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Asad Khan crowned Hero Dirt Biking champion
Jaipur, 4 Nov 2022: Multiple National champion and motorsport rally star from Chikkamagaluru, Asad Khan, was crowned as the first-ever Hero Dirt Biking Challenge champion following the finals held here for the top 20 who came through multiple stages of competition after a five month-long rigorous contest that began with over 1 lakh registered riders vying for honours from across the country.
Rakesh N and Gidyun Benjamin were first and second runners-up respectively. Olesya Dias emerged as the best female rider.
“It is an amazing moment and I am thrilled to become India’s first dirt biking hero. The sheer magnitude of the event and huge response from over one lakh riders is a great tribute to Hero Motosports. I enjoyed every bit of it,” said an elated Asad Khan.
It was a big moment for Asad Khan, the Bengaluru-based privateer from the Coffee Land, who was crowned as the off-road riding champion and was awarded a Hero Xpulse 200 4V bike. A regular in the Indian National Rally Championship (2w), it was also a moment of satisfaction for all the hard work over the years fighting with factory teams as the humble giant bagged a sponsorship contract worth Rs 10 lakh. With limited or virtually negligible sponsorship opportunities, privateers in Indian motorsports spend huge amounts on their passion and the Hero sponsorship contracts for the top-three winners comes as a big push to continue their motorsports careers.
Asad Khan, champion, flanked by Rakesh, left, and Gidyun, right. Asad Khan first topped his zone at the Kodman Motopark in Mangaluru, where 60 riders took part in the preliminaries and five were selected for the next stage. The others are Ishan Chandra, Suhail Ahmed, Safwan Hussain (all Mangaluru) and Samson from Mysuru. Later after three more stages, Khan got into the National camp for the top 100.
Different stages
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC), which was launched in July 2022, concluded with the final race where only the 20 winners that came through different stages of competition fought for the top prize to become the the first HDBC champion. Earlier, clearing the city and regional rounds, 90 riders reached the Zonal round. Following a 4-day Zonal round, the National Team of Hero MotoSports trained participants before the top-20 Dirt-Biking Heroes made it to the finale.
Rakesh N, who came second won also received an Xpulse 200 4V and sponsorships contracts worth Rs. 6 lakhs while Gidyun Benjamin will get Rs. 4 lakh sponsorship and a similar bike too. Olesya Dias was recognized as the ‘Best Female off-Road Rider’ in the country for her rousing performance across all the rounds. The HDBC was telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot.
The finale week was held in and around Hero MotoCorp’s world-class R&D hub, the centre of Innovation and Technology, (CIT), in Jaipur. The entire race and participation experience was designed at par with top international rally events. The entire finale week was curated by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally.
Huge response
From July, over 100,000 participants registered for the HDBC and after a rigorous nationwide contest that ran across four stages and 41 cities 20 finalist who were short listed took part in the final Jaipur event.
Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The massive excitement and participation in Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is proof that the off-road riding segment is growing in the country. Xpulse is a favorite of riders and HDBC is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country that opened doors for riding enthusiasts to achieve glory. We congratulate the winners and wish all the finalist the best for the future.”
Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The Hero MotoSports Team Rally is the flag-bearer of Indian off-road racing. With superior technology, the Xpulse 200 4V is the ideal bike for riders to get into the sport, pursue their passion and go beyond boundaries. Congratulations to the winners. Hero MotoSports will continue to support national talent in the future too.”
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, one of the top international teams, is the rally-racing team of Hero MotoCorp and the only Indian team ever to win a stage at the Dakar Rally. Team riders Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi worked with the top participants in a Residential Bootcamp, and provided them with invaluable coaching.
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is the first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) which provided a platform for budding riders, enthusiasts and amateurs who want to pursue off-road racing and the response for the maiden edition was amazing. -
Brazil GP: Russell scores first F1 win from Hamilton, Sainz
George Russell secured his first F1 win in Brazil GP as Mercedes got their first in 2022 in a 1-2 with Lewis Hamilton P2 and Carlos Sainz P3.
Having won the sprint race, Mercedes’ George Russell made a clean start in F1 Brazil GP at Interlagos to lead from teammate Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez slotted in third and fourth behind them.
Perez had McLaren’s Lando Norris on his left at Turn 1 but managed to stay ahead, with he Brit keeping the Ferrari pair at bay where Charles Leclerc was ahead of Carlos Sainz – both of them opting for the medium tyres to start the grand prix.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was eighth with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Mick Schumacher in the Top 10, gaining from the collision between Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo which is under investigation.
After a brief safety car period to clear the cars of Magnussen and Ricciardo, the re-start saw Russell lead the way in F1 Brazil GP but Hamilton and Verstappen made contact at Turn 2-3 sequence where the Dutchman tried to take the inside line.
With no space, they touched which dropped Verstappen to back and needing a pit stop, while Hamilton dropped to eighth. Moments later, Norris and Leclerc came together after the Brit ran a bit on the kerb and was thrown on the track.
He clipped Leclerc which sent onto the barrier but he managed to continue on. He was forced to pit, with both the incidents under investigation. Russell led the way from Perez and Sainz, with Norris in fourth from Vettel, Gasly and Schumacher.
Hamilton was eighth from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in the Top 10. Both Verstappen and Norris were handed 5s time penalty for causing a collision as Hamilton started to make inroads and was up to fourth after clearing four cars.
Russell started to extend his lead from Perez and Sainz, with Hamilton gaining on them. Norris kept Vettel at bay for fifth as Gasly was seventh from Schumacher. Bottas passed Stroll for ninth who dropped out of the Top 10 with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 10th.
With Russell leading Perez, Sainz decided to pit early for a soft switch. His right-rear brakes seemingly was on fire when he came in but it cooled down by the time he headed out. Both Leclerc and Verstappen also pitted again after their initial stop for damage.
Russell kept the lead after his stop even though Hamilton was leading F1 Brazil GP. Perez was third in the order with Sainz fourth. Post the pit stop for Hamilton, he was down to fourth but got third when Sainz decided for a second stop a few laps later.
Bottas gained from the pit stops to be fifth from Vettel, as Ocon was seventh from Norris, whose 5s pit stop and a steering wheel issue dropped him to eighth. The Brit had Leclerc on his tail, with Schumacher in the Top 10 from Verstappen.
The German’s pit stop was under investigation after it was spotted that a Alfa Romeo member was strolling near their pit box. After Hamilton caught Perez and passed him for second, both pitted few laps later for their final stop.
Russell continued to lead F1 Brazil GP after his stop but Sainz was close behind him. Hamilton was down to third from Perez as Bottas was fifth. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed soon for Norris, who stopped at the side of the track due to an issue.
Sainz and Alonso pitted for tyre change, as the full safety car was then deployed as it became difficult to get the car in. It was Russell in the F1 Brazil GP lead from Hamilton, Perez, Sainz, Bottas, Leclerc, Vettel, Ocon, Alonso and Verstappen in the Top 10.
After Williams’ Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi were allowed to get back onto the lead lap, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda seemingly wasn’t allowed which kept him in the pack. Russell continued to lead F1 Brazil GP from Hamilton and Perez.
The Mexican had Sainz on his tail along with Leclerc, with Alonso gaining places to be sixth from Bottas, who was cleared by Verstappen for seventh. Ocon was up to eighth after Bottas’ lock-up at Turn 1. Vettel rounded out the Top 10.
Up front, Russell had control over Hamilton as Sainz was up to third but not troubling the Mercedes ahead, with Leclerc, Alonso and Verstappen managing to clear Perez who was struggling on the medium tyres. Bottas and Vettel were in the Top 10.
Finally, Mercedes broke the winless jinx of 2022 F1 season as Russell took his career first in Brazil GP in a 1-2 finish from Hamilton. Sainz was third despite pleas from Leclerc to let him pass thinking about the championship standings.
Likewise, Verstappen retained seventh from Perez despite a late call from Red Bull, as Alonso ended up fifth ahead of them. Ocon in eighth made merry for Alpine as Bottas ninth from Stroll who passed Vettel late in the race to be 10th.
Gasly was 12th from Guanyu with Schumacher dropping to 14th after early Top 10 run as Albon, Latifi and Tsunoda rounded out the 17 runners. DNF: Norris, Ricciardo, Magnussen.
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Rugved Barguje sparkles in Goa Round 5: Supercross Nationals
Mapusa (Goa),13 Nov 2022: Braving a dislocated shoulder that is yet to heal, Pune’s Rugved Barguje from Petronas TVS Racing team won a golden double to win the Best Rider tag and reclaimed the championship lead in the premier class from veteran CD Jinan in the fifth and penultimate round of the MRF Mogrip National Supercross Championship promoted by Godspeed Racing at the Carnival grounds, Opposite to Bodgeshwar Temple in Mapusa here on Sunday.
Going into the Goa round trailing by a point to CD Jinan, Rugved won both the motos comfortably on Sunday to take a five-point lead ahead of the last round in Bengaluru next Sunday. Jinan finished second in both the motos of Group A SX1 class, the feature event of the day. Rugved leads the championship with 172 points to Jinan’s 167. Originally slated as the fifth round on Nov 6 but put off due to rains, Bengaluru will now be the sixth and final round on Nov 20.
In Moto 1 of the Group A SX1, the 21-year rider from Pune, Rugved, did not get the best of starts he is known for, but still got the hole-shot and quickly squeezed into the lead at the first corner pushing veteran rider and championship contender CD Jinan to second and rode a steady and consistent race on a tight and technical track to win by about seven bike lengths. Jinan, the 47-year stalwart from Thrissur, who started on the far-side behind the gates, endured the disadvantage to follow the leader and reduced the gap towards the end. But it was Rugved’s day as he took a comfortable victory despite the pain he endured at every jump and jerk. In the fourth round in Vadodara, Rugved Barguje had a nasty fall and dislocated his right shoulder. The braveheart, got up and finished fifth, for a valuable 11 points and came back to win Moto2 in severe pain with his shoulder heavily taped after shots of painkillers.
“I had an amazing day and I am very happy to get two race wins under my belt. Hoping for the best next weekend,” said Rugved.
In the 12-lap second moto, boxed by the top two riders Prajwal V took a ‘fall’ at the first corner affecting Jinan and Rugved wasted no time to zoom into the lead. Jinan trailed in third behind Ajay Srinivas, who crashed later in the opening lap itself, but Jinan played safe later, and retained his second position. Rugved, meanwhile, slowly increased the gap managing the hoops in quick time with good technique and was careful on the long jumps to protect his lead. Jinan, made a couple of mistakes and lost some time with two laps to go, and the Pune lad won with ease to reclaim the title-lead in the top class.
Triple for Sarthak Chavan; Jinendra leads Class 2
Pune’s Sarthak Chavan won both the SX2 motos in Class 2 and added one more moto winning the Junior SX1 first race. But Jinendra Sangave, who represented India in the MiniGP World finals recently, recovered to a third place in the first Moto and took a second in the next, to increase his Championship lead to a comfortable 157 points with Shlok Ghorpade and Ajay Srinivas fighting behind him, more than 20 points adrift.
Indian Experts class goes to wire – Arun sparkles
Popular privateer Arun T from Hassan won the Indian Experts Group C Class 6 but it was Petronas TVS star Sachin D who took a slender one-point championship lead from teammate Imran Pasha as the Championship battle goes to the wire. Arun also won the Private Experts Class 5 ahead of Yogesh and Shabuddin Syed, a popular local rider from Goa Racing team.
Akshat Hupale virtually seals the Junior SX2 title
Another Pune rider Akshat Hupale virtually sealed the Junior SX2 championship winning the first moto in Class 8 while Bengaluru school boy Bhaiarav C upset the applecart of the champion astride a Gasgas machine in Moto2 and in the process displayed enough skills to defend a marauding Sujan in the last two laps with a mature ride. Way behind, Akshat made sure he took the third, which was enough to seal the championship.
Podium for Ananstya Pol
Shlok Ghorpade and Sarthak Chavan shared the honours in the Junior SX1 but it was Bengaluru lass Anastya Pol, who stole the limelight with a podium in the second Moto, competing on equal terms with boys.
Provisional Results – Round 5:
(Results are NOT official and will be updated soon with official version)
Class 1: SX1 Moto1: 1. #9 Rugved Barguje (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 2. #50 CD Jinan (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 3. #75 Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Kawasaki KX).
Class 1: SX1 Moto2: 1. Rugved Barguje (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 2. CD Jinan (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 3. Shlok Ghorpade (KTM150 Satara).
Class 2: SX2 Moto1: 1. Sarthak Chavan (KX250F- Pune); 2. Ajay Srinivas (KX250F- Bengaluru); 3. Jinendra Sangave (KX250F- Ichalakaranji, Kolhapur);.
Class 2: SX2 Moto2: 1. Sarthak Chavan (KX250F- Pune); 2. Jinendra Sangave (KX250F- Ichalakaranji); 3. Shlok Ghorpade (KTM150 – Satara).
Class 4: Locals: 1. Tanweer Shaikh; 2. Sarvesh Korgonkar; 3. Mayur Kolekar; (All Goa, on Impuse).
Class 5: Indian Experts: 1. Arun T (Hassan) 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru – TVS Racing) 3. Imran Pasha (Mysore – TVS Racing).
Class 6: Private Experts: 1. Arun T (Hassan, Xpulse); 2. Yogesh PD (Bengaluru) 3. Shabuddin Syed ().
Class 7: Junior SX1 Moto1: Sarthak Chavan (Pune); 2. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara); 3. Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur);
Class 7: Junior SX1 Moto2: 1. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara); 2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune); 3. Ananstya Pol (Bengaluru).
Class 8: Junior SX2 Moto1: 1. Akshat Hupale (KTM SX 85 -Pune); 2. Sujan J (KTM65- Coimbatore).
Class 8: Junior SX2 Moto2: 1. Bhairav C (Gasgas – Bengaluru); 2. Sujan J (KTM65- Coimbatore); 3. Akshat Hupale (KTM SX85 -Pune);
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Brazil GP: Russell wins sprint race after passing Verstappen
George Russell passed Max Verstappen to win F1 Brazil GP sprint win from Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton in the Top 3.
Pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen made a good start in his Haas in F1 Brazil GP sprint race as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to defend from Mercedes’ George Russell starting on the medium tyres with the Dutchman staying in front of the Brit.
McLaren’s Lando Norris stayed in front of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon kept sixth after a fight against teammate Fernando Alonso going into Turn 4. The Spaniard was forced onto the kerbs as he kept himself behind in the order.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was eighth in points, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding the Top 10. At the front, Magnussen managed to lead for a lap or two before Verstappen took the sprint race lead with the Dane dropping behind.
He lost to both Russell and Sainz, who cleared Norris for fourth and moved up to third. The Brit lost to Hamilton who cleared Ocon. The Frenchman had a tangle with Alonso in the final corner where the Spaniard damaged his front wing and forced him to pit.
Hamilton was up to fourth with Perez up in fifth after passing Magnussen and Norris who were sixth and seventh. Ocon dropped to 10th with Leclerc in eighth from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel.
The two had a squabble for track position where Stroll moved across to his left at Turn 1 with Vettel on the grass. The Canadian was eventually handed a 10s penalty for dangerous moved as the German eventually passed him for 10th on the order.
Up front, Verstappen started to be pressured on by Russell. The Brit stuck to his tail and tried a move for multiple laps but the Dutchman kept him at bay. He was helped by a brief yellow for Williams’ Alexander Albon stopping at the side.
But it didn’t deter Russell who eventually got through Verstappen at Turn 1 to lead the F1 Brazil GP sprint race with the Dutchman soon losing his touch with the Brit after noting of damage. He had Sainz and Hamilton on his tail in a three-way fight for second.
And soon Sainz made a move on Verstappen to snatch second. They made contact at Turn 1 with the Dutchman losing endplate of his front wing. He fended off Hamilton for couple of laps but he had too much at hand to eventually lose out to the Brit for third.
He dropped long behind in fourth as Perez started to close in on Verstappen. Leclerc was up to sixth as Norris passed Magnussen for seventh in the Top 8. Vettel was just outside points after passing Gasly for ninth as three drivers were put under investigation.
It was down to grid positioning for Hamilton, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu with the incident to be investigated after the race. At the front, Russell eased in to win the F1 Brazil GP sprint win from Sainz who fended off Hamilton.
Verstappen was fourth from Perez, Leclerc, Norris and Magnussen in the Top 8 points position, with Vettel and Gasly rounding the Top 10. Ricciardo ended up 11th from Stroll, who eventually dropped to 17th after his 10s time penalty.
It promoted Haas’ Mick Schumacher to 12th where he also had a moment with the Canadian. Guanyu was 13th from Alfa Romeo teammate Valtteri Bottas, with Alonso recovering to 15th from AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Stroll was 17th from Ocon who dropped like a stone after his early contact with Alonso with the Alpine pair far behind in the fight for fourth. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi – the other on the medium tyres – was 19th after Albon retired.
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Al-Rajhi, Al-Balooshi and Al-Tuwaijri claim honours in Saudi Baja 2022-Hail
Hail (Saudi Arabia), 12 Nov 2022: Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Haitham Al-Tuwaijri claimed victories in their respective car, motorcycle and quad categories at the three-day Saudi Baja 2022–Hail on Saturday afternoon.
The demanding final 183.42km Farhaniyah selective section to the west of Hail caused several major movements on the respective leader boards, with motorcycle front-runner Alex McInnes crashing out of his overnight advantage on two wheels and local driver Khaled Al-Feraihi losing fourth place in the car section with broken steering on the final day.
Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz dominated the car category in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux and another stage win gave the Saudi a 24min 28sec cushion over Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal (Ford F-150 Evo) and his Slovakian navigator Marek Sykora. That enabled the Saudi to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi wins FIM Baja bikes category. Saudi Baja photo Co-driver Von Zitzewitz said: “As we expected it was not so easy. We were not sure how the desert would react with all this rain we have had. We took it quite easy in the first part. We did not want to risk anything stupid because we were lying in a good position. But, in the second part, we speeded up a little bit. There was some navigation involved and some soft dunes and nice climbs through a pass. It was quite challenging and many guys got trouble. Everything went well and Yazeed did a great drive. The Hilux worked well. It was a beautiful stage, a little bit short maybe, but it was a Baja and we are very happy that we could win this race.”
The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri fulfilled their objective of finishing on the podium and a fine third place also earned them victory in the FIA T3 category and confirmed the championship title for the Spaniard.
Alvarez said: “We win the category and the championship. We win everything and I am also third overall in the (Baja) championship. We had a good feeling with the car and we see what we can do now in Dubai.”
Fourth overall and maximum FIA T4 points for Brazilian driver Cristiano de Sousa Batista means that he and Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri will go head-to-head in Dubai next month to decide the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship. Al-Thefiri finished at the rear of the field after first day electrical issues, while Eduard Pons was sixth overall and second in T4.
Aliyyah Koloc gave her hopes of winning the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas a major boost by finishing fifth and second in T3, ahead of seventh-placed local driver Dania Akeel. Egidijus Valeiša, Hamed Al-Harbi and Mashael Al-Obaidan rounded off the top 10, with three female drivers registered in that top 10 for the first time.
Al-Harbi said: “Around 50km before the finish we broke the belt and it took a long time to remove it and we put a new belt on and we lost around 10 minutes. That’s why we dropped down to ninth and second in Middle East.”
Al-Obaidan added: “A wonderful rally with some bumpy sections. As usual, the organisers surprise us with great tracks.”
After losing a lot of time in the stage, Al-Feraihi managed to get his car back to Parc Fermé in Hail. Co-driver Sébastien Delaunay explained: “We hit a big bump and we broke the steering. We finished the first part of the stage but we arrived at the neutralisation and it was closed. We make more than 50% of the stage and got the car into Parc Fermé, so we lose a lot of time and are not in a good position in the overall classification but at least we score points in the Middle East and national championships.”
When overnight leader Alex McInnes crashed heavily and sustained a broken nose, wrist and a back injury, that opened the door for several rivals to challenge for victory in the motorcycle category.
The experienced Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi only finished fifth on the stage behind Abdullah Abu Aisheh, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Abdullah Al-Shatti but that was enough for the TM rider and 2020 winner to win the Saudi Baja by 4min 24sec from Kuwait’s Al-Shatti.
After time penalties were later imposed, local rider Mishal Al-Ghuneim rounded off the podium finishers and Anass Al-Reheyani and Abu Aisheh completed the top five.
Abdulaziz Ahli won the day’s quad stage on his Yamaha YFZ 450 R but massive time penalties had dropped the Saudi out of contention for victory on Friday. Overnight leader Haitham Al-Tuwaijri managed to comfortably fend off his rivals to claim the win. Hani Al-Noumesi was a distant third after multiple champion Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi failed to finish.
Ahmed Al-Shammeri held on to confirm victory in the Saudi National Baja for cars. Ahmed Al-Ghashami and Motair Al-Shammeri rounded off the podium places.
Yasir Al-Khuraif won the National Baja for motorcycles from Bader Al-Bader, while Abdulaziz Al-Atawi topped the quads.
The seventh round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the third event in the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship was organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.
Saudi Baja 2022-Hail (Final positions after SS2):
FIA
1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hr 18min 55sec
2. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK) Ford F150 Evo 4hr 43min 23sec
3. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 4hr 47min 55sec
4. Cristiano Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR (T4) 4hr 56min 27sec
5. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Buggyra Can-Am DV21 (T3) 4hr 59min 17sec
6. Eduard Pons (ESP)/Mónica Plaza Vasquez (ESP) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 4hr 59min 29sec
7. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 03min 42sec
8. Egidijus Valeiša (LTU)/ Mindaugas Varža (LTU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 5hr 04min 00sec
9. Hamed Al-Harbi (SAU)/Dmytro Tsyro (UKR) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 10min 07sec
10. Mashael Al-Obaidan (SAU)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 19min 32sec
11. Saeed Al-Mouri (SAU)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 5hr 24min 00sec
12. Camelia Liparoti (ITA)/Taye Perry (DEU) Yamaha YXZ 1000R (T4) 5hr 54min 36sec
T1 unless stated
FIM Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450 5hr 41min 14sec
2. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Kawasaki KC 450 5hr 45min 38sec
3. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna 450 Rally 5hr 46min 02sec
4. Anass Al-Reheyani (SAU) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 46min 02sec
5. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM 450 Factory Rally 5hr 51min 25sec
6. Martin Chalmers (QAT) Honda CRF 450 5hr 54min 32sec
7. Makis Rees-Stavros (GBR) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 55min 02sec
8. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 5hr 57min 53sec
9. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 5hr 59min 22sec
10. Hussein Hassan (EGY) Beta 430 RR 7hr 10min 36sec
11. Othman Al-Ghfeli (SAU) Honda CRF 4540 R 7hr 11min 17sec
12. Salman Mohamed Farhan (BAH) Husqvarna FE 450 7hr 17min 52sec
FIM Quads
1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 6hr 09min 48sec
2. Abdulaziz Ahli (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R 31hr 22min 47sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 41hr 49min 11sec
Ends
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Brazil GP: Ocon fastest in dry FP2 from Perez, Russell
Esteban Ocon set the pace in FP2 of F1 Brazil GP ahead of Sergio Perez and George Russell, with the sprint race to come.
With a dry weather at Interlagos, Alpine’s Ocon set the pace in FP2 of F1 Brazil GP with a 1m14.604s lap as he was faster from Red Bull’s Perez (1m14.788s) and Mercedes’ Russell (1m14.916s) in the Top 3. The session was relatively clean with no mishap whatsoever.
The other Alpine of Fernando Alonso (1m15.049s) was fourth on the medium tyres, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m15.098s) in fifth ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m15.137s) as AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m15.636s) was seventh from both the Haas drivers in the pack.
Mick Schumacher (1m15.684s) was ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen (1m15.815s) in eighth and ninth with the Dane gearing up for a pole start later in the sprint race. McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m15.851s) was 10th, feeling much better after food poisoning on Thursday.
The latter two set the pace on the medium tyres. The lead Ferrari or Carlos Sainz was 11th in the order with teammate Charles Leclerc 13th. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was 12th in between, as McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo slotted in 14th.
The first of Alfa Romeo was of Valtteri Bottas in 15th from the lead Williams of Nicholas Latifi. The pair of Aston Martin were 17th and 18th where Lance Stroll was ahead of Sebastian Vettel as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu ended up 19th from Williams’ Logan Sargeant who picked up one more superlicense point.
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Godspeed Kochi, new team for Indian Racing League
Bengaluru, 12 Nov 2022: Godspeed Kochi team, completes the line-up for the high-profile Indian Racing League, and the team will showcase another talented Indian teenager Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru in the first motorsports league in India for six city-based franchise teams. Other talented Indian teenagers already announced with five other teams are Shahan Ali Mohsin (Delhi team), Sohil Shah, Amir Syed (both Goa), Anshul Gandhi and Rishon Rajeev (both Bangalore).
The Kochi team was announced as the sixth team by RPPL on Thursday through their social media handles. The Kochi team will also have 26-year Jordan Albert, a British GT4 driver, along with Singaporean with Indian roots, Nikhil Bohra, who took part in F4 races in Germany and UAE, and talented lady driver from Belgium Aurelia Nobels, who finished in the top-4 of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme, on Friday. Ruhaan Alva, 16, the only Indian in the Kochi team, was invited to the Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection program in September and also represented India in the F4 category of the World Motorsport Games, in October.
Twentyfour drivers, including six lady racers, as part of six teams will vie for honours in the inaugural Indian Racing League that begins with pre-testing at the Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, about 30-km from Chennai, on November 14. The first round of the Formula-3-level single-seater racing series will begin on the street-circuit in Hyderabad on Nov 19, and the next four consecutive week-ends will witness four back-to-back rounds with three races in each round.
Originally planned to be five rounds to be held from Feb 2022, the series will now have four rounds and 12 races. The series is also a revised format of the X1 Racing League which was initially planned to run along with Indian F4 races, which along with Formula Regional Indian Championship were put-off and are likely to begin only in 2023.
Top Indian racers Akhil Rabindra and Anindith Reddy will star in the home team Hyderabad Blackbirds as the league features some of the best Indian racing talent and will also host India’s first-ever street circuit races on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad during the four consecutive weekends starting Nov 19. Promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd (RPPL), the League,will feature 12 prominent foreign drivers, including six lady stars.
The six city-based teams are Hyderabad Blackbirds,Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, Chennai Turbo Riders, Goa Aces and Godspeed Kochi with two foreign drivers in each team including a lady driver each, will enthrall the motorsports fans and spectators. The Indian Racing League will be one-of-its-kind Racing League, where male and female drivers will compete against each other on a level playing field with the same ecosystem and machinery. Originally, Mumbai Falcons were supposed to be the leading lights but Kochi fills their gap this year and Falcons are expected to be back in the line-up from 2023.
The Hyderabad Blackbirds includes the city’s very own driver Anindith Reddy, besides renowned drivers like Neel Jani, a Swiss Indian professional Porsche factory driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016. Akhil Rabindra, selected as the Aston Martin Racing Academy Driver and female F4 racing driver Lola Lovinsfosse will be the other two.
Vishnu Prasad, a multiple National karting champion, including the 2013 senior title and a winner of the Formula BMW championship will spearhead the Chennai Turbo Riders team, along with another experienced racer, Kolhapur-based talent Parth Ghorpade, a five-time Indian National karting champion. Jon Lancaster, a British Auto Racing driver and a former World Karting vice-champion, who also won the Euro Le Mans Series LMP2, will be the foreign driver in the Chennai team along with lady driver, Nicole Havrda, a young Canadian who competes in Formula 3 in the USA.
Jodhpur-born Indian racing driver Anshul Gandhi, who is racing in the Spanish F4 for the last two years, and talented young Bengaluru racer, Rishon Rajeev, both in their teens will star in the Bangalore Speedsters team. While 17-year Gandhi, who polished his racing skills as a professional karter in UAE, has good international exposure and will have Oliver James Webb, 31, another British driver, who also won the Euro Le Mans Series to lead the team with his vast experience in Europe. The lady driver of the team will be Bianca Bustamante, 17-year old rising star from the Philippines, who recently concluded her debut W Series as the top-placed rookie after the final race in Singapore. “I am super excited to be racing in the Indian Racing League. Besides having a new kind of car and new tracks, I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel once again before 2023 kicks off,” said Bustamante, ahead of the testing in Chennai.
Akhilesh Reddy, Director MEIL and Chairman, RPPL says: “The Indian Racing league is the ultimate push to bring the Indian motorsports segment to a global stage and provide young racers a platform to compete with international motorsports drivers. Hyderabad plays a crucial role in Indian motorsports from talent to infrastructure and we hope the Hyderabad motorsports enthusiasts and citizens will enjoy the pulsating weekends in the city.”
The Wolf Racing team will be technical partner, operating all the competing cars with Aprillia 1100cc, 220HP engines. Both men and women will compete on a equal terms and the Indian Racing League aims to establish a better racing infrastructure in India and aims to cultivate top talent.
Auto enthusiasts can book their passes from BookMyShow India website to witness the exciting races at the event. The passes are available at Rs.749 onwards (Regular Pass) and Rs.1249 onwards (Weekend Pass) on BookMyShow here.
Indian Racing League (2022): Teams & Drivers
Hyderbad Blackbirds:
1. Neel Jani, 2. Akhil Rabindra, 3. Anindith Reddy and 4. Lola Lovinsfosse;
Goa Aces:
1. Raoul Hyman, 2. Sohil Shah, 3. Amir Syed and 4. Gabriela Jilkova;
Chennai Turbo Riders:
1. Jon Lancaster, 2. Parth Ghorpade, 3. Vishnu Prasad and 4. Nicole Havrda;
Bangalore Speedsters:
1. Oliver Webb, 2. Anshul Gandhi, 3. Rishon Rajeev and 4. Bianca Bustamante;
Speed Demons Delhi:
1. Mitch Gilbert, 2. Akash Gowda, 3. Shahaan Ali Mohsin and 4. Celia Martin.
Godspeed Kochi:
1. Jordan Albert, 2. Nikhil Bohra, 3. Ruhaan Alva and 4. Aurelia Nobels.
Calendar 2022:
Nov 14: Pre-season testing – Madras International Circuit – MIC (formerly MMRT), Chennai.
Nov 19 – 20: Inaugural round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
Nov 25 – 27: Round 2, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 2 – 4: Round 3, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 10 – 11: Final round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
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Brazil GP: Magnussen has first F1 pole amid red flag and rain
Kevin Magnussen took F1 Brazil GP pole for the sprint race from Max Verstappen and George Russell after red flag and rain.
Q1:
The first part in F1 Brazil GP qualifying at Interlagos, it was a intermediate start after rain between FP1 and qualifying in the sprint weekend. But with no rain in the air, drivers started to switch to slick compound in a gamble mode.
There twitchy moments for several in tricky conditions as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen had his lap deleted. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was the first to switch to the soft compound with others following suit as the lap times started to lower down.
It was late improvements for many as Ferrari just managed to make it through to Q2 finishing 12th and 14th. McLaren’s Lando Norris was the fastest after all the hectic running with a 1m13.106s lap from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.
The bottom half saw Williams’ Nicholas Latifi (1m15.095s) just miss out in 16th from the Alfa Romeo pair of Zhou Guanyu (1m15.197s) & Valtteri Bottas (1m15.486s), while AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (1m16.264s) was 19th and Haa’s Mick Schumacher (1m16.361s) 20th.
Q2:
It was dry running in second part of F1 Brazil GP qualifying but some gambled on old sets from Q1 for their first run where Mercedes were the late ones to switch. They got the lap in at the right time as it started raining towards the business end.
Despite that, lap times continued to improve. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace with a 1m10.881s lap where he led Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the Top 3. The bottom half was decided just before the chequered flag fell.
Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m11.631s) lost it by 0.044s after he selected to pit with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m11.675s) in 12th after replays showed him racing Alpine’s Fernando Alonso – where the latter made it in the Top 10.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m11.678s) was 13th as replays showed an off moment at Turn 1 which hampered his attempt with teammate Lance Stroll (1m12.210s) 15th behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m12.140s).
Q3:
It was dark to start with in final part of F1 Brazil GP qualifying where Leclerc was on the intermediate tyres to soft compound for rest of the nine drivers. The Monegasque didn’t pit and continued on to set a lap but eventually pitted to switch to slicks.
There was more misery for Ferrari as a red flag stalled their progress after Mercedes’ George Russell beached himself in the gravel. He went off and while trying to save himself he did a donut which got him beached in the gravel and session over for him.
It was Haas’ Magnussen on provisional pole with a 1m11.674s lap from Red Bull’s Verstappen and Russell in the Top 3. McLaren’s Norris was fourth from Sainz, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon & Alonso, Hamilton, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Leclerc in the Top 10.
With rain falling, Perez ventured out on the intermediate but eventually pitted without setting a lap, while the likes of Leclerc and Verstappen were already out of the car. Hamilton ventured out as well but pitted without setting a lap.
That secured first-ever pole for Magnussen and Haas in F1 where he is due to start the Staurday’s sprint race in first place alongside 2022 champion Verstappen (1m11.877s). Despite the one causing the red flag, Russell (1m12.059s) was third from Norris (1m12.263s) and Sainz (1m12.357s) in the Top 5.
The Spaniard will serve his penalty in the Sunday’s grand prix, as Ocon (1m12.425s) was sixth from Alonso (1m12.504s), Hamilton (1m12.611s), Perez (1m15.601s) and Leclerc (8m43.744s) in the Top 10.
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Brazil GP: Perez quickest in FP1 as Top 3 separated by 0.008s
Sergio Perez led the way in FP1 of F1 Brazil GP from Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen with Top 3 separated by 0.008s.
The all-important FP1 session in F1 Brazil GP at Interlagos due to it being a sprint weekend saw Red Bull lead the way where Sergio Perez (1m11.853s) headed from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1m11.857s), who set a late lap to be second – only 0.004s away.
In fact, Max Verstappen (1m11.861s) in third was only 0.008s behind Perez as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m12.039s) was fourth with a new ICE installed in his car. The Spaniard is to get a 5-place grid penalty as he headed the Mercedes pair who also put in a late lap.
Lewis Hamilton (1m12.040s) had to undertake multiple laps to be third after his initial quick lap was hampered due to a wide moment. George Russell (1m12.0.55s) was sixth from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m12.157s) with Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m12.314s) in eighth.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m12.466s) in ninth and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m12.467s) made it four different cars in the latter part of the Top 10, with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso just missing out. But the Spaniard set his best time on the medium tyres.
As did his teammate Esteban Ocon in 13th behind Williams’ Alexander Albon on the soft tyres. There were twitchy moments for multiple drivers including Verstappen, Sainz, Gasly and Alonso where the Frenchman complained of the car sliding too much.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was 14th after he faced some issues during the session which the team could fix, with McLaren’s Lando Norris in 15th on the medium tyres. The Brit started the weekend after a late scare due to food poisoning.
Nyck de Vries was on standby after a seat fit on Thursday. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was 16th from Williams’ Nicholas Latifi with Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu 18th, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda 19th and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo 20th – the latter two were on the medium tyres.
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Pecco Bagnaia crowned 2022 MotoGP World Champion!
The Italian takes the premier class crown after a tense race in Valencia, becoming the first Ducati rider to win the title for 15 years.
Valencia, 6 Nov 2022: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is the 2022 MotoGP™ World Champion! The incredible rollercoaster comeback is complete as the Italian came home in the top ten in Valencia to secure the crown, having overcome a deficit of 91 points back before summer break. Bagnaia is the first Ducati rider to take the crown since Casey Stoner in 2007, the first Italian to achieve the feat since Valentino Rossi in 2009, and first Italian on an Italian bike since Giacomo Agostini in 1972.
Watch the exploits of Bagnaia here. MotoGP YouTube Video!
Born in Turin, Bagnaia enjoyed MiniMoto success before going international onto bigger machinery in the then-CEV in 2011 on a 125, learning his craft before moving up to the Moto3™ World Championship for 2013. Joining the VR46 Riders Academy and then moving to SKY VR46 for 2014, the pieces were in motion before a statement season. On Mahindra at Aspar for 2015, he was the lead rider for the squad and only confirmed that in 2016 as he took the bike’s first ever win – and second. The first was at Assen and the second Sepang, earning him a special treat from the team: the chance to try the MotoGP™ bike in the post-season Valencia test.
The Italian takes the premier class crown after a tense race in Valencia on Sunday. Bagnaia moved up to Moto2™ in 2017 with the new Sky Racing Team VR46 intermediate class effort and was Rookie of the Year, taking several podiums. In 2018 he then hit the ground running and was a contender for the crown from the off, with imperious form and some incredible wins seeing him take the title in Malaysia. Next stop: MotoGP™.
Despite showing impressive speed in his first outings in the premier class in testing, it was a difficult rookie year for Bagnaia at Pramac Racing. Still, a fantastic fourth place in at Phillip Island showed plenty signs of promise. 2020 proved a mixed year for the Italian, but he earned an impressive second place in the San Marino GP and a week later at the same track, he was on the verge of a maiden premier class victory until a heartbreaking crash ended his hopes. He never quite got going again in the remaining races that year, but 2021 saw him move to the factory squad and signalled the start of a whole new chapter.
Three podiums and a pole in the opening four rounds signalled the Italian as a title contender and, despite a blip in the middle of the season, he was the last remaining challenger to eventual Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – and finished the year as the rider with the momentum. From a debut MotoGP™ win at Aragon after an incredible head-to-head with Marc Marquez to an amazing victory in Misano a week after, Bagnaia had arrived and he signed off the season with a win in Valencia, too.
2022, however, began on the back foot. A crash in Qatar, a tough race in Lombok, two fifths and an eighth signalled an unexpected start to the season, but Jerez saw the number 63 back on top in a race-long chess match with Quartararo. Then came another crash, at Le Mans, and then another win at Mugello as the Italian took the spoils on home turf. But the rollercoaster went down again as bad luck saw him take home a zero in Barcelona and a mistake caused the same at the Sachsenring. Then, Bagnaia was 91 points behind points leader Quartararo, the biggest deficit overcome to date.
Francesco Bagnaia is the first Italian rider to clinch a premier class world title since Valentino Rossi in 2009, poses with Rossi after the ‘Master’ greets him. The best way to stage a comeback is to start winning, and Bagnaia did just that as he took an awesome four victories in a row in Assen, Silverstone, Austria and Misano. In Aragon it was second place one year on from his first win, but it was hundredths in it as he duelled it out against 2023 teammate Enea Bastianini. Again. But the rollercoaster was in motion once more at Motegi as Bagnaia slid out on the very last lap – and from right behind key rival Quartararo, losing some ground hard-gained since summer break.
Thailand marked a huge challenge as a rainy race day gave many flashbacks of Lombok, where Quartararo has taken a podium and Bagnaia only one single point, but fortunes were reversed at Buriram as Pecco podiumed and El Diablo failed to score. Then came Australia and a crash for Quartararo as Bagnaia once again got back on the box, before a tense, tense first match point at Sepang.
There, it was once again Bagnaia vs Bastianini. All race long the two went toe-to-toe, with all eyes on the duo who will share the factory garage next season. But this time it was the number 63 who kept the nerves under control and the upper hand on track, taking his seventh win of the season to pull out a 23-point lead as Quartararo put in an impressive stand with a podium.
And so, #TheDecider had arrived. Two riders, 23 points, and one crown. It was a nervy weekend for Bagnaia at times but once the lights went out, the track lit up with an incredible race to sign off an era of Grand Prix racing. Quartararo was pushing to get to the front and it got heated for a few tense, gloves-off laps between the Frenchman and the Ducatis – and a few more – but as the race went on the result seemed set: Quartararo had to win to retain the crown, and win he would not. Bagnaia, having lost some aero in a tangle with the Frenchman, kept it calm but slipped back in the top ten once that became clear – and crossed the line in ninth to crown himself 2022 MotoGP™ World Champion.
#PerfectCombination in Stats
Francesco Bagnaia is the first Italian rider to clinch a premier class world title since Valentino Rossi in 2009. Overall, he is the seventh different Italian rider to do so along with Giacomo Agostini (8), Valentino Rossi (7), Umberto Masetti (2), Libero Liberati (1), Marco Lucchinelli (1) and Franco Uncini (1).
Bagnaia’s title is the 21st in the premier class for Italy and the 80th overall in Grand Prix racing.
Bagnaia became the second Ducati rider to take the premier class world title along with Casey Stoner in 2007.
Aged 25 years and 296 days old, Bagnaia is the oldest rider to clinch his maiden MotoGP™ world title since the introduction of the class in 2002. Nicky Hayden in 2006 is next: 25 years and 91 days old.
Bagnaia is the first Italian rider on an Italian bike to win the premier class title since MotoGP™ Legend Giacomo Agostini in 1972 with MV Agusta.
At the 2022 San Marino GP, Bagnaia took a fourth win in four successive GP races, becoming the first ever Ducati rider to do so in any class of GP racing. Since the introduction of MotoGP™ in 2002, Bagnaia became the fourth different rider to take four (or more) wins in four (or more) successive races in the class along with Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez.
With 11 premier class wins, all with Ducati, Bagnaia sits in third place on the list of Ducati riders with most wins in the class behind Casey Stoner (23 wins) and Andrea Dovizioso (14).
With 20 premier class podiums so far, Bagnaia is the fifth Ducati rider with most podiums in the class, behind Jack Miller (21 podiums). Casey Stoner leads the way with 42 podiums.
This season Bagnaia has stood on the MotoGP™ podium more than any other rider (10 times), including seven wins. Only two Ducati riders have scored seven (or more) wins in a single season: Casey Stoner (10 in 2007) and Bagnaia (2022).
After the German GP, Bagnaia was sixth in the Championship, 91 points off the leader Fabio Quartararo, meaning this is the best point recovery to take the crown since the introduction of the point scoring system in 1993.
Since 2001, there have been only two occasions on which the rider who clinched the title at the end of the year didn’t finish within the top five in the opening race of season: Joan Mir (2020) and Francesco Bagnaia (2022); they both crashed out.
Bagnaia also became the first rider to clinch the premier class title despite five DNFs throughout the season.
Bagnaia is only the second rider to clinch the premier class world title having previously clinched the Moto2™ title, along with Marc Marquez.
PECCO BAGNAIA
How does it feel?
“I’m very, very happy because on the day of the worst race of the calendar I’ve had a special sweet taste When I crossed the finish line and saw my pit board with writing saying I was the World Champion everything was brighter and nicer. My emotion is incredible in this moment. It wasn’t easy because after the fight with Fabio I lost a winglet and from that moment everything was a nightmare. I’ve done lap by lap trying ride defensive lines, but it was very difficult, and it took so long to finish the race. I’m very proud of my team, myself and of what we did because it’s incredible.”Did you think it was going to be difficult after Germany?
“Yeah, like I said one or two races ago, I lost the faith in the championship for one hour after the Sachsenring race but then after that I knew there was still a chance to be World Champion. Sincerely, the work we did this year was incredible. We performed in an incredible way in the second part of the year. We tried to analyze everything, at home also, to see what to improve, why I was crashing and I was making so many mistakes, and from that moment we’ve just done some incredible. I’m very happy for that because we really deserve this title.”Most difficult moment + best moment?
“The most difficult was Sachsenring, because I was very competitive like in Le Mans. I was there with a possibility to win the race, but I crashed and in that moment I realised my weak point was that. I was a rider with a lot of ups and downs, with good speed but no consistency. To accept that was not easy. From that moment I recognised I had a problem and I tried to improve myself, also thanks to the people at home that worked with me everything day and helped me a lot. I think I improved myself a lot this season.”On Ducati’s long wait:
“I saw many faces crying, and it was incredible. I was crying too. It was an amazing victory because I was feeling the weight on my shoulders to give back this title to my team, to Ducati, and to Italy. When I spoke to Vale, he said to me yesterday that you have you be proud to have this possibility, not everyone can have the same feeling. It’s true that you feel the pressure, you feel anxiety, you feel fear, but you have to be proud of it, be happy to have it, and try to enjoy it. I tried to do it, and today in fact it didn’t work but sincerely I’m very happy to think who we have as a mentor and leader.Biography
First Grand Prix: Qatar 2013, Moto3™
First pole position: Silverstone 2016, Moto3™
First podium: Le Mans 2015, Moto3™
First victory: Assen 2016, Moto3™
Grands Prix: 172
Victories: 21
Podiums: 43
Pole positions: 18
Fastest laps: 14
World Championships: Moto2™ (2018), MotoGP™ (2022)
