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Marc Márquez retakes MotoGP lead with Australian Sprint victory

Marc Márquez won the Australian Grand Prix Sprint at Phillip Island and returned to the championship lead after Jorge Martín crashed while fighting him for first place. Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio completed a Ducati podium sweep. The result changes the title picture before Sunday’s main race, and Martín will miss it after his weekend-ending injury.

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A red-clad motorcycle racer follows a white-and-blue rider through a right-hand bend, beside a blue-white kerb and gravel run-off.

Márquez returns to the top

Marc Márquez won the Australian Grand Prix Sprint at Phillip Island and regained the MotoGP championship lead. Jorge Martín, who had started Saturday at the top of the standings, crashed while contesting the lead. The short race changed the order at the front of the title contest before Sunday’s main event.[1], [2]

Martín’s crash came at the eighth corner on the eighth lap after he ran over the inside kerb at the seventh corner and lost the front of his motorcycle. The Aprilia rider suffered an injury which ended his weekend. He will not start Sunday’s race.[1]

The lead changed hands before the crash

The two riders had repeatedly exchanged positions. Martín took the lead at turn 10 on the third lap, then a mistake at the fourth corner on the fifth lap let Márquez back through. His next move at the first corner did not last through the second corner. Another attempt at the fourth corner on the eighth lap also failed to hold.[1]

Ducati fills the podium

Álex Márquez finished second and Fabio Di Giannantonio third, completing a Ducati podium sweep. Marc’s victory was his ninth Sprint win of the season. Marco Bezzecchi recovered from twelfth at the end of the opening lap to fourth, passing Pedro Acosta with four laps remaining. Acosta finished fifth.[1]

References

  1. News sourceMotoGPMarc Márquez wins Australian Sprint and retakes championship lead↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceCrash.netMarc Marquez wins Australia MotoGP sprint thriller as Jorge Martin has huge crash↩

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