VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P87
saw Quartararo briefly regain the
place, but Aldeguer struck back
decisively at turn seven.
A final-lap scrap saw Maverick
Vinales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) try
to overtake KTM teammate Pe
-
dro Acosta for fifth at turn three,
but Acosta later crashed alone
at turn 13 on the last lap, losing a
top-five finish.
Marc Marquez took a domi
-
nant sixth straight Sprint victory,
reclaiming the championship
closing the gap, launching his
first attack at turn three on lap
six but running wide and handing
the position back to Quartararo.
At turn eight, however, he made
the move stick and took the lead.
Lap eight brought more
drama as Alex Marquez (Gresini
Ducati) overtook Quartararo for
second, while rookie sensation
Fermin Aldeguer on the second
Gresini Ducati battled Quartar
-
aro for third. Contact at turn six
RULES CHANGED
There were significant amend-
ments to the MotoGP rules before
Le Mans. For a start, factories have
been forbidden from testing their
new 850cc prototypes for the '27
technical shake-up before next
year. The start-line procedure was
also altered after Marc Marquez's
dramatics in Austin. If a rider leaves
the grid to change tires less than
three minutes before the warm-up
lap starts, they will serve a double
long-lap penalty, rather than a ride
through. And riders will now be al-
lowed to test a MotoGP machine for
one day on a designated test track
if "they have missed three or more
consecutive events" or "they have
missed 45 consecutive days during
a MotoGP season." This can be
called the Jorge Martin rule, which
allows him to check his fitness at a
test before confirming his participa-
tion in a Grand Prix.
BAGNAIA RESIGNED?
There was a hint of resignation
about Pecco Bagnaia on Friday
as he admitted he must change
his riding style to adapt to Ducati's
GP25. The Italian has sought
numerous changes to give him his
usual confidence in braking in the
first five rounds. But at Le Mans,
he described the situation where
he had been told to stop experi-
menting with settings and adapt.
"We tried everything to find what I
want, that is braking and entry in
a more solid way. This season, I
feel much more movement from
the front in this area, so today I just
tried to adapt myself and do a step
on my own. I'm not confident to do
it, but it's the only way to be more
competitive. I'm not upset, but I
feel mad that my greatest point,
Briefly...
Zarco is mobbed by his
LCR Honda team after
taking the checkered flag.
He also stopped Ducati's
win streak at 22.
