(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Marc Marquez pulled off a thrilling win at the Misano Grand Prix, edging out Marco Bezzecchi in a nail-biting finish that keeps his MotoGP World Championship dreams alive. Riding for Ducati Lenovo Team, the eight-time world champion fended off intense pressure from the Aprilia Racing star in the closing laps, grabbing 25 crucial points on Sunday.
This victory means Marquez heads to the upcoming Japan GP with a shot at sealing the MotoGP title—if things go his way. The only rider who can block that? His brother Alex Marquez, who took third place for BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP and trails in the standings.
The race kicked off with early chaos. Jorge Martin from Aprilia Racing faced a nightmare start when his bike glitched on the sighting lap. He had to begin from the pit lane, reclaim his grid spot, and serve two Long Lap penalties, which shuffled the pack right away.
Bezzecchi grabbed the lead at the lights, but Marquez made a rocket start, hounding him from second. Alex Marquez and Fabio Quartararo of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP slotted into third and fourth.
Drama hit fast with multiple early crashes. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) both tumbled at Turn 4 on Lap 1. Ai Ogura from Trackhouse MotoGP Team went down on Lap 3, and Maverick Vinales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) retired on Lap 5. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) climbed to fifth but suffered a chain failure on Lap 8, just like teammate Brad Binder’s issue from Friday practice.
Then, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out at Turn 10 while in seventh, capping a tough weekend for the Italian.
Up front, Bezzecchi led with Marquez breathing down his neck, and Alex a second behind on Lap 10. Bezzecchi went wide at Turn 8 on Lap 12, letting Marquez slip past for his first lead of the race.
The duo traded blows mid-race. By Lap 17, Bezzecchi closed to just 0.2 seconds behind. But Marquez hit back with the fastest lap on Lap 21, stretching the gap to 0.5 seconds. Bezzecchi fired right back, nabbing the quickest time himself and cutting it to 0.3 seconds with three laps left.
In the final showdown, Marquez responded with another fastest lap, pulling ahead by 0.5 seconds. He held firm on the last lap, crossing the line 0.415 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi. Alex Marquez finished a distant third, 7.7 seconds back, giving Gresini a podium boost on home soil in Italy.
Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) outpaced teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio for fourth and fifth. Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) scored a strong sixth, while Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) took seventh on home turf. Quartararo, Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), and Brad Binder rounded out the top 10.
Further back, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was 11th, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) 12th, Martin 13th, Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha Factory Racing Team) 14th, and Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) 15th.
MotoGP action shifts to Mobility Resort Motegi in two weeks for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. Catch it live on Eurosport as the championship battle heats up.
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