Moto GP: Alex Marquez fends off Marc Marquez for Barcelona glory

Barcelona [Spain], September 7 (ANI): Heartache on Saturday, elation on Sunday. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) banished his Barcelona Sprint demons to fend off the challenge of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) to earn a phenomenal 25-point haul on home turf, as the #93's unbeaten run ended at the Grand Prix of Catalonia on Sunday.

It is still a hard-earned P2 for the championship leader, but it's a result that means the title race rolls on to at least the Japanese GP. Behind the jostling brothers, P3 went to Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) as the Italian secured his debut Sunday podium with KTM.

Well, Marc Marquez now mathematically cannot clinch the title next week in Misano, so it will be full focus on who can clinch victory at another classic venue on our globetrotting tour, as per a press release.

-THE START: MARC GRABS EARLY LEAD

Despite a decent enough launch from pole position, Marc won the Marquez battle into Turn 1 to earn an early lead from P3 on the grid, as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) got another lightning launch from the middle of the second row to grab P3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P4, with Bastianini P5, as two Italians then fell out of contention at Turn 1 on Lap 2.

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), up the inside of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), made small contact with his VR46 Academy stablemate and ultimately lost control and slid out. Trying to avoid Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) then locked the front end of his GP25, and that caused the #49 to crash moments after too. Both riders were OK, but it was podium hopes over for the duo.

-ALEX HITS THE FRONT

At the front, a change for the lead on Lap 4. Alex Marquez made a classic Turn 1 move stick on the #93, and now, Marc Marquez had Acosta and Bastianini looking to attack. At this stage, Quartararo was busy defending P5 from Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) and compatriot Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), the trio were a second behind the top four on Lap 6 of 24.

On Lap 7, Brad Binder's (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) weekend ended at Turn 7 as the South African crashed from P10, one place behind a fast-starting Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). From P22 on the grid, Pecco was up to P9 and just over three seconds away from the lead, and a lap later, the double MotoGP World Champion was past Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and lapping in P8 - a great recovery ride so far.

-ENEA MOVES PAST ACOSTA

By the time we had clicked onto Lap 10, the top four were 2.1s up the road from the fight for fifth, which was now being led by Zarco. And the rider ahead of the HRC star was now Acosta, because Bastianini made a move on his KTM buddy to climb into P3. The gap to Marc Marquez was 0.8s, so what did 'The Beast' have up his sleeve in the victory chase?

Zarco's great outing then came to a premature end at the tricky Turn 10 on Lap 11, so that now meant Marini was promoted into the top five, 3.4s away from Acosta's rear Michelin soft tyre. At the front, Alex Marquez continued to lead by 0.5s, but it was Bastianini who was the fastest rider on circuit now - the Italian had a couple of tenths in his back pocket at this stage of the Grand Prix.

On Lap 14, Acosta lost the best part of a second to the top three and now sat well over a second behind the podium fight. Was that soft rear tyre starting to cry no more? It appeared so. Acosta quickly dropped to three seconds adrift as Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez and Bastianini continued to race in the 1:40 bracket.

-MARQUEZ VS MARQUEZ FOR VICTORY

With one KTM now out of victory contention, was another beginning to fade? Bastianini was now struggling to keep tabs on the Marquez brothers as the top two dropped into the low 1:40s. On Lap 19 of 24, it looked like we were strapping ourselves in for an Alex vs Marc battle for Barcelona honours.

Fair play to both. They were a second faster than anyone else on track with five laps to go, and on Lap 20 of 24, a couple of small mistakes came the way of Marc Marquez to hand Alex Marquez a 0.8s advantage. That was down to 0.7s a lap later, but with three to go, Alex Marquez was controlling things very well.

Two to go. The gap? Just above a second. How're your nerves, Alex? One more lap, and the gap had risen further to 1.3s. Surely this was redemption done after his Sprint crash? Half a lap down and no mistakes were made. Turn 10, yesterday's nightmare spot? Done.

And around the final few corners, Alex Marquez took the chequered flag 1.7s clear of Marc Marquez to win for the second time in MotoGP - and at a special venue too. Marc Marquez's unreal victory run does come to an end, but #93 will be chuffed enough to earn P2 in front of his home fans and bring home a 1-2 for Marquez'. Bastianini's efforts were rewarded with his first Sunday podium for KTM, a top ride from 'The Beast'.

-POINTS SCORERS IN BARCELONA

Acosta faded big style in the second half of the Grand Prix, but the #37 held onto P4, as Quartararo won the fight for P5. Ogura enjoyed a superb last couple of laps to climb into P6, that's the rookie's first top six result since Thailand. Bagnaia's comeback ended with a P7 and although that's not the result the #63 wants on paper, from where he started, that's a very respectable ride.

Marini's performance was also noteworthy. P8 does not tell the full tale as HRC continue to prove they're well on their way back, as Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) hands Yamaha a double top 10 following the Portuguese rider's P9 result. P10 went to reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), while Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), Maverick Vinales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) picked up at least a point in Barcelona.

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) clinched pole position at the qualifying session of Grand Prix of Catalonia with a simply stunning new all-time lap record. The #73's final sector was mega as his 1:37.536 was plenty good enough to beat second place Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with the Frenchman coming through Q1 to stick his Yamaha on the front row.

MotoGP moves to Misano World Circuit next week for the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera. Catch all the action LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD. (ANI)

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