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Marc Marquez won his first race at the Red Bull Ring in the Austrian MotoGP, his ninth win of the season. Starting fourth, he overtook Marco Bezzecchi and held off Fermin Aldeguer.
Marc Marquez celebrates yet another win.
(AFP Photo)
Marc Marquez was thrilled to secure his first-ever victory at the Red Bull Ring, triumphing in the Austrian MotoGP on Sunday. This win marks his ninth of the season and further extends his lead in the championship standings.
Starting fourth on the grid, the Ducati rider overtook pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi on lap 20 and maintained his lead to achieve his sixth consecutive win. Rookie Fermin Aldeguer closed in during the final laps but settled for second, marking the best result of his career, while Bezzecchi finished third.
“Yes, super, super happy to finally take the first victory here in Austria, I’m wearing the red bike (Ducati) and it was working super good,” said Marquez.
Victory in the 1000th MotoGP race rounded off a perfect weekend for the Spaniard, who, despite a poor qualifying session that saw him slide off the track, also won his 12th sprint of the season on Saturday.
The 32-year-old is now one step closer to a seventh world title, his first since 2019. After 13 rounds of the 22-race season, Marquez leads the standings by 142 points ahead of his brother Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini).
Marc Marquez made an impressive start, overtaking his brother in the first turn and teammate Francesco Bagnaia, unbeaten at this venue since 2022, on the second lap. This set up a tense battle with Bezzecchi (Aprilia), which Marquez resolved with a decisive move eight laps from the end.
Bezzecchi was then overtaken by the rapidly approaching Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini), who briefly challenged Marquez for the win before settling for second place. “In the first part he (Bezzecchi) was super strong but then I just waited,” Marquez explained. “I tried in the beginning but it was too risky, I preferred to wait and attack near the end. But a new outsider arrived and it was Aldeguer this time and he was arriving super fast. But yes, I’m very happy for six victories in a row.”
Alex Marquez, despite starting second, was unlikely to win due to a long-lap penalty for an incident involving Honda’s Joan Mir in the Czech MotoGP. He served the penalty on lap three, dropping from fourth to 11th and eventually finishing 10th.
Reigning champion Jorge Martin’s difficult season continued as he crashed out on turn 7 on lap 15, finishing last. The Spaniard, who has confirmed he will remain with Aprilia next season, missed the first three races due to pre-season crashes. After returning in Qatar in April, he suffered another heavy crash and missed the next seven races, only making his comeback in the last round in Brno.
The championship continues next weekend in Hungary.
(With AFP Inputs)
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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