Portugal Colonial - Marquez snatches San Marino MotoGP sprint ahead of Bezzecchi

The Ducati star beat his two main world title rivals, both riding Aprilias, finishing 1.068sec ahead of Italian Marco Bezzecchi, with fellow Spaniard Jorge Martin crossing third in northern Italy.

Bezzecchi had started from pole position after setting a Misano track record in qualifying, but Marquez got off to a better start and overtook on the inside at the first corner.

From there on it was a dominant display for Marquez who is targeting his eighth top-class championship and his 10th overall.

At the controls of his factory Ducati, the 33-year-old had a one-second lead over his rivals after five laps.

Bezzecchi fought back and managed to close the gap slightly but had no real chance of catching up to the older of the Marquez brothers.

Championship leader Martin, starting from the second row, moved into third place halfway through the 13-lap race.

The battle for the riders' title is heating up among the three contenders, with Martin 14 points ahead of Marquez and Bezzecchi 22 points off the leader.

Bezzecchi is targeting his first MotoGP world title this year after finishing third last season.

P.Sousa--PC