Bezzecchi, what a wasted opportunity: “A mistake not to make. I should have been more patient”

Opposite moods

On one hand, the enthusiasm of Jorge Martin, who found a victory and also the championship leadership after more than 500 days, on the other the regret of Marco Bezzecchi, who threw away a very important opportunity and other very heavy points in the standings, after the potential 12 thrown to the wind in the Thailand Sprint. These are the two opposite faces of Aprilia at the end of the Saturday race at COTA.

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Little patience

The rider from Rimini committed another serious mistake for a rider who is in the middle of the fight for the World title. In fact, Bezzecchi went down when he was in second position, a few laps from the end of the Sprint, in an attempt to close in on the race lead – occupied at that moment by Francesco Bagnaia – and at the same time to distance Martin’s sister bike. However, the slide wiped out in an instant the nine points he would have brought home with second place, paving the way for Martin’s recovery on Bagnaia and the overtaking in the standings by the 2024 champion.

After the race, with great honesty, Bezzecchi admitted his mistake and was forced to swallow a bitter pill, as he had already done the moment he ended up on the ground, putting his hands on his helmet in a sign of despair even while he was sliding: “It was a real shame. I made a mistake I shouldn’t have made – explained #72 – because I overdid it a bit under braking. I was making a good comeback after losing some positions at the start, but I should have been more patient and instead I made this mistake. We will try to make up for it on Sunday.”

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