Sepang (Malaysia), Oct 31 (IANS) Pedro Acosta won a chaotic dry-wet Sprint race at the Sepang International Circuit here, as title leader Marc Marquez increased the championship gap with a second-place finish.
Acosta overcame a four-way battle in a 10-lap Sprint that was threatened by rain late on, as he held Marquez by 0.578s. Marco Bezzecchi took the third place as Ai Ogura, who was once leading, fell behind and finished P4.
The result saw Marquez increase his title lead from the absent Jorge Martin to 19 points after he collected nine points for his second-place finish. Bezzecchi is now 52 points behind the seven-time MotoGP champion after he finished fourth and collected six points.
Alex Marquez began the Sprint in the lead after having outclassed his elder brother during the qualifying earlier. He was leading until four laps before he slid out at Turn 14. The lead was then inherited by Ogura, as the battle between the top four continued.
Due to spots of rain, the white flag came out as riders were allowed to change their bikes for tyres. Iker Lecuona, Joan Mir and Franco Morbidelli went to change their bikes, with Maverick Vinales opting for a change later.
Acosta attacked Ogura for the lead when three laps were left. He looked to fight back but could not and was later overtaken by Marquez and Bezzecchi as he struggled in the slightly wet conditions.
Earlier, Martin was ruled out of the remainder of the Malaysian GP weekend due to his fractured wrist. “He made a superhuman effort, but it’s official: Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) will not be able to race in the Malaysian GP. Just six days after breaking his wrist in Australia, the 2024 Champion and 2026 title contender returned to the track on Friday at Sepang, doing 12 laps in the morning session and then a few more in the afternoon before ending his day early, intending to recharge for more on Saturday,” MotoGP wrote in a statement.
“Unfortunately, after more time on track in FP2 ahead of qualifying, it was confirmed: Martin has withdrawn from the event. The #89 will remain on the sidelines, targeting next time out for another shot at his return,” it added.
–IANS
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