MotoGP: Jorge Martin Wins Lights to Flag Sprint Race at Misano
By Jack Hammersley
Jorge Martin victorious in San Marino ahead of Bezzecchi and Bagnaia
It was blisteringly hot conditions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Jorge Martin smashed the lap record to start from pole position. Home team Mooney VR46 Ducati also started from the front row with the injured Marco Bezzecchi starting third with his VR46 Academy compatriot Francesco Bagnaia who was also nursing an injury made it a Bologna Bullet front row lockout.
The lights went out and it was Jorge Martin who took the holeshot ahead of Pecco Bagnaia and Bezzecchi, Dani Pedrosa who was doing a wildcard on the Red Bull KTM was in fourth ahead of Maverick Vinales in fifth. Franky Morbidelli had a problem at the start but got going.
Brad Binder lost places off the start, an unusual sight for this season and began to make up the places, overtaking Marc Marquez into Rio, then passed Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro into turn ten to move into sixth place. Pecco ran wide at turn ten and dropped behind Bezzecchi.
The battle for the top five was hotting up with Binder and Vinales going side-by-side at turn five and six with the Spaniard coming out on top with Marquez and Espargaro also swapping places for eighth place.
Binder had a moment into turn ten on lap five and was close to contact with Vinales and ran wide but held onto sixth place. Bezzecchi meanwhile was closing in on Martin.
Binder made the pass at turn eight and made it stick and immediately began to extend the gap, Pecco and Pedrosa had track limit warnings.
By lap ten all of the top ten except Martin, Bezzecchi and Marini were on track limit warnings. Pedrosa was all over the back of Pecco but was unable to attempt any sort of move; Binder was closing in on the pair of them.
Martin crossed the line to win the sprint in San Marino, Bezzecchi who dropped off at the end, possibly due to his wrist finished in second with Pecco holding off Pedrosa and Binder for third. Vinales was sixth with Marini, Espargaro and Alex Marquez rounding out the points paying positions.
Featured Image: MotoGP