The Spanish rider Marc Márquez (Ducati) took victory this Saturday in the sprint race of the Aragon Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the motorcycle World Championship, after finishing second in the fight for pole behind the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), on a day in which Alonso López (Kalex) and David Almansa (KTM) have guaranteed themselves to come out first this Sunday in Moto2 and Moto3, respectively.
The man from Cervera, who started from second position on the grid, attacked once the traffic lights were turned off at MotorLand Aragón and took the lead in the race, a position that he would not abandon until the checkered flag. With this, he now has 20 victories on Saturday, more than any other driver, breaking the tie with Jorge Martín (Aprilia), with 19.
Behind the world champion finished his brother Alex Márquez (Ducati), who was also able to overtake Bezzecchi, who completed the podium of the day in Alcañiz. Pedro Acosta (KTM) finished fourth, while the current leader, Martín, closed the ‘Top 5’, just ahead of Fermín Aldeguer (Ducati).
With these results, Martín slightly reduces his lead in the overall championship over Bezzecchi, now to 29 points. Marc Márquez, for his part, rises one place to the detriment of the Japanese Ai Ogura – absent after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his left hand – and is third at 33 points.
In addition, Raúl Fernández (Aprilia) finished eighth this Sunday, entering the points zone. Outside of it, Alex Rins (Yamaha) finished twelfth; Joan Mir (Honda), sixteenth; and Pol Espargaró (KTM), seventeenth.
Previously, Bezzecchi was the only driver to go under 1:45 in the qualifying session and made good on his record 1:44.962 in Q2 to take pole position ahead of the Márquez brothers. Raúl Fernández, Martín and Acosta made up the second row, while Aldeguer was guaranteed to start eleventh. They could not advance to Q2 Joan Mir, fifteenth; Alex Rins, nineteenth, nor Pol Espargaró, twentieth.
ALONSO LÓPEZ LEADS THE SPANISH MOTO2 ‘TOP 4’
In Moto2, Alonso López (Kalex) celebrated a pole position three years later and will lead a Spanish front row that will also include Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro), second overall, and Dani Holgado (Kalex), while the leader, Manu González (Kalex), closed the national ‘Top 4’ at MotorLand Aragón.
Among those who also competed in Q2, Ángel Piqueras (Kalex) guaranteed himself eighth starting place, ahead of Alex Escrig (Forward); Dani Muñoz (Kalex) will start thirteenth; Iván Ortolá (Kalex) will start fifteenth; and Adrián Huertas (Kalex), seventeenth.
For his part, José Antonio Rueda (Kalex) will have to come back from the twenty-first starting position; Arón Canet (Boscoscuro) from the twenty-third; Marcos Ramírez (Forward) from the twenty-fourth; Sergio García Dols (Kalex) from the twenty-fifth; Alberto Ferrández (Boscoscuro) from the twenty-seventh; and Xabi Zurutuza (Forward) from twenty-eighth.
ALMANSA WILL START FIRST IN MOTO3
Finally, the Spanish David Almansa (KTM) secured the pole for the Moto3 race with a MotorLand record time of 1:56.347 that will see him start on the front row of the grid ahead of the Argentine Marco Morelli (KTM), who was 33 thousandths behind, and the championship leader, the also Spanish Máximo Quiles (KTM).
In addition, Adrián Cruces (KTM) will start fifth, just ahead of the ‘rookie’ Brian Uriarte (KTM), while the third row will be headed by the second placed, Álvaro Carpe (KTM), along with Adrián Fernández (Honda). Jesús Ríos (Honda) will start tenth; David Muñoz’s replacement, David González (KTM), will do seventeenth and Joel Esteban (KTM), eighteenth.