2025 Misano Grand Prix

The 2025 Misano Grand Prix was a showcase of pure racing drama, delivering a weekend of unexpected twists and a thrilling finale that will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the MotoGP championship. The home crowd was treated to a spectacular performance, especially from local hero Marco Bezzecchi, but ultimately, it was the relentless championship leader, Marc Marquez, who stole the show.

Qualifying and Sprint Race: Bezzecchi's Dominance

Saturday's action set a captivating stage for the main event. In a brilliant display of speed and skill, Marco Bezzecchi secured a stunning pole position with a time of 1m30.134s on his Aprilia. His performance was a huge boost for the Italian fans, who erupted with cheers as he put on a show. Sharing the front row with him were Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati and an impressive Fabio Quartararo on the Yamaha, a machine that has struggled at times this season. Championship leader Marc Marquez qualified in a close fourth, setting the stage for a dramatic sprint.

The sprint race itself was a story of two different fortunes. Marc Marquez, who had been on an incredible streak of eight consecutive sprint victories, looked poised for another win. However, a rare mistake saw him crash from the lead at Turn 15, ending his perfect run. This opened the door for Bezzecchi, who flawlessly took over the lead and powered his way to a brilliant home victory. Alex Marquez maintained his strong form to finish second, with Fabio Di Giannantonio rounding out the podium, much to the delight of the local fans.

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Main Race: Marquez's Redemption and a Title-Defining Duel

Sunday's main race was a masterclass in championship-level racing. Bezzecchi once again got a fantastic start from pole, leading the pack and putting on a show for his home supporters. But Marc Marquez, fueled by the previous day's disappointment, was on a mission. He quickly worked his way up and locked onto Bezzecchi's rear wheel, setting up a nail-biting, race-long battle for the lead.

Marco Simoncelli is killed in MotoGP crash

Marco Simoncelli, a rising MotoGP star, died Sunday at the same Malaysian circuit where the Italian won the 250cc world title in 2008. He was 24. Nicknamed "Super Sic" and sporting a mop of curly hair, Simoncelli was predicted by many to be a future MotoGP world champion. He died a week after Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car accident in the IndyCar finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Simoncelli lost control of his Honda at Turn 11 four minutes into the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang. After regaining partial grip, Simoncelli's bike swerved across the track — and into the path of American Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi of Italy.

Qatar Moto GP qualifying Casey Stoner rules

Casey Stoner's perfect Repsol Honda MotoGP debut continued during Saturday's qualifying session in Qatar, when the #27 held off team-mate Dani Pedrosa to secure his 27th pole. As they have been all weekend, Stoner and Pedrosa were in a class of their own during qualifying, locking out first and second for much of the hour. No other rider held provisional pole after the opening five minutes and Stoner always managed to respond to Pedrosa's improvements, although the final margin between them was a frail 0.205sec.
"We can't ask for a much better weekend, everything has gone well and the team have made all the right steps and gradually improved the bike as the weekend progressed,” said Stoner. “Tonight I was able to achieve good, consistent lap times again on the hard tire and this is important for the race tomorrow.

“As ever, we will keep our feet on the ground as we've had good starts to seasons in the past and then they haven't played out as expected, we just need to keep working and ensure that we continue to progress. We've done all our homework and the best job possible, now I just want to get the season started.”