By Juan Antonio Lladós
Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) (EFE)
Ahead of Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati Desmosedici GP23) and Spanish Alex Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP22).
The Italian Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP23), who suffered a crash on the seventeenth lap, lost the lead in the provisional World Championship to his compatriot Bezzecchi, who in 2018 achieved his first victory in this same Argentine circuit. the motorcycling world championship in the Moto3 category.
The Spanish Joan Mir (Repsol Honda RC 213 V) was the first casualty of the long race when he was declared “unfit” by the Grand Prix Medical Commission after suffering a severe fall on Saturday in the sprint race in which he suffered a head trauma with nausea and dizziness, for which he will rest until the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin (Texas).
Thus, at the start of the long race, scheduled for 25 laps, the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) came out like a real exhalation to command the race, followed by Alex Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) and the also Italian Francesco “Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP23).
Before the end of the first lap, South African Brad Binder (KTM RC 16), winner of Saturday’s sprint race, crashed in turn five, although he returned to the race last.
While the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami (Honda RC 213 V) and the French Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1), touched and had to give many positions to avoid the fall.
Marco Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez
Bezzecchi and Márquez each set the fastest laps in the second lap, in which they already had a certain advantage over their immediate pursuers, Bagnaia and fellow Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha YZR M 1), with the main group led by Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati Desmosedici GP23) already more than three seconds away.
As the laps went by, the situation consolidated with those four riders in front of it, always with Marco Bezzecchi setting the pace and with Morbidelli closing the leading group.
The Italian set a new fastest lap on his fourth lap, and also on the fifth and sixth, in a clear attempt to put land in the middle with respect to his rivals on the way to his first victory in the category, after being the best rookie the last season. On the sixth lap, Bezzecchi was already riding solo with a second and a half ahead of Alex Márquez.
In the chasing group led by Zarco, the Frenchman lost some steam and found himself overtaken by the Italian Fabio di Giannantonio (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) and the Spanish Alex Rins (Honda RC 213 V).
Overcome the rain in Termas de Río Hondo
Once those positions were consolidated, the race became somewhat monotonous, without too many details to highlight, except for Di Giannantonio’s mistake that made him go to the back of his group, which Alex Rins went on to lead, although far, very far, more than five seconds, from the fourth place occupied by Morbidelli.
Rins had enough to try to endure the fight with Johann Zarco, a very fast driver in wet conditions, who ended up overtaking him on the thirteenth lap, although they remained in a compact group that also included Jorge Martín, who one lap later he passed Rins, Jack Miller (KTM RC 16), Fabio di Giannantonio and Luca Marini.
Behind, a very nondescript Fabio Quartararo in the first half of the race, took action, as his Yamaha kept the tires much better, and began to pass rivals to be eleventh on the fourteenth lap, eleven from the end.
Alex Márquez lost position to Bagnaia on the fifteenth lap, but tried to hold on in his wake, keeping an eye on Franco Morbidelli, with whom he maintained the gap.
Error de Bagnaia
But on the seventeenth lap, the surprise came when “Pecco” Bagnaia made a mistake, which crashed at turn thirteen. He returned to the track, but he did so in the penultimate position, just ahead of another accident victim, Brad Binder.
With eight laps to go, Bagnaia tried to gain positions, without success, while Bezzecchi was comfortable in the lead and Alex Márquez recovered second place, although with the Italian Morbidelli behind him, just half a second behind, and with the Frenchman Zarco throwing himself away. already above them.
Behind, Johann Zarco gradually distanced himself from the group, like Jorge Martín, while Jack Miller and Alex Rins battled for sixth place.
Two laps from the end, Zarco caught up with Morbidelli, whom he overtook, and on the last lap, he also defeated Márquez to finish second.
Jorge Martín achieved fifth place, with Fabio Quartararo seventh, Alex Rins ninth, and Augusto Fernández (GasGas RC 16) eleventh.
In front of a discreet Maverick Viñales (Aprilia RS-GP), with Raúl Fernández (Aprilia RS-GP) fourteenth and Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP), fifteenth.
