Fabio Di Giannantonio wins incident-hit MotoGP race at Catalunya
In an incident-packed Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya, Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46) secured his second MotoGP victory in dramatic circumstances at Barcelona.
The race was red-flagged twice and the first stoppage came on lap 11 following a horrific accident when Pedro Acosta’s KTM cut out exiting Turn 9, leaving Sprint winner Alex Marquez with nowhere to go as he slammed into the rear of the stricken machine.
The Gresini Racing Ducati cartwheeled down the track, while the detached front wheel struck Di Giannantonio, who also crashed. Raul Fernandez was also hit by debris.
The restart lasted only one lap before another red flag appeared after Johann Zarco collided with Luca Marini, who in turn collected Pecco Bagnaia. Both Marquez and Zarco were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
When the race finally resumed, Acosta led from Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol). Di Giannantonio, racing despite an injured left hand, was fifth on the opening lap but had climbed to second by lap eight.
Two laps later, at Turn 10, he moved into the lead and never looked back, claiming an emotional victory ahead of Mir, with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completing the podium.
Acosta’s difficult afternoon was not over. At the final corner on the last lap, Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura lunged up the inside, sending the Spaniard crashing out. Ogura received a three-second penalty for the incident, promoting Pecco Bagnaia, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Quartararo into the top six.
Di Giannantonio said: “Today has not been an easy day for everyone. We know our sport is amazing, but we are also human, and I really hope everyone is safe. We have been looking for this win for a long time, so we must be proud and happy.”
In Moto2, Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) extended his championship lead with a victory. Celestino Vietti led until three laps from the finish before Gonzalez made his move to win by just 0.203 seconds, with Izan Guevara third.
Moto3 rookie Max Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) stretched his championship lead to 64 points with victory in Barcelona, edging Alvaro Carpe by 0.094 seconds after a last-corner pass, while Davide Munoz completed the podium.
Irish rider Casey O’Gorman finished 10th for SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda after starting 24th on the grid, while Britain’s Eddie O’Shea (GRYD-MLav Racing) was 11th.