Bagnaia makes it 2 in 2

Italian rider holds off Quartararo to win in San Marino

Bagnaia makes it 2 in 2
©Reuters

MISANO, Italy: Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati held off a late charge from world championship leader Fabio Quartararo to win the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, his second consecutive MotoGP victory.

Polesitter Bagnaia led by 2.7 seconds at one point, but Quartararo closed the gap in the final laps, cutting the Italian's lead to two-tenths of a second.

Enea Bastianini of Avintia Ducati had a fantastic race to finish on the podium for the first time after starting 12th on the grid. Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda finished fourth.

Quartararo, who initially struggled to keep up with Bagnaia and Jack Miller's Ducatis, overtook the Australian for second place with 14 laps to go but was unable to pass Bagnaia, who also won in Aragon last week. Miller finished fifth, despite his age.

"I knew that with the soft rear tyre, I was struggling a bit and I tried to push in the first few laps to open the gap," Bagnaia said.

"The last 10 laps when Fabio was recovering were very difficult... he was a bit better in the last part but we were incredible today.

"Two victories in a row is incredible for me. I was struggling to win my first race... there was something missing. Now I'm very happy."

Quartararo stated that he had given his all.

"There were a few moments when I thought I could close the gap, but Pecco (Bagnaia) was on another level today... but we did the job today because we still have a good lead in the championship," he said.

With four rounds remaining, the Frenchman leads Bagnaia by 48 points.

Former world champion Valentino Rossi came in 17th for Petronas Yamaha, while reigning world champion Joan Mir of Spain finished sixth on his Suzuki.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - Agency