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Category: Moto GP
Moto GP, the Motorcycle World Championship
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Impeccable Bagnaia holds off Quartararo in Jerez showdown
Jerez (Cádiz, Spain), 1 May, 2022: It’s the showdown that has built all weekend long: Ducati Lenovo’s Francesco Bagnaia vs Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. The pair were in a class of their own at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix with victory, despite incredible late pressure, going the way of Bagnaia as he officially announced himself as part of the title race. Quartararo was forced to settle for second but did take an outright lead in the World Championship. Meanwhile, in the fight for third, Aleix Espargaro broke clear in the final laps to end Aprilia’s MotoGP™ concessions after six long years.
Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the qualifying race in SHARK Grand Prix de France on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
ELBOWS OUT FROM THE START
As the lights went out in Jerez, the roars went up as the thousands of fans trackside celebrated their return to the grandstands after three years away. It was the poleman Bagnaia who launched himself into the lead, with Quartararo settling into second behind. Espargaro and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) were literally elbow-to-elbow off the line, with the Aprilia man diving under the eight-time World Champion into the opening corner only to run wide and allow the Honda man through to fifth. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller was third on the opening lap, ahead of LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami.
Marquez was aggressive again on the opening lap as he fired up the inside, and sat up, Nakagami to claim fourth. The Japanese rider, forced wide by Marquez, also saw Espargaro squeeze through. Seconds later Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin crashed out for the fourth time in six races and, on his 200th Grand Prix appearance, HRC’s Stefan Bradl also hit the deck at the final corner.
Only a handful of laps had been completed but the leading duo were already flexing their muscles, edging further and further clear of Miller. By Lap 5 it was 1.5 seconds and that gap just continued to grow. Meanwhile, the Australian was more concerned about hanging onto the final podium places with both Marquez and Espargaro applying increasing amounts of pressure on the factory Ducati man.
Darryn Binder (WithU RNF Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 2, before a big moment in the World Championship fight took place. After a sluggish start, Alex Rins’ day got worse when the Team Suzuki Ecstar man was forced to straight-line his GSX-RR through the Turn 11 gravel trap after a big moment on the front end. Pramac Racing’s disaster day continued when Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 5.
WITHSTANDING PRESSURE
Half-race distance had been completed with Bagnaia having eeked out an eight-tenth advantage. The Italian would maintain that gap up until the final three laps of the race. Quartararo sliced his lead in half and was starting to close in on the factory Ducati man. Could Quartararo steal Jerez victory away from Bagnaia late on? The pair were pushing to the absolute limit, now a mind-boggling 11 seconds clear of the rest.
They started the final lap with Bagnaia holding an advantage of just half a second. It would require something special from the World Champion on the final lap. As they came through the fourth and final sector Quartararo was closing and closing, now just a quarter of a second away from the former Moto2™ World Champion. But Bagnaia stood firm, withstanding the almighty pressure, to take a vital victory in Jerez. A first for Bagnaia since the season-closing race in Valencia last year and a second for the Bologna factory in Andalucia in as many years. Quartararo’s third podium visit of the season saw him stretch out his Championship leader from nothing to eight points, however.
PODIUM FIGHT IGNITES
Much like the duel for victory, the scrap over third took its time to come to life but when it did, it was pulsating. There were five laps left when Marquez made an inch-perfect move up the inside of Miller at Turn 5. Espargaro behind knew he had to respond or risked seeing the Respol Honda clear off into the distance. And the Aprilia man had an answer on the same lap as he braked hard and late into the final corner. Through went the Spaniard but it would quickly get even better for him.
Marquez was wide into the final corner and the front-end of his RC213V folded, before he somehow, in true Marc Marquez style, picked it up off of his elbow to continue on. Espargaro and Miller both swooped through to demote the eight-time World Champion to fifth. Espargaro checked out, quickly putting half a second into Miller but Marquez wasn’t done. The factory Honda man risked it all on the final lap to take fourth, diving up the inside of Miller at Turn 8 in spectacular style.
Ahead of them, though, Espargaro was coming across the line to take a pivotal podium for the Noale factory. Not only does the Spaniard sit second in the standings, eight points adrift of Quartararo, but Aprilia officially lost their MotoGP™ concession status after six long, hard years. Behind Marquez and Miller in fourth and fifth was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan, who drifted into late contention but couldn’t find a move on the men in front of them.
FINAL FINISHERS
Nakagami eventually came across the line in seventh, four seconds clear of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) who claimed eighth. The erstwhile Championship leader picked off rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), who matched his best MotoGP™ result despite that in ninth. The final place inside the top ten went the way of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder.
MotoGP™ Top 10:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 25 laps
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.285
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 10.977
4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 12.676
5. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 12.957
6. Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) + 13.934
7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) + 14.929
8. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 18.436
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 18.830
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 20.056
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Jorge Lorenzo named MotoGP Legend
Jerez, 30 April 2022: Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is now a MotoGP Legend! The Spaniard was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto – where the final corner also bears his name – in a special ceremony on Saturday, honouring a long and successful career.
Lorenzo made his 125cc World Championship debut at Jerez in 2002, and from there the rise began. For 2005 he moved into the 250cc class and then won his first World Championships with back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, taking more than half the victories on offer across the two seasons. He moved up to MotoGP for 2008, partnering Valentino Rossi at Yamaha, and took his first MotoGP victory only third time out.
In 2009, he was runner up and the season also staged one of the races of the century as Rossi vs Lorenzo at the Catalan Grand Prix became one of the most memorable duels in MotoGP. In 2010, however, Lorenzo’s time had come and it was a near-perfect season as he was crowned MotoGP World Champion for the first time. 2011 went to key rival Casey Stoner before 2012 saw Lorenzo take the crown once more. 2013 and 2014 went to new rival Marc Marquez, before Lorenzo was crowned Champion again in 2015 after another Rossi vs Lorenzo showdown.
Lorenzo 2002 2016 was a final year with Yamaha before moving to Ducati for 2017, and after a first season with a few podiums, Lorenzo took three sublime victories for the Borgo Panigale factory in 2018. The season was then curtailed by injury and he switched to Repsol Honda for 2019. After a tougher year and more injury struggles, the five-time World Champion hung up his leathers at the end of the season.
Over an incredible career, Lorenzo won 68 races and stood on the podium an incredible 152 times. He won two 250cc World Championships and was crowned MotoGP World Champion three times, as well as winning premier class races with two factories. Now, he is officially a MotoGP Legend!
Lorenzo 2007 Lorenzo joins a long list of greats that have been made MotoGP Legends that includes Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Anton Mang, Angel Nieto, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts, Kenny Roberts Jr, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Marco Simoncelli, Freddie Spencer, Casey Stoner, John Surtees, Carlo Ubbiali, Alex Crivillé, Franco Uncini, Marco Lucchinelli, Randy Mamola, Kork Ballington, Dani Pedrosa, Stefan Dörflinger, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, and the late Nicky Hayden.
Jorge Lorenzo: “I arrived here 20 years ago at this track to make my debut and I was still 14 on Friday. So, I went to watch at a few corners with a scooter and I saw the likes of Cecchinello, Ueda, Vincent, Pedrosa, Poggiali all riding. For me, they were heroes. And I saw them riding so aggressively and so fast, that I was wondering if someday I could arrive at that level.
“Now, I’m given the honour of becoming a MotoGP Legend from Dorna, from Carmelo, that have always treated me so well, and this means even more than the Championships I won. Because all of the MotoGP Legends are great Champions, but not all Champions can be named as Legends, so I’m very proud to be part of this amazing group, these names. I’m so lucky, so grateful to have the life I have thanks to MotoGP.”
Lorenzo wins his first premier class in 2010 after finishing second in 2009. Title No.1. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “Jorge has been something special for MotoGP. In my opinion, Jorge, first of all, is a fantastic person. He’s very emotional, he’s a friend, he’s a person who tried to do the maximum every time he did something, and he’s an incredible rider. For us, Jorge has been, in this generation, very, very special, who has allowed us to grow as we are growing. It’s a special moment for MotoGP and personally for me to say thanks to Jorge and to induct the 33rd Legend of MotoGP. He’s part of the most important riders in the history of MotoGP and I’m very proud to give him this award. Thank you, Jorge.”
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MotoGP: Bagnaia beats Quartararo to take pole in Spanish GP
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia beats Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo to MotoGP Spanish GP pole, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro in third.
Q1:
The first part of MotoGP qualifying in Spanish GP at Jerez saw Suzuki’s Alex Rins lead the way provisionally from Honda’s Pol Espargaro but the latter came back to take the lead as KTM’s Brad Binder stood third for most part of the session.
The second run saw VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi take the top spot before falling down. He looked all set to take it away but for the late charge from Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco who set a 1m37.003s lap to set the pace and make it into Q2.
Despite his fall, Bezzecchi’s 1m37.135s lap was enough for a Q2 spot as Honda’s Espargaro missed out in third by 0.003s. He is to start the Spanish MotoGP race from 13th ahead of Suzuki’s Rins with Binder in 15th after one of his laps was deleted due to track limits.
Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli slotted in 16th from Gresini Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio as Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner ended up 18th even though he crashed at Turn 5. VR46’s Luca Marini was 19th from Honda’s wildcard entrant Stefan Bradl.
Late run from KTM’s Miguel Oliveira saw him only 21st with LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez in 22nd, RNF Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso 23rd, Aprilia wildcard entrant Lorenzo Savadori 24th and RNF’s Darryn Binder in 25th.
Q2:
The second part in MotoGP qualifying in Spanish GP saw early crash for Pramac’s Jorge Martin, who had to rush into the pits to switch onto the second bike. On track, Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo set the pace provisionally from Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro slotted in third from Ducati’s Jack Miller and Honda’s Marc Marquez before they all ventured out for their final run. As they set out, Suzuki’s Joan Mir and Gresini’s Enea Bastianini both had separate crashes at different corners.
That certainly ruled them out of contention as Bagnaia went quickest with a 1m36.170s lap which was enough to hand him MotoGP pole in Spanish GP as Quartararo couldn’t improve on his final attempt to be second, with Espargaro regaining third in his final attempt.
Miller and Marquez stayed fourth and fifth as Zarco slotted in sixth from LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami, Bezzecchi, Mir, Martin, Bastianini and Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in the Top 12.
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Quartararo fends off Ducati for top honours on Friday
The reigning Champion tops Day 1 at one of his signature tracks despite a crash, with Bastianini, Bagnaia and Martin on the chase
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 29 April, 2022: Reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) is the rider to beat so far at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España! The Championship leader pulled two tenths clear on Friday to hold off the hard-charging Ducati trio of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), with the Frenchman finding a late 1:37.071 in FP2 to sit top of the pile despite a crash earlier in the day.
FP1
2020 Champion Joan MIr (Team Suzuki Ecstar) topped FP1, the Spaniard’s penultimate lap good enough to hold off a last lap charge from teammate Alex Rins, who ended up just 0.025 behind in second. LCR Castrol’s Honda’s Alex Marquez slotted into third, but there was some headline stealing from Quartararo in a different way to start the day.The Frenchman was sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets before a wet patch caught him out at the final corner, and the crash left him wincing as the rear wheel of his Yamaha flicked him in the groin. No harm done once he’d had a few minutes to recover, but there were two further moments as well: The first came under braking at Turn 9, before he was then forced to straight line it through the gravel trap at Turn 5. Despite all of that, the number 20 closed out the opening session in fifth, just behind Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing).
FP2
Quartararo was able to pull out those two tenths to take back to the top, but he had competition from Ducati. Looking at the opening day of action, it’s the Bologna factory who may well be his closest challengers on Sunday after Bastianini, Bagnaia and Martin all impressed. The ‘Beast’ jumped ahead of his factory counterpart with the chequered flag out to take second spot late on, but after Bagnaia had earlier led the session too. The number 63 appeared to be back to his brilliant best as he threw in a handful of fast laps, with his best placing him third overall and a quarter of a second adrift of his 2021 title rival.Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, suffered two crashes. The first off was at Turn 6, before quickly picking up the bike and rejoining. Whilst heading back to the pitlane, however, the eight-time World Champion was cruising off the racing line at Turn 9 and touched a damp patch that remained from Thursday’s rain. Down went the Spaniard again but former teammate and now KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa was on hand for a taxi back.
Provisional Q2 places
Behind the Quartararo-Ducati caravan in the top four then, it’s Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) who ends Friday as top Honda in fifth. It was close though, the Japanese rider edging out Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) by just 0.004, and the gap didn’t get much bigger thereafter either, with Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro in seventh and only another 0.005 off.Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was eighth and the only rider in the top ten from FP1’s top three, and Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales finished Friday in ninth. 2021 winner Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) is currently the last set to move through, the Australian in P10 on Day 1.
That leaves the likes of Marquez, Aleix Espargaro and Mir looking for more on Saturday morning, with FP3 underway at 9:55 (GMT +2). Then, it’s time to decide the grid for another stunning Gran Premio Red Bull de España, so make sure to tune in for qualifying – on track from 14:10!
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Target acquired: Quartararo singled out as the man to beat
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 28 April, 2022: There’s one man on everybody’s lips at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain: Fabio Quartararo. And it’s easy to see why. Fresh from a first MotoGP™ win of the season in spectacular fashion, Monster Energy Yamaha’s reigning World Champion arrives at a circuit he’s dominated at in the past two years. With back-to-back wins in 2020, before his hopes of a hat-trick were dashed in 2021 by arm pump, on his Jerez resume, there’s no doubting he’s the man to beat. His nearest title rivals though, whilst speaking at Thursday’s Press Conference, said they’re expecting a close fight.
Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the MotoGP 2022 – Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain Qualifying Race scheduled from 16:00 Hrs (04:00 pm IST) onwards on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
THE CHAMPION
Quartararo was untouchable in Jerez in 2020 and 2021. He won both races two years ago by a combined margin of 10.1 seconds, and he was already edging towards being two seconds clear of Jack Miller before arm pump struck last season. So does he feel he has some unfinished business to deliver this weekend?
“Payback? I will say no,” started the defending World Champion. “Because basically, it was not an issue with the bike, it was an issue from my side. I would say that I am arriving much more prepared. The surgery I had last year was perfect, so, of course, I feel we can go super-fast but we need to work on a normal weekend. I feel we have the potential to fight for the victory but we need to do it step-by-step, first Friday and then we will see our speed.
“It was an important moment,” replied Quartararo when asked about his first premier class victory since Silverstone last year. “Straight away I was able to be fast. In the race to make a 39.4 on Lap 3 was quite important. Of course, to fight for the victory after the tough start to the season is always great, and it’s even greater when you have back-to-back races, and I am at one of my favourite tracks.”
THE CHALLENGERS
Arguably the two men most likely to stop the factory Yamaha rider from going back-to-back are Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). The pair are breathing down Quartararo’s neck in the title chase and are hoping to sneak clear of the Frenchman at what they believe will be an incredibly close and competitive Spanish Grand Prix.
“We are at a track that I really like,” said Rins, now tied on points with Quartararo in the World Championship. “Last year, we had a small crash at Turn 6, so I did the race with just one wing. The pace was not that bad, so let’s see. Let’s see what awaits us this weekend and let’s try to do the same as last weekend. This is one of the tracks that a lot of riders will be fast at. It’s the first Spanish GP, so it will be difficult. Also, the level that we have in MotoGP is high this year.”
Espargaro is equally determined, especially as we arrive at a circuit where he was able to finish just five seconds away from the eventual race winner in 2021. At that time, it was the closest Aprilia have ever been to a MotoGP™ race winner meaning, given the increased performance from this year’s RS-GP, the 32-year-old is brimming with confidence.
“Last season here was very good for us, we were quite close to the podium and the victory, so I hope with this year’s bike, that’s improved quite a lot, we can be even more competitive. This year things have changed a lot for us, but also for the rest of the riders on the grid. The level is very high, and we know how tough this category is.
“I remember that in FP3 here last season, there were just three or four tenths covering 15 riders, so it’s going to be difficult, and it’s going to be very important to be focused from FP1. With the system of having the first three sessions to be in the top 10, we know it’s very important, and every session will count.”
THE CHANGE?
Following what seemed like a positive pre-season, many predictions ahead of Qatar pointed toward Honda finding some of their former glory. However, the Repsol Honda Team has struggled in the opening five rounds of the year with Marc Marquez stating the need for change. The new RC213V was aimed at giving HRC’s riders the rear grip it has badly lacked over recent years. But that design change has, as a result, taken away Marquez’s biggest strength: braking. Now unable to attack corners in a ‘V’ shape, Marquez is missing some magic.
The Spaniard opened up about Honda’s issues in Thursday’s Press Conference: “It’s true that it’s a bike that in big circuits it’s working really well like we saw in pre-season in Malaysia and then in Qatar. But as soon as we arrive at a small circuit and you need to turn in a short time, that is where we struggle a lot. That’s where we need to understand some more. The solution is close or far? We don’t know, we don’t know. The potential is there. I believe the potential is there. But we need to find a way how to take profit from that potential.”
Will we see the eight-time World Champion back at his best this weekend? Or will it require Monday’s crucial Official Test to find the breakthrough they so desperately need to ignite the number 93’s title tilt? We’ll find out this weekend at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix.
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MotoGP: Quartararo dominates Portuguese GP; late crash for Miller/Mir
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo takes dominant Portuguese GP win in MotoGP from Pramac’s Johann Zarco and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
The MotoGP Portuguese GP started off well for Suzuki’s Joan Mir who immediately took the lead from Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Ducati’s Jack Miller, as pole-sitter Johann Zarco onboard his Pramac Ducati dropped to fourth from LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez.
KTM’s Miguel Oliveira made up ground to sixth as Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro dropped to seventh from brother Pol on his Honda. Pramac’s Jorge Martin was ninth from Suzuki’s Alex Rins who climbed from 23rd to 10th in the opening couple of laps.
As Mir led the way, Quartararo started to press on the Suzuki rider and eventually passed him at Turn 1 to take the lead in MotoGP Portuguese GP. Zarco passed Miller to third as Marquez stood fifth from Espargaro, Oliveira and Rins in the Top 8.
There was a gap then to the group of Espargaro, Marquez, Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini and KTM’s Brad Binder in the fight for ninth. Marquez won the battle for the time being from Espargaro, Bastianini and Binder with LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami a bit off in 13th.
Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales made his way to 14th from Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in the Top 15. The Italian had a slow start due to his qualifying crash, but slowly got into a rhythm to claw his way up, although not at the same pace as Rins was doing.
He got into a tussle against Marquez, Espargaro and Oliveira for fifth. He got through them at one point but Espargaro got fifth to keep him behind where Marquez dropped to eighth behind Olivera. While Zarco started to press Mir, teammate Martin crashed out.
Another to crash was MotoGP points leader Bastianini, with Nakagami clouting the back of Binder to fall but managed to continue. Amid all this, Quartararo led the way from Mir who regained second after a brief attack from Zarco as Miller was stagnant in fourth.
Espargaro was fifth from Rins with Oliveira seventh ahead of A Marquez, M Marquez and P Espargaro in the Top 10. Binder was 11th from Bagnaia with Vinales 13th, VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini 14th and Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli 15th.
At the front, Quartararo checked himself out with the fight on between Mir, Zarco and Miller. The Frenchman tried couple of times but made it stick on Mir to take second as the Suzuki rider then came under pressure from Miller, Espargaro and Rins.
The drama only intensified when Miller crashed out taking Mir with him at Turn 1. The Australian tried to take the inside line but slipped taking the Suzuki rider with him. Zarco got a breathing space in second but Espargaro and Rins started to press him on.
Oliveira moved to fifth after his teammate Binder crashed out, with A Marquez sixth ahead of M Marquez as Espargaro was eighth from Bagnaia and Vinales in the Top 10. There was another retirement with Gresini’s Fabio di Giannantonio shutting shop due to an issue.
At the front, Quartararo dominated once in lead to win MotoGP Portuguese GP as Zarco made it French 1-2 as Espargaro completed the podium from Rins and Oliveria in the Top 5. M Marquez won the fight against his brother Alex in a solid fight for sixth.
Bagnaia got eighth from Espargaro on the line with Vinales in 10th from RNF Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso, Marini, Morbidelli, Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner and VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi in the Top 15 and points position.
Nakagami recovered to 16th from RNF’s Darryn Binder and Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori who was the last classified finisher where Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez did not start after his Warm-Up crash. DNF: Di Giananntonio, Mir, Miller, Binder, Bastianini, Martin.
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Zarco secures Portuguese GP pole in late attempt from Mir, Espargaro
Pramac’s Johann Zarco came through to secure MotoGP pole in Portuguese GP from Suzuki’s Joan Mir and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
Q1:
It was tricky start to first part of MotoGP qualifying in Portuguese GP as riders had to decide whether to go on the slick tyres or stick to wet. Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner had a high side on the dry weather tyres with Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia following suit.
Among others, Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, Suzuki’s Alex Rins, Gresini Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio and VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini also used the dry tyres early on as LCR Honda duo of Alex Marquez and Takakaaki Nakagami led the way on wet tyres.
It was mixed strategy but towards the end, the slick tyres started to come alive. It eventually helped LCR’s Alex Marquez (1m46.316s) through to Q2 after he switched to dry tyres with Marini making it in too with a 1m47.199s lap.
Despite the late push, Martin missed out in third to start 13th in MotoGP Potuguese GP, with Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales 14th from di Ginannantonio, RNF Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso and Nakagami in 17th as points leader Enea Bastianini was only 18th.
The Gresini rider had a late high side to crash out, as Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli was 19th from Gardner who managed to return after his crash unlike Bagnaia who couldn’t set any time. Aprilia wildcard Lorenzo Savadori was 21st from RNF’s Darryn Binder.
Suzuki’s Rins was only 23rd in the end after his lap was cancelled as Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez ended up 24th after his high side on the slick tyres.
Q2:
The second part in MotoGP qualifying in Portuguese GP saw everyone use the slick tyres as the times at the front continued to change for multiple riders. Even the lead changed hands multiple times along with the front row order with many having a go at it.
The fight for pole went until the final lap after the chequered flag, as Ducati’s Jack Miller went from first to fourth after late improvements from three riders. It would have been more damage if not for the lap cancellation for Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo.
The crash for Honda’s Pol Espargaro caused yellow flags which hurt his teammate Marquez and also Yamaha’s Quartararo – both of whom took top spot from the laps they did. With the flags taken away, three MotoGP riders were on-course to improve their times.
Suzuki’s Joan Mir went fastest with a 1m42.198s lap but Pramac’s Johann Zarco set a 1m42.003s lap to take MotoGP pole in Portuguese GP as Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro ended up third with a 1m42.235s lap after a late improvement from his side.
Miller was fourth from Quartararo, with VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi in sixth from LCR’s Marquez who crashed after chequered flag. Marini ended up eighth from Honda’s Marquez who dropped to ninth from Espargaro and KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder.
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Masia back on top after classic Moto3 finish at COTA
The Spaniard takes his first win of the year ahead of Foggia and Migno as Garcia crashes out
Austin, 10 April 2022: For the first time since the 2021 Qatar GP, Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is a race-winner after coming out on top of a classic Moto3 battle at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the fourth round of the Moto3 World Championship. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) takes the World Championship lead and with some margin after a second place finish, the Italian beating compatriot Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) to the second step on the podium. Former points leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) suffered a DNF, with his place in the standings taking a dent.
Polesitter Migno was able to hold onto P1 as the lightweight class field piled into Turn 1, but Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was soon the race leader, the Turk through with an aggressive move at Turn 7. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), after contact on the home straight with Öncü, took over in the lead on Lap 2 though, and there was big progress for Garcia as he picked his way through to P8 from P15 on the grid. Foggia was going in the wrong direction early doors, meanwhile, the Italian had been shuffled down to P10.
Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) took his turn leading for a couple of laps, but then came the drama for Garcia. On Lap 6 at the exit of Turn 13, there was contact between the Spaniard and compatriot Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Garcia was down and out of the running for points, as Holgado himself then tucked the front at Turn 20. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), after jumping the start, had to take two Long Lap penalties.
A lead group of seven had formed at the front: Masia now led from Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), Öncü, Moreira, Artigas, Foggia and Migno with nine laps to go. With seven to go, Foggia hit the front for the first time, but a lap later, Masia was back through.
With five to go though it was a costly Turn 12 for Foggia, the Italian shuffled down to P4 behind Masia, Migno and Sasaki after running slightly wide. It was all to play for with two laps to go in Austin, the top seven all locked together.
Heading onto the last lap, Moreira highsided out – unhurt – at the final corner, as Masia and Migno scrapped for the lead. Foggia was P3, Sasaki P4, Öncü P5 – it was between these five riders for victory. Migno led onto the back straight but Masia grabbed a nice slipstream and made a move stick into Turn 12.
It was advantage Masia heading into the final sector, and Migno dived up the inside at the penultimate corner but went wide, allowing both Masia and Foggia through. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider made no mistake at the final corner and took victory ahead of Foggia and Migno, with Sasaki missing out on a podium by 0.096s in P4.
Öncü was in the fight for victory throughout but just lost touch on the last lap and the Turkish rider came home in P5. Artigas also lost touch in the closing stages, the Spaniard finished P6 ahead of Guevara, who did well to recover to P7 from his two Long Lap penalties. Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) rounded out the top 10.
Rookies Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) and Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) produced great rides to pick up P11 and P12 on their first visits to COTA, the duo finished ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and the final point scorer Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) – that’s the Frenchman’s first World Championship point.
With Garcia eventually retiring after his crash, Foggia takes a 16-point lead to Portimão as the European leg of the season now appears on the horizon. And the Portuguese venue is one we’ve seen the Italian master. Will he extend his lead next time out?
Moto3 Podium:
1 Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo)– KTM – 38’58.286
2 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +0.172
3 Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) – Honda – +0.394 -
Arbolino takes maiden Moto2 victory in Austin; Vietti and Canet crash out
Austin, 10 April 2022: Amidst a series of crashes, drama hits the early season title contenders, and a thrilling race saw the emergence of Tony Arbolino as the triumphant leader as he won the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the Round 4 of the Moto2 World Championship here on Sunday. Ogura won back-to, Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas-back podiums and Dixon finally got that rostrum finish which is his first in Grand Prix racing.
Tony Arbolino of Elf Marc VDS Racing Team, kept his calm under severe pressure but the Italian pulled clear to take his first Moto2 win in style. Ai Ogura of Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, charged through to second for his first back-to-back Moto2 podiums, with another first in third too. Jake Dixon of Shimoko GASGAS Aspar Team got his first rostrum finish in Grand Prix racing, battling Ogura and eventually taking P3.
Tony Arbolino: “I want to show my eyes to prove the words are real. I worked a lot man, I worked a lot. Since Moto3 I was already feeling I could do the first year the Championship in the Moto2 class. Honestly, I worked so hard. I didn’t sleep during the night because I was thinking of this moment, this is what brought me here. I swear on my life, this is an incredible feeling. I want to keep going, keep having fun. I have an amazing team, amazing crew, amazing people that work during the night for me so it’s incredible. This is a win man!”
Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), who retains that moniker, crashed out early, and then his closest rival at the time, Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) also crashed out in a dramatic Americas GP.
Polemen Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) got off the line well but was denied the holeshot by a Vietti divebomb, and Canet and Arbolino then pushed the hometown hero back to P4 as the podium battle began to take shape. There was drama elsewhere early on too, first with a multi-rider crash involving, amongst others, Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) as he made contact with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), before Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) also headed into Turn 12 too hot. Gabriel Rodrigo (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW Racing GP) were both caught up, riders all ok. Chantra was given a Long Lap for Portugal for the incident.
The drama continued through to Lap 2, with Canet losing and then taking P2 back from Arbolino, before the Spaniard began to set his sights on the lead. The deficit between first and second had narrowed to just a couple tenths and the lead soon changed hands at Turn 9, with Canet taking charge of the race and Vietti slipping to second. Then, just a couple of corners later at 11, a Beaubier error allowed a host of riders through as he dropped to eighth.
The American wasn’t the only rider struggling to keep himself upright at COTA, with Simone Corsi (MV Augusta Forward Racing) the next rider to crash out at Turn 14, before Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo excellent race start, P10 to P5, was in vain, as he slid out of the race and the top five at Turn 6 – riders OK.
Turn 6 then claimed another victim, this time in the form of Championship leader and race contender Vietti. It meant Arbolino and Dixon moved into the top three, and handed a comfortable advantage to new race leader Canet, but it didn’t last long. The Flexbox HP40 rider seemed to be cruising to a win before disaster struck on the eighth lap, losing the front end of his Kalex at Turn 7 to throw another twist in the tale of a fascinating Moto2™ race in Texas. As a result, three riders were thrust into victory contention, Arbolino leading Dixon and Ogura, but a classy performance from a cool and composed Tiger Tony ensured he opened up an unassailable lead over the next few laps.
Lap 12 then saw the order of the podium decided, with Ogura taking over from Dixon at Turn 12. Luckily for the Briton, he had built up enough of an advantage over Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Beaubier that he just had to keep it steady to claim his first-ever Grand Prix podium.
Arblolino crossed the line in some clear air for an impressive first Moto2™ win, extending the advantage lap by lap to taste Prosecco in the intermediate class for the first time. Ogura kept second despite a late nibble from Dixon on the penultimate lap, with the number 96 choosing calm and that first ever Grand Prix finish.
For poleman Beaubier, what started out as a dream home race then sadly turned into a nightmare, as he cost himself a P4 finish and 13 valuable Championship points on the final lap, sliding out and handing Schrötter a first top four finish since the Valencia GP in 2020.
Jorge Navarro recovered from a Long Lap Penalty to take a top five finish while Jeremy Alcoba made it two Liqui Moly intact riders inside the top six for his best rookie results so far. Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) were next up, Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) going from P18 to P9.
A fine ride from Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP) saw him round out the top 10 ahead of Albert Arenas (Shimoko GASGAS Aspar Team) and Marcos Ramirez (MV Augusta Forward Racing). Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), Filip Salač (Gresini Racing Moto2™) and Romano Fenati (MB Conveyors Speed Up) complete the points finishers.
The Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas certainly delivered Moto2 drama by the bucketload in Austin, and next up for the intermediate class is a date at the Autodromo do Algarve in two weeks’ time. Join us then for more.
Moto2 Podium:
1 Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – Kalex – 39’06.552
2 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +3.439
3 Jake Dixon (Shimoko GASGAS Aspar Team) – Kalex – +4.787 -
Ducati domination: Martin grabs last gasp pole from Miller
A 1-2-3-4-5 in qualifying makes some history for the Bologna factory, with Marquez ninth on Saturday
Austin (USA), 9 April 2022 (IST10th morn): Jorge Martin’s (Pramac Racing) stunning Saturday afternoon form continued at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, with the Spaniard coming through Q1 to claim a sensational second pole position of the season. It’s four front row starts in a row for Martin too, with the Spaniard beating Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) by just 0.003s this time around. The 2:02.039 the Pramac rider set is also a new all-time lap record.
Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the MotoGP 2022 – Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas Main Race scheduled from 21:30 Hrs (09:30 pm IST) onwards on Sunday, April 10, 2022.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) claimed P3 to make it a Ducati triple threat on the front row and, just behind, two more Ducatis line up P4 and P5… making it the first ever front five lockout for the factory, and the first for a single manufacturer since Honda in 2003 at Motegi.
Q1
Q1 was – as we’re used to seeing given the sheer competitiveness of the class – a star-studded affair. World Championship leader Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing teammate Maverick Viñales fancied their chances of progressing, but so did Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Martin and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™).Rins was the early pacesetter, the Suzuki rider putting in a 2:02.723 as the benchmark. Martin soon took over at the summit with eight minutes to go though, which saw Aleix Espargaro kicked out of the all-important top two. Then, chasing a time on his second run, the number 41 was down. Hopes of a Q2 place were gone for the Spaniard and the best he could hope for was a P13 grid slot. Luckily, P3 in the session and P13 on the grid was where he stayed, as Martin and Rins progressed and no one else could leapfrog.
Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team), chasing big brother Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), crashed at Turn 3 unhurt in the early stages.
Q2
Q2 then got underway and it was Miller who was the early pacesetter, with fellow Ducati rider Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) off to a tougher start as he crashed at Turn 15. The Italian was able to pick his GP21 straight back up though, and immediately set off chasing a pole position lap time – no damage done.Then, another crash. This time it was Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) at the penultimate corner. Rider ok and 100m Olympic sprint mode activated, but it was now a race against time for the Frenchman who was provisional P7.
After that and at the end of the first set of runs, Miller was leading Bagnaia by 0.008s, with Martin and Bastianini making it a Ducati 1-2-3-4. Quartararo managed to make his way back to the garage with just over four minutes to go though and straight away, the number 20 was back on track on his second YZR-M1.
Pecco came out of the blocks flying on his second fresh soft rear tyre. 0.140s was his advantage through the third split and by the line, the number 63 went top by 0.160s over teammate Miller. The latter, though, was also setting red sector times. Through the third split, Miller was 0.236s up on Pecco’s effort and sure enough, the Australian returned to P1.
Then, there was another Ducati rider lighting up the timing screens – Martin. The qualifying specialist lost time in the third split but a wonderful fourth sector saw Martin pip Miller by the slimmest of margins: just 0.003s. Was there anyone else challenging? Not by the looks of it. Quartararo was struggling to respond, seven-time Texas winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) had a quiet session pushed down to P9 and Rins and 2020 Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) jumped up to P7 and P8.
In the end, Martin’s 0.003s advantage was enough to take it, with Miler and Pecco joining him on the front row. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Bastianini, in P4 and P5, made it a historic Ducati demolition on Saturday in Texas.
The Grid
Behind the five Ducatis is Quartararo lining up in P6. How much did that crash affect the reigning World Champion’s pole position hunt? He’ll want more on Sunday.Rins and Mir head up the third row ahead of Marc Marquez, the eight-time World Champion under the radar so far. Fellow Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) rounded out the top 10 to equal his best of the season so far, with Argentina front row hero Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and an under the weather Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) just behind, set to launch from P11 and P12 respectively.
It was a frantic and ferocious pair of qualifying sessions in Austin, and we now turn our attention to race day. Can anyone stop Ducati from claiming victory in Texas? And what can the World Championship leader muster up from P13? Time will tell. So tune in at 13:00 local time (GMT-5) to find out!
