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/1547519
clever strategy, trying to manage the first few laps with my front tire and then from that point my target was the podium. "It was difficult, but at the same time it was not difficult. Because when you look at the race pace during practice, Marco was half a second faster than me. There's nothing you can do; you can fol- low him for two laps but not 22 laps. It was not the time to take that extra risk. We did it in previ- ous races; we did it yesterday and today in the last part of the race. I took that extra risk because you never know if you will need those extra four points." Martin said, "After 12-13 laps, I started to feel that I was going to give up in terms of pace and start to relax. But I saw I was even catching Bastianini and Di Giannantonio finished eighth after starting from the front row, with Zarco and Iker Lecuona (BK8 Gresini Ducati)—filling in for the injured Alex Marquez—complet- ing the top 10. Jake Dixon, stand- ing in for the injured Joan Mir, scored his first MotoGP points in 14th on the factory Honda. Marquez now holds a 60-point championship advantage over Martin, with Bezzecchi 74 points behind. With 74 points remaining, Marquez can potentially secure the title at the upcoming Portu- guese Grand Prix at Portimao, even as early as the Sprint race. "I'm super happy with the overall weekend," Marquez said. "Thirty-two points is a lot, and it was an important weekend not to give our competitors an extra boost. Today I had a clear and a comfortable advantage and crossed the line 3.6 seconds clear to secure his 12th MotoGP victory and sixth of the season. "In the first few laps, I tried to push and get clear of the group," Bezzecchi said. "After that, it was all about managing the race, because with the tire wear, front and rear, it wasn't easy. I'm very happy with this win. We've done a good job and we're enjoying it. Now we go home to rest, so we're ready for Portimao." Fernandez held on for third, with Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) finishing fourth ahead of Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Acosta. Martin produced an impres- sive recovery to finish seventh, just two weeks after fracturing his wrist in Australia. ROUND 20 / NOVEMBER 6-8, 2026 LOSAIL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT / DOHA, QATAR ROAD RACE I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P80 Dani Holgado (96) charged through the field to give the Aspar team its second win in a row in Moto2.