Marc Marquez takes 77th motogp win at motorland as championship tightens
What a wild weekend at MotorLand. The Michelin Grand Prix of Aragon delivered absolute chaos and brilliant racing, kicked off by (Aprilia Racing) setting an all-time lap record in Quali, before (Ducati Lenovo Team) put on a double masterclass in front of his home crowd to take his 77th MotoGP win in 218 races. Now, the Championship is tightening up as Marc Marquez heads to Misano just 19 points behind (Aprilia Racing), with Marco Bezzecchi just 24 points adrift.
Marc Marquez had a plan to attack from the off, but things nearly went pear-shaped immediately. After forgetting to disengage the rear ride-height device on the warm-up lap, the reigning World Champion had a terrifying moment through sector one. "The bike was super low through all of sector one," Marquez explained, noting it felt like Marco Bezzecchi's machine was sucking him in as they were completely attached. Once he managed to clear the dirty air and wait out the tyre wear, the #93 pushed with ten laps remaining, opened a gap, and got into the 1:46s to seal the win.
(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came closer than ever to putting KTM back on the top step, delivering a superb P2 finish. Yet the #37 was more focused on the bigger picture of growing consistency and adapting his riding style. Acosta admitted he was pushing the team after early-season reliability problems, but now they are finding great consistency inside the top five. He even pulled off a risky move at the end when the leading duo went left, using the slipstream and a bit of the kerb to grab the right position.
Marco Bezzecchi was right in the thick of the fight, turning pole position and an all-time lap record into a hard-fought P3. The Aprilia star enjoyed a fantastic weekend at a circuit that has historically not favoured the Noale factory. Bezzecchi admitted he struggled a bit with the hotter temperatures and even joked that he is walking a little bit like Doctor House due to knee issues, but he remains thrilled with a double podium.