Pecco Bagnaia once again feels Jorge Martín’s breath on his neck. Martinator finished off a superb weekend in Thailand with a double, a tremendous victory in the Sunday race that adds to that of the Sprint on Saturday, 37 points in his pocket, to get closer to just 13 behind the World Championship leader. The title is still possible with three grand prizes to go, 111 points at stake.
In the two Buriram races, Martín has been able to reduce the disadvantage with the Italian from 27 to 13 points, who minimized the losses with a brave climb at the end, from 6th to 2nd.
“Today I didn’t see myself with a better pace than them, I didn’t feel strong enough to win. I saw that Pecco was getting closer and closer, I had no rubber left, Binder started to fight… a race full of things, it was the most beautiful of my life, in terms of fighting. Mentally this weekend has destroyed me, I need to disconnect for four days from motorcycles,” commented Martín, who regains his chances of being crowned thanks to this fourth victory, which adds to the seven achieved in Sprint the Saturdays.
Maximum tension on the starting grid, with Jorge Martín on pole, and Pecco Bagnaia on the second row, 6th. The Madrid native, aware that he could become the leader, started phenomenally, maintaining first place, while the Italian advanced to fourth position.
But one element was against Bagnaia: the strength of the Ducati, which could pass him and take him away from Martín. Àlex Márquez did this, as did Binder’s KTM, to delay him to 6th place on the second lap. At that exact moment, in the overall standings of the World Cup, Martín was virtually within 3 points of the leader.
Martín opened the race strongly, followed by his friend Aleix Espargaró at 2 tenths (v.3/26), Binder and Marini, with Alex 5th and Bagnaia 6th, in a sandwich between Márquez, with Marc 7th. .
Vibrant and high tension was Marc Márquez’s fight with Bagnaia, with touch included, in which the Catalan won the game and took 6th position. He did not want to enter the Italian melee, with much more to lose. Martín was provisionally within 2 points, but a few corners later the leader regained 6th place when Márquez went wide.
In front, Martín changed pursuer, as Binder overtook Aleix Espargaró and took over in the role of hunter (v. 5/26). Alex Márquez was third and Marini fourth, while the Aprilia rider was losing positions. He even passed Bagnaia (5th) and Marc Márquez (6th). The one from Cervera and the one from Granollers, as already happened in the Sprint, had a tough time. The one from Aprilia won.
Bagnaia, like a diesel, was gaining pace and strength and rose to fourth place, leaving Marini behind. He tried to minimize the losses with Martín, whom at that time (v. 12/26) he surpassed by 6 points in the overall championship. He had Àlex Márquez and Binder ahead of him to reach the Madrid native, in the lead without letting up.
He won a Bagnaia place as a gift from Àlex Márquez, who crashed (v. 14/26) after losing control of his Ducati Gresini. The man from Cervera gave up his third position to the World Cup leader, who thus extended his provisional advantage to 9 points over Martín.
As the race entered its final stretch, the last 10 laps (v. 17/26), the first three formed a group with minimum distances, with Martín opening the track, followed by Binder and Bagnaia closing, a little further behind the KTM . One second away were the VR46s of Marini and Bezzecchi, Aleix, Marc and Quartararo (remembering their stellar duel in 2019).
Martín felt Binder’s encouragement, but the Madrid native braked very well, while Bagnaia distanced himself from the South African by half a second (v. 20/26), with no apparent chance of entering the final fight for victory.
With 7 laps remaining, Binder unleashed hostilities at the head of the race. He launched an attack on the Ducati Pramac and surpassed it, twice, and on both occasions Martín recovered his position. Two maneuvers that directly benefited Bagnaia to get closer and have the rod ready to fish whatever fell.
At Binder’s third attack, Martín no longer responded. He preferred to stay behind and not wear himself out in a sterile fight that could only take him to the ground. He bided his time, with Bagnaia lurking behind. With two laps remaining, Martín attacked with precise inside braking, took the lead and tried to distance himself from the KTM. He also attacked Bagnaia from the outside, before the last lap, to try the impossible, but Martín and Binder blocked him well, who remained in front.
In the last lap, Martín braked like never before to close all the gaps for the KTM, he defended every corner and won bravely, in one of his best weekends: double (Sprint and Sunday race) and 14 points less than Bagnaia.
There were 14 (and not 18) because Binder was stripped of his second position for racing off the track on the last lap, so Bagnaia rose to second place and lost only 5 points with the Madrid native; 13 between Saturday and Sunday.
