MotoGP Round 9 | Masterful Marc Marquez beats Ogura and Bagnaia. The reigning World Champion earned a sensational victory by 0.4s over the Japanese star in Czechia to reduce the gap to Marco Bezzecchi to just 40 points. Report: BikeReview/MotoGP Press

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Seven riders under the previous outright lap record and less than a second covering 19 riders, MotoGP was fiercely tight in the Czech Republic on Friday, but they were all chasing one rider. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #79) set a 1’51.735 to top Friday running at Brno ahead of Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49).

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Could anyone stop Ai Ogura in Brno? The Trackhouse MotoGP team rider was fastest on Friday before smashing the lap record again on Saturday morning, taking his very first pole position in MotoGP. His 1:51.139 put him more than two tenths clear of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in second, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) just another 0.033 in arrears in third. Ogura became the sixth different polesitter this season and the first Japanese rider on pole since the 2020 Teruel GP.

Moto2

David Alonso’s (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #80) early 1:58.511 ensured he finished Friday top of the Moto2 pile, but only just. 0.018s adrift in P2 was home hero Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team #12), the Czech star getting his weekend up and running in superb fashion, while it was World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) who completed a top three covered by 0.108s heading into the weekend.

 

 

A Turn 1 crash didn’t stop David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) from clinching a second pole position of the season as the Colombian set his sights on a first win of the year from the spearhead of the grid. Alonso’s new Brno Moto2 lap record, a 1:57.718, was 0.205s faster than second-place Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team), with the Czech rider bagging a second consecutive front row of the year, this time in front of his home fans. Third on the grid went to Alonso’s teammate Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #96), and like the #80, the #96 was unharmed positionally after a crash in Q2.

Moto3

A perfect Friday to start the weekend it was for Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI #13), as he was in great form to top the first day of Brno action in Moto3. The Malaysian set a new lap record in the morning before bettering it in the afternoon as he went in search of a first pole position on Saturday.

David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #22) left it late in Q2 to make it three consecutive pole positions in Moto3, though, setting the fastest lap of the weekend with a 2:04.069 as he secured P1 by just 0.017s. Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) lined up from second after he improved his time right at the end of the session, with Almansa and Danish denying Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team #28). The #28 was running in P1 until the final run, when he brought his bike back to the pits without the chance of improving his time in the final three minutes.

 

 

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) claimed his first Tissot Sprint win of the season in style at Brno, launching off the line and resisting heavy pressure all the way to the flag. From pole, Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was forced to settle for second by just two tenths, with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team #93) completing the Saturday podium.

The start was a straight drag race, for Bagnaia got the best launch from P3, while Ogura’s slower getaway from pole dropped him to second behind the #63. They held formation as the pack shuffled behind, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) losing out to Marquez before early drama struck. Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR #11) crashed on Lap 1, followed moments later by Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #12) in separate incidents. Both riders were unhurt.

At the front, Bagnaia controlled the pace with half a second in hand over Ogura, as the gap behind them stretched. Marquez held third ahead of Di Giannantonio, with Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) next up. Behind them, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) began to close on Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing).

That battle soon ignited. Acosta and Martin swapped positions repeatedly before the #37 finally made the move stick – only for his Sprint to end early with a crash at Turn 11. The KTM rider was unhurt and would regroup for Sunday.

Up front, the gap between Bagnaia and Ogura began to shrink with four laps remaining, and Ogura’s pace brought Marquez with him. The trio looked set to decide the podium alone, with Di Giannantonio unable to bridge the gap from fourth.

Then came a major twist. Bezzecchi, running a solid fifth, suddenly slid out at Turn 3. The crash cost the championship leader valuable points and promoted teammate Martin into the top five. Bez was also banned from the Sunday race, after striking a flag marshal twice in the face as the marshal tried to help him out. If you want to see the footage, just Google it. It’s not pretty…

The leaders, however, remained steady. On the final lap, Bagnaia led Ogura and Marquez in a tight formation around Brno. Ogura continued to chip away at the gap, while Marquez watched the duel ahead slip just out of reach. But Bagnaia was immaculate under pressure, giving Ogura no opening. The #63 crossed the line with just over two tenths in hand in what was a composed, commanding Sprint victory.

 

 

Ogura’s second place capped a weekend in which he topped Friday and claimed his maiden pole, setting him up strongly for Sunday. Marquez completed the podium ahead of Di Giannantonio, while Martin secured fifth before serving his double Long Lap penalty in the Grand Prix.

“Very happy, the first two laps made everything. I started well and tried to push to open the gap, and then I had to control a bit because the grip was not too bad, but the vibration was huge, so I needed to slow down a bit and try to control Ai in the last two laps,” Bagnaia stated.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

  1. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
  2. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia (+0.241s)
  3. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+0.794s)
  4. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+2.905s)
  5. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing (+6.404s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Mammoth? Seismic? Colossal? Call it what you want – this was a statement win. Having been 102 points down after the Italian Grand Prix, Marc Marquez has slashed the gap to just 40 behind the absent World Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) after delivering a masterclass at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Czechia. Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) pushed the reigning World Champion to the limit, but neither could deny the #93 his second victory of the season.

Ogura made the perfect launch to grab the holeshot ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Marquez. The #93 immediately attacked Di Giannantonio at Turn 3, unsettling the Italian and allowing Bagnaia through as well. Moments later, Bagnaia struck again with a clean but aggressive move on Marquez at Turn 7, before locking onto the rear of Ogura. The Japanese rider defended well, but on Lap 2, Bagnaia took the lead at Turn 10, with Marquez following him past Ogura at Turn 13.

By Lap 4, Bagnaia led Marquez by half a second after consecutive fastest laps, with Ogura 0.7s further back and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Di Giannantonio in close pursuit. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing #89), meanwhile, sat in P8 behind Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36), still needing to serve two Long Lap penalties. He took the first on Lap 5, dropping to P10, and the second soon after, rejoining in P13 behind Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #23).

By Lap 10, Acosta had slipped 2.1s behind Ogura, with Di Giannantonio searching for a way through. Up front, Marquez was now closer than ever to Bagnaia, as Ogura remained firmly in touch. The polesitter then set his personal best, prompting Bagnaia to respond with a 1:53.510. Ogura answered immediately with the fastest lap of the race, and the pressure began to mount.

Marquez looked the most threatening, and with eight laps to go he finally made his move at Turn 4 to take the lead. He instantly pulled 0.6s clear, leaving Bagnaia to fend off a charging Ogura. The Japanese rider needed to strike quickly, and did so with a decisive lunge five laps from the end to move into P2.

With four laps remaining, 0.8s split Marquez and Ogura. Three laps to go, it was 0.7s. Two laps to go, 0.6s. Ogura was edging closer, with Bagnaia coming under late pressure from Di Giannantonio, who set the fastest lap of the race.

On the final lap, Marquez held a 0.8s margin, but Ogura cut it to 0.5s by split two. The Japanese rider dug deep, but the #93 had enough. Marquez sealed a brilliant win that blows the title fight wide open.

 

 

Ogura missed a debut MotoGP victory by just 0.4s but delivered his best premier‑class weekend, now only six points behind Marquez overall. Bagnaia narrowly held off Di Giannantonio by 0.169s to complete the podium, with Mir taking fifth for HRC and Fermin Aldeguer (Bk8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54) finishing sixth.

“A super important victory in a right-corner circuit. It’s something special I was looking for, and you know that I never give up. In the last laps I was suffering a lot, the bike was there, but I was empty. I tried to keep the pace, and I saw that Ogura was pushing but not enough to catch me. They were the longest six laps of the year,” Marquez reflected.

MotoGP Race Results

  1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
  2. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia (+0.421s)
  3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+2.255s)
  4. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+2.424s)
  5. Joan Mir Honda HRC Castrol (+12.810s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

  1. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 180
  2. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing – 172
  3. Fabio di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 157
  4. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 140
  5. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia – 134

Moto2

What a race. What a last‑lap, last‑corner pass, and with a Long Lap penalty served along the way. Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Exocom – MSI #4) is a Moto2 race winner for the first time after the #4 produced an unbelievable final‑corner move on David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) to clinch victory in Brno. In P3, home hero Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) fulfilled a dream by standing on the Czech GP podium, finishing just 0.7s from the win.

From pole, Alonso held the lead into Turn 1 as Ortola, carrying a Long Lap penalty from Row 2, launched himself into P2. Salač slipped to P6 on the opening lap behind Alonso, Ortola, Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #81).

World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) rose three places to P10 by the end of Lap 1 despite his grid penalty. One lap later, he dispatched Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo #95) and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team #16) to move into P8.

Ortola served his Long Lap on Lap 4, but such was his early pace that he rejoined still in P2. Guevara tried to strike back at Turn 8, but Ortola held firm around the outside and reclaimed the inside line at Turn 9. The gap to Alonso, however, had grown to 1.4s.

Not for long. Ortola immediately set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:58.636, cutting the deficit back under a second. Behind them, Gonzalez was now P6 behind Salač, with Guevara and Agius running P3 and P4.

A major podium‑shaping moment arrived on Lap 11. Agius dived up the inside of Guevara at Turn 7, but both ran wide. Salač seized the opening, sweeping past the pair to take P3, with the gap to Alonso and Ortola hovering at half a second.

By Lap 13, Salač had reeled in the top two entirely. With four laps remaining, the Moto2 Czech GP fight ignited. Ortola attacked twice, at Turn 1 and Turn 4, but Alonso repelled both moves to keep the lead.

The finale was set: Alonso vs Ortola vs Salač, with Agius 0.8s back in P4. But with two laps to go, Salač suddenly lost ground, dropping 0.8s behind the leaders and coming under pressure from Agius.

On the last lap, it looked like a straight duel between Alonso and Ortola, as Salač focused on defending a dream home podium. No move came until the final corners. Alonso led into Turn 13, but Ortola executed a brilliant setup, sweeping around the outside before diving underneath at Turn 14. It was a classy, decisive pass that secured the Spaniard his maiden Moto2 victory.

Alonso claimed his first podium of the season, though leading almost the entire race will sting for the #80. Salač’s rostrum, however, sent the Brno crowd into raptures to claim his second consecutive podium and a landmark moment at home.

Agius finished P4 after losing his right knee slider mid‑race, and Gonzalez delivered a strong comeback to P5.

Moto2 Race Results

  1. Ivan Ortola QJMOTOR – Exocom – MSI
  2. David Alonso CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (0.096s)
  3. Filip Salac OnlyFans American Racing Team (+0.096s)
  4. Senna Agius LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (+0.701s)
  5. Manuel Gonzalez LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (+2.058s)

Moto2 Championship Points

  1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 165.5
  2. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 – 115
  3. Celestino Vietti HDR SpeedRS Team – 109
  4. Senna Agius LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP – 107
  5. David Alonso CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team – 91

Moto3

A first win for Malaysia in a decade and a career‑first for Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) as the rookie overcame a 12‑place grid penalty to hit the front on the last lap after a race‑long fight. The #13 became the fourth new winner of the 2026 season, finishing ahead of Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo #51) and Championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team).

Polesitter David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) made a strong launch, but Quiles snatched the holeshot. Immediately, a leading group of four formed as Quiles, Almansa and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammates Alvaro Carpe (#83) and Uriarte traded early blows. Further back, Danish made a blistering start, despite his 12‑place grid penalty, for he rose from 14th to P5 by Lap 2 to latch onto the leaders.

Four riders became six as Danish joined the fight and brought Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse #67) with him. Just behind, Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia), also carrying a 12‑place grid penalty, surged from 20th to P7 and, by Lap 5, climbed into the top four after a quiet weekend. Moto3 delivered a classic in the form of a seven‑rider battle at the front. Almansa briefly took the lead on Lap 6 at Turn 1, but the group shrank again when O’Gorman crashed at Turn 9.

Almansa’s time at the front didn’t last. Uriarte dispatched Quiles and then Almansa at Turns 5 and 7, while the #22 found himself under pressure from Quiles and Carpe before recovering to P3 as the race entered its second half. The lead continued to change hands, Almansa, Quiles and Carpe all taking turns. before Carpe’s aggressive Turn 4 move pushed Almansa wide and momentarily split the group.

With four laps remaining, the pack regrouped. Almansa attacked Quiles again but couldn’t make it stick. Two laps to go, and the race remained wide open. Quiles held firm at the front, but the chasing pack was determined to disrupt his rhythm. Pratama muscled past Almansa at Turn 10, while Carpe made an unforced error that allowed Quiles, Uriarte and Danish to break clear.

On the last lap, chaos erupted. Contact between Quiles and Uriarte at Turn 8 opened the door for Danish, who sliced through with perfect timing. The final sector produced a five‑abreast charge into the last corner, but nobody could touch the Malaysian. From 14th on the grid, Danish delivered a sensational ride to claim his maiden Moto3 victory and Malaysia’s first since Khairul Idham Pawi at the Sachsenring in 2016.

Behind him, Uriarte won the drag race for second ahead of Quiles, as Almansa, who had been P2 entering the final two corners, slipped to fourth. Pratama completed a remarkable comeback in fifth, and Carpe’s sixth place saw him lose valuable ground to Quiles in the title fight.

Moto3 Race Results

  1. Hakim Danish AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI
  2. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.466s)
  3. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (+0.629s)
  4. David Almansa Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+0.741s)
  5. Veda Pratama Honda Team Asia (+0.900s)

Moto3 Championship Points

  1. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 186
  2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 121
  3. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo – 92
  4. David Almansa Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 89
  5. Marco Morelli CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 86

How Did the Aussies Do?

Caught in a fierce battle in the midfield group for much of the Brno Sprint, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #43) pushed throughout the bout to admirably rise from 18th to 14th. Then, for the race, despite his best efforts, Miller couldn’t achieve the progress he wanted and finished 16th to round out a tough weekend at the office.

Having progressed directly to Q2 and run within fractions of the frontrunners all weekend, Agius impressively qualified P5 to put him in a solid slot for the big dance on Sunday. Even though he lost a knee slider early on, which made things much tougher for the Aussie flyer, Agius valiantly battled to fourth to bank some strong points.

Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing #66) secured seventh on the Brno grid, with him acknowledging that more was possible in his quest to fight at the front on race day. While contact in the opening stages of the race cost him, there was much to like about how Kelso recovered to finish eighth.

 

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