Jorge Martin won Sunday’s MotoGP World Championship race at the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia. Driving his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 27-lap race by 1.404 seconds.
It was Martin’s third full-race victory of the season, but first since his victory at Le Mans in May. The victory extended his lead in the MotoGP World Championship points standings to 21.
Newcomer Pedro Acosta was runner-up on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine.
Two-time and defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia finished third with his Lenovo Team Ducati.
Martin’s teammate Franco Morbidelli had another strong performance, finishing fourth.
Marco Bezzecchi finished fifth in his Ducati Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team.
MotoGP race
MotoGP points after the race
More from the press release issued by Dorna:
Martin makes Sunday statement as Bagnaia’s late surge saves the podium
On Sunday, car number 89 will soar to victory, Acosta returns to the podium, Bagnaia takes third place, Bastianini leaves and Marquez has technical problems in Indonesia
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) claimed glory at the Pertamina Indonesian Grand Prix, with the number 89 taking its first Sunday victory since the French GP. The ‘Martinator’ looked unstoppable, taking its first victory at the Pertamina Mandalika international circuit after being sidelined in the 2022 and 2023 GPs, as well as in the Tissot Sprint this season. Martin scored a valuable 25 points in his championship charge, extending his lead from 12 to 21 as arch rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) came home in third position after a late charge.
Between the two, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) pushed Martin hard in the early stages before being forced to settle for second place, although he still moved up to fifth overall.
At the start, Martin made a dream start, gaining a clear advantage in the pursuit of Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo team). Meanwhile, Bagnaia struggled on the opening lap, dropping to fourth, before Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) made it through, pushing the Italian to sixth.
Meanwhile, it was a dramatic first lap, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) crashing at turn three. FIM MotoGP™ Stewards investigated the incident and took no further action.
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was unable to repeat his magical start in the sprint, but the number 93 continued to gain popularity in the early stages. Marc Marquez started 12th and was soon seventh, focusing on Bagnaia.
From the front, Martin set a hot pace, setting the fastest lap of the Grand Prix and extending his lead to 1.333 seconds. Meanwhile, Acosta went on the attack, moving impressively for a debutant into second position ahead of the charging Morbidelli.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) fought a fierce battle with Marc Marquez for the first nine laps. However, everything went well for the Italian, who lost the front in the technical turn 10, which dropped Di Giannantonio to 17th place. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez’s chances for the championship seriously decreased, and technical problems excluded car number 93 from the competition on lap 12, when he started with a burning motorcycle.
Behind Martin and Acosta, the fight for the podium really began when Morbidelli, Bastianini, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia combined on the track. Bastianini tried to overtake on lap 16 before the key move came on lap 17 – promoting ‘The Beast’ to third place. Bastianini then unleashed incredible pace, getting closer to the leaders in every sector.
Bastianini’s rhythm was great, but then everything fell apart due to an accident entering the first corner on lap 21 – OK rider. It was a huge blow for the number 23, who was more than 70 points behind Martin in the championship, with just 12 riders left in the Indonesian Grand Prix, only two of whom were main title contenders.
From there, Bagnaia gained momentum, passing Bezzecchi on lap 22, and secured third place on lap 23, relegating Morbidelli to fourth. Acosta had a further three-second advantage, a difficult task even for the two-time MotoGP™ World Champion.
In the closing stages, Martin had a two-second advantage, controlling the pace and the race at the front. The rider with number 89 was unstoppable in the last lap, leading the charge and storming past the debutant Acosta with a time of 1.404 seconds. Meanwhile, Bagnaia took a valuable third place, scoring several points that could prove crucial.
Morbidelli took fourth place as the Italian continued his impressive form. The No. 21 had bragging rights over Bezzecchi, who finished fifth in the top five, while Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) crossed the line another 4.558s back in sixth place and finished the day as Aprilia’s top rider. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had another stunning ride, finishing seventh for his third consecutive GP, beating Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to the finish.
Johann Zarco finished ninth in an incredible day for the CASTROL Honda LCR team, Honda’s best result this season. The Frenchman finished ahead of Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), who took the last place in the top ten. Next, Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) finished 11th after a grueling day that saw Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) drop. to 12th place after a 16-second penalty due to tire pressure.
After an amazing weekend in Indonesia, we head to the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix in Japan and the fight for the championship in full swing. Is it a two-horse chase now, or are more twists and turns awaiting us? Join us as the most exciting sport in the world returns in just one week!
#MotoGP #World #Championship #Race #Results #Mandalika #Update