Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1523663
Marc Marquez fourth. Marc Mar- quez closed the gap and over- took his brother at the bottom of the Ralf Waldman corner with only a few laps remaining. The final laps brought drama as Martin, seemingly on course for a second consecutive Sachsenring victory, crashed out, allowing Bagnaia to claim the win and a 20-point lead in the title fight. Bagnaia crossed the finish line with a nearly four- second advantage, becoming the championship leader for the first time since Portimao. "It is frustrating to lead for 27 laps of 30 and crash at the very end," Martin understated. "How - ever, it is very important to thor- oughly analyze what happened because it is the second time I have crashed while leading. Now that we have more data, it will be easier to understand how to improve and become an even stronger rider." "We were both on thin ice in the last laps, as the front kept tucking and the rear sliding, we Oliveira to take the lead. Franco Morbidelli then overtook Oliveira, moving into second and pressuring Martin. Bagnaia, Martin and Morbidelli began to build a gap while the battle raged on behind. Martin reclaimed the lead at turn one with 24 laps remaining. Vinales ran off the track, leaving Alex and Marc Marquez and Oliveira to chase Martin. Morbidelli passed Bagnaia at turn one, but Bagnaia soon retook second. The chase continued as Alex Marquez overtook Morbidelli, followed by Marc Marquez. With nine laps remaining, Mor - bidelli went wide at turn one, al- lowing Marc Marquez to attempt a pass. The two collided but stayed on track, with Marquez dropping back after his head smashed the screen. He then du- eled with Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) before finally passing Morbidelli at the final corner. At the front, Martin led Bagnaia by a slim margin, with Alex Marquez between them and approached but suddenly crashed out at turn one, turning a potential 30-point champion - ship lead before the summer break into a 10-point deficit as Bagnaia seized the 25-point haul for a fourth straight GP win. While the fight for victory was a strategic battle, it was all ac - tion behind for the final podium place. Marc Marquez charged from 13th on the grid to claim second place after fending off several rivals, including his brother, Alex Marquez. Alex se - cured third, his first GP podium of the season, making the Mar- quez brothers the first siblings to share a premier-class podium since Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki in Imola in 1997. Martin had the best start but faltered at turn one, allowing Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) to challenge before settling into second. Bagnaia, holding third, overtook Oliveira at the end of lap one to chase Martin. However, Bagnaia soon executed a similar move on ROUND 9 / JULY 5-7, 2024 SACHSENRING / SAXONY, GERMANY ROAD RACE I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P88 Marc (left) and Alex (right) Marquez made it the first brotherly podium since Nobuatsu (left) and Takuma Aoki (right) at Imola in 1997.