Marc Marquez wins Dutch GP as brother Alex crashes out
As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing on Sunday, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-time champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds.
"I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points ... Not 100 per cent happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Marquez said.
"First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery."
Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta.
Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint, where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season, and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start.
Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race.
Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth.
Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth.
Alex was taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday.
Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard his Pramac Yamaha and lies 18th in the overall standings.
Marc Marquez has delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand.
As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing on Sunday, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-time champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds.
"I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points ... Not 100 per cent happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Marquez said.
"First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery."
Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta.
Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint, where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season, and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start.
Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race.
Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth.
Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth.
Alex was taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday.
Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard his Pramac Yamaha and lies 18th in the overall standings.
Marc Marquez has delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand.
As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing on Sunday, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-time champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds.
"I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points ... Not 100 per cent happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Marquez said.
"First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery."
Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta.
Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint, where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season, and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start.
Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race.
Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth.
Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth.
Alex was taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday.
Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard his Pramac Yamaha and lies 18th in the overall standings.
Marc Marquez has delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand.
As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing on Sunday, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-time champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds.
"I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points ... Not 100 per cent happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Marquez said.
"First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery."
Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta.
Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint, where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season, and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start.
Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race.
Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth.
Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth.
Alex was taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday.
Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard his Pramac Yamaha and lies 18th in the overall standings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The anatomy of a record Wimbledon serve
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard may have left the Wimbledon field for another year, but his record-breaking 246km/h serve will be remembered – not least by American Taylor Fritz who was on the receiving end. Fritz somehow managed to return the missile – the fastest in tournament history – to win the point in Tuesday's match, and Mpetshi Perricard was ultimately beaten 6-7(6-8), 6-7(8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 to exit in the first round. But the shot will stick in the minds of fans around the globe who have marvelled at the speed, accuracy and agility of tennis greats on display at Wimbledon. In a clear sign of just how the art of the serve has captivated fans around the world, an Instagram post of world No.1 Jannik Sinner appearing to serve a ball on to a match stick, lighting it in the process, has garnered more than 475,000 likes. Much of Tuesday's post-match focus was on Mpetshi Perricard's reputation for hitting huge serves, which the 21-year-old told reporters came naturally. 'I didn't check the speed, to be honest... I lost the point,' the six-foot-eight Frenchman said. 'I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do.' But what actually goes into a great serve? We spoke to professional tennis coach Marc Sophoulis, from the Melbourne International Tennis School, to find out. 'The big thing with Mpetshi Perricard's serve [is that] he has a step-up serve, gaining a lot of momentum from his back foot moving up to his front foot before he serves,' Sophoulis, who has worked with Anastasia and Arina Rodionova, Victor Hanescu, and the Bryan brothers, observes.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
The anatomy of a record Wimbledon serve
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard may have left the Wimbledon field for another year, but his record-breaking 246km/h serve will be remembered – not least by American Taylor Fritz who was on the receiving end. Fritz somehow managed to return the missile – the fastest in tournament history – to win the point in Tuesday's match, and Mpetshi Perricard was ultimately beaten 6-7(6-8), 6-7(8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 to exit in the first round. But the shot will stick in the minds of fans around the globe who have marvelled at the speed, accuracy and agility of tennis greats on display at Wimbledon. In a clear sign of just how the art of the serve has captivated fans around the world, an Instagram post of world No.1 Jannik Sinner appearing to serve a ball on to a match stick, lighting it in the process, has garnered more than 475,000 likes. Much of Tuesday's post-match focus was on Mpetshi Perricard's reputation for hitting huge serves, which the 21-year-old told reporters came naturally. 'I didn't check the speed, to be honest... I lost the point,' the six-foot-eight Frenchman said. 'I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do.' But what actually goes into a great serve? We spoke to professional tennis coach Marc Sophoulis, from the Melbourne International Tennis School, to find out. 'The big thing with Mpetshi Perricard's serve [is that] he has a step-up serve, gaining a lot of momentum from his back foot moving up to his front foot before he serves,' Sophoulis, who has worked with Anastasia and Arina Rodionova, Victor Hanescu, and the Bryan brothers, observes.
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Thompson's ticker on full display in five-set victory
Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance."
