Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia and Alex Marquez treated fans to a tasty appetizer in Moto2 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.
The pair went head-to-head for a good portion of the race, before Bagnaia finally put his nose in front of the pole winner with five laps to go and held on until the end.
It was the second win of the season for Bagnaia, who started 2018 by winning in Qatar. The Italian races for the Valentino Rossi-owned VR46 team, a fan-favorite at Circuit of the Americas.
“When he started losing grip with the rear I started to close and hope that I got him in the last laps,” Bagnaia said. “This track for me is very difficult. It’s so much better than winning in Qatar.”
Bagnaia suffered a nasty crash on Friday, the effects of which he said hurt him for the rest of practice and qualifying. He started fourth on the grid.
Marquez looked strong from the start but could be seen sliding at Turn 12 about halfway through and again with eight laps left. Bagnaia made his move with six laps to go, storming ahead at Turn 1.
Marquez took him on for the next two loops, but was no match for the Italian after that. The Spaniard, who races for the Marc VDS team, is the younger brother of five-time Americas GP champ Marc Marquez.
Miguel Oliveira took third, while Joe Roberts, the lone American on the grid, placed 23rd.