Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi took advantage of multiple crashes to claim his second victory of the season and move just one point behind Pecco Bagnaia, who crashed in the early stages after colliding with Maverick Viñales. Marc Márquez, who made his comeback at Le Mans, also crashed while pushing for the podium.

Le Mans marked the return of Marc Márquez, but also of other prominent names at the front of the race. Maverick Viñales seemed ready to win again, two years after his previous victory. Bagnaia appeared to be in good shape, though he could afford to sprint with his mind on the finish line. However, for both, everything went wrong from the start.

The Spanish Aprilia rider attacked the Italian, who tried to pass him back on the next lap, in the last turns of the track. Both collided and crashed to the ground, effectively ending their race. Just a few corners later, two Italian bikes, a Spanish and an Italian rider, suffered the same fate: Marini and Alex Márquez wound up on their knees in the middle of the track, in a hair-raising accident in which everything miraculously turned out fine.

Bezzecchi tightens the World Championship race

Meanwhile, Bezzecchi was doing his thing. He overtook Marc Márquez in a controversial maneuver on the inside and saw himself strong enough to gallop and go solo, leaving behind a fratricidal duel that has already had high tension moments: Jorge Martin versus the Repsol Honda rider.

The one-on-one didn’t bring blood to the river this time… except for Márquez’s. With two laps remaining, the Cervera rider crashed, but he left a clear message: “I prefer to fall fighting for the podium than finish 10th.” For the time being, the new Kalex chassis has done a lot, as the eight-time world champion is where he belongs, fighting at the top of the standings.

Johann Zarco gifts himself a podium at home

Johann Zarco benefited greatly from Marc Marquez’s crash. The Frenchman finished third in Le Mans, his home race, completing the triplet for the satellite Ducati bikes and the double for Pramac. Zarco’s second podium of the season came from a lower starting position.

In the standings, Pecco Bagnaia maintains the lead with just one point ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, while Binder remains third, 13 points behind the official Ducati rider.

In Moto2, Tony Arbolino won the race and leads the championship by 25 points over Spanish rider Pedro Acosta. In Moto3, Dani Holgado achieved his second win of the season and is now the leader, with a 21-point advantage over his compatriots Ortolá and Masia.