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/1533377
by three-tenths of a second, with Morbidelli seven-tenths of a second behind. Bagnaia, eight-tenths of a second off Morbidelli, had Zarco three- tenths of a second behind him. By lap 11, the top three posi - tions held, but Bagnaia was losing ground while Zarco stayed close. Morbidelli then began to fade, but he remained over a sec- ond ahead of Bagnaia and Zarco. With 10 laps to go, Marc had a moment at the fast turn 11, los- ing time but quickly recovering back onto his brother's rear tire. By lap 18, he launched his first attack at turn five but ran wide, allowing Alex to retain the lead. A lap later, both set their fastest times, with Marc slightly quicker. On lap 20, Marc made another move at turn five—this time making it stick. Racing charge in sixth, edging out Morbidelli. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) took an encourag - ing eighth after a late move on Acosta, who dropped to ninth after a strong start. Quartararo also faded late in the race to take 10th. MotoGP Race Marc Marquez took the holeshot into turn one, while Bezzecchi went the opposite way, crashing after colliding with Fabio Quar- tararo. Quartararo dropped to the back of the pack, but Bez- zecchi's race was done. Up front, Zarco pressured Bagnaia for third, but their battle allowed the Marquez brothers to pull seven-tenths of a second clear, with Alex shadowing Marc in the early laps. On lap four, Alex capitalized on a mistake by Marc at turn one to take the lead, with Franco Morbidelli climbing to third ahead of Zarco and Bagnaia. As the race settled, Alex led Marc ROUND 2 / MARCH 14-16, 2025 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO / SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO PROVINCE, ARGENTINA P64 ACOSTA-DUCATI LINKS EMERGE? KTM's slow start to the season has fueled speculation Pedro Acosta may have a clause to escape his contract in KTM at the end of 2025, according to Spanish publication AS. Acosta played this down on Friday, stating, "I mean, er…I have '25 and '26 contract. I don't have to see anything. I just want to keep being competitive. All manufacturers, not only my bike, are improving and we are coming closer to Ducati. This is what we need…not for staying in KTM just to be happy in my life! We need to keep working. It's the second race of the season! Come on, boys…" Yet VR46 Ducati didn't exactly play the links down. "This is the second race! Every year it's earlier and earlier to talk about the future," said team principal Pablo Nieto. "At the moment, it's difficult to talk about that. We have to be focused on our riders. We can make a good job. But we know Pedro is a fantastic rider and ev- eryone wants that. Let's see." DUCATI TO CONTEST MARTIN'S MOTOGP TEST Ducati appears set to stand in the way of Aprilia's plan to let Jorge Martin test its MotoGP bike before making a comeback from injury. The Noale factory is keen for the reigning World Champion to try its bike in Misano to see whether his left wrist has healed sufficiently before confirming his return in Qatar. This is currently against the rules, which forbid full-time riders from testing MotoGP machinery outside official tests or Grand Prix. And while Ducati team principal Briefly... ROAD RACE I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Alex (73) goes for the inside of brother Marc as Francesco Bagnaia (63) keeps a watching brief. The younger Marquez's race pace almost saw him seal a career-first win.