MotoGP Winner Marco Bezzecchi has marked the 300th victory for Italian riders in the premier class. The rider who reached the pinnacle of the podium for the first time since May at Mandalika, on the Aprilia, stated that he did not give up on the championship fight despite the 46-point gap with Jorge Martin.
This victory allowed Marco Bezzecchi to leave behind the difficult period of his season and to achieve a historic success for Italian motorcycle racing. After winning the race at Mugello, Bezzecchi achieved his 11th victory in his MotoGP career by reaching the top again at Mandalika despite struggling with injuries and performance issues. This result is also recorded as the 300th race victory for Italian riders in the 500cc/MotoGP history.
It Wasn't Easy to Win Again
Bezzecchi, who retired from the Sprint race on Saturday after having contact with Raul Fernandez in the first corner, gave his fight for victory with the same competitor on Sunday. After handing the lead to Fernandez in the first part of the race, Bezzecchi followed his rival for 18 laps and took the lead with his overtake on lap 19.
Bezzecchi described the happiness he experienced after the race with the following words:
I am very happy. We started the season quite well up to Mugello. Then we experienced difficult races and a challenging period. The comeback after injury was not bad, but it was not easy to reach the top step of the podium again. Luckily, we did it today.
Strategy Explanation
The Aprilia rider also explained his strategy against Fernandez:
I wanted to stay in front, but Raul was much stronger at the start. It was difficult to stay close to him. After a few laps, I found my rhythm. I knew that if I could follow him without getting too close, I could do more at the end of the race. That was my plan and everything went according to plan.
The Championship Fight
Bezzecchi, who kept his hopes for the championship alive with the Mandalika victory, stated that Jorge Martin was 46 points behind in the overall standings. The Italian rider, who has a mathematical chance for the championship with five races remaining until the end of the season, indicated that he came to the Indonesian weekend wanting to take more risks.
Bezzecchi emphasized that he would not change his approach despite the large point difference:
I am still behind, but my attitude is the same. I will continue to fight until the end and do the best I can.
Italy's Historic Victories
Following Italy's 300th premier-class victory, Bezzecchi was asked about the most unforgettable victories in Italy's MotoGP history. Most of the races in the Italian rider's memory belonged to Valentino Rossi. Bezzecchi exemplified the 2004 Grand Prix of South Africa where he won his first race on the Yamaha against Rossi, the 2008 Laguna Seca race against Casey Stoner, and the 2009 Catalunya Grand Prix where he passed Jorge Lorenzo in the final corner. He also included the 2024 Malaysia race against Jorge Martin between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin in the list of unforgettable races. Bezzecchi did not neglect to add a victory from his own career to the list: the 2026 Mugello Grand Prix.
The victory at Mandalika also brought a noteworthy statistic to Bezzecchi's MotoGP career. The Italian rider achieved all 11 victories in the premier class on different circuits. The only person to have achieved this feat before was former world champion Freddie Spencer. Bezzecchi showed that he has entered the history of Italian motorcycle racing and the championship fight for MotoGP without having said his final word yet.
Statements
Marco Bezzecchi:
I knew I might need to take a bit more risk in this race before. I couldn't take it due to the incident in the first part. Luckily, we had a good race today.
Figures
- Marco Bezzecchi is in 3rd place with 309 points in the 2026 MotoGP season (Aprilia Racing Team).
- Archive: Aprilia wrote the date at Mandalika! Bezzecchi won, Martin lost the lead (October 11, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
