Marc Marquez won the MotoGP World Championship Tissot Sprint Race Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain.
Riding his Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin control tires, the six-time MotoGP World Champion won the 11-lap race by nearly three seconds. It was Marquez’s career-first MotoGP Sprint Race victory.
Jorge Martin was the runner-up on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.
Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta finished third on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine 6.6 seconds behind Marquez.
Two-time and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was ninth, earning him just one point. This resulted in Martin moving past Bagnaia and into the World Championship point lead.
MotoGP Sprint Race
MotoGP Points after Sprint Race
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marc Marquez serves up Saturday masterclass as Martin reclaims title lead
The #93 takes his first Tissot Sprint win ahead of Martin and Acosta as Bagnaia duels Quartararo for eighth on Saturday
Saturday, 31 August 2024
Marc Marquez(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) is a Tissot Sprint winner! The #93 started from a pole position secured with the biggest gap in the dry since 2011, took the holeshot and never looked back on Saturday afternoon at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon. It’s the first Sprint win for the eight-time World Champion as he escapedJorge Martin(Prima Pramac Racing) by nearly three seconds.
For Martin, however, a second-place finish puts him back in the Championship lead by four points as reigning ChampionFrancesco Bagnaia(Ducati Lenovo Team) had a tougher Sprint and came home ninth for a single point. Completing the podium behind Martin, rookiePedro Acosta(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) converted second on the grid to third in the Sprint.
As the lights went out there was an immediate front row fracas for Bagnaia, with the reigning Champion snapping sideways off the line, getting bogged down and then getting close toAlex Marquez(Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Ahead, there were no such dramas for Marc Marquez as he took the holeshot and then got the hammer down, shadowed by Martin up from Row 2 and Acosta in third.
Bagnaia was holding station in fourth initially, able to stay ahead of Alex Marquez, but the reigning Champion was making no inroads on the top three. Then he was wide at Turn 5 to drop back to sixth ahead ofBrad Binder(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), before another few scrappy moments saw the South African get past him – and then the fight for sixth lit up.
Binder, Bagnaia andFabio Quartararo(Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had their own throwdown, andMiguel Oliveira(Trackhouse Racing) sliced past all of them to start making some space in fifth.Enea Bastianini(Ducati Lenovo Team) was next on the scene and it settled into Oliveira in fifth, Binder trying to hold off Bastianini and a flashback battle between Quartararo and Bagnaia.
Up ahead, Marc Marquez laid down the gauntlet ahead of the Grand Prix as his first Sprint win ups the hype even more. The Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider has led every session of his weekend so far and if he wins on Sunday it will be his first victory since 2021, over 1000 days ago.
Martin pulled out a gap on Acosta by the flag, and the rookie also managed to keep some fresh air ahead of Alex Marquez in fourth. Oliveira kept fifth, with Binder staying in P6 by just over a tenth over Bastianini.
Behind, it went to the wire in the Bagnaia vs Quartararo battle, with the Frenchman sending it a couple of times before managing to complete the pickpocket and sit the #1 up. Bagnaia then came under attack on the last lap fromMarco Bezzecchi(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), but the #1 was able to answer on the cut back and cross the line for that final Sprint point in P9.
Aleix Espargaro(Aprilia Racing) crashed out early on at Turn 1 and nearly tookFabio Di Giannantonio(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) with him, but the returning Italian stayed upright. Further drama included a crash forFranco Morbidelli(Prima Pramac Racing) – rider ok – and one forJohann Zarco(CASTROL Honda LCR), rider also ok but that adding a blip to the Frenchman’s otherwise stunning weekend at Aragon so far.
Join us again on Sunday for the Grand Prix race as Marc Marquez looks for a date with destiny – and everyone else looks to stop him 1043 days later.
Dixon takes first pole of the season as Garcia starts from P28
Jake Dixon(CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team)will start from pole for the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon as the British rider improved on his final lap to slam in a 1:51.636 and earna 0.134s gap to rookieDiogo Moreira(Italtrans Racing Team). It was a great session for the Brazilian, however,whose best intermediate class qualifyingput him a mere 0.014s ahead ofAron Canet(Fantic Racing) roundingoff a competitive front row ahead of Sunday.
– Championship leaderSergio Garcia(MT Helmets – MSI)and teammateAi Ogurawere were in Q1, with Ogura moving through to ultimately qualify P16 but Garcia suffering acrashat Turn 7 putting him P29. Penalties for others mean he’ll start P28
–Deniz Öncü(Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed a fantastic quali in fourth place, his best yet inMoto2™. The rookie will start in front ofTony Arbolino(Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who secured P5 after going through Q1. Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) was sixth but drops three positions with a grid penalty, promotingSync SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez to Row 2
–Joe Roberts(OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Austria winnerCelestino Vietti(Red Bull KTM Ajo) are next up ahead of Arenas. Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp)starts 11th
Tune in for theMoto2™ race on Sunday at 12:15 (UTC +2)!
Alonso hammers home advantage in qualifying
It was an intense Saturday for the Moto3™ field at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon, withDavid Alonso(CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) continuing to impress, topping Practice 2 before storming to a phenomenal pole position. The Colombian set a 1:58.059 to secure an incredible 0.433 advantage overJose Antonio Rueda(Red Bull KTM Ajo). P3 went the way of BOE Motorsports’David Muñoz– unable to break into the 1:58 bracket as only Rueda got within a second of the polesitter.
–Angel Piqueras(Leopard Racing) lost time in the final sector but secures P4, lining up ahead ofJoel Kelso(BOE Motorsports) and SIC58 Squadra Corse’sLuca Lunetta.
–Daniel Holgado(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) heads Row 3 ahead ofMatteo Bertelle(Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) andCollin Veijer(Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who has fellow title frontrunnerIvan Ortola (MT Helmets-MSI) close behind as they look to limit the damage to Alonso
Tune in for Moto3™ at 11:00 (UTC+2) as Alonso looks to cash in his pace for another incredible 25 points.
