PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia :Marco Bezzecchi claimed his third sprint victory in four Grand Prix races on Saturday, as the Aprilia rider overcame a dramatic start to beat Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez at the Australian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Italian, who narrowly missed out on pole position to Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, hit a seagull as he left the grid for the warm-up lap at Phillip Island. But he kept his composure and overtook Fernandez with four laps remaining in the 13-lap sprint to seal back-to-back sprint wins.
Fernandez, who started fourth on the grid, made a flying start and led for much of the race but ultimately had to settle for second place.
Home favourite Jack Miller of Prima Pramac, the first Australian rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to start on the front row at Phillip Island, missed out on a podium finish, as KTM’s Pedro Acosta overtook him to claim third place.
Quartararo’s hopes of converting his record-breaking lap in qualifying into a strong sprint performance fell short, as the Frenchman finished in seventh place.
Meanwhile, twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia’s season woes continued, with the Italian finishing a lowly 19th.
Source: CNA
