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/1543676
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2026 P91 thriller. From pole, Bezzecchi nailed the launch to lead early, with Marquez initially hold- ing second before Fernandez muscled through at turn seven. Martin briefly demoted Marquez as well, but the reigning cham - pion fought back. Out front, Bezzecchi quickly found his rhythm, edging clear as Fernandez settled into second. Behind them, the battle intensified. Martin pushed Marquez back to fourth before Acosta joined the fray, passing Marquez at turn 12 in a move reminiscent of their Sprint scrap. As Bezzecchi and Fernandez maintained a steady pace, Acosta and Martin traded blows, the Aprilia rider defending stoutly until Acosta finally forced his way into third at turn three. Marquez momentarily re - passed both rivals in a bold lap 10 move, but Acosta retaliated at turn eight to reclaim third. By mid-distance, however, the leading duo had stretched their advantage. Bezzecchi controlled proceedings more than three seconds clear, while Acosta began closing on Fernandez for second. Then came the drama. With seven laps remaining, Marquez— shadowing the fight—suffered a catastrophic rear-tire puncture, very nearly pitching him over the handlebars at around 120 mph. "One of the most unusual things has happened—the tire exploded," Marquez said. "It was just when I was really pushing." Soon after, Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) crashed at the same corner, escaping injury but have to be happy. Even without his penalty, we have to be happy with the job we've done and for the battle we were able to have." "We will try to beat him tomor - row, and if it's not possible, it is what it is," Marquez said. "But I'm really happy about the battle we were able to have today." Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) completed the podium. The second Trackhouse April - ia of Ai Ogura secured fourth ahead of Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing Team), with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), Fabio Di Giannan - tonio (VR46 Ducati) and Fran- cesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati) r ounding out the points. SUNDAY MOTOGP Sunday in Buriram delivered more chaos after Saturday's safety in mind. If you arrive at the traffic lights with a yellow light, you brake to not smash into the car in front." YAMAHA'S V4 DEBUT After struggling in preseason test- ing, the debut of Yamaha's new V4 850cc M1 wasn't one to write home about, with Monster En- ergy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo placing 14th, one position better than his teammate, Alex Rins. "As expected, today's race was hugely challenging for us," said Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli. "The heat and humidity made the 26 laps a real test of endurance and an important benchmark for this brand-new project. It's still early on in the timeline, but we are get- ting to know the bike better lap by lap, learning about every aspect. On top of this, this type of circuit and the construction of the tires usually assigned to us in very hot conditions made everything more difficult. There's not much more to say right now except that we will study all the data we were able to gather this weekend to see if we can prepare a bit better for the next GP." The former World champ, Quartararo, had few words to say: "It was a tough race, but a bit of what we expected. Hopefully, in Brazil, we will feel better with the bike." YAMAHA IN FOR MARINI? Yamaha is reported to have made a move for Luca Marini in 2027 as it hopes to find a rider suitable to bring its V4 850cc M1 up to speed. Despite Honda's love for his ap- proach, character, and ability to Briefly... Alex Marquez (73) had an inauspicious start to his season, crashing out at high speed on Sunday. It wasn't a lot better for Francesco Bagnaia (63), but at least he saw the flag.