Riders say that it is easier to be a chaser than to be chased in the MotoGP World Championship. Jorge Martín, who this Saturday made his debut as the leader of the competition in the Indonesian GP, promised them happiness in his first experience in charge of the premier category. The joy, however, lasted 13 laps. The Pramac Ducati rider from Madrid fell when he was alone in the lead and handed the championship lead on a plate to Pecco Bagnaia. The current world champion took advantage of the inopportune mistake of his great rival and, with a magnificent comeback from 13th place on the grid, won the race and regained the preferred position in the table.
The number one burst with joy and emphatically celebrated the victory after weeks of pressure and suffering due to the push of his opponent. Bagnaia’s is the biggest comeback in a premier class race since Marco Melandri won the 2006 Turkish GP starting in 14th position. The triumph, yes, was a direct consequence of Martín’s failure. The Spaniard took the victory and the lead in the gravel when he was riding with more than two and a half seconds ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia), ultimately second and accompanied by Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) on the podium in Mandalika.
Martín came out like a typhoon and placed first in the first corner of the race after starting in sixth place. Not even the short straight of the circuit was an obstacle for him. He seemed determined to confirm his excellent sporting and vital moment, riding faster than anyone towards what would have been his fourth double in a weekend at this World Cup. He felt like he was the strongest, unbeatable, but motorcycling is a sport that also requires modulating adrenaline rushes very well and properly managing the technical aspects of the competition. “You have to learn from your mistakes, the next time you are two or three seconds ahead you will have to relax a little,” acknowledged the man from Madrid.
On lap 13, in turn 11, not particularly critical, the man from Madrid lost his front axle and went down by surprise. “This track doesn’t allow you to go a meter long, I made a small mistake on 10, I touched the line a little, the dirty part, and the bike didn’t warn me,” he analyzed later in the DAZN broadcast. The leader couldn’t quite believe it, whose dream of seeing himself at the top of the World Cup lasted 24 hours. Hands on his head, in disbelief, Martín stayed to watch the bulls from the barrier and watched as Bagnaia smelled blood and completed his best race in a long time to win. “I have done 14 races without failing, statistically it had to happen. I feel bad that it was here, but I think I have dominated and I hope to do it again soon,” he reflected.
Bagnaia: “I thought about taking care of the tires”
Its rival and mainstay of the Bologna brand sowed its great Sunday harvest in Indonesia in the initial turn. He won seven places as soon as he started and then knew how to take advantage of the touch between the author of the pole Luca Marini and Brad Binder to place fourth and maintain eye contact with the podium positions. The South African KTM overrevved and then had another incident with Miguel Oliveira, earning two long lap penalties along the way that ruled him out of winning. On the third lap, Bagnaia was already third after overtaking Quartararo’s Yamaha without top speed.
There he already thought about managing. There were many laps ahead and he saw how Martín was pulling too hard at the front of the classification. He thought about waiting for his opportunity, to take care of the tires so he could give the final blow in the final stretch. “When I saw that Martín was escaping I thought about being calm, about taking care of the tires. It was the right thing to do, in the last 10 laps I was able to control the pace and the race. We deserved a race like this,” commented the current champion. The fall of his opponent was an unexpected gift, but he focused on finishing the job: “I just thought about winning.” At the celebration, he did not hesitate to get even and listen, with a challenging hand on his ear, to all those who have criticized him in recent weeks, when he lost his 66 points at the top of the table in just four grand prix. . “Sometimes there is too much talk, it is better to let things happen and talk later,” explained number one.
Now he is once again at the top of the standings with 18 points, and the exchange of blows between the two Ducati riders is expected to be a big deal between now and the end of the competition in Valencia on November 26. I’ll be back next time, Martín warned once he recovered from the moral blow. There are five grand prix and ten points races left in six weeks, and the battle continues with a third candidate in Marco Bezzecchi, fifth in Mandalika a week after his collarbone operation. The Italian from VR46 Racing is 45 points away and still has reasons to dream.
While this final fight will be short for some, for others it will continue to seem like an ordeal. Marc Márquez fell once again when he was running tenth and did not hide his desire to close the course and start his new stage with the same bike that the leaders of the competition now enjoy. “One more, twenty-something this year, well… it’s over, five races,” said the Catalan. Fabio Di Giannantonio, the rider who gave him his seat in the Gresini Ducati team, achieved the best result of his life in MotoGP in Indonesia with a fourth position and began to cry in the parc ferme. Behind, Álex Rins finished as the best Honda with a ninth place after nine races out due to injury.
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