Delight and agony for Marquez brothers at Assen
Agencies
Assen (Netherlands)
It was a day of contrasting fortunes for the Marquex brothers at the Dutch MotoGP on Sunday.
While Marc extended his lead in the world championship standings, his closest pursuer and younger brother Alex Marquez suffered a left hand fracture.
Marc Marquez, 32, came home on his Ducati ahead of two Italians, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) with the winner's team-mate Francesco Bagnaia third.
Marc Marquez's victory -- at the circuit known as the 'Cathedral of Speed' celebrating its 100th anniversary -- brought him level with legend Giacomo Agostini on 68 elite wins, still 21 adrift of Valentino Rossi.
Agostini, 83, was present to watch another Marquez masterclass on a weekend that over 200,000 spectators piled through the turnstiles.
Marquez -- who was completing his sixth double of the campaign in winning the Sprint and the MotoGP race proper -- leads Alex by 68 points with Bagnaia 126 adrift after 10 of the 22 race season.
Marquez, who was recording just his third Dutch MotoGP win, had had a bumpy ride on Friday with two heavy crashes which resulted in bruising and having stitches on his chin.
'I am sorry for Alex, my father says he injured a finger, but racing is like this,' said Marquez.
Results & Standings (Top 10)
1. Marc Marquez (ESP/Ducati) 40min 14.072sec, 2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Aprilia) at 0.635sec, 3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 2.666, 4. Pedro Acosta (ESP/KTM) 6.084, 5. Maverick Vinales (ESP/KTM-Tech3) 10.124, 6. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 12.163, 7. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 18.896, 8. Raul Fernandez (ESP/Aprilia-Trackhouse) 20.295, 9. Enea Bastianini (ITA/KTM-Tech3) 23.687, 10. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 23.743.
Overall (after 10 of 22 races)
1. Marc Marquez (ESP/Ducati) 307pts, 2. Alex Marquez (ESP/Ducati-Gresini) 239, 3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 181, 4. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 139, 5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 136, 6. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Aprilia) 121, 7. Johann Zarco (FRA/Honda-LCR) 101, 8. Pedro Acosta (ESP/KTM) 98, 9. Fermín Aldeguer (ESP/Ducati-Gresini) 81, 10. Maverick Vinales (ESP/KTM-Tech3) 69
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