Oct 24 : Ducati's Marc Marquez emerged victorious in an electrifying battle with championship rival Jorge Martin before going on to win the Australian Grand Prix sprint from pole position on Saturday and reclaim the MotoGP championship lead.
Victory moved seven-times MotoGP champion Marquez up to 365 points in the championship standings, 10 points ahead of Martin, who did not finish the sprint after suffering a gruesome crash in the eighth lap.
After a couple of wet qualifying sessions earlier in the day the sprint began on a dry track at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, with dark clouds looming overhead.
Pole-sitter Marquez shot off the line and held on to his lead, though his start was matched by title rival Martin, who barrelled past Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco into second place.
Without the rain to hinder him, Martin squeezed every ounce of pace he could out of his Aprilia on the circuit's swooping corners and stole the lead from Marquez three times, only to overplay his hand and quickly give it away on every occasion.
The 2024 champion continued to push and his overzealousness proved to be his undoing in the eighth lap, as his bike slid out from under him and he went hurtling into the gravel at high speed.
"It was a title battle. Of course I gave everything. I was aggressive and he was faster than me, but I tried to defend in the best way possible," Marquez said after his win.
"There were nice overtakes, limit overtakes. And in the end, both of us were riding on the limit. Both of us deserved the victory because we are pushing a lot. But, you know, racing is like it is.
"Today, it was on my side, but, this (season) is super long, so, keep calm, keep going, and yeah, happy for today."
Martin was carried away from the site of the crash on a stretcher, with Aprilia confirming that he had been taken to the medical centre for evaluation.
Marquez's brother Alex of Gresini Racing finished second, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing) completing the podium.