VOLUME ISSUE JUNE , P93
willing to fill his space. The pair
traded blows on the opening lap,
with the home hero coming out
on top. But the eye was drawn to
behind. Bagnaia overcame the
Desmosedici's starting deficits
to sit third ahead of Marquez
and Aldeguer.
Martin soon blew second
place by outbraking himself at
turn one, handing Bagnaia sec
-
ond. And Ducati's top speed was
apparent the following lap as he
blasted by Bezzecchi on the run
to turn one. This was the Bag-
naia of old as he started putting
distance into the Aprilia pairing,
summoning memories of his
convincing wins here between
2022 and '24.
But Bezzecchi remained un
-
flustered. Three of this season's
CAL RETURNS!
To the surprise of the MotoGP
world, Cal Crutchlow made a
shock return to replace the injured
Johann Zarco in LCR Honda
colors. The Brit, who won three
races for Honda's satellite team
in 2016 and 2018, was asked to
step in on the Monday before the
race. An interaction with his wife,
Lucy, led the Briton to accept the
offer. "I had Lucio [Cecchinello,
team owner] call. Finally, I spoke
to Daco [Mamola, team coordina-
tor], and he said, 'The team wants
you to come back and race.' I
went home, and Lucy said, 'Oh, did
Daco call you?' and I said, 'Yeah,'
but I didn't bring up the subject.'
And she said, 'Because they called
me first! To get the blessing!' "
TECH3 TO PLUMP FOR
MOTO2 ROOKIE?
Tech3 is open to pairing a rookie
with a more experienced rider in
2027, with Maverick Vinales con-
fident he will extend his stay with
KTM. Tech3 boss Guenther Stein-
er told assembled journalists, "I'm
pretty open to taking a chance on
a Moto2 rider. We know we won't
be able to sign Marc Marquez.
This is an opportunity for us. You
can mix experience with some-
body who could be next star."
Senna Agius has been linked with
Tech3 and is fancied to step up to
the premier class next year.
Briefly...
