Jorge Martin converted his pole position finish in qualifying into a win in the Misano Sprint Race. Martin got the holeshot off the start and by the second lap he was already a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo). Martin fought tooth and nail to maintain his early lead and succeeded. The drama behind was an exciting spectacle between reigning champion Bagnaia and Dani Pedrosa who was knocking on the podium making challenges through out the sprint. Pedrosa fell short in the end.
As the race progressed it was Martin and Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racingat the front battling it out. Bezzecchi closed the gap by lap 3. Bezzecchi reduced Martin’s cushion to just 0.5 seconds. However Martin fought back finding the pace to extend his lead again and he wouldn’t look back. Martin currently sits 45 points out of first place in the championship. He is riding with a purpose and may make a late lunge for championship contention. Bagnaia isn’t making it easy though. Even when Bagnaia isn’t winning he’s playing damage control by finishing on the podium. Martin will look to pull the double this weekend in the main race.
It was a successful outing for the Marquez brothers Alex and Marc Marquez. Both finished in the top 10 in the sprint race. Aleix Espargaro could not repeat his recent success in the sprint finishing P7. Uncharacteristically Espargaro was almost 8 seconds off of the lead. However, both Aprilia Racing riders also finished in the top 10 which is a decent points finish for the team.
Full Misano Spring Race Results are Below