Misano: Marco Bezzecchi Fails to Score Points—Crashes Right Away

A Sunday to forget for Marco Bezzecchi, who suffered a very serious crash at Misano—one that’s particularly damaging from a world championship perspective. The Aprilia rider got off to a good start, keeping Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin behind him, but he got carried away: he tried to pull away but slid out at the end of the first lap, leaving the way clear for his two rivals in the title race. For Bezzecchi, this marks his fifth zero-point finish of the season.

The dismal day for the Italian team was capped off a few laps later by a crash from Pecco Bagnaia, who is in an increasingly dire situation. Valentino Rossi spoke about the former world champion on Saturday; speaking to Sky, he didn’t hide his concern for his friend and protégé: “I see him struggling; he’s not riding well. It seems to me that he’s losing a lot of grip under braking, as if the engine braking and the electronics settings aren’t right. I saw him struggling this Friday as well.”

The Doctor also commented on Bulega’s arrival at VR46: “We’re very happy because he started out with us at the Academy, so we know him very well. Then our paths diverged, but he’s done a fantastic job in Superbike, so I’m glad he’ll be racing for us next year. I think he can do well because he already knows the bike and the tires.”