Motorcycling-Flawless Bagnaia keeps Martin at bay to win Dutch GP sprint, Marquez crashes

MotoGP - Italian Grand Prix - Mugello Circuit, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy - June 2, 2024 Ducati Lenovo Team's Francesco Bagnaia celebrates on the podium after winning the race/File Photo

(Reuters) -Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati led from lap one to the chequered flag to win the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix sprint on Saturday as championship leader Jorge Martin finished second and Marc Marquez crashed out in turn two.

TT Assen pole-sitter Bagnaia continued his perfect weekend to reduce the gap in the championship standings to Martin of Prima Pramac Racing by 15 points and will have the chance to close that gap even further in Sunday's race.

"First of all, this is incredible. We are doing a really great job from yesterday morning... To win here in Assen is always fantastic. It's only Saturday but we are very happy to be in pole position," Bagnaia said.

Aprilia Racing's Maverick Vinales completed the top three.

"After yesterday, I didn't expect to be on the podium today. We worked quite a lot yesterday and today... I tried to follow him (Bagnaia)... But really happy to be here, on the podium," Martin said.

Ducati's Enea Bastianini also put on a brilliant performance to finish fourth after starting 11th on the grid.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Fabio Quartararo, Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli were the other riders who finished inside the points. Alex Marquez was given a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.

Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, who announced last month that he would retire at the end of MotoGP's 2024 season, crashed out in the last lap with MotoGP later confirming that the 34-year-old had gone to the medical centre for a check-up.

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)