Marco Bezzecchi “speechless” as riders ran from COTA MotoGP grid

Marco Bezzecchi was left “speechless” as chaos erupted on the COTA MotoGP grid, with many riders fleeing to the pits for their spare bikes just minutes before the race was due to begin.

Marc Marquez triggered the exodus after deciding the track was too dry for wet tyres, leading to confusion as others followed suit. 

However, Bezzecchi, starting 13th, opted to stay put - unsure whether leaving would result in a penalty.

“I didn’t know what to do”

“It was strange! I honestly didn't know what to do because I was on the grid, and I saw many riders running away and the bikes as well. And I was like… speechless!” he said.

“I didn't know what to do because I was scared that if I switched off the bike or went away, maybe I could take a penalty. So I just waited.

“I was waiting until I saw the people from Race Direction saying that we could leave the grid.

“Then I was quite calm and relaxed. I switched off my bike and went back to the box.”

The unprecedented scenes, with bikes, riders, team members, and grid guests frantically rushing back to the pits, ultimately forced Race Direction to delay the start on safety grounds.

Rivola: “Regulations need to be revised”

It later emerged that many riders, including Marquez, had misunderstood the ride-through penalty they would have received for leaving the grid - had the start not been delayed.

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola called for clearer regulations to prevent similar confusion in the future.

“As for what happened at the start, the regulations undoubtedly need to be revised in order to prevent situations of confusion at the race start, because it did not make for a good show, not to mention being confusing for the spectators,” he said.

Bezzecchi fights back for sixth place

Despite losing a position at the restart and dropping to 14th, Bezzecchi put a tough weekend behind him by charging to sixth place at the chequered flag.

“I’m rather satisfied with this race,” he said. “It was obviously an extremely complicated weekend, and our starting position conditioned us a bit. The second half of the race was especially positive.

“I began to feel increasingly better, both physically and in terms of my feeling with the bike. I was overtaking well and braking accurately. My pace improved consistently, which allowed me to make up a number of positions.

“When I saw that I was lapping at excellent times, I really started having fun. It’s a pity they shortened the race by one lap because I would have been able to make a play for fifth place.”

Rivola praised Bezzecchi’s fighting spirit after a difficult weekend.

“On a weekend that was a bit complicated for Marco, partly due to some of our mistakes, it was great to see his speed in the race.

“Marco confirmed his qualities as a fighter, capable of overcoming and rising up decisively.

“In three races, Marco has consistently demonstrated outstanding speed, even if we have still not managed to reap our full potential. In any case, we know that this is all part of the process.”

Savadori takes first MotoGP point since 2023

It was also a memorable race for for Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori, who scored his first MotoGP point since Assen 2023 by finishing 15th - potentially in his final stand-in appearance for the injured Jorge Martin.

“I’m satisfied with the race because we took a big step forward,” Savadori said. “It was an extremely difficult weekend, with constantly changing conditions, but we had a good race pace and, most importantly, the things we tested gave us a rather clear direction to follow.

“In any case, these are elements that we will still need to check again during the upcoming private tests in Misano. It was a good race. We battled and we also managed to work a bit on speed and performance. It was positive to see the Aprilia bikes get close to the positions that count.”

Martin expected to return in Qatar

Rivola  is keeping his fingers crossed that reigning world champion Martin - who attended COTA as a spectator - will be fit to make his long-awaited Aprilia race debut in Qatar.

“It was great to have Jorge in the garage with us, and that was undoubtedly an extra source of motivation. Hopefully, he will be fit for Qatar, and we’ll finally be able to see him riding the Aprilia.”

COTA marked the one-year anniversary of Aprilia’s last GP win, and Ducati’s most recent defeat, with former rider Maverick Vinales.