MotoGP, Motegi: Marc Márquez sprinted to victory, Acosta crashed out

The second qualifying session of the premier class alone set the perfect stage for Sprint No. 16 of the 2026 season. The Marquez brothers, the Aprilia works duo of Martin and Bezzecchi, and KTM ace Acosta had battled it out for the best starting positions. With championship leader Martin on pole ahead of world champion Marc Marquez and Acosta – the most recent MotoGP winner – in third place, the tension was palpable even on the grid.

On the second row, Bezzecchi, in fourth place ahead of the other Ducati winners Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, was ready for the highlight of Sprint Saturday. Pecco Bagnaia, who had faced no real opposition a year ago and had won both races in commanding fashion, set off from 13th on the grid for the 13-lap sprint.

The fans’ hero – Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura – had only an outside chance. The 2024 Moto2 World Champion and future Yamaha works rider had made it through to Q2, but could not manage better than 11th place there. His team-mate Raul Fernandez was lined up in row 3, behind Tech3 prospect Enea Bastianini and the fastest Honda rider, rookie Diogo Moreira. Not on the grid: Taka Nakagami. Honda’s wildcard had already broken his collarbone in the first free practice session.

Before the warm-up lap began, Ducati’s star rider Marc Marquez astonished onlookers with a workout. ‘MM93’ completed a strenuous set of push-ups next to his bike. Then, at 3 pm local time, in brilliant conditions (23 degrees air, 37 degrees track), the prototype engines were started. All the top riders, with the exception of Bezzecchi, had opted for the soft Michelin race tyre, whilst ‘Bez’ went for the ‘Medium’.

The race got off to a dramatic start. Whilst Marc Marquez caught Jorge Martin off guard at the start and Bezzecchi moved past Acosta into third place, Alex Marquez caused chaos in the corner. The Gresini rider took out Acosta, and Di Giannantonio was also unable to avoid the collision. This took three MotoGP winners out of the race.

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04.10.2026 - 01:35

At the front, Marc Marquez put his foot down. After two laps, the world champion had built up a half-second lead over Martin. Behind them, Bezzecchi held off Bastianini, but on lap 3 the Aprilia rider was forced to give way. Ai Ogura benefited from the chaos caused by the crashes after the start. By lap 3, the Kundera Aprilia was already in fifth place ahead of rookie Moreira. They were followed by Zarco, Fernández and Quartararo.

Whilst Marc Marquez set the fastest lap of the race, the battle for fourth place was fierce. Bezzecchi, third in the World Championship, came under pressure on his medium tyres. Diogo Moreira overtook him, as did Ai Ogura – leaving ‘Bez’ in sixth place at the halfway point of the sprint.

Jorge Martin then began to close the gap slightly. Behind Martin came the surprise duo of Bastianini and Moreira. On lap 6, Marc Marquez responded; the Lenovo rider was once again lapping faster than the championship leader. One thing was clear: Marc Márquez was determined to win the sprint, whilst Martin, in P2, was taking fewer risks. With five laps to go, the ‘Martinator’ was 0.9 seconds off the lead. Marco Bezzecchi was powerless to change the situation. The Italian was in sixth place, almost three seconds behind the leader.

With three laps to go, Ogura lost many metres and his chance of fourth place due to a mistake. Before that, Moreira had tried to overtake Bastianini and secure his first podium. But it was too late. At the finish line, Ducati were celebrating. Marc Marquez won comfortably with a 2.4-second lead. Behind him, it was a close finish once again. Martin had lost a lot of ground in the final stages, and the World Championship leader crossed the line only just ahead of Bastianini and Moreira.

Then the marshals intervened. Martin and Bastianini were each demoted by one position. Both had strayed outside the track limits on the final lap. As a result, Moreira took his place on the podium at the post-race ceremony, whilst Martin lost a further two points to Marc Marquez – and Tech3 lost what had seemed a certain podium finish. Ai Ogura crossed the line in a respectable fifth place.

It was a bitter outcome for Pecco Bagnaia. Despite three bikes ahead of him retiring, the winner of the last two years’ sprints failed to finish the race.

The World Championship standings after the Motegi Sprint: Jorge Martin retains the lead – but lost valuable points to the formidable world champion. Bezzecchi remains third, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio, who both failed to score points.