MotoGP: Jorge Martin wins San Marino Grand Prix sprint race after new lap record in qualifying, Francesco Bagnaia third

ByJames Hilsum

Updated 09/09/2023 at 15:55 GMT+1

Jorge Martin completed a memorable day at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano after following his fantastic performance in qualifying to win the sprint race. Martin set a new record lap time in Q2 before finishing more than a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi in the sprint standings. Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia finished third, but was pushed hard by test rider Dani Pedrosa in fourth.

Jorge Martin capitalised on his superb qualifying performance to win a third MotoGP sprint race at the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Prima Pramac Racing rider topped the pile, with Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia finishing second and third, respectively.

In truth, Martin won the race with relative comfort in the end, as Bezzecchi and Bagnaia finished 1.445 and 4.582 seconds adrift of the Spaniard.

GP Misano

'Wow, an incredible lap time!' - Martin 'obliterates' record in San Marino

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09/09/2023 at 13:03

Martin paid tribute to the late Mike Trimby, before reflecting on the race as a whole to TNT Sports, and said: “First of all, I want to give my condolences to the family of Mike Trimby; he passed away today and I’m so sorry for all of them.

“Today was a great day with the lap record; I was expecting it to be more difficult in the first few laps, and Marco pushed me a lot, so I had to be at the limit all the time.

“I was at the absolute limit and I’m so happy to win today; hopefully, tomorrow I will feel even stronger.”

Bezzecchi looked set to make a strong challenge for first after moving past Bagnaia, and moved within inches of the race leader, but his mistake at the final corner proved costly and allowed the Spaniard to increase his lead beyond a second.

'Today was a great day' - Martin reacts to sprint race victory in San Marino

Brad Binder was making a charge for the podium and attacked Maverick Vinales in lap three, before nearly colliding with him at turn five.

The Aprilia Racing rider was also issued a track limits warning at the end of the third lap, after a bid to keep Binder at bay.

Current world champion Bagnaia was facing a formidable challenge from the test rider Dani Pedrosa, who was in touching distance for what would be an incredible third-place finish.

'Wow, an incredible lap time!' - Martin 'obliterates' record in San Marino

• Martin smashes lap record to secure pole

It was a gripping fight for that final podium spot, as Pedrosa did everything possible to usurp Bagnaia, but the championship leader held on for third.

Attention now turns to the Grand Prix race itself, which takes place on Sunday afternoon at 13:00 UK time.

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