dovizioso brings the Ducati home in second and Cal Crutchlow brings the LCR Honda home in third.
LAST LAP: The incident between Rossi and Marquez is under review.
LAST LAP: Rossi into turn one on the fial lap.
with Rossi and falls! He is incredibly frustrated.
2 laps to go: Rossi through on Marquez but goes a bit wide in turn two and Marquez is back in front. The two are incredibly close!
3 laps to go: Rossi is right behind Marquez (hard, not extra-hard) rear tire now. He will have a go at him the first chance he can. Marquez rolled the dice on the grid by fitting the hard option tire.
4 laps to go: The tire decision may really take the win away from Marquez as Rossi is very close now. 0.648 seconds between the two.
5 laps to go: 1.180 between the two. The question has become WHEN will Rossi take his first shot at the Spaniard.
5 laps to go: A new track record by Rossi sees him pull ever closer to Marquez.
6 laps to go: Only 1.7 seconds between them now. Catching and passing Marquez won't be easy for Rossi no matter what.
6 laps to go: 2.003 seconds is the lead over Rossi in second for Marquez. This will come down to the wire.
7 laps to go: The gap is down to 2.314 seconds between Marquez and Rossi. That lap by Rossi was nearly a second quicker than that of Marquez.
8 laps to go: Remember that Marquez originally had the extra-hard tires fitted to hit Repsol Honda but decided last-minute to throw on the hard option. Rossi is on the extra-hard, and you cannot help but think that Rossi's tires are in much better condition and will last race distance.
9 laps to go: Crutchlow is back into fourth as he gets through on Andrea Iannone. It seems as though his race isn't completely over afterall.
9 laps to go: Another 0.3 of a second is taken off of the lead of Marquez. He still has a three second lead with nine laps to go; perhaps he can roll off his pace a bit to perserve the grip of the tires.
10 laps to go: Rossi is knocking 0.3 of a second off of Marquez' lead every lap. He's edging ever closer.
10 laps to go: Both of the Espargaro brothers are now in the top 10. Pol started in 18th, and Aleix started 2nd. Unfortunately Aleix is now down in 8th.
11 laps to go: The factory Ducatis run third and fourth.
12 laps to go: Marquez is four seconds clear of Rossi. His lead is not currently increasing nor is it being lessened by Rossi. Marquez' tires still very well may fall off and Rossi could make a surge to catch him. Plenty of time for that at this point.
14 laps to go: Marquez continues to command and dictate the pace of this race at the front. Behind him in second and third are Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso.
15 laps to go: Rossi is closing in on second position of Dovizioso. Crutchlow has fallen from second to off the podium in third; perhaps tire issues are the reason. Rossi is through on Dovi into second.
17 laps to go: Rossi moves ahead of Iannone for fourth position. Plenty of this race is left and tire choice and intensity of riding will play a part as it winds down.
18 laps to go: Marquez continues to increase his lead lap by lap. Yonny Hernandez' bike caught on fire due to a mechanical issue; he realized what was going on and pulled off the track. Rossi and Iannone are ok after making contact; they did not fall.
19 laps to go: Rossi and Iannone make contact! More to come on this.
20 laps to go: Perhaps the strategy of Marquez is to push very hard from the start and allow the tires to fall off but be so far ahead that he cannot be caught anyway.
20 laps to go: Valentino Rossi runs sixth behind Movistar Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. 2.980 seconds is the lead of Marquez over Crutchlow. Dovizioso, Iannone, and Lorenzo make up the rest of the top five.
22 laps to go: Marquez' lead is now 2.062 seconds over Crutchlow who runs second from Dovizioso in third. Is Marquez destroying his tires? Noted that he went for the "softer" compoud hard choice, rather than the extra-hard.
24 laps to go: Espargaro pushed out very wide in turn 5; Crutchlow moves up one place into third. Aleix Espargaro runs fifth after starting second. His brother Pol Espargaro runs 13th. Marquez' lead is now well over a full second.
24 laps to go: Lorenzo goes through on Espargaro for second position, but they are continuing to battle. Marquez leads; he's already a second over the rest of the field.
25 laps to go: The lights are out! A great start by Marquez and especially by Espargaro. Espargaro leads into turn 1 and is trading the lead with Marquez on this opening lap.
The final sighting lap is underway. Marquez and the rest of the field is lined up at the grid.
Marquez will be running the hard tire. Many others are using the extra-hard.
Have any predictions for the race? Who would you like to see be victorious this afternoon in Argentina? Let us know via the official Twitter account of the VAVEL USA Racing section: @RacingOnVAVEL
Marc Marquez pulls into his spot on the grid - the very front. The final sighting lap and the start of the race is next.
Be sure to leave this page open in your browser throughout the race today, as it will automatically refresh every 60 seconds. The best commentary around will be found right here! The race will get started soon.
Bridgestone has crafted an extra-extra hard compound tire specifically for this track to extend race distance on this track that tears up and blisters tires.
This is the second time MotoGP visits the Termas de Rio Hondo track after the inaugural event last year. Just like at Austin, Texas, Marc Marquez is the only rider to win the event - due to it still being relatively new.
It's almost time for MotoGP racing in Argentina!
Below is a summary of where the top riders of the premier class will be starting in today's race in Argentina. Be sure to return for minute-to-minute coverage of the race beginning at 3 pm ET!
The first Open Class (CRT) rider on the grid is Hector Barber; he's accomplished this in the first two races of the year as well.
With Aleix Espargaro starting second on the grid and Maverick Vinales starting from ninth, Suzuki Ecstar's two entries are starting from within the three frontmost rows. Vinales has been the first rookie to the finish line in both of the races that have been run this year so far.
Danili Petrucci of Pramac Ducati starts from the beginning of the third row; this is his best starting position of his premier class career.
Valentino Rossi, nine-time World Champion, will start eighth on the grid. He is frustrated with this qualifying performance, so a surge to the front is what The Doctor is hoping for.
Andrea Dovizioso will start from the final spot on the second row, missing out on the front row for the first time of the season. He has the chance to be the first ever Ducati to finish on the podium in the first three races of the year.
The first Movistar Yamaha bike on the grid is that of Jorge Lorenzo as he will start from the middle of the second row. He is yet to finish on the podium in 2015; this is the first time he's gone three races without a podium since his rookie season in the premier class back in 2008.
Getting his first front row start of 2015, Andrea Iannone of factory Ducati starts from third in today's race. Cal Crutchlow earned his best starting position of the year and since the Australian race last year; he will start fourth on the grid.
After also coming in with Marquez during qualifying to switch to a new bike for the second time for the shot at an attack on a third fresh tire, Aleix Espargaro of the new Suzuki Ecstar team will start right behind Marquez in second. A good start to the race for him could mean he could be battling for the lead of the race.
Marc Marquez will start from the pole position for the second race in a row this year after also starting from the front at the last round at Circuit of The Americas. This is the 24th time he will start from pole and he's won 15 times from pole previously.
Welcome to live coverage of the 2015 Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina from the Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina! I, Aaron Durant, will be bringing you live coverage of the premier class race - but first, before the lights go out and the race begins, you will find the top headlines entering the race today above.