BURIRAM, Thailand, Feb 28 (Reuters) - KTM's Pedro Acosta claimed his first sprint victory at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on Saturday, but only after stewards intervened to hand him the win following a clash with Ducati's champion Marc Marquez.
The tense 13-lap battle began in dramatic fashion when polesitter Marco Bezzecchi crashed out early, leaving the two Spaniards to vie for the win in a scintillating wheel-to-wheel contest.
Marquez and Acosta traded places repeatedly throughout the sprint until the penultimate lap, when the seven-times MotoGP champion nudged the KTM rider off the racing line in an aggressive move that caught the attention of race officials.
The stewards ordered Marquez to give up the position, allowing Acosta to cross the finish line first - although the young rider looked confused after taking the chequered flag.
"Super cool to make a sprint like this versus Marc. It's true that maybe I don't really feel like a winner because he let me pass," Acosta said.
"It's a good way to start the season but tomorrow (in the race), maybe we will try to get this real victory."
BEZZECCHI CRASHES OUT OF LEAD
At the start of the sprint, Marquez had the perfect launch and shot off the line to seize the lead from Bezzecchi at turn one.
The Italian briefly regained top spot before losing his balance under pressure at turn eight, handing the advantage back to Marquez.
What followed was a racing dogfight as Acosta stayed glued to Marquez's rear tyre, probing for openings while the Ducati rider repeatedly fended off his advances.
The decisive moment came when Acosta executed a daring overtake, only for Marquez to respond with the lunge on the final corner of the penultimate lap that ultimately cost him the victory.
"In my opinion, race direction decides, so I just follow the rules," a stoic Marquez said after embracing Acosta and congratulating him on his maiden win.
"Every time Pedro overtook me, I overtook straight away on the next corner. Unfortunately, I got that penalty. But nine points (from the) first race after injury - not bad, I'm happy."
However, Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi was less diplomatic about the ruling, saying: "Marc didn't touch Pedro, he didn't go off track. I think it's unfair. I'm sure Pedro would do the same."
Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez finished third in the sprint while his teammate Ai Ogura finished fourth ahead of Aprilia's Jorge Martin.
"It is the first time that I've started the MotoGP championship with points in the first race, so I am very happy," Fernandez said.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Barbara Lewis)
