Marquez the younger wins at home, leads championship
BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP's Alex Marquez celebrates on the podium after winning the race. PHOTO: REUTERS
Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez claimed his first MotoGP race victory at the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday to snatch the championship lead from his elder brother, Marc, who crashed early in the race and finished 12th.
After seven second-place finishes in sprints and races this season, Alex claimed a dream race win on home turf in front of over 100,000 fans, with the Spaniard imploring them to increase the volume even when he had a few corners left on the final lap.
Fabio Quartararo finished second to give Yamaha their first podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix, while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came in third.
Marc squeezed his way through the crowd to embrace Alex in the winner's circle as the two Spaniards became the first brothers to win in MotoGP.
But the day belonged to the Gresini rider, who leads his elder sibling by one point in the standings after taking the chequered flag, which was waved by Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
"The best birthday present, amazing. The first one in Jerez is something amazing," said Alex, who celebrated his 29th birthday earlier this week.
"I cannot ask for more. It was a race where I was really clever in all the movements."
— A frustrating crash forced Southland rider Cormac Buchanan to settle for 19th overall at round five of the Moto3 World Championship in Spain.
The 18-year-old's form was strong in the early stages of the race, and he moved into 11th place before his points aspirations ended in the gravel trap after losing grip on his front wheel.
After remounting, Buchanan managed to record impressive lap times despite considerable damage to his KTM machine.
— Reuters/APL
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