Martin takes out sprint race at Le Mans | 03:18Spaniard Jorge Martin took a spectacular win at the French Motorcycle Grand Prix on Sunday, the Ducati rider repelling an all-out assault from six-time world champion Marc Marquez and reigning MotoGP titleholder Francesco Bagnaia to extend his series lead at Le Mans.
From pole, Martin was passed by Bagnaia on the first lap but shadowed his rival until reclaiming the lead on lap 21, holding off a late attack by the Italian to break clear with two of the 27 laps remaining. Marquez, who started 13th, then passed Bagnaia with a brilliantly audacious overtake with five corners left on the final lap, Martin having enough in reserve to win by 0.446secs, with Bagnaia just 0.585secs from the victory in third place.
Martin’s win extends his series lead to 38 points from Bagnaia, while Marquez, in his first season with Ducati after 11 years and six titles with Honda, is a further two points adrift. Australia’s Jack Miller, who started 11th for KTM, crashed out of the race on lap 16 for his second-straight non-finish.