VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P87
down, it seemed like Martin
might hold on, but Bastianini
found an answer each time.
Heading into the final lap, the
gap was nonexistent.
The decisive move came
at turn four, where Bastianini
nearly punted Bagnaia in a
carbon copy of the race two
years ago. This time, Bastianini
launched an aggressive pass up
the inside of Martin, hitting the
side of the Spaniard and forcing
him off track.
Bastianini also ran off track
but the MotoGP Stewards, in
keeping with tradition, made yet
another extremely controversial
move by refusing to investigate
the incident, much to the cha
-
grin of Martin's Prima Pramac
Ducati team.
With 25 laps remaining, the
title contenders started trad-
ing blows. Martin closed in on
Bagnaia and made a move, but
Bagnaia immediately fought
back. In the shuffle, Martin
nearly found himself sand
-
wiched between the two Ducati
Lenovo machines as Bastianini
also looked for an opening, but
the order stayed the same.
On the next lap, Martin made
a decisive move up the inside
at La Quercia and took the lead.
Bagnaia attempted to counter,
but it was a no-go, and now he
had to defend against team
-
mate Bastianini.
Bagnaia had a few scrappy
moments, and Bastianini seized
the opportunity, passing him
and setting off after Martin. As
Bagnaia struggled with rear grip,
Marc Marquez and Marco Bez
-
zecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46
Racing Team) started closing in.
But Bagnaia wasn't done yet.
He began putting in some super-
fast laps, pulling away from
Marquez and Bezzecchi while
closing the gap to the leaders
Martin and Bastianini.
However, Bagnaia's and the
home crowd's hopes were
dashed when he locked the
front of the factory Ducati and
crashed at turn eight.
The crash meant the number
one would not be the rider to
take Ducati's 100th MotoGP win,
and he sat in the pits with a face
of fury, unsure if his champion
-
ship deficit would grow by 24 or
29 points if Martin won.
At the front, the battle be-
tween Martin and Bastianini
raged on. As the laps ticked
GUIDOTTI TO
LEAVE KTM?
KTM appears to be internally
reorganizing after a desper-
ately disappointing campaign. At
Misano, it was reported Fac-
tory Team Manager Francesco
Guidotti is set to depart at the
end of the season, which
Cycle
News
later confirmed. Asked for
his opinion, the outgoing Jack
Miller, who signed with the Prima
Pramac Yamaha Factory Team
for 2025, quipped, "I was first on
the chopping block! It doesn't
change the situation for me."
Pressed on whether he can sense
a change in atmosphere for the
worse, he again joked, "Yeah, of
course! I've been feeling it since
Mugello when I got the sack. It is
what it is."
Briefly...
(Above) Bagnaia's
blunder could
prove a turning
point in the
championship, as
it handed Martin
a very healthy
championship
lead. (Left) Fabio
Quartararo had
his best finish
of the year with
a seventh in the
Sunday GP.
