Marquez Masters Brno

Brno, Czech Republic — Marc Marquez timed his charge to perfection, overtaking rookie Pedro Acosta on the second-to-last lap to win Saturday’s Czech MotoGP sprint and pad his championship lead.

The factory-Ducati star collected his 11th sprint win in 12 rounds, lifting his tally to 356 points. That puts the 32-year-old 95 clear of younger brother Alex Marquez and 156 ahead of Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

Acosta, 21, brought his KTM home second, followed by Italian Enea Bastianini on the satellite KTM-Tech3.

Marquez, who started second, slipped past polesitter Bagnaia on lap one. Acosta launched from the third row, soon catching Marquez before briefly taking the lead while the champion nursed low tyre pressure.

“I saw the pressure wasn’t enough, so I backed off,” Marquez said. “Once it reached the limit, I pushed again.”

The six-time MotoGP king reclaimed top spot early on the penultimate lap and never looked back.

Acosta, who battled a painful forearm injury early in the season, was thrilled with another podium. “It was the darkest start of my life, so this feels super nice,” he said.

Bastianini also savoured third after missing the German round with food poisoning. “It’s incredible to be back and enjoy my first podium with KTM,” he added.

Reigning world champion Jorge Martin, returning from a long injury lay-off, finished 11th.

Marquez has now won the last four grands prix — sprints and full races alike — and eyes a seventh world crown that would tie Valentino Rossi’s mark.