Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came out firing this weekend at Misano. Martin’s championship hopes improved after the rider secured pole position and wins in both the Tissot sprint race and Grand Prix at Misano. Martin won the race over Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) by 1.3 seconds in perfect weather conditions. The two finished ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo). After the race weekend Bagnaia only holds a 36 point lead over Martin. With 8 races to go before the end of the season this championship fight is far from over. Martin and Bezzecchi have been in impeccable form the last few rounds and Bagnaia is playing damage control but it cannot be ignored that his early season dominance seems to be slipping away.
In addition to threats ahead. Bagnaia had to contend with wild card entry Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Pedrosa was closing on Bagnaia but ran out of time to make a lasting move finishing the race just under 7 tenths behind Bagnaia. Pedrosa had the highest average speed of the race and will be wishing he had a few more laps to close the gap.
Mixed Feelings in the KTM Camp
With Pedrosa’s success there were some positives to the weekend but both Brand Binder and Jack Miller did not have the grand prix finish they wished for. Disaster struck for Binder on Lap 8. The KTM star went down at the hairpin as his podium hopes ended. It was a low side crash and he was able to continue to bring home a P14 finish. The crash promoted Pedrosa as the lead KTM on track. KTM’s suffered another blow when Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of the race after being involved in a scuffle with Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing). Pedrosa was the only KTM rider to finish in the top 10.
New Beginnings Offer New Opportunities
The next race round will take place in India. This will be the first time the series has raced in India and the fan anticipation is at an all time high. The race will take place at Buddh International Circuit. A Change in championship lead is possible at this race so Francesco Bagnaia will need to be perfect to avoid losing more ground to Jorge Martin in the championship fight. We will report more as we approach that race. IN the mean time check out the full results for the race and current championship standings.
Full San Marino Race Results
Championship Standings