Francesco Bagnaia won an exciting sprint race at the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP on Saturday to cut championship rival Jorge Martin's lead at the top of the riders' standings. He was 23 points behind Martin after crashing out of the Aragon MotoGP but if he wins Sunday's GP he will take the championship lead.

TNT Sports MotoGP pundits Neil Hodgson and Michael Laverty hailed the incredible qualities of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

MISANO ADRIATICO, Italy (Reuters) -Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati recovered from a poor start to win the sprint at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday after the pole sitter capitalised on a mistake by championship rival Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing.

Francesco Bagnaia says he “needed this mistake” from Jorge Martin in the MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix sprint race as overtaking him “was very difficult”. The reigning world champion set a new lap record to claim pole on Saturday at Misano,

Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole position at the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP on Saturday, giving himself a chance to further chop Jorge Martin’s slim lead in the riders’ championship.

Francesco Bagnaia took pole position at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday, breaking his own lap record at the Misano circuit as Ducati bikes locked out the front row with Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini in the top three.

Francesco Bagnaia beat MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin by 0.214s to claim pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia trailed Pramac rival Martin by over three tenths of a second after the first runs,