SPIELBERG, Austria, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Aprilia’s Jorge Martin made an extraordinary recovery from a chaotic opening-lap battle with championship rival Marc Marquez to win the Austrian Grand Prix sprint from pole position on Saturday and reclaim the MotoGP championship lead.
Martin, who had stormed to pole position ahead of reigning MotoGP champion Marquez earlier on Saturday, beat the Ducati rider to claim his 20th sprint victory after KTM’s Pedro Acosta crashed out while leading in the closing stages.
The 28-year-old Martin, the 2024 MotoGP champion, now has 286 points in the standings, three ahead of Spanish compatriot Marquez, heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
Martin’s race appeared to unravel in the opening corners when he was forced on to the defensive by seven-time MotoGP champion Marquez, ran wide and dropped to eighth.
Acosta capitalised to take command and built a lead of nearly three seconds, only to crash out with about three laps remaining at KTM’s home circuit.
Martin, meanwhile, carved his way back through the pack to secure a remarkable victory.
“I enjoyed the race for sure,” Martin said. “I was a bit lucky with Pedro because we thought that I would be second. We started well but then we were on the limit on the first lap, so I thought my chances were over.
“But then, lap by lap, I didn’t give up during the race. I was pushing till my maximum, trying to be super concentrated to come from the back and then win. The end was so good.
“I am really happy for my team because they really deserve it. We are ready for tomorrow. I hope that we can continue at this pace.”
Marquez had seized the championship lead for the first time this season by winning last weekend’s chaotic San Marino Grand Prix. The result had left him level on points with Martin but the 33-year-old moved to the top of the standings by virtue of having won more races this season.
“Today the target was third place in the sprint and I tried not to lose a lot of points against Jorge because it’s already in practice that Pedro and Jorge had a better pace,” Marquez said.
“Then I found the position where I sat just behind Jorge, and we were a bit lucky with Pedro’s mistake. But happy and ready for tomorrow.”
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, third in the championship standings, completed the podium.
Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura finished fourth with Alex Marquez fifth.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa; editing by Clare Fallon)
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