-Pecco Bagnaia crashes out from the lead on the final lap
-Marc Marquez rises from 14th to 2nd
-Pedro Acosta finishes third
The Sprint Race of the 2024 Catalan GP at the Circuit De Barcelona in Spain was filled with edge of the seat action as home hero Aleix Espargaro clinched victory. The Aprilia Racing rider was not in contention for the win in the initial laps, despite starting on Pole, but as has been the case this season, expect the unexpected in MotoGP.
A crazy start
Pecco Bagnaia on the Factory Ducati made a brilliant start from P2 on the Grid but Pedro Acosta on the GasGas Tech 3 Racing bike got into the lead. Raul Fernandez on the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia slotted in third as the field raced around the epic circuit. As the race progressed, Raul made a quick attack on both Bagnaia and Acosta to take the lead. It was all going well for him until he crashed out of the race at Turn 10.
Meanwhile, Brad Binder on the factory KTM moved up the field and challenged Acosta for the lead, and snatched it from the rookie. It looked as if Binder had it in the bag when suddenly, he lost the front end and crashed.
Bagnaia blows it
During the last stages of the race, Aleix Espargaro managed to catch and pass Acosta for P2. The Aprilia rider looked in form as he held on to the second spot with Bagnaia sitting comfortably in the lead. Behind this duo, Marc Marquez was showing the world why he is an eight time World Champion. The Spaniard, who qualified on P14 made an incredible charge up the field to slot behind Espargaro for P3.
And then, on the final lap, as Pecco Bagnaia entered Turn 5, he crashed out of the lead and gifted the race win to Aleix Espargaro. Marc Marquez got promoted to second as a result of Bagnaia’s blunder while Pedro Acosta crossed the line in third. That made for an all Spanish podium at the Catalan GP Sprint Race, much to the delight of the home crowd.
The main race today should be as action packed as the Sprint and will begin at 5:30pm.
