Martin wins San Marino MotoGP to close gap on leader Bagnaia

Pramac rider Martin, who also won Saturday’s sprint, is now 36 points behind world champion Bagnaia after winning from pole position well over a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi.

Published : Sep 10, 2023 18:42 IST , Misano Adriatico, Italy - 1 MIN READ

Spain’s Jorge Martin on his Ducati celebrates after winning the MotoGP race of the San Marino. | Photo Credit: Antonio Calanni/AP

Jorge Martin won the San Marino MotoGP on Sunday to further close the gap on championship leader Francesco Bagnaia.

Pramac rider Martin, who also won Saturday’s sprint, is now 36 points behind world champion Bagnaia after winning from pole position well over a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi.

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Injured Bagnaia completed the podium after a superb ride which delighted the home supporters at the Italian track.

Martin was on pole after smashing the lap record by nearly half a second in qualifying on Saturday morning, and the 25-year-old never looked troubled by the Italian pair chasing him.

Bagnaia and VR46 rider Bezzecchi were riding in pain after bad crashes at last weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP.

Ducati’s Bagnaia flew off his bike at high speed at Montmelo and was then run over by Brad Binder, while Bezzecchi had to deal with a hand injury sustained in a multi-bike pile up in Spain.

But Bagnaia rode well this weekend on pain killers and limited the damage to his lead in the overall standings in what given the circumstances must be one of the best rides of his career.