MotoGP: Jorge Martin wins a three-way battle in a Thai GP thriller

Jorge Martin has won a remarkable Thailand Grand Prix.

After qualifying on pole position and winning the MotoGP Sprint, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) looked ready to reduce Bagnaia’s Championship lead. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) joined him on the front row.

Jorge Martin had a bad initial start to the race but was able to keep the race lead on the exit of turn one. Aleix Espargaro made a great start to the race and began to battle with Martin at the front.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) eventually carved his way into second and began to battle for the lead. Martin and Binder built a gap of half a second to the group battling behind.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was the only rider in the entire field with a medium rear.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) had a great battle with Aleix Espargaro who dropped down the field after a handful of laps. Espargaro dropped outside of the top five after 10 laps, struggling on the Aprilia.

Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) was shown the mechanical flag during the race, forcing last year’s race winner to retire. Alex Marquez’s race also came to a premature end with a crash on lap 12.

The race settled in the middle stage with Binder waiting for an opportunity to pass Jorge Martin. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team)  and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) had their own battle for fourth.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) fought his way through the field after starting the race in last place. Bastianini made his way inside the point-scoring positions with a handful of laps remaining.

Three-way battle for the lead

A two-way battle turned into a three-way battle with Francesco Bagnaia catching the duo at the front. Binder eventually found a way into the race lead on lap 22 and tried to create a gap to Martin.

Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) was forced to retire from the race after an issue, dropping the Spaniard to the last position.

The race took a turn with two laps to go as Martin reclaimed the lead at turn three with an impressive overtake. Desperation started to set in for Bagnaia with a move around the outside at the final corner, running him wide.

At the line, Jorge Martin held onto the race lead, taking a marginal win from Brad Binder in second place. Binder would be demoted at the line after running onto the green on the final lap. Because of the demotion, Bagnaia was promoted to second position and reduced Martin’s advantage.

Marco Bezzecchi was the first VR46 Ducati after a fantastic battle throughout the race. Aleix Espargaro managed to claim a top-five finish after struggling in the middle part of the race. Fabio Quartararo had a great result, finishing in sixth position and finishing as the top Yamaha.

Marc Marquez crossed the line in seventh position after a thrilling race for the eight-time World Champion. Marquez finished ahead of Luca Marini who dropped down the order after a tough end to his race.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was ninth after qualifying down in 13^th after not making it into Q2. Last weekend’s race winner, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati) rounded out the top 10.

The gap in the Championship is just 13 points with just six races and three rounds remaining this season. Riders and teams will have a one-week break before the next round at Sepang in November.

Image credit: Red Bull Content Pool