Indonesia MotoGP: Bagnaia wins to reclaim title lead as Martin crashes

    Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo completed the podium.

    Published On Oct 15, 2023 04:12:00 PM

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    The Indonesian round of the 2023 MotoGP world championship was topsy-turvy with Pramac rider Jorge Martin briefly leading the title race after a dominant win in Saturday's sprint race. But reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia once again finds himself on top of the standings after Martin crashed out of the lead in the main race.

    1. Bagnaia wins from 13th on grid
    2. Bezzecchi on podium in sprint, P5 in race despite injury
    3. Marc Marquez crashes out in both races

    Martin vs Bagnaia title fight

    Martin won the sprint race, and for the first time this year, eclipsed Bagnaia in the title fight, albeit by a mere seven points. He looked set to be on top in the main race again, but a lowside at Turn 10, presumably due to grip issues with the soft front tyre, ended his race prematurely. Bagnaia, who was running in third place when this happened, saw his chance to regain the title lead and soon overtook Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales.

    Mooney VR46 team score despite injuries

    Valentino Rossi’s half-brother Luca Marini claimed pole position for the first time in MotoGP and finished second in the sprint race. Joining him on the sprint podium was teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who also took a commendable top-five finish in the main race, coming from ninth on the grid.

    Both riders are nursing broken collarbones, albeit different ones, and credit to them for putting on a stellar performance, broken bones notwithstanding.

    Quartararo back on the podium

    Just like he did in the inaugural Indian GP, Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, again, finished on the final step of the podium in Indonesia. He came unerringly close to former teammate Maverick Vinales in the closing stages, but wasn’t able to overtake the Spaniard. This season has yet to see Fabio Quartararo stand on the top step of the podium.

    Other standout performances in Indonesia

    Speaking of injured racers, LCR Honda’s Alex Rins finished inside the top 10 on a satellite Honda, despite a double leg fracture. He finished ahead of even weekend favourite Aleix Espargaro, who rides the latest 2023 RS-GP. And Fabio Di Giannantonio recorded a career-best finish in fourth place, ahead of losing his seat to Marc Marquez next year. 

    2023 MotoGP Championship standings

    Having claimed his sixth feature race win this season, Bagnaia now sits 18 points clear of Martin in the standings. Trailing those two is Mooney VR46’s Bezzecchi. Ducati is also your 2023 constructors champion, which makes it four on a trot for the Borgo Panigale-based factory.

    MotoGP heads to Australia next weekend, so keep tuning in as we bring you the latest coverage. 

    2023 Indonesia MotoGP results

    2023 Indonesian MotoGP results
    PositionRiderTeam
    1Francesco BagnaiaDucati Lenovo
    2Maverick VinalesAprilia Racing
    3Fabio QuartararoMonster Yamaha
    4Fabio Di GiannantonioGresini Ducati
    5Marco BezzecchiVR46 Ducati
    6Brad BinderRedBull KTM
    7Jack MillerRedBull KTM
    8Enea BastianiniDucati Lenovo
    9Alex RinsLCR Honda
    10Aleix EspargaroAprilia Racing
    11Takaaki NakagamiLCR Honda
    12Miguel OliveiraRNF Aprilia
    13Raul FernandezRNF Aprilia
    14Franco MorbidelliMonster Yamaha
    NCJoan MirRepsol Honda
    NCMarc MarquezRepsol Honda
    NCJorge MartinPrima Pramac Ducati
    NCJohann ZarcoPrima Pramac Ducati
    NCAugusto FernandezGASGAS Tech3
    NCPol EspargaroGASGAS Tech3
    NCLuca MariniVR46 Ducati

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