Enea Bastianini Triumphs in Intense MotoGP Duel: ‘I Pushed Like Never’ to Edge Out Marquez at Motegi

Enea Bastianini exerted extraordinary effort to surpass Marc Marquez in the MotoGP sprint at Motegi, declaring, "I emerged victorious in this battle."

Enea Bastianini stated that he exerted unprecedented effort to secure a victory over Marc Marquez in their contest for the second position during the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix sprint.

The Ducati rider on the factory team had an excellent start from the fourth position on the grid, advancing to second place by the first corner. However, he was quickly passed by Pedro Acosta from the Tech3 team.

In the final laps, Bastianini engaged in an intense fight for second place with Marquez from Gresini Ducati after Acosta's crash removed him from the lead. The two riders exchanged positions multiple times at Turns 9, 10, and 11 during the second-to-last lap.

Marquez eventually accepted defeat, as Bagnaia's sluggish performance on the final lap allowed Bastianini to finish just 0.181 seconds shy of winning.

“It was a good battle today,” Bastianini mentioned to TNT Sport.

"I didn't feel sure that I could perform as well as I did in today's race."

"My speed is getting better. Although I performed well during the time attack, my overall pace was just average."

"In the final two laps, I ended up in a battle with Marc. I made a minor error at Turn 9, allowing Marc to get ahead."

“We both approached Turn 11 at nearly the same time. He eased off the brakes slightly, and I did the same. Then, it happened once more."

"Ultimately, I found myself in a more advantageous position, and I gave everything I had in the final lap like never before, which led me to win this battle. Finishing in second place is a positive outcome."

Bastianini secured second place in the sprint, maintaining his third position in the rankings and staying five points ahead of Marquez.

Bastianini is not concerned about securing a spot in the top three of the championship as he heads into Sunday’s grand prix.

He mentioned that it's crucial to put up a fight each time, and he typically doesn't pay attention to the rankings.

"My sole focus is on my goal, which is always to reach the top."

"We need to tweak the setup for tomorrow since my rear tire, particularly the right side, was completely worn out."

"The race is likely to be held using medium tires tomorrow, so we need to review the data to prepare for it again."

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