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/1539282
MOTOGP SPRINT Alex Marquez made the per- fect start in the Catalan Sprint, leading into turn one as Fabio Quartararo dived inside Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM) to seize second. The opening lap was hectic as Marc attacked Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) at turn 10, only for the Frenchman to hold firm through turn 12. Acosta then slipped past Marc, but a slipstream from Quartara - ro's Yamaha allowed the number 93 to blast by both at the next corner. Quartararo quickly retali - ated, keeping Acosta behind as the order settled. Alex soon led by half a sec - ond, with Marc and Quartararo giving chase. Behind, Acosta lost ground to Fabio Di Giannan- tonio (VR46 Ducati), then fell into a furious scrap with fellow KTM teamsters Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini. Up front, Quartararo gradually drifted 1.3 seconds off the Marquez broth - ers' pace by mid-distance. Alex, meanwhile, seemed in control with a lead of 1.3 seconds with four laps left. Then came heartbreak. At the slippery turn 10, Alex tucked the front and crashed out, throwing away what looked like certain victory. Marc inherited the lead, and with a margin of nearly 1.3 seconds over Quartararo enter - ing the final lap, the outcome was never in doubt. The Ducati ROUND 15 / SEPTEMBER 5-7, 2025 CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA / BARCELONA, SPAIN ROAD RACE I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P84 79 AI OGURA 9TH/6TH MOTOGP "I think it was a nice race," Ogura said. "In the first few laps I used the front tire a lot more to protect my po- sition, and after that I was just saving the rear tire. But it was really difficult to decide when to attack at the end of the race—I thought I could have charged a bit earlier, but I couldn't re- ally feel what is going to happen with the rear tire. It wasn't easy, but I was strong in the end, and that was super important. We really needed one good race like this, and so I'm happy about the day." 42 ALEX RINS 15TH/DNF MOTOGP "We took a small step forward com- pared to yesterday," Rins said. "We saw some interesting things in the braking data that allowed me to brake a little later. I put it into practice from the warmup session, and it worked a bit better for me. It was a pity that I lost the front at turn 12; the wall there is a bit close, to be honest. I have some pain in the cervical area, but luckily, I'm fine." MYOWNRACE