Marc Marquez wins Italian Grand Prix to delight Ducati fans on home soil
SCARPERIA E SAN PIERO, Italy - Ducati's Marc Marquez won the Italian Grand Prix after a dogfight for podium places at the Mugello Circuit on Sunday, taking the chequered flag ahead of his brother Alex to maintain his iron grip on the riders' championship.
Gresini Racing's Alex briefly led the race early on before Marc took control, while Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing claimed third place after snatching the final podium spot from his Italian compatriot Francesco Bagnaia.
Home favourite Bagnaia also led the race in the initial stages but the Italian, who had won the last three races at Mugello, was overshadowed by the Marquez brothers and could only finish fourth in front of his home fans.
Marc's victory was also the 93rd win of his career across all classes, matching his motorcycle number, and the Spaniard celebrated by planting a Ducati flag in front of the home fans who once saw him as a rival when he was with Honda.
"Amazing feeling... three Ducatis on the podium, to win here (at Mugello) in the red," said Marc, who now leads Alex by 40 points while Bagnaia is 110 points back in third.
"I already understood this morning that was super special for them, even for me, because I feel part of them. Super happy.
"We managed the race... I was calm and then when the tyres dropped a bit, I started to give everything. Happy to take the 37 points in this amazing weekend."
Fresh from claiming his historic 100th career pole with a blistering lap record and Saturday's unlikely sprint victory, Marc found himself locked in a fraternal battle with Alex -- a running theme this season.
The opening laps unfolded as a masterclass in close-quarter racing between the two factory Ducati machines -- their special Italian Renaissance livery flashing through Mugello's sweeping turns -- while Alex stayed on their tail.
HIGH-SPEED DRAMA
The crowd erupted when Bagnaia briefly snatched the lead from Marc after turn one but what followed was high-speed drama as they traded positions, occasionally making heart-stopping contact with each other.
Disaster nearly struck when Bagnaia, pushing his bike to the limit, touched Marc's rear tyre as he was forced to brake hard and surrender his position to Alex.
Fans in the grandstand witnessed a spectacular moment when all three riders thundered into turn one abreast, a three-wide gamble that saw Alex briefly seize control, drop to third on the brakes and then reclaim the lead moments later on the exit.
But Marc eventually broke free, leaving brother Alex to doggedly defend second position against a relentless Bagnaia.
However, the Italian did not have the late-race pace to catch up and he was soon forced to defend the final podium place, with Di Giannantonio looking to upstage his compatriot.
With two laps to go, Di Giannantonio made his move on turn seven as he squeezed past the twice champion and raced away to claim his first podium finish at Mugello.
"I knew that I had to risk a lot to take him but at the end, the last lap, I said, 'Okay, let's go for it,' and we've done it," Di Giannantonio said.
"My first podium in MotoGP Mugello, in front of this fantastic group of fans." REUTERS
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