MOTORCYCLING: Aprilia's Bezzecchi wins Thailand Grand Prix ahead of KTM's Acosta

Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi led from start to finish to win the Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta and Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez.

Bezzecchi had crashed out of the Saturday's sprint while he was in the lead, but this time the Italian rider made no mistake as he stormed into a massive lead from pole position and cruised to the finish to win the season opener by over five seconds.

Bezzecchi became the first Aprilia rider to win three consecutive Grands Prix, stretching back to last season, while his teammate Jorge Martin and Trackhouse's Ai Ogura completed the top five to make it a red-letter day for Aprilia bikes.

Ducati's defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez started second on the grid but struggled to match race pace and was forced to retire due to a rear tyre puncture on lap 21.

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger/Reuters