Bezzecchi Claims Pole as Marquez Brothers Miss Front Row at San Marino MotoGP

TDT | Manama

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Marco Bezzecchi secured pole position for the San Marino MotoGP on Saturday, stunning fans at the Marco Simoncelli Circuit in Misano Adriatico and denying the Marquez brothers a potential one-two finish in the final seconds of qualifying.

The Italian Aprilia rider thrilled the home crowd with a fastest lap of 1:30.134, narrowly edging out Alex Marquez by just 0.088 seconds. Alex had looked set to claim a second consecutive pole after leading much of the session ahead of his brother, championship leader Marc Marquez, until Bezzecchi’s late surge secured his second pole of the season.

Marc Marquez was also denied a front-row start for both Saturday’s sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo, who had to battle through the first qualifying session, snatched third place on the grid, finishing 0.94 seconds behind Bezzecchi.

Despite the setback, Marc Marquez maintains a commanding 182-point championship lead over Alex Marquez, having already won 14 of 15 sprint races this season. Unless disaster strikes at Misano, the Spaniard could clinch the title at the Japan MotoGP in two weeks, potentially equalling seven championship wins alongside his legendary rival Valentino Rossi.

Meanwhile, Joan Mir will miss the sprint race after failing to recover from a neck injury sustained in a crash during Friday’s practice session.