Martin wins Indonesia MotoGP sprint, overtakes Bagnaia in title race

Jakarta (Indonesia) (AFP): Spaniard Jorge Martin won Saturday’s sprint race at the Indonesia MotoGP to overtake rival Francesco Bagnaia in the championship standings.

Luca Marini, who had earlier claimed pole position in qualifying, took second, with Marco Bezzecchi completing the podium a week after surgery for a broken collarbone.

The Ducati satellite team rider took his fourth straight sprint race victory to leave him on 328 points, seven ahead of Bagnaia, who finished eighth.

“I feel super. Starting from sixth maybe was not the best, but at least I was able to overtake,” he told reporters. “Winning was tough… but yeah finally leading the championship at this point feels great. It’s a dream.”

He said he hoped he could “finish the weekend in the same way” at Sunday’s main event. Martin finished more than a second ahead of the Italian Marini, who earlier set a record lap at the Mandalika circuit on the resort island of Lombok.

It is the first time Martin has led the MotoGP championship in his career.

Bagnaia struggled earlier in the day, finishing outside the second round of qualifying for the first time this season, which left him 13th on the grid.

Bezzecchi, the Italian who sits third in the overall standings, capped a stunning ride after his injury and late arrival in Lombok on Friday morning.

MotoGP returned to Indonesia last year for the first time since 1997 at a new venue.