Enea Bastianini’s US MotoGP race began with some “critical” opening laps and ended in a close duel with Marc Marquez.
The Tech3 KTM rider – promoted to a Sprint rostrum by Pedro Acosta’s tyre pressure penalty – survived an early rear slide in the GP, followed by an airbag-deploying clash with Johann Zarco, who crashed in the incident.
“It has been the best weekend for a long time, but the first laps were critical – many things happened!” Bastianini said.
“In Turn 3, I lost the rear, then in Turn 7, after contact with Johann, my airbag exploded, and I did a half lap with that deployed.
“But the rest of the race was great.”
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US MotoGP lap times: The top 6 rides.
© Peter McLaren
The Italian set a pace comparable with the race leaders as he climbed steadily to eighth.
The closing stages then saw Bastianini catch a group of riders, initially led by Francesco Bagnaia, fighting over fifth.
Bastianini and Marquez traded places behind Bagnaia before both overtook the fading factory Ducati.
The Beast then hounded Marquez for the final laps but finished just 0.143s behind the reigning world champion at the chequered flag.
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“At the end, I caught Marc, and it was a hard fight because he was pushing a lot in the final laps,” Bastianini recalled.
“I tried to get closer out of Turn 11 [onto the back straight] to have a chance into Turn 12, but we were missing a bit of acceleration.
“Still, we were competitive under braking and that is a positive.”
Bastianini came into the COTA weekend with a best result of just twelfth in the previous events.
“I can be happy after a disaster like the first two Grand Prix,” he admitted.
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“Qualifying made the race more difficult, but it is good to be back fighting close to the front again.”
Marc Marquez, Enea Bastianini, 2026 US MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
“Great to watch”
Team manager Nicolas Goyon described Bastianini’s performances as a relief.
“The team leaves with smiles on our faces, which is a real relief after two complicated races,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate Enea on the job he has done all weekend. It was great to see him enjoying the bike, building confidence, and delivering a strong race.
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“He improved his pace and worked his way into the fight with Pecco and Marc Marquez, which was great to watch.
“P3 in the Sprint and P6 in the main race are positive results for us as we leave Austin.
“We now have a break, which will give Maverick [Vinales] time to recover from his shoulder surgery, and we hope to be back in great shape in Jerez.”
Vinales withdrew from COTA and will require surgery for a loose screw in the shoulder he damaged at last July’s German MotoGP.
Pedro Acosta finished as the top KTM in third on Sunday.
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