MOTOGP: FERMIN ALDEGUER MAKES HISTORY IN INDONESIA
The rookie Fermin Aldeguer made history in Indonesia by becoming the second-youngest MotoGP race winner. He dominated the Indonesia GP, a race full of drama, where Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez collided and crashed on the very first lap. In the fight for the podium, Pedro Acosta finished second ahead of Alex Marquez in a thrilling contest at Mandalika.
The drama started almost immediately. Bezzecchi, starting from pole, lost out as Acosta grabbed the holeshot. Luca Marini also made a strong start from sixth place. But then at Turn 6, disaster struck. Bezzecchi tried to squeeze past Marc Marquez where there wasn’t really enough room. They touched, and both riders crashed heavily. Thankfully both walked away, but Marquez hurt his collarbone and will return to Europe for more checks. Bezzecchi was also sent to hospital for further examination.
Back on track, Joan Mir was the next to fall on Lap 2, ending his weekend early. That left Acosta leading from Aldeguer and Marini, with Raul Fernandez close behind. Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo followed. On Lap 7, Aldeguer took the lead with a clean move at Turn 10. Acosta tried to fight back but ran wide, and Aldeguer retook control. From there, the rookie set the fastest lap and started to pull away.
Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia’s tough weekend ended with a crash at Turn 17. Up front, Aldeguer was flying. By Lap 11, he had built a 2.5-second lead while Marini battled Acosta. That fight allowed the chasing pack – Rins, Alex Marquez, Quartararo, and Brad Binder, to close in on the podium battle.
The fight for second and third was intense. Fernandez and Marini clashed at the final corners on Lap 14, opening the door for Rins and Alex Marquez to slip through. Aldeguer, however, was already over six seconds ahead, riding in his own race.
Acosta dug deep to hold second place, but Rins passed him on Lap 20. Alex Marquez then joined the fight, overtaking both Rins and Acosta in quick succession to put Gresini 1-2. But Acosta wasn’t done. With three laps left, he fought back, retaking second place at Turn 10. Binder had charged from 15th on the grid to join the fight but had to settle for fourth.
On the final lap, Aldeguer was untouchable. He crossed the line 8.6 seconds clear to take a stunning debut MotoGP win. Acosta held onto second after a huge fight, with Alex Marquez finishing third and strengthening his place in the championship standings.
Binder’s brilliant ride gave him fourth, his best finish of the season. Marini fought back for fifth, Fernandez ended sixth, and Quartararo led Yamaha in seventh. Morbidelli took eighth, Di Giannantonio ninth, and Rins, after fading on worn tyres, finished tenth. Oliveira was 11th, followed by Zarco, Chantra, and Miller, who recovered to 14th after a late crash.
What a race it was, full of highs and lows. Now the focus turns to Phillip Island, where we wait to see if Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi will be fit to return. But the spotlight belongs to Aldeguer, who heads to Australia as a MotoGP race winner.
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