Marquez wins MotoGP sprint and takes championship lead as Martin crashes

Spain's Marc Marquez won the sprint race of MotoGP, the premier world series of road racing for motorcycles, and moved into the lead of the overall championship standings. The fight for first place ended when his compatriot Jorge Martin crashed heavily on lap eight. A sprint is a shorter race held before the main event on Sunday.

A duel until the crash

The track had fully dried after rain. Marquez held the lead from pole position, while Martin quickly climbed from fourth on the grid to second. On lap three he began attacking and took the lead at his second attempt. The two riders then swapped places many times.

On lap eight Martin was running close behind Marquez. In turn eight, at roughly 180 km/h, he fell and slid into the gravel trap. Medics rushed to the scene, and Martin was taken on a stretcher to the circuit's medical centre.

Results

Marquez kept the lead without major difficulty and claimed his ninth sprint win of the season. His brother Alex Marquez finished second and Fabio di Giannantonio third, giving the Italian manufacturer Ducati's riders the entire podium. Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta and Ai Ogura completed the top six.

Joan Zarco started third and initially dropped back, but later fought for a top-three place before retiring with technical problems. Raul Fernandez, who started from the second row, pulled into the pits, visibly in pain from an injured hand.

The main Grand Prix race takes place on Sunday, with the start scheduled for 5:00 a.m. Latvian time.