Bagnaia wins Solidarity GP sprint to stay in hunt for third MotoGP title
BARCELONA : Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia extended the MotoGP title race into the final day of the season when the reigning champion won the sprint at the Solidarity Grand Prix on Saturday while championship leader Jorge Martin finished third.
Martin held a 24-point lead going into the final grand prix but has seen his advantage cut to 19 points ahead of Sunday's race, where polesitter Bagnaia can still clinch a third straight MotoGP riders championship if he wins.
Martin had given Bagnaia chase for several laps but Ducati's Enea Bastianini made a clean overtake on the final lap which forced the Pramac Racing rider to settle for third.
The final race is being held in Barcelona, which already hosted a grand prix in May, after catastrophic floods in Valencia forced organisers to move the season finale.