Categories: Sports

Bezzecchi fights off Fernandez challenge to win Australian GP sprint

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP SPRINT RACE / SOUNDBITE OF SPRINT WINNER MARCO BEZZECCHI / MOTO2 QUALIFYING ACTION / MOTO3 QUALIFYING ACTION SHOWS: PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 18, 2025) (DORNA – See restrictions before use) AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP SPRINT RACE 1. RACE START 2. VARIOUS OF RIDERS RACING  3. MARCO BEZZECCHI #72 (ASPRILIA RACING) OVERTAKES ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP) AND TAKES SECOND PLACE  4. BEZZECCHI WOBBLE  5. PEDRO ACOSTA #37 (RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING) OVERTAKES JACK MILLER (PRIMA PRAMAC YAMAHA MOTOGP) AND ALEX MARQUEZ (BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP) AND TAKES THIRD PLACE  6. BEZZECCHI REPLAY OF WARM UP LAP 7. BEZZECCHI OVERTAKES RAUL FERNANDEZ (TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP) AND TAKES THE LEAD  8. BEZZECCHI CROSSING FINISH LINE  9. ACTOR LUKE HEMSWORTH WAVING CHEQUERED FLAG  10. BEZZECCHI CELEBRATING  11. BEZZECCHI ON PODIUM 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX SPRINT WINNER MARCO BEZZECCHI, SAYING:       "I started well and Raul (Fernandez) was incredibly fast at the beginning. I was struggling to catch him. So I spent three to four laps to be close to him. And once I was close, I saw that he was running wide in turn 10, so I wanted to try to prepare the downhill to be closing the last two corners. But to make this, I lost the rear just before the braking of T10, and I got a big shake from the bike. I went wide. Fortunately, I was fast enough to catch him again. It was difficult because he was super, super good. But I felt good on the bike, so… It was a good one."  MOTO 2 QUALIFYING ACTION 10. DIOGO MOREIRA #10 (ITALTRANS RACING TEAM) IN BOX  11. MOREIRA  ON TRACK  12. MOREIRA WITH TEAM POSING FOR PHOTO  13. SENNA AGIUS #81 (LIQUI MOLY DYNAVOLT INTACT GP) ON TRACK  14. MANUEL GONZALEZ #18 (LIQUI MOLY DYNAVOLT INTACT GP) ON TRACK 15. JAKE DIXON (ELF MARC VDS RACING TEAM) ON TRACK  16. DANIEL HOLGADO #27 (CFMOTO POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR TEAM) ON TRACK  MOTO 3 QUALIFYING ACTION 17. VARIOUS JOEL KELSO #66 ON TRACK 18. KELSO TALKING TO FORMER MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION CASEY STONER 19. JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA #99(RED BULL KTM AJO) ON TRACK 20. LUCA LUNETTA (SIC58 SQUADRA CORSE) ON TRACK  STORY: Marco Bezzecchi claimed his third sprint victory in four Grand Prix races on Saturday, as the Aprilia rider overcame a dramatic start to beat Trackhouse's Raul Fernandez at the Australian Grand Prix. Bezzecchi, who narrowly missed out on pole position to Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, hit a seagull as he left the grid for the warm-up lap at Phillip Island. But the 26-year-old Italian kept his composure and overtook Fernandez with three laps remaining in the 13-lap sprint to seal back-to-back sprint wins. Bezzecchi, who faces a double long lap penalty in Sunday's race due to his collision with MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix, continued his strong form after a stunning comeback to win the Indonesia sprint earlier this month. Fernandez, who started fourth on the grid, made a flying start and led for much of the race but ultimately had to settle for second place. Home favourite Jack Miller of Prima Pramac, the first Australian rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to start on the front row at Phillip Island, missed out on a podium finish, as KTM's Pedro Acosta overtook him to claim third place. VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio secured fifth place, while Alex Marquez, second in the riders' championship, finished sixth. Quartararo's hopes of converting his record-breaking lap in qualifying into a strong sprint performance fell short, as the Frenchman finished in seventh place. Meanwhile, twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia's season woes continued, as the Italian finished a lowly 19th. The Italtrans Racing Team's Diogo Moreira set  a new lap record as he claimed his sixth pole of the season for the Moto2 Championship. In Moto3 qualifying, LEVELUP – MTA's Joel Kelso claimed his first ever Australian pole in Moto3, with his fifth consecutive front row start. (Production: Bhagya Ayyavoo and Suramya Kaushik)

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Indianews Syndication

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