Bezzecchi Makes History as Aprilia Dominate in Austin

Bezzecchi Makes History as Aprilia Dominate in Austin

Marco Bezzecchi delivered a historic performance at the Circuit of the Americas, leading every lap to secure victory and set a new record for consecutive laps led, surpassing Jorge Lorenzo’s long-standing benchmark.

On a circuit widely regarded as the most physical on the calendar, Bezzecchi remained composed under late pressure from Jorge Martin, briefly seeing his lead drop under a second before responding to manage the gap expertly in the closing stages.

The race was anything but straightforward behind him. Marc Marquez endured a disrupted afternoon, serving a long-lap penalty and losing ground in the early laps. Despite showing strong late pace, including a personal best with 13 laps remaining, the Spaniard could only recover to fifth after intense battles with Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini.

There was also contact between Pedro Acosta and Bezzecchi in the early stages, while Acosta’s wait for a maiden MotoGP victory continues, now standing at 12 podiums without a win.

One of the standout moments came from rookie Ai Ogura, who produced a sensational, millimetre-perfect overtake on Fabio Di Giannantonio. However, a later technical issue ended his charge, denying him a potential breakthrough result.

Elsewhere, Joan Mir’s difficult run continued with another long-lap penalty, while Yamaha’s surprise highlight saw Toprak Razgatlioglu finish as the leading rider for the manufacturer ahead of Fabio Quartararo. At the opposite end of the field, two-time COTA winner Alex Rins struggled near the back.

At the front, though, this was all about Bezzecchi. Not only did he secure a third consecutive Grand Prix win for Aprilia, but he also became the first rider in the modern era to win five races in a row when leading every lap , a run only bettered by Marquez’s 10-race streak overall.

The victory sees Bezzecchi reclaim the championship lead, though questions remain over his sprint race inconsistency. If he can eliminate those errors, he is rapidly becoming the rider to beat in 2026.