Daily Times

HOHENSTEIN-ERNSTTHAL: Spaniard Jorge Martin won the German Grand Prix for Pramac Racing on Sunday after a thrilling duel with Ducati’s reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia that reignited the title battle. The pair crossed the line 0.064 of a second apart, their Ducatis so close that they touched on the penultimate lap as Italian Bagnaia threw everything at his rival in a bid to get back in front. Martin’s French team mate Johann Zarco completed the podium at the Sachsenring circuit, after KTM’s Brad Binder crashed out of third on lap 19, as Ducati riders filled the top five places and eight of the top nine. Bagnaia’s championship lead was cut to 16 points as Martin, winner of the Saturday sprint, celebrated a weekend double and his first grand prix victory since the Styrian round at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in August 2021.

“After almost two years fighting for it, finally it arrived,” said an emotional Martin, who started on the second row of the grid. “It was a tough race, Pecco (Bagnaia) was pushing so hard. “This is only a first step hopefully, we are getting there and closer.” Bagnaia started on pole position but lost out immediately as Jack Miller, third on the grid for KTM, shot into the lead. The Australian’s time at the front was brief with Bagnaia swiftly taking over but Martin then coming through two laps later and pulling away in the hot and greasy conditions.

The battle really got spicy on the 21st of 30 laps when Bagnaia took the lead back only for Martin to surge ahead again three laps later. The pair crossed the line for the last time almost side by side. “At the middle of the race I just tried to think about the end, think about managing the tyres, about the strategy and how to defend myself,” said Martin. “And when Pecco overtook me, it changed a little bit my plans. I had to improvise a little bit. I didn’t realise the touch but we arrived at the last corner together again.”

Only three Japanese bikes were on the grid, after Honda’s six-time MotoGP winner Marc Marquez withdrew on the morning of the race after crashing in the warm-up, and none finished inside the top 10. Italian Marco Bezzecchi was fourth for the VR46 team with team mate and compatriot Luca Marini fifth. Miller was the highest non-Ducati rider in sixth with Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez seventh and factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini eighth. Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio was ninth and RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira completed the top 10.