[1/3]MotoGP – Thailand Grand Prix – Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand – October 28, 2023 Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin celebrates on the podium after winning the sprint race REUTERS/Athit Perawonmetha Acquire Licensing Rights
BURIRAM, Thailand, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin led from start to finish to win his fifth straight sprint of the season at the Thailand Grand Prix on Saturday to reduce the gap to championship leader Francesco Bagnaia to 18 points.
KTM’s Brad Binder finished second, less than a second behind, while VR46 Racing’s Luca Marini was third. Ducati’s Bagnaia started on the second row but finished seventh.
Martin began the weekend 27 points behind the defending champion and gave himself a boost when he smashed the lap record to secure pole position to make it a perfect Saturday.
Martin had missed out on race victory and the podium at the Australian Grand Prix when he lost grip at the end of the race and the Spaniard said he was trying to conserve his tyres.
“But then I saw Brad and Luca (catching up) and decided maybe now it’s time to pull away,” he said in a post-race interview.
Martin had a flying start to fend off Marini and take the lead going into turn one while Bagnaia, who started sixth, fell to ninth by the end of the first lap.
Binder started fifth on the grid but he managed to make up two places, moving past Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and VR46 Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi to sit third.
Binder has found more success in sprints this season with five previous podiums and the KTM rider eventually overtook Marini to move up to second when the VR46 rider struggled to get the best out of his tyres in hot track conditions.
Martin extend his lead to 1.5 seconds with six laps to go and although Binder was able to catch up, the Spaniard was in complete control as he crossed the line for his seventh sprint win of the season.
“Second place, we’ll take it,” a smiling Binder said. “In the beginning I struggled to get past Luca, it was a tricky one. Then Martin did a fantastic job.”
Honda’s Marc Marquez qualified eighth on the grid and the six-times MotoGP champion, who is moving to Gresini Ducati next season, finished fourth.
Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Giles Elgood
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
