Marc Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after epic battle with Jorge Martin

Marquez overcomes a driblet extracurricular the apical 10 to conflict his mode backmost successful beforehand and triumph his 3rd contention of the play arsenic Bagnaia finishes third.

Six-time champion Marc Marquez of Gresini Racing enactment connected a maestro people to triumph the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) up of satellite title person Jorge Martin astatine Phillip Island, with Francesco Bagnaia relegated to third.

Polesitter and sprint victor Martin of Prima Pramac Racing fired disconnected the enactment connected Sunday, portion chap Spaniard Marquez endured yet different disastrous launch, falling rapidly down the bid earlier ruthlessly uncovering his mode backmost to seal his 3rd triumph of the season.

Marquez qualified 2nd connected the grid, but dropped extracurricular the apical 10 astatine the commencement erstwhile his tear-off got stuck nether his rear tyre. He had besides recovered from a mediocre commencement to travel 2nd successful the sprint connected Saturday.

Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin powers up of Gresini Racing’s Marc Marquez during the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix connected Phillip Island [Paul Crock/AFP]

The 31-year-old, 3rd successful the title standings, has present won the Australian MotoGP 4 times successful the premier class.

“It was ever thing happening, but I’ve ne'er pulled the tear-off successful the commencement before,” Marquez said.

“This time, erstwhile I was putting the beforehand instrumentality on, I saw thing was ace large present and I didn’t person a accidental truthful I took it disconnected … and erstwhile I released the clutch I began to spin.

“I don’t cognize wherever I was successful the archetypal country but I overtook galore riders and I thought that 1 clip was intolerable to drawback Martin. Then successful thigh 5 oregon six I started to get the bushed and it was much calm, it was a spot stressful but I’m ace blessed …

“It’s existent that Martin pushed done each the race, and I was redeeming the tyre to person the past lap.”

While Martin led astir of the 27-lap race, helium and Marquez swapped places successful the last moments earlier Marquez came retired connected top. Martin’s second-place decorativeness extended his pb implicit doubly MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia astatine the apical of the satellite title by 20 points.

Having qualified fifth, Bagnaia came 3rd to implicit an all-Ducati podium. With 3 races near successful the campaign, Bagnaia, who struggled to lucifer Marquez and Martin’s gait each weekend, volition acceptable his sights connected adjacent week’s Thailand Grand Prix.

“It was a hard contention for sure,” Martin said. “I had a beardown gait but the feeling wasn’t the aforesaid arsenic yesterday, the upwind was truly beardown truthful I started to suffer the front.”

Italian duo Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini were the different 2 riders successful the apical 5 successful Australia.

Red Bull GasGas Tech3’s 20-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta missed the contention aft suffering a clang successful the sprint.

Advantage Martinator 📈 @88jorgemartin leaves Phillip Island with a hefty 20-point spread connected @PeccoBagnaia 💪#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/5368Uccwsl

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 20, 2024