Marco Bezzecchi wins heat-shortened Brazil MotoGP to take championship lead
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi has taken the lead in the championship standings after winning a heat-shortened Brazil MotoGP ahead of Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin.
The 27-year-old followed up his season-opening victory in Thailand to secure another top-of-the-podium finish at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania.
Defending champion Marc Marquez could only manage fourth place behind Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio, who had started the race on pole position.
The highly anticipated event marked the premier motorcycle racing class’s first return to the South American nation in more than two decades.
Extreme temperatures force late adjustments
Organisers were forced to slash the race distance from 31 to 23 laps shortly before the start due to severe weather conditions.
Unprecedented track heat caused significant tyre degradation during the earlier sessions, prompting immediate safety concerns for the competitors.
The eventual race winner admitted his garage had to dig incredibly deep after struggling during a frustrating, rain-hit practice on Friday.
“It was a tough weekend, it was super tough on Friday, we started in a bad way and it was difficult to keep the motivation super high.”
“But the guys did a wonderful job and I pushed myself over the limit to try to compensate everything I could and at the end we found the way to make the bike in a fantastic way.”
Championship standings shake-up
The Italian rider adjusted his approach during the morning warm-ups before deciding he was ready to fight for the win.
“I adjusted some details on my riding and from this morning I felt better, so I said, ‘OK, maybe I can try to fight.’ It was an amazing race, I’m super happy.”
This crucial victory elevates the Aprilia star to the summit of the championship table with 56 points after just two rounds.
Previous leader Pedro Acosta has dropped down the rankings after the KTM rider crossed the finish line in a disappointing seventh place.
The premier class paddock will now travel to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, which takes place between 27 and 29 March.
