13/05/2026

Jorge Martin wins sprint after rocket start, Marc Marquez crashes

Factory Aprilia rider Jorge Martin vaulted from eighth place on the grid to claim the lead at the first corner and win his second sprint race of 2026 at Le Mans on Saturday.

While the Spaniard celebrated the fruits of an incredible getaway and first corner, leading home Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, his countryman Marc Marquez crashed spectacularly late in the race as his troubled season continued.

Martin’s start was among the most amazing seen in living memory. Not only did he have a great getaway from the third row, but his work at the first corner was breathtaking. Seemingly out of position on the outside under braking for the Dunlop chicane, Martin barely seemed to notice team-mate Bezzecchi leading Bagnaia on his inside. Conventional thinking would suggest they were comfortably ahead of him in the queue for the tricky, accident-prone funnel.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team crash

Photo by: Marc Fleury

But Martin simply aimed at the second apex of the chicane, and arrived there with timing that was nothing short of perfect. He showed up on that apex just a whisker ahead of Bezzecchi and the rest, claiming a dramatic early lead. From there he controlled the race, and was never threatened as he kept his lead mostly between one and two seconds throughout proceedings.

Bezzecchi, probably shocked to see his fellow Aprilia in front of him at the first corner, was unable to hold on to second place for long. He made a mistake at Musee on lap three and that was enough to allow Bagnaia past him. That was also that as far as the battle for the runner-up medal was concerned, with Bagnaia riding an undramatic race to come home behind Martin.

Bezzecchi also kept it steady and faced no threats as he brought his machine home in third place – just his second sprint finish of the season.