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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1529511
opponent for third overall in the championship, there was an air of desperation to Bastianini's riding early on. His immediate attempts to get back into fourth were thwarted as the Aprilia rider, who was bowing out as a full- time rider after 338 Grand Prix starts, responded immediately. Thing was, Espargaro was lending a helping hand to his protegee, Martin. The Aprilia had towed the championship leader around to a fast lap in qualify - ing. And his tactics to thwart the second factory Ducati later drew criticism from Bastianini. "I don't think it was correct for him to ride like this in his final race," the Italian bemoaned. Aprilia's "Captain" had an im - mediate retort: "In the last laps I was waiting for him to fight but he was three seconds behind me with a factory Ducati. I rode over the limit, and he couldn't beat me." As Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati), Acosta, Franco Morbidel - li (Prima Pramac Ducati), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati) all sat behind the fight for third in the first seven laps, there was a real air of tension. One significant mistake and Martin would no longer be in a championship-winning posi - tion. Yet that tension was soon alleviated as Bastianini ran off at turn one starting lap eight, which dropped him back to seventh. And his subsequent fighting with Morbidelli splintered the group, meaning Martin, Espargaro and Alex Marquez were clear in the fight for third. the championship the last year in Ducati, and then it hasn't been what I imagined or envisioned. Even at the beginning of the season, I put in the hardest off-season I've ever put, and didn't get the results that I wanted. I tried my best, from the first laps from the first laps in Valen- cia when I tried the bike to the last laps today. I take pride in that fact." KTM TAKING TIME TO REPLACE STERLACCHINI KTM will not directly replace Fabiano Sterlacchini, its Techni- cal Director who departed at the end of June. Instead, the Austrian factory will combine the expertise of existing staff in a bit to reenergize its MotoGP program in 2025. "Fa- biano was working at home (in the factory) and at the racetrack, trying to do everything," said Motorsport Director Pit Beirer in Barcelona. "Now we'll have Sebastian Risse (Project Manager) at the track making decisions with Aki. Then at home we have a very strong team with Kurt Trieb on the engines and Wolfgang Felber on chassis. They'll take clearer responsibilities. All these names will make decisions, and there'll be no one-man show." ALL DONE "I feel extremely lucky," Aleix Espargaro said after his final MotoGP race. "Experiencing this weekend was unique. I am deeply grateful to Aprilia, to my team, and to my family. Saying goodbye after 20 years of World Champion- ship Grand Prix racing this way is incredible. It was the weekend of my dreams. I was extremely competitive, and it was emotion- ally charged for me." Briefly... VOLUME ISSUE NOVEMBER , P57 Pedro Acosta (31) faded in the Sunday GP to 10th. Franco Morbidelli (21) found a way past the Spaniard for eighth, Marco Bezzecchi (72), too, for ninth. Brad Binder (33) got past all of them for sixth.