Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2024: Francesco Bagnaia secures victory, Australian Jack Miller injured in three-rider crash on the opening lap
Francesco Bagnaia claimed victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix to send the MotoGP championship to the final round, while Aussie Jack Miller’s race was cut short via an awful three-rider spill on the opening lap.
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The 2024 MotoGP championship will be decided in the final round after defending champion Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia kept the season alive after victory - his 10th of the year - in the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.
Bagnaia saw off the challenge from championship leader Jorge Martin after the two Ducati men produced one of the thrilling opening passages to a race at elite level.
The two title contenders swapped the lead, rubbed elbows and brought back memories of the classic Casey Stoner-Valentino Rossi tussle at Laguna Seca in 2008.
Martin will take a 24-point lead into the final round, and victory in the Saturday sprint would deliver his first championship and unseat Bagnaia who has been champion for the past two seasons on the factory Ducati.
The final round is expected to be held at the Catalunya circuit in a fortnight. It was scheduled to be raced at Valencia but the flooding disaster in the region has forced a cancellation.
The initial start to the Malaysian GP resulted in Australian Jack Miller being injured in a sickening three-rider spill on the opening lap.
Miller was treated on track and then taken away by ambulance to the on-track medical centre.
The 29-year-old KTM rider was later seen walking back to the garage with wife Ruby after serious concerns had been held for his welfare.
Race officials said his condition was not serious but would undergo further treatment.
It’s believed the Queenslander injured his shoulder in the accident.
Miller’s factory KTM teammate Brad Binder and Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo all landed on the tarmac in a horror accident as the field entered Turn 2.
The rest of the field evaded the chaos as the riders and bikes lay across the track.
The race was red-flagged and the race distance cut to 19 laps.
Binder and Quartararo returned to their garages. The South African Binder looked distressed and concerned over the plight of his teammate.
Quartararo was able to rejoin the field on the factory Yamaha for the restart and finished sixth - his best result of 2024.
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Originally published as Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2024: Francesco Bagnaia secures victory, Australian Jack Miller injured in three-rider crash on the opening lap
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