The Italian produces a stunner to claim a sixth podium in a row as World Championship leader Acosta grabs a last lap podium
With the odds stacked against him, Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) came from P14 on the grid to claim a phenomenal Moto3™ victory at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, as the title fight continues to Portimao. The Italian’s victory is his fifth and most important of 2021 so far, as Foggia beat Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to the line, with World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) grabbing a crucial podium on the final lap.
Fantastic Foggia – a comeback for the ages!
Dominant polesitter Antonelli launched away from the line perfectly as Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) slotted into P2, with Acosta losing a couple of positions from 5th to 7th. Further back, Foggia also slipped a couple of positions from 14th to 16th on Lap 1, but the Italian was back up to P14 at the end of the second lap.
Acosta, who was the only rider to opt for a harder rear tyre, calmly picked his way back up to P5 as the top nine started to break clear. Foggia was 12th on Lap 6, three seconds adrift of P1, but P12 no matter what happens with Acosta would take the title chase to Portimao. A lap later, Foggia was up to P10 and was at the spearhead of the second group, now the Leopard man had 1.3s to bridge to get on terms with the lead pack.
By Lap 10 of 23, Foggia had latched himself onto the back of the leaders, and he was joined by compatriot Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team). Then, on Lap 12, Acosta hit the front for the first time – with Foggia making his way past the other Red Bull KTM Ajo bike of Masia for P6. Acosta’s time at the front didn’t last long, and suddenly, on Lap 13, the title contenders were locked together in P4 and P5. Heading down the back straight, Foggia stormed past Acosta for the first time.
Lap 15 – Foggia led. The pocket rocket had picked his way through the pack expertly and grabbed P1 from Masia, as Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) picked off Acosta for P5 – the World Championship leader now P6, with his Lap 15 time a good half a second slower than Foggia on that hard rear tyre. A top four of Foggia, Masia, Guevara and Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had formed, Acosta was behind 5th place Nepa and 1.7s down on Foggia with six laps to go.
Turn 8, on Lap 18, saw Guevara slide down the road unhurt – handing Acosta P5. A mistake from Nepa out of the final corner gave Acosta a chance of grabbing P4, which the number 37 took with open arms, but 2.3s was the gap between the title leader and his main rival. Acosta needed teammate Masia to do him a favour. And with three to go, it was Foggia vs Masia for victory – as Nepa passed Acosta again.
And so it was: last lap, Foggia vs Masia. Masia wasn’t close enough through Sector 1 and neither down into Turn 8. At said corner, Acosta grabbed a crucial P3 to get ahead of Binder and Nepa, with Foggia absolutely nailing the last lap. The Italian made no mistake to set his fastest lap of the race on the final lap, an absolutely astonishing ride from the number 7, as Acosta held onto a podium in P3. Wow! 21 points now split Acosta and Foggia heading to Portimao – game on in the title race.
The points scorers
Masia rode brilliantly to pick up his first rostrum since the Italian GP, one place ahead of teammate Acosta, as Red Bull KTM Ajo clinch the Moto3™ Team Championship. Binder lost out on a podium on the final lap, the MotoGP™-bound South African edged out Nepa by less than a tenth – the latter’s P5 is his best finish of the season. Antonelli claimed P6 after leading in the opening exchanges, compatriot Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) recovered to P7 from 19th on the grid.
Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) and Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) rounded out the top 10. Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP), the recovering Guevara, Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) pick up the final points on offer at Misano.
Another twist in the tale! Foggia unearths a stellar Sunday ride to take the title to Portimao – a track where earlier in the year, Acosta beat Foggia by 0.051s. 21 points, two riders, one World Championship title – bring on the rollercoaster.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) topped a mixed conditions MotoGP™ Warm Up at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, as the Japanese rider set a 1:32.879 to beat polesitter and title chasing Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) by 0.586s. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), second on the grid for today’s encounter, was third fastest in the 20-minute stint.
New Moto2™ pole position record holder Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) finished Warm Up at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna 1.137s clear of second place Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2), with damp conditions remaining despite a sunny morning. The ever-impressive reigning European Moto2™ Champion Fermin Aldeguer (+EGO Speed Up) finished P3.
The Grand Prix Commission has announced some sporting regulation updates that will come into effect immediately, in 2022 and 2023
The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Paul Duparc (FIM), Herve Poncharal (IRTA), Shinichi Sahara (Suzuki) and Fabiano Sterlacchini (KTM), in the presence of Jorge Viegas (FIM President), Carlos Ezpeleta (Dorna), Mike Trimby (IRTA, Secretary of the meeting) and Corrado Cecchinelli (Director of Technology), in a meeting held in Misano on 22nd. October 2021, made the following decisions:
Sporting Regulations – Effective Season 2022
Warm Up Sessions for the Moto3™ and Moto2™ Classes
– The duration of Sunday warm up sessions for these classes is reduced to 10 minutes per session.
Sporting Regulations – Effective Season 2023
– The minimum age for participation in the Moto3™ and Moto2™ classes is increased from 16 to 18 years. – The maximum number of riders permitted in the Moto3™ class is limited to 30 contracted entries plus two wild cards.
These changes form part of a comprehensive change to minimum ages across a wide spectrum of FIM sanctioned Championships. Full details have already been announced by the Permanent Bureau.
Technical Regulations – Effective Immediately
MotoGP™ Class – Substitute/Rebuilt Engines
Previously, if any engine subject to technical scrutiny was substituted or rebuilt, manufacturers were required to wait for the results of scrutineering (a maximum of 45 days) before being able to use the substituted/rebuilt engine as part of their allocation.
Manufacturers are now permitted to rebuild or substitute an engine immediately after scrutineering, without waiting for approval. However, if an engine is found to not comply with regulations, any penalty awarded will also apply to events where that substituted or rebuilt engine has been used.
Furthermore, the combined mileage of the checked engine and its substitute will be a maximum of 2,800 km.
MotoGP™ Class – Fuel Tanks for the Race
For reasons of safety during preparation, Teams will now be permitted to prepare three approved fuel tanks for each machine. In order to have sufficient time to safely prepare three fuel tanks for the race, the declaration time of official ambient temperature and the assignment of a technical scrutineer to the teams has been changed to 90 minutes before race start, from the current 75 minutes. The officially supplied and approved containers will remain as two, and one will be reused to fill the third fuel tank.
Technical Regulations – Effective Season 2022
Brake Package Prices MotoGP™ Class
Due mainly to the use by teams of larger brake disks at more circuits, the maximum price for the MotoGP™ class brake package has been increased from €70,000 to €80,000.
It has also been agreed with Brembo, who are the exclusive suppliers, that there may be small variations to the composition of components supplied. The details in the regulations are to be adjusted accordingly following discussion and prior approval with MSMA.
MotoGP™ Class Tyre Allocations
Revised allocations of tyres for tests have been agreed between Michelin, Dorna and IRTA. For actual GP events, again in agreement with Michelin, the allocation of rear slick tyres will now be a total of 12 comprised of:
– up to a maximum of 6 of specification A, – up to a maximum of 4 of specification B, – up to a maximum of 3 of specification C.
Follow the story
Every practice session, qualifying battle and race, exclusive interviews, historic races and so much more fantastic content: this is VideoPass!
Ahead of his first 2021 match point Sunday, World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped a damp morning Warm Up at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna. The Spaniard set a 1:49.444 to beat Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) by 0.132s, with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) third quickest.
2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship Round 16 – Misano, Italy
MotoGP
Francesco Bagnaia’s dream grid for tonight’s race at Misano was probably him on pole and Fabio Quartararo outside Q2, so whatever incantations the Ducati rider has been doing, there’s an argument in there somewhere for the existence of magic, religion, luck, or a combination of all three.
Bagnaia will head the grid from team-mate Jack Miller.
SKY VR46 rider Luca Marini stunned to round out the front row and make it an all Ducati 1-2-3.
That’s the first time ever Ducati has locked out the front row, and the first time since Casey Stoner in 2008 that a Ducati rider has taken four consecutive MotoGP pole positions.
Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) heads the second row alongside Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – the latter the only Yamaha rider in the top 14.
Marc Marquez had to settle for seventh after a troubled Q2, but Lecuona lines up alongside his compatriot in P8 for his best-ever MotoGP qualifying result.
Petrucci made it a day to remember for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing on the Italian’s final race on home soil in ninth, with Zarco’s late crash in his pursuit of a better starting place leaving him in tenth.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and the double crash for Jorge Martin sees the Spaniards launch from P11 and P12.
Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) is the lead Suzuki in P13 ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) will start from the back of that fifth row.
Valentino Rossi might be started from the second last position on the 24-rider grid, but in what is expected to be his last competitive MotoGP outing on home soil, the veteran was still clearly the centre of attention for many.
MotoGP Rider Quotes
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“To get pole position in my home Grand Prix, in front of my fans, is a fantastic way to end Saturday! This morning, I felt really comfortable with the used wet tyres, but with the new ones, I struggled more and couldn’t go straight into Q2. Maybe being in Q1 was better for us because it allowed us to do more laps on slick tyres and see our potential. That gave me more confidence to push harder in the following session and take pole. I hope we can have a dry race because I feel I’m very competitive there, but in general, we’re ready to fight in any condition”.
Jack Miller – P2
“I’m satisfied with the result today in qualifying: we finished really close to Pecco’s pole position, and the front row is always a great position to start from. Overall, it was a fantastic day, both for the team and Ducati, with Marini in third. Tomorrow we’ll try to repeat the result, but for sure, we have a very tricky race ahead of us. The track will probably be dry, and we haven’t had a chance to ride in similar conditions all weekend. Also, we won’t be able to rely much on the data we gathered in the September race or during the two days of testing, considering the lower temperatures this weekend. We’ll be heading into the unknown, but we’ll try to do our best”.
Luca Marini – P3
“I am very happy with today’s result in front of the Italian fans. It will be exciting to be on the front row in MotoGP for the first time and also difficult, but I am happy. It has not been an easy season so far, but with the team and all the staff we have done a great job. I have a lot of people to thank and to share this moment with. I’ve had a good feeling and every time I’ve had a good feeling with the bike I’ve always been fast. Since the Misano test I have improved my riding position, I have made a step forward in the set-up and I have been able to focus on my style. Ducati supported me and tomorrow I will do my best to be on the same level as the strongest riders. Thanks to the whole team and thanks to Ducati!”
Pol Espargaro – P4
“The conditions today were super tricky. In the morning in the wet I was really struggling to put one whole lap together and I really had to risk a lot to get into Q2. But for sure it was good to achieve this, it was a weight off my shoulders. All today we saw how tough it was and Q1 was even worse. I was quite confident going into Q2 because I knew in the dry I was ahead of a lot of riders, even if the conditions were still difficult. If you went just a tiny bit wide the track was wet, it was tough but I am really happy. The first two rows are very important here with the tight first sector so I am pleased. Tomorrow the plan is to push right from the start because there is a lot of competition around us.”
Miguel Oliveira – P5
“A good qualifying and I’m happy to put the bike into 5th position. I’ve been strong all weekend in different conditions even though it has been quite difficult. The weather should be a bit better tomorrow but still cold and challenging. We hope we can adapt quicker to the situation.”
Franco Morbidelli – P6
“It was a good day for us. The team did a wonderful job in doing the right moves at the right time and making the right modifications on the bike. I was feeling better than yesterday already on the bike, so we made good steps. This morning I was able to go directly into Q2, which is what we were hoping for. In the wet it was really difficult, but we managed to do it anyway. And this afternoon again, we did a good qualifying in tricky conditions. So, this means I’m feeling better with the bike, and this is positive. Everything we wanted to do and planned to do from Austin to here has happened. Now, we will have to see tomorrow what the weather will be like, and we will have to try to improve also in the race.”
Marc Marquez – P7
“If we look at the final time sheets, today wasn’t a bad day as seventh place is more or less our position here, like Misano 1. But it’s true that I wasn’t able to take profit from the situation and I couldn’t perform how I wanted to. In Q2 I already had a big warning in the first lap and then I did an OK lap but when I tried to push for something more the feeling wasn’t there. In the past I enjoyed saving crashes, but the save I made today was not as fun as the position was a lot more extreme and it caused me to lose some confidence. On the last lap I said ‘ok, maybe I crash’ and I crashed. For tomorrow it’s looking like more normal conditions so I think we can put together a good race but maybe the podium is one step too far at the moment.”
Iker Lecuona – P8
“It was finally a very good day. In FP3 this morning, I was struggling a little bit with the rear tyre. I thought I had the speed to be in Q2 but I needed to fight. We worked well in FP4, my feeling with the bike in the mixed conditions was very well. So, I pushed very hard also in Q1, I finished second and went to Q2. I went out with a new rear tyre and a used front tyre on my second run and I had a small crash on my last lap. Nevertheless, I’m happy, I did my maximum. It’s P8 for tomorrow and we will see what we can do from there.”
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“Today we could take our chance thanks to the weather. This morning we have been quite fast in the wet. Also, this afternoon, I was pretty fast. Unfortunately, I crashed. I was pushing a lot and the front tyre wasn’t really hot enough on the left side, so I lost the front. I’m very sorry for my team! But still, it’s our best result this year. Let’s say, we had a good chance today and we took it. I’m happy about this. Tomorrow will be another day, but we start further in front and can be way more positive about that race.”
Aleix Espargaro – P11
“Today was one of those (fortunately rare) days where we riders weren’t really keen on going out on the track! All joking aside, the conditions really were critical, both because of the low asphalt temperature and because of the half dry/half wet situation. In any case, I’m not disappointed. I did a good lap in FP3 that put me through to Q2 and then in qualifying I simply wasn’t incisive – no point trying to make excuses. Considering the forecast for good weather, I think there will be quite a few surprises tomorrow because we haven’t had the time to work on the setup and even the data from the tests isn’t a given since that can sometimes be approximate.”
Alex Rins – P13
“I was really close to getting into Q2, but unfortunately I’ll start the race from P13. Let’s see, because tomorrow will be very different; the last couple of days we’ve been riding in difficult conditions and it will be fully dry and hopefully sunny tomorrow. I had a nasty crash this morning in FP3 but luckily I’m OK and ready to push tomorrow and enjoy a nice race. Today has been very hard for everyone with a lot of crashes, and tomorrow should hopefully be easier. We already know what our set-up and tyres will be thanks to the data we collected in the test and the race here last month.”
Álex Márquez – P14
“Unfortunately, it was wet in the morning and we didn’t improve and put it in Q2 which was the main target. We didn’t improve as we expected from yesterday. But then in FP4, and especially in Q1, I think we did a good job. We gave 100% and the conditions were really tricky with the slicks and the line. So, although I’m not happy, I’m satisfied with what we did. For tomorrow we need to make a good start and be competitive straightaway. It looks like it will be dry so hopefully we can have a good race.”
Fabio Quartararo – P15
“I tried everything I could in FP3 to go directly into Q2, and we didn’t finish so far from the top 10. We made a massive improvement on the wet, but this afternoon the conditions were exactly what I hate, so I knew Q1 would be a tough job. In the end, I finished 3rd in Q1 before the lap was cancelled. It’s not what I expected because I had some struggles in mixed conditions, and I didn’t take enough risk in the last two sectors. But that’s understandable. I’m on the cautious side: I won’t take too many risks with wet patches. In the end I will start from P15. I’m not too worried about it. Of course, I didn’t want to be in this position, but now that I am, I’ll need to make a great start and some great overtakes, and we will see what happens. Tomorrow we will also see which tyres we will use for the race.”
Enea Bastianini – P16
“It was a strange day for me. In the morning it was very difficult to set a fast lap and in FP4 and qualifying my feeling on the bike was not good at all. It was impossible to push and I had three crashes, two of them really strange because it was because the cold tyre and I lost the rear. In qualifying I tried to get the best time I could, but in the sixth corner I lost the front and crashed. In general, the asphalt was very difficult. Tomorrow the weather is likely to be better, so we will wait to decide on the tyres.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P17
“It was really tricky conditions this afternoon, especially Q1 with only 15 minutes. The beginning of Q1 was more difficult, it was really wet in sector 4, although conditions got better and better towards the end. Lap by lap we were improving the lap time, but it was not enough to stay in the top two and there were so many yellow flags also which made it difficult to concentrate. It’s not what we were expecting for the starting grid, but tomorrow is another day and it will be a dry race so I’ll try my best and hopefully we can make a good race.”
Joan Mir – P18
“In this world when something goes wrong, everything goes wrong – today was not our day! In FP3 I was quite competitive in wet conditions but like yesterday, as the track was getting drier I found it harder and harder to get the feeling with the slick. I crashed in FP4 and in Q1 because the conditions were tough and I couldn’t capture the right feeling with the tyre. The track was getting better towards the end of the day, and tomorrow is supposed to be dry, so I’m hoping to do a good job even from a low grid position.”
Maverick Vinales – P19
“After two extremely peculiar days, we can’t look at the result but at what we were able to learn. We are working to get to know this new bike and to define a line to follow in the future as well. From this point of view, I’m satisfied that the team and I improved performance in the wet, also figuring out what had slowed us down yesterday. When the track started drying out, on the other hand, we did not make the same step forward, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to improve our pace tomorrow if the conditions are consistently dry.”
Brad Binder – P20
“It was a difficult day today with the conditions. It was wet pretty much all day. It was only at the end of FP4 where we were able to get out on slicks. I felt quite confident for Q1 but unfortunately ended up crashing halfway through and that was my session done. We can still turn our weekend around but starting P20 tomorrow will be a challenge. We need to get a good start, settle into a rhythm and try to get past people as quick as we can.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P21
“It has been a very difficult weekend for us so far, especially with the weather, and I don’t feel good on the bike. I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be in Qualifying, where the conditions were half dry and half wet. This isn’t the best for the bike and I didn’t have the feeling that allows me to push hard, so the position on the grid isn’t good. It will be hard in the race, but we will try to learn what we can, try to stay with the group and see what we can achieve. It will be hard to overtake the other riders tomorrow, but we will try our best.”
Michele Pirro – P22
“Today didn’t go as I hoped, and I’m pretty disappointed. I crashed both this morning and this afternoon, compromising my qualifying. I apologise to my team, who unfortunately will have extra work to do tonight. I will try to do my best in the race tomorrow to repay their trust. Fighting for the top ten will be really difficult because I’ll be starting very far back, but I’ll try to have a good race to entertain all the fans that will be watching the race from trackside”.
Valentino Rossi – P23
“It was very difficult because the conditions were very bad and very tricky for us. I didn’t have a very good feeling with the bike or with the tyres, so I was quite slow. The position is bad for the race, but the forecast for tomorrow is good and that we will have a dry race. I hope it will be like this because if we have normal conditions, where it is completely dry, then I think we can be competitive. This weekend is very emotional for me. A normal weekend in Misano is emotional anyway, but in this situation it becomes even more so. Plus it is difficult because there are a lot of things to do and a lot of requests. I think it will be very emotional tomorrow after the race, when I have the chance to say “ciao” to the fans. I feel good though.”
MotoGP Combined Qualifying Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q2
1m33.045
2
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.025
3
Luca MARINI
DUCATI
Q2
+0.085
4
Pol ESPARGARO
HONDA
Q2
+0.268
5
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q2
+0.394
6
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.481
7
Marc MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q2
+0.805
8
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q2
+0.848
9
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
Q2
+1.095
10
Johann ZARCO
DUCATI
Q2
+1.642
11
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q2
+1.918
12
Jorge MARTIN
DUCATI
Q2
+51.586
13
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 1.018
14
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q1
(*) 1.025
15
Alex MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.061
16
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.482
17
Maverick VIÑALES
APRILIA
Q1
(*) 1.800
18
Enea BASTIANINI
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 1.843
19
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q1
(*) 2.290
20
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q1
(*) 3.085
21
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 3.246
22
Michele PIRRO
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 4.487
23
Valentino ROSSI
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 4.555
24
Lorenzo SAVADORI
APRILIA
FP2
1.310
Moto2
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) is on pole for the sixth time in 2021 after the British rider mastered the tricky Moto2 Q2 conditions at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna.
It’s Lowes’ 17th intermediate class pole, making him the rider with the most in the class. It was close though, with his 1:36.510 only 0.045 faster than second place Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up), with Augusto Fernandez making it two Elf Marc VDS Racing Team machines on the front row as he took third.
Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took P14 after a tougher day, and teammate and challenger Raul Fernandez took P9 despite a crash… with both looking to move through on Sunday.
Moto2 Combined Qualifying Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
1m36.510
2
Jorge NAVARRO
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+0.045
3
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.234
4
Aron CANET
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+0.440
5
Celestino VIETTI
KALEX
Q2
+0.590
6
Marcos RAMIREZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.790
7
Stefano MANZI
KALEX
Q2
+1.001
8
Albert ARENAS
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+1.048
9
Raul FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+1.092
10
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q2
+1.176
11
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q2
+1.185
12
Bo BENDSNEYDER
KALEX
Q2
+1.257
13
Fermín ALDEGUER
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+1.270
14
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+1.315
15
Hector GARZO
KALEX
Q2
+1.394
16
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q2
+1.972
17
Jake DIXON
KALEX
Q2
+2.046
18
Ai OGURA
KALEX
Q2
+3.173
19
Cameron BEAUBIER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.899
20
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.924
21
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.168
22
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 1.550
23
Barry BALTUS
NTS
Q1
(*) 2.345
24
Marco BEZZECCHI
KALEX
Q1
(*) 2.870
25
Tommaso MARCON
NTS
Q1
(*) 5.898
26
Simone CORSI
MV AGUSTA
FP2
+2.552
27
Tony ARBOLINO
KALEX
FP2
+2.922
28
Mattia CASADEI
KALEX
FP2
+3.514
29
Nicolò BULEGA
KALEX
FP2
+3.795
30
Joe ROBERTS
KALEX
FP2
+3.931
Moto3
Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) dominated in the damp at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna on Saturday, topping Q1 by 1.2 seconds and then slicing to the top in Q2 for an impressive pole position – and his first since 2019. He’s joined on the front row by Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP), six tenths down but taking second, with Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) completing an all-KTM front row.
Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) put in a solid session to take fifth, the same grid position as the last race he won, the Styrian GP. For key rival Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) it seemed more of a disaster as he qualified P14… but his second to last win – the Aragon GP – was from that very same position, so it’s set up for a stunner on Sunday!
The British rider becomes the most successful polesitter in Moto2™ with Raul Fernandez and Gardner 9th and 14th respectively
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) is on pole for the sixth time in 2021 after the British rider mastered the tricky Moto2™ Q2 conditions at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna. It’s Lowes’ 17th intermediate class pole, an all-time record, and his 1:36.510 was 0.045s faster than second place Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up), with Augusto Fernandez making it two Elf Marc VDS Racing Team machines on the front row.
Gardner and Raul Fernandez find the going tough in Q2
With no rain in the air and the track continuing to dry, the lap times would get quicker and quicker in the chase for Moto2™ pole position. Navarro came through a Q1 crash fest to immediately set the pace, with Gardner lingering down in P15 with five minutes to go. Both Xavi Vierge and Petronas Sprinta Racing teammate Jake Dixon crashed at Turn 15 – one after another – in a scary incident to bring out the yellow flags, with Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46), Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40) crashing too.
Meanwhile, Augusto Fernandez and Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) climbed into P2 and P3 respectively behind Navarro, as Raul Fernandez tucked the front at Turn 2 – the title contender was in the gravel. All these yellow flags were hurting Gardner’s progress, and down in P15 still, the Aussie had one lap left to try and climb the rankings.
Lowes was able to slam in two consecutive pole position laps, but Gardner – despite improving his time on the last lap – was only able to make up one spot to P14. Disappointment for the title leader, but with Raul Fernandez only 9th, it could have been worse.
The top 10
Canet fronts Row 2 in P4 with Vietti sticking his Kalex in P5 despite his Turn 1 crash, Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) completes the second row. Manzi held onto P7 in the end, the Italian will have reigning Moto3™ World Champion Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) and title hunting Raul Fernandez for company on Row 3. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) rounded out the top 10.
Nine points separate Gardner and Raul Fernandez in the chase to be crowned 2021 Moto2™ King, what size will that gap be come Sunday afternoon? Tune in at 12:20 local time (GMT+2) to find out what title twists lie ahead.
Top 10: 1. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – 1:36.510 2. Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up) + 0.045 3. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 0.234 4. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) + 0.440 5. Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.590 6. Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) + 0.790 7. Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40) + 1.001 8. Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) + 1.048 9. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 1.092 10. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 1.176
Every practice session, qualifying battle and race, exclusive interviews, historic races and so much more fantastic content: this is VideoPass!
The Italian matches a Stoner record on a scintillating Saturday afternoon at Misano as title leader Quartararo has work to do
For the first time since Casey Stoner in 2008, a Ducati rider has taken four consecutive MotoGP™ pole positions. That man is Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian storms through Q1 to grab a crucial Saturday afternoon P1 at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, his 1:33.045 was 0.025s quicker than teammate Jack Miller as factory Ducati snatch a 1-2. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) earned a maiden MotoGP™ front row start to make is three Ducatis on the front row, as World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) fails to make it out of Q2 and will start 15th.
The Q1 battle – Bagnaia through, Quartararo out
Ahead of the pole position shootout, the top two in the World Championship faced Q1 on a treacherous Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli layout. Slick tyres were the way forward on a drying track, as Quartararo and Bagnaia began their most important 15 minutes of the season.
After two flying laps, it was Quartararo and Bagnaia 1-2 – but the times were tumbling lap after lap as the riders gained confidence in the very tricky conditions. With five minutes to go, it was so far, so good for the title contenders. However, Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) were making life difficult for the Frenchman.
Crashes for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in quick succession brought out numerous yellow flags. Bad news for Quartararo, because he was third – with Pecco P1. Alex Marquez was P2, and this was tense.
Following Quartararo, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pinched P2 to demote Quartararo to P3 – as yellow flags then came out for an Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) crash. That meant Quartararo’s session was done, his lap would be cancelled and for the first time in his MotoGP™ career, the World Championship leader would not be taking part in Q2 – P15 for El Diablo. On his final flying lap, Lecuona grabbed a late P2 to pinch a Q2 spot.
Nolan Made in Italy Emilia Romagna GP: MotoGP™ Q1 23/10/2021
Steve Day, Matt Birt and Simon Crafar guide you through proceedings as the final two spots in Q2 are handed out
The tale of a tantalising Q2
Heading onto his first flying lap, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) produced a fine save tipping into Turn 2, which demonstrated the lack of grip out there in Q2. And demonstrating their 15-minute extra knowledge on track, the top two after the first flying laps were Bagnaia and Lecuona. On his next lap, Pecco extended his advantage to 1.2s over Lecuona as Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) crashed unhurt at Turn 8.
MUST-SEE: Marquez’ superman-like save from Misano 23/10/2021
The Honda rider somehow managed to keep hold of his RC213V while going around Turn 2
Martin then crashed again, this time at Turn 16 – rider ok – as Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) shot up to P2. The Italian wasn’t there for long though as Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) climbed to P2, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) claiming provisional P3. It was all kicking off though. Marc Marquez recovered from his early scare to take P3 with four minutes to go, Miller made it a Ducati 1-2 at the summit.
Miller improved on his next lap to go 0.025s off teammate Pecco, as Petrucci became the next rider to crash – Turn 6 this time. Teammate Lecuona crashed unhurt as more yellow flags came out, then Marc Marquez was down at Turn 6 before we saw Marini stick in a wonderful last lap to earn a first front row start in MotoGP™.
At the end of an incredibly stressful pair of qualifying sessions, Bagnaia becomes just the fourth rider to go from Q1 to pole – a huge, huge result for Pecco with Quartararo 15th.
How the top 12 line-up
Behind the trio of Ducati riders on the front row, Pol Espargaro is joined by Oliveira and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) on Row 2 – the latter is the only Yamaha rider in the top 14 at Misano. Marc Marquez had to settle for seventh after a troubled Q2, Lecuona lines up alongside his compatriot in P8 for his best-ever MotoGP™ qualifying result. Petrucci makes it a day to remember for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing on the Italian’s final race on home soil, as 10th place Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) suffers a late crash in his pursuit of a better starting place. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and the double crash for Martin see the Spaniards launch from P11 and P12.
Match point Sunday – will the title be decided?
So, how about that. Quartararo fails to make it into Q2 for the first time ever, as Pecco capitalises to grab pole. Now, it’s time to look ahead to match point Sunday. Can Quartararo claw his way through the pack and claim the title, or can Pecco do enough to spoil the Frenchman’s party? Find out at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday afternoon.
Q2 result: 1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:33.045 2. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.025 3. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) + 0.085 4. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.268 5. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.394 6. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.481 7. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.805 8. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) + 0.848 9. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) + 1.095 10. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 1.642 11. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 1.918 12. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 51.586
Every practice session, qualifying battle and race, exclusive interviews, historic races and so much more fantastic content: this is VideoPass!
Crashes played a crucial role in deciding the fate of the second Q2 place, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponorama) all bringing out the yellow flags, the last of which seeing Quartararo’s final effort cancelled, and relegating him to a season-worst P15 grid start.
In treacherous conditions, a lot of riders crashed unhurt. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) went down twice ahead of qualifying, with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) also crashing in FP4.
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok