Marc Marquez wins Hungarian MotoGP for weekend sweep / Photo: © AFP
Marc Marquez wins Hungarian MotoGP for weekend sweep
Reigning world champion Marc Marquez won on a Sunday for the first time this season as he held off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to take the Hungarian MotoGP.
Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out on the first corner.
In a battle of the generations, 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday's sprint, and Acosta, 22, exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.
Marquez beat Acosta by just over 1.343 seconds.
Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a matching factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.
At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into at the first corner. Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short starting straight, lost control and he, and his bike flew, into the tightly-bunched pack. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Bezzechi went down.
Marquez had sped off pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly outpaced the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed and shot past.
By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia
Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off 22-year-old Acosta's instant counter-attack pulling clear before relaxing in the fnal lap.
Ai Ogura on a Trackhouse was fourth and Luca Marini fifth for Hinda. Fabio di Gianntonio, who started the day third in the standings, could only finish 11th.
Q.al-Mutawa--BT
