Mooney VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi celebrates his success in winning the Indian series MotoGP race at Buddh Circuit, Greater Noida, India, Sunday (24/9/2023).
GREATER NOIDA, SUNDAY — India’s Buddh International Circuit, once considered safe for MotoGP racing, was able to present stiff competition from the start on Sunday (24/9/2023). The competition was won by Marco Bezzecchi who completed 21 laps without problems, unlike Francesco Bagnaia who fell and Jorge Martin who was very tired due to dehydration.
These results opened up competition for the MotoGP championship as Bagnaia was only 13 points ahead of Martin and 44 points ahead of Bezzecchi. “I’m very happy, it was a very long and difficult race. After what happened yesterday, I was hit by Luca (Marini), today I want revenge. “I was able to get a good start and I was able to take the lead quite early,” Bezzecchi said closed park.
“Then I just tried to concentrate, set my pace, my bike was fantastic as well. I really enjoy this country, this song, incredible, thank you very much. I want to dedicate this victory to my friend who died a few days ago. Filippo, this is for you,” the Mooney VR46 team driver said later.
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It was Bezzecchi’s third victory in a major race this season. Now he occupies third place in the standings with a gap of only 44 points over Bagnaia in the lead and 31 points over Jorge Martin in second place. However, the Italian driver believes that the current competition for the championship involves Martin and Pecco, Bagnaia’s nickname.
Mooney VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi leads the Indian MotoGP series race at Buddh Circuit, Greater Noida, India, Sunday (24/9/2023).
“I’m not really thinking about the championship competition because it’s still a long way off and I think it’s more between Jorge and Pecco. But if I can get close, I’ll do my best. That’s for sure,” Bezzecchi told TNT.
The drama of Pecco and Martin
Bezzecchi has led the race since passing Bagnaia on the final corner of to wipe First of all. The VR46 team driver then took to the air, allowing him to accelerate and finish the race 8.6 seconds ahead of Martin in second place. While Bezzecchi ran the race alone, Bagnaia and Martin struggled to finish the race in grueling weather conditions.
However, Bagnaia had an accident at turn five on the inside to wipe on the 14th, a to wipe after snatching second place from Martin with a brilliant maneuver around the 8-9 oblique turn. The ranking leader also lost crucial points. He has the potential to earn 20 points by finishing in second place.
This situation benefited Martin, already exhausted from dehydration. But the competition is not over yet. In four to wipe Finally, he came under pressure from Yamaha rider, Fabio Quartararo. Martin had lost second place to wipe last, but Martin used his remaining strength to get ahead of Quartararo.
Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia (left) tries to catch Jorgen Martin (Prima Pramac Team) in the Indian MotoGP series at the Buddh Circuit, Greater Noida, India, Sunday (24/9/2023).
At the end of the race, Martin did not go directly to closed park, but stopped in front of the Prima Pramac Racing team garage to ask for water. He was so exhausted from dehydration that he was examined by MotoGP medical director Dr. Angel Charte at closed park. Martin lost a lot of body fluids due to the heat. He also didn’t do a brief interview after the end.
Martin’s fight to finish in second place paid off as he is now only 13 points behind Bagnaia at the top of the standings. This opens the championship competition wide, with the remaining seven series providing a maximum of 231 points in the main and sprint races. Bezzecchi, third in the standings, also narrowed the points gap with Pecco to 44 points.
Pecco believes the competition for the championship is still long. Now he’s focusing more on finding out why it’s difficult to get brake adjustments on motorcycles. He felt these obstacles at Misano and continued to India.
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“Obviously important points, but right now the most important thing is to understand what happened, to understand how to get back to our potential and recover. We still have seven races left, 14 races (with sprints), so we will never give up. We will fight to reach first place. “Our ambition is always to win,” Bagnaia told TNT.
Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia rides his motorcycle in the MotoGP India series race at Buddh Circuit, Greater Noida, India, Sunday (24/9/2023).
Blessings for Quartararo
Pecco’s accident at turn five was a blessing for driver Fabio Quartararo. He was able to move up a level and finally reached the third podium. He had overtaken Martin in to wipe last, but then regained his position towards the finish.
“It was a very difficult race, I gave everything. It was a very difficult race, especially in the accelerations in the straight, we lost a lot of time. “However, I was able to stay calm and I was able to have one of my best races, so I was able to sleep soundly,” said Quartararo, who is now 11th in the standings.
“It was a great race, we made no mistakes. Thank you to all the fans present. “I hope we can meet again next year,” said the 2021 MotoGP champion.
