Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) produced a stunning comeback ride to win the Moto3™ CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich despite having a double Long Lap penalty to contend with. The Japanese star eventually beat compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) by less than a tenth as the podium fight came down to the final lap, with rookie sensation David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) completing the podium in Austria. 

As the lights went out on race day at the Red Bull Ring it was Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü who grabbed the holeshot from third on the grid, as Sasaki also got the better of polesitter Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Sasaki took the lead on Lap 1 and then dived in to take the first of his two Long Lap penalties, the second came a couple of laps later – P24 was the result for the Japanese rider.

After a two-for-one deal at Turn 1, Muñoz briefly led but as always, the lightweight class battle was frantic. Izan Guevara (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) led for the first time on Lap 6, with teammate and World Championship leader Sergio Garcia making his way up into the top three at the same time.

By Lap 9, Sasaki had picked his way back up into the top 10 – a 1:41.029 was eight tenths faster than race leader Guevara and the number 71 was carving his way to the front like a hot knife through butter. Another fastest lap of the Grand Prix was set and soon, Sasaki was up to P5. A lap later, that was P3. A couple of corners after that, it was P2 and yes, you guessed it, Sasaki was back leading the race with 11 laps to go.

With seven laps to go, Sasaki and Suzuki had opened up a slight advantage as Öncü, Garcia, Guevara and Muñoz scrapped away behind, as Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed unhurt at Turn 3. Meanwhile, Öncü and Muñoz got their heads down and reeled in Sasaki and Suzuki.

With three to go, the top four were 0.9s ahead of Garcia in fifth who had Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), Guevara and Holdgado for close company. Heading onto the final lap, Sasaki led Suzuki, Öncü and Muñoz. It was a four rider scrap for victory, as Muñoz picked off Öncü at Turn 3. Sasaki was able to edge out a couple of bike lengths on the chasing trio, and despite their best efforts, no one was able to better Sasaki who crossed the line 0.064s ahead of Suzuki – who was the only Honda rider in the top 11 – to spectacularly win in Austria after a double Long Lap penalty. Muñoz, from P16 on the grid, completed the podium behind Sasaki and Suzuki, with Öncü forced to settle for P4.

Garcia, with a fifth place finish, extends his lead over Guevara in the standings to five points as sixth place Moreira placed himself between the top two in the title race – Guevara takes home a P7. Holgado slipped to P8 by the chequered flag, the reigning Moto3™ Junior World Champion had a four second margin to ninth place John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), while Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) completed the top 10.

After winning the British GP, Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) was the second best Honda finisher in P12 and slips to 49 points behind Garcia in the Championship.

Next up for the Moto3™ riders is a trip to Misano! Sasaki has closed the gap to 55 points to Garcia, will that be cut more in a couple of weeks’ time?

Top 10:
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max)
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) + 0.064
3. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) + 0.292
4. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) + 0.344
5. Sergio Garcia (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) + 2.453
6. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) + 2.636
7. Izan Guevara (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) + 3.074
8. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 3.109
9. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 7.474
10. Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) + 7.713

Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) emerged victorious from a dramatic Race 1 in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich as Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) crashed out of the lead on the final lap. The Brazilian eventually beat main title rival Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) by 1.2s with Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) picking up the final podium spot in third.

It was a fast and dramatic start at the Red Bull Ring as Casadei grabbed the holeshot ahead of polesitter Granado, as we saw Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) crash on the exit of Turn 1. Thankfully both Ferrari and his bike weren’t collected by the field, and soon after at Turn 2B, Bradley Smith (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) went down. The British rider was able to walk away but took a trip to the medical centre after suffering from left ankle pain. 

Casadei got his head down and built up a 1.1s lead over the chasing pack, as Granado picked off Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) for P2 at Turn 2 on Lap 2. Cup leader Aegerter then passed Zannoni for P3 at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 4, the Swiss rider had 2.2s to bridge to race leader Casadei – who in turn was being hunted down by Granado.

By the end of Lap 4, Granado had reeled Casadei right in. On Lap 5, the Brazilian had one bite at the cherry that didn’t work on Casadei and on Lap 6 at Turn 1, a second one came. But that didn’t work either, and Granado was out of shape and wide, costing him time.

Heading onto the final lap, Casadei boasted a 0.6s lead and half a lap later it was up to 0.8s. It looked like it was going to be a comfortable cruise to victory for the Italian but at the penultimate corner, he was down. A mistake two corners from home saw a win slip away from Casadei, meaning Granado would cross the line as Race 1 winner by 1.2s over Aegerter.

Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) claimed P4 in what was an intense battle for the top five. The Japanese star managed to fend off Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) by a couple of tenths who in turn beat teammate Alex Escrig by 0.030s, the latter claiming P6 ahead of Zannoni – who was out of the saddle on the penultimate lap at Turn 3 – and reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40). Octo Pramac MotoE™ teammates Xavi Fores and Kevin Manfredi rounded out the top 10.

The gap between Aegerter and Granado has been cut to 26.5 points in the overall standings with just three races to go. Race 2 comes your way on Sunday at 15:30 local time (GMT+2). 

Top 10:
1. Eric Granado (LCR E-Team)
2. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) + 1.271
3. Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) + 1.797
4. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) + 3.369
5. Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) + 3.589
6. Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing) + 3.619
7. Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) + 3.904
8. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) + 4.634
9. Xavi Fores (Octo Pramac MotoE™) + 11.745
10. Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™) + 11.911

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura has claimed the Moto2™ pole position at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. The Japanese rider eventually clocked a 1:33.933 in Q2 at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg to finish the session just 0.048 seconds up on CAG Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez. World Championship leader Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) also earned a spot on the front row for Sunday afternoon’s race.

Lopez was the early pace-setter in Q2 and the 20-year-old Spaniard was back on top when he set a 1:33.981 on his third flying lap. Ogura soon took up second position, albeit at more than two tenths of a second off the pace, and he continued to be a threat. The man who has been linked to a MotoGP™ ride with LCR Honda Idemitsu was setting a succession of ‘red’ first and second sectors, but was struggling to improve over the course of the whole lap.

Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) capitalised somewhat by moving into second position on a 1:34.104 with less than three minutes to go, before Ogura finally strung all four sectors together well enough to clock a 1:34.001. Having closed the gap to Lopez, the Saitama-born pilot then completely overcame it when he punched out a 1:33.933 just before the chequered flag. For Ogura, who is second in the World Championship, it is a second career Moto2™ pole, but Lopez’s reward is a still commendable front row start. Fernandez, meanwhile, earned third with an even later 1:34.101.

Dixon was therefore classified fourth, with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) fifth at just a single thousandth of a second slower again. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who is back in the saddle after breaking a femur in a motocross training crash, took an impressive sixth with a late 1:34.126, while Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was seventh on a 1:34.170.

Rounding out the top 10 were Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Albert Arenas (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team), and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), while Q1 fast man Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) would be classified 11th after a mid-session spill at Turn 1. Fermin Aldeguer (CAG Speed Up) came from Q1 but was at one point fastest in Q2 before being shuffled back to 12th in the final classification, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) finishing 13th after he also crashed at Turn 1. The rest of the Q2 classification was Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™), Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), and Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP).

Back in Q1, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and then Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) both improved after the chequered flag. However, Alcoba was still 0.084 seconds shy of the top four and Roberts 0.120 seconds outside the cut-off, with those two set to start 19th and 20th respectively. Also on Row 7 will be debutant Senna Agius, who is riding this weekend as an injury replacement for Sam Lowes at the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Niccolo Antonelli (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) walked away from a crash at Turn 2a and would be classified 11th in Q1 and therefore 25th on the starting grid.

Ogura has the opportunity to not only get his second Moto2™ race win, but also to close the gap to and potentially even pass Fernandez in the World Championship. Can he do it? After the morning Warm Up, the race itself gets underway on Sunday at 12:20 (GMT +2)!

Moto2™ Q2 Top 10:
1. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – 1:33.933
2. Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) + 0.048
3. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.168
4. Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.171
5. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.172
6. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.193
7. Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.237
8. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) + 0.312
9. Albert Arenas (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.321
10. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) + 0.324

For the first time in his MotoGP™ career, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) will launch from pole position after leaving it late to snatch Q2 top spot from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in a fantastic CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Q2. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completes the front row of the grid as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) have to settle for second and third row starts respectively.

For the first time since the Americas GP, Aleix Espargaro found himself in Q1 and with both Quartararo and Bagnaia looking in fine form, progression into Q2 was all that mattered. And it was the title-chasing Spaniard who set the first couple of benchmarks, with younger brother Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) slotting into P2 just 0.045s behind.

Luca Marini’s (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) best effort on his first run put him third as the top three sat 0.068s apart with seven minutes of Q1 left. Drama then unfolded at Turn 2B as both Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) crash in quick succession, thankfully both riders were ok, as Aleix Espargaro improved his lap by a couple of tenths to strengthen his grip on a Q2 spot. But it wasn’t over.

Marini was on a flyer as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) pounced to P2, but Marini lost time in the second half of the lap and couldn’t beat his Ducati counterpart to the second promotion spot. With no one else threatening the top two, Aleix Espargaro was safe and joining him in Q2 was Italian GP polesitter Di Giannantonio.

Miller slammed in the first benchmark – a 1:29.164 – but the pace was upped on the second flying laps. Espargaro went top with a 1:29.032 before Miller bounced back to set a 1:28.898, the fastest lap of the weekend so far. Espargaro’s lap was then cancelled so the Spaniard dropped to P5 behind Bastianini, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with Quartararo and Bagnaia P6 and P12 respectively – the latter yet to set a time after running wide at the new Turn 2 chicane.

Pecco was the first rider to emerge on a fresh set of soft Michelin rear rubber and pounced straight up to P2 to make it a factory Ducati 1-2, 0.101s splitting Miller and Pecco. The in-form Italian was then at the summit of the times by 0.102s after a storming second effort, with Quartararo only able to grab P5. That soon turned into P6 as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) went P5.

As the clock ticked down. a beast was on the prowl. And sure enough, Bastianini was able to beat Bagnaia’s time by 0.024s to claim his first premier class pole position to front a Ducati armada at the spearhead of the grid. 

2021 Red Bull Ring race winner Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) will start from P4 ahead of reigning World Champion Quartararo, who is once again the first non-Ducati rider in the standings. Zarco will start sixth alongside his compatriot, with a trio of Spaniards making up the third – including Aleix Espargaro. Viñales and Mir finished 7th and 8th in Q2 with Espargaro’s lap time cancellation for exceeding track limits at Turn 8 causing him to start from 9th.

Di Giannantonio, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the Q2 running order in P10, P11 and P12 with just 0.7s covering the top 12.

With 0.4s splitting polesitter Bastianini to 9th place Aleix Espargaro, and so much on the line, the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) is simply unmissable! 

Top 10:
1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – 1:28.772
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.024
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.109
4. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.186
5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.231
6. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.274
7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.363
8. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.483
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.483
10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.564