#ARGENTINAGP – MOTO GP, Brilliant Bezzecchi bags maiden win as Bagnaia crashes
Bezzecchi unbeatable as an early Championship twist occurs in Termas
Rookie Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) going very well in P11
Take a bow Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). From start to finish, the Italian MotoGP™ sophomore was untouchable as he produced a wet weather masterclass to claim a debut premier class victory – and with it, the World Championship lead. A late-charging Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) grabbed a late P2 to beat Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) as the latter stands on the podium for the first time with Ducati. On the flip side of the Ducati coin, reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed unhurt from P2 and crossed the line in P16.
lit the duo, with Morbidelli sitting 1.5s back from Pecco in a comfortable P4. On Lap 15 of 25, Alex Marquez and Bagnaia engaged in battle. After a couple of attempts, Bagnaia got the better of Marquez as Morbidelli closed in too. Meanwhile, a flawless Bezzecchi was 5.6s up the road and well on course to take a dream debut victory in MotoGP™.With 17 laps left on the clock, Bezzecchi’s lead was up to two seconds. A lap later it was 2.6s. The Italian was a class apart from the chasing pack in the early stages, and as the Grand Prix approached race distance, his lead kept on creeping up. Bagnaia was keeping second place Alex Marquez on his toe, 0.9s sp
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was shoved wide at Turn 7 by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) as the Frenchman dropped to P16 in the early exchanges, with the Japanese rider sitting P10. As the race settled down, Bezzecchi was able to stretch out a second lead over Alex Marquez, with Bagnaia and Morbidelli keeping in touch. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was up to P5, the gap to Morbidelli in P4 was 2.7s.
The threat of a flag-to-flag race loomed but more rain fell after the Moto2™ race had finished, as the premier class revved up for a 25-lap fully went encounter. Bezzecchi grabbed the holeshot from polesitter Alex Marquez, with Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) slotting into P4. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) didn’t get away well, as Sprint hero Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 5 after contact with Viñales.
It was a disappointing day for Viñales and Aprilia Racing, the Spaniard was P12 ahead of Nakagami, Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) and a lowly 15th place Aleix Espargaro. Not the weekend the Noale factory were looking for.
Bagnaia and Binder, the two crashers, crossed the line together in P16 and P17 – a frustrating Sunday for both.
Simply the Bez! What a stunning ride from Bezzecchi, who heads to the Americas GP as the World Championship leader by nine points over Bagnaia. Bring on the horsepower rodeo.
Top 10:
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team)
2. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 4.085
3. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 4.681
4. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 7.581
5. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 9.746
6. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 10.562
7. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 11.095
8. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 13.694
9. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 14.327
10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 18.515
“I’m happy. It was a fun race and I had some good battles in the group. Step-by-step I was getting into my pace, making good laps and moving forwards. I enjoyed myself and it was a good experience to have that first wet race in MotoGP. Happy!”
Augusto Fernández P11
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #KytCrew during the weekend in Argentina.