SCARPERIA: Danilo Petrucci of Italy held off Marc Marquez to gain an emotional first ever MotoGP victory on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix.

Titleholder Marquez briefly took the lead on the last lap but Petrucci managed to edge out the five-time champion by 0.043 seconds, much to the home fans’ delight.

The 28-year-old Petrucci could clearly be seen crying after he crossed the line at the Mugello circuit for his first win on his 125th start in the premier class.

“It’s amazing, I’m thrilled,” said 28-year-old Petrucci, who finished eighth in the 2017 and 2018 world championships. “On front of my home crowd and in my town, it’s incredible, I can’t describe how I feel. I’ve achieved my aim for this year which was to win a race, now we have to win the championship with Ducati.”

Petrucci’s Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was third, 0.338 off the pace.

Marquez, who had won three of the previous four races on his Honda, extended his lead in the standings to 12 points over Dovizioso.

There was disappointment for seven-time champion Valentino Rossi, who crashed out early in his home race.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2019