The OR Thailand Grand Prix was a thriller in itself, and it has also set up a thrilling run to the MotoGP™ World Championship finale. Just two points separate first and second in the riders’ standings with three rounds to go after Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) got onto the podium and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) departed the Chang International Circuit emptyhanded. It means we are guaranteed a live title fight even when the field leaves Australia in a fortnight from now, so read on for the full Championship picture.

After Quartararo charged to a big advantage in the Championship, Bagnaia brought himself back into contention with that stellar run of four wins and a second placing. Now, it’s hard to say that any of the top three on the points table have momentum after three crazy Grands Prix, at Aragon, Motegi, and now Buriram. Bagnaia got himself within 10 points of ‘El Diablo’ with a P2 at the MotorLand, only to see the gap jump to 18 points when he crashed in Japan, even if Quartararo finished eighth.

In Thailand, however, the live Championship lead changed twice during the race! Bagnaia nosed two points ahead when he climbed to second on the opening lap and Quartararo slipped to 17th after a big scare exiting Turn 4. Eventual race winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) turned the two-point margin back in the Frenchman’s favour when he relegated Bagnaia to third, but that was still 16 solid points for Pecco on a day when Quartararo didn’t get any.

So, while Bagnaia’s formline from the last three races is 2-NC-3 for a total of 36 points in that period, Quartararo’s reads NC-8-17 for a yield of just eight. But the rider who is third in the Championship, Aleix Espargaro, has also had an up-and-down run of late with results of 3-16-11 and a total of 21 points in those three Grands Prix. However, even after having to serve a Long Lap Penalty in the Thai GP, the Aprilia Racing talisman can at least say that he gained ground on Quartararo when the situation looked so much worse after he had qualified only 13th. Espargaro is now 20 behind the Frenchman and has a fighting chance on the way to Australia.

Speaking of Australia, what about Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team)? He scored more points than anyone in the now-completed triple header with a fifth in Aragon, that dominant victory in Motegi, and a hard-earned second place in Buriram. While Miller remains fifth in the Championship as he heads home from Thailand to get married, the 52 points he picked up from those races has him just one point behind Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and 40 behind Quartararo. With 75 points still on the table, both ‘La Bestia’ and ‘Thriller’ are still in this. Did we mention Phillip Island is coming up?

It sure is. The Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is the next stop on the calendar, on October 14-16. With a Championship battle this close, there’s no way you want to miss it!

Miguel Oliveira has mastered the rain again! Just as he did in Round 2 in Indonesia, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot took victory in ultra-challenging conditions in the OR Thailand Grand Prix. The Ducati Lenovo Team claimed second and third at the Chang International Circuit, with Jack Miller giving it his all in a bid to make it two MotoGP™ race wins in a row but coming up just 0.730 seconds short, and Francesco Bagnaia taking a precious podium. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) clinched fourth when he held off Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at the chequered flag after 25 unbelievable laps.

But for Bagnaia, the good news continues. He is now just two points behind World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo with three races to go after the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider finished 17th and scored a ‘zero’. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) also regained ground, although he is still 20 points in arrears of Quartararo after serving a Long Lap Penalty and finishing 11th.

After so much talk about weather on Friday and Saturday, the ran finally arrived on Sunday afternoon – in a big way. The torrential falls led to a delay of almost an hour before the premier class race finally got underway, and it was still very wet when riders eventually took the start. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) launched well from pole position but he and fellow front qualifier Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) went well wide as the field ran into Turn 1, and there was almost contact between the Ducati riders.

Bezzecchi still emerged with the lead, from Bagnaia and Miller, with Martin fourth and Marc Marquez fifth, but Quartararo had been shuffled back from fourth on the grid to 11th in the traffic. It got even worse for the Frenchman when he had a big moment on the paint exiting Turn 4 and dropped another six spots. Not only had Aleix Espargaro got ahead of him having inherited 11th, Bagnaia had assumed the live Championship lead.

Bezzecchi was almost a second up at the end of Lap 2 but had been issued a position drop penalty for the manner in which he went off and rejoined at speed at the opening corner. That put him in an awkward situation considering how close the factory Ducatis were to each other behind him, especially when Miller overtook Bagnaia on Lap 3, but he managed to serve the penalty – and no more – a lap later at Turn 3. Meanwhile, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) crashed at Turn 9 having not long moved up to fifth position, while Oliveira had hauled his way to fourth.

The Portuguese rider overtook Bagnaia for third at Turn 9 on Lap 5 and then went under Bezzecchi for second at Turn 3 on Lap 6, a move which Bagnaia capitalised on by passing the VR46 pilot for third as they sped towards Turn 4. Marquez soon relegated Bezzecchi another position, despite the rookie’s best attempts to hit back immediately, while Aleix Espargaro had just moved into the top 10 when he was issued a Long Lap Penalty for early contact with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

As #88 closed the gap to #43 at the front of the field, Aleix Espargaro took his medicine on Lap 10 and rejoined in 14th – but was still five positions ahead of Quartararo, who was going in the wrong direction on the timing screen but at least back in the live Championship lead thanks to Oliveira. Speaking of whom, he had already made one attempt to pass Miller which did not stick, but when he had a look at the Australian at Turn 12 at the end of Lap 14, he pulled off a textbook move and was into the lead.

The KTM pilot needed just a handful of laps to build a margin of one second over Miller, who had about the same gap back to teammate Bagnaia, but Marquez was starting to stalk the #63 Ducati. Then there was the man on the #5 Ducati, Zarco, who was on a big charge as he lapped at least half a second quicker than anyone on a drying race track.

In search of his 100th premier class podium, Marc Marquez sent his Honda RC213V down the inside of Bagnaia’s Desmosedici at Turn 12 at the end of Lap 20, but Pecco got him back on the cutback. Instead, the eight-time World Champion would lose fourth position to Zarco a lap later at Turn 8, and then the Frenchman was all over Bagnaia. Try as he might, he could not find a way through, and started to fade in the final laps, perhaps having asked too much of his wet tyres as the track surface continued to dry out.

On the final lap, two serious battles emerged. Miller had brought Oliveira’s advantage back down to just tenths of a second and was poised to capitalise on any error, but the Portuguese rider stayed strong to seal victory number five in MotoGP™. Just over a second further back, Bagnaia had shaken off Zarco, who found Marc Marquez back right behind him, but he would hang on to fourth. A full 10 seconds away from the top five finished Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) seventh from Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Martin.

After taking his penalty, Aleix Espargaro spent the latter half of the race involved in a battle with none other than Brad Binder, and it was the South African who beat him to 10th position at the finish. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) got home not far behind in 12th, ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), and Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). From pole position, Bezzecchi slipped all the way to 16th and it was also an afternoon of frustration for Quartararo, who missed out on points for the second time in three Grands Prix. Remarkably, with Marini remounting, just one rider failed to make the finish, Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) crashing out on Lap 12.

Two points, three more races – MotoGP™ is set for one of its most thrilling conclusions to a season ever! Make sure you do not miss the Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, from Phillip Island, October 14-16.

MotoGP™ Race Top 10

1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
2. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.730
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 1.968
4. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 2.490
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 2.958
6. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 13.257
7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 14.566
8. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 14.861
9. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 15.365
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 18.097

Torrential rain caused high drama at the OR Thailand Grand Prix and it was Tony Arbolino who was eventually classified the winner of a shortened Moto2™ race. The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team rider had just passed Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™) for the lead at the end of Lap 8 around the Chang International Circuit when the contest was red-flagged. After two attempts to re-start, Race Direction ultimately decided to award half points. Nevertheless, Arbolino, Salac, and Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) can count themselves as Thai GP podium finishers, while Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) gained half a point on World Championship leader Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) when they were locked into sixth and seventh in the final results.

A downpour just minutes before the scheduled start time saw the race declared wet, and crews swapped slick tyres for wets on the grid as the scheduled distance was cut from 22 to 16 laps. Conditions were ultra-challenging when riders did eventually get lights out and pole-sitter Chantra emerged with the lead as they exited Turn 1, ahead of Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up) and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia).

Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) overtook Ogura for third at Turn 3 and was second when he went past Lopez through Turn 4 but, no sooner had he done so, he touched the ever so slippery paint on exit and crashed. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) was charging through the field, coming all the way from 18th on the grid to pass Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) for fourth at Turn 8. When Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™) went wide at Turn 12 at the end of the opening lap, Canet inherited third position and Dixon fourth.

Chantra had sent his home crowd crazy with his pole on Saturday afternoon but there was heartbreak all-round on Lap 2 when he lost the rear through Turn 4 and crashed out of the lead. Lopez was the new front-runner, from Canet, Dixon, Salac, Ogura, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Arbolino, and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo). On the following lap, Canet tried a move on Lopez at Turn 8 and while he could not get it done there, the Boscoscuro pilot handed over the lead when he ran wide at Turn 5 on Lap 4.

Salac passed Dixon into Turn 12 at the end of that lap and made it a two-for-one deal when he accelerated ahead of Lopez and into second place on exit. Then on Lap 5, the Czech rider got a brilliant run off Turn 11 and cleared Canet by the time they arrived at Turn 12, at the other end of the chute, to move into the lead. However, there was another man to watch and that was Arbolino. ‘Tiger Tony’ had overtaken Ogura for fifth on Lap 3 and prised fourth off Lopez on Lap 5 after a couple of attempts, before eventually picking off Dixon for third on Lap 6.

Next time through, Arbolino went under Canet and into second place at Turn 4, at which point he was more than a second in arrears of Salac. The Italian made light work of that margin and then did not need to work at all for the pass when Salac outbraked himself at Turn 12 on Lap 8. They had barely started the following lap when Race Direction decided the conditions were too dangerous to continue and put out the red flags, signalling what was supposed to be a pause in proceedings. Canet held third at the time, ahead of Dixon, Lopez, and Ogura. Fernandez was just one position further back, given the Championship leader had not long passed Roberts for seventh.

One new start time came and went when the conditions did not sufficiently improve, before riders were sent for a quick re-start after a delay of over half an hour. However, just as they circulated around the Buriram track on their way back to the grid, it became obvious that the rain was simply too heavy to continue, and the red flags were thrown again. Word soon came through that the race would not re-start and, with less than two thirds of the distance completed, half points were awarded.

Behind the aforementioned eight, Keminth Kubo (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) was classified ninth, ahead of Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing), Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP), Taiga Hada (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP).

In the World Championship, Fernandez still leads, with his margin over Ogura cut to 1.5 points ahead of the final three rounds of the season. It means that every goes on the line when the Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix takes place at Phillip Island on October 14-16!

Moto2™ Race Top 10

1. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team)
2. Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2) + 0.251
3. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) + 3.112
4. Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 3.268
5. Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up) + 4.137
6. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 5.715
7. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 9.862
8. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) + 1 lap
9. Keminth Kubo (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) + 1 lap
10. Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 1 lap

Dennis Foggia has given himself a glimmer of hope in the Moto3™ title race with an impressive ride to victory at the OR Thailand Grand Prix. The Leopard Racing rider qualified on pole position and led for all but one of the 22 laps around the Chang International Circuit, taking the chequered flag ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Foggia is now up to second in the World Championship, 49 points behind Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), who worked hard for the 11 points which he earned by finishing fifth. His teammate Sergio Garcia, however, scored a dreaded ‘zero’ after he was collected on the opening lap and is now 56 points behind in the standings.

Foggia converted pole into the initial lead, while Sasaki had clawed his way back to second position by the end of the opening lap after being as low as fifth. Further back, Garcia’s rotten weekend got even worse. After qualifying only 20th, he was caught up in high drama at Turn 12, going down when he was hit by a highsiding Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Fernandez himself also struck Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), who managed to stay upright, in an incident which will be reviewed post-race.

Up the front, Foggia continued to lead as a battle pack emerged just behind. Sasaki was getting plenty of attention from the likes of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), and Rossi, but every time he lost a position or two, he quickly reclaimed second place. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) was also part of the lead bunch until he pulled off with an apparent technical problem on while running seventh on Lap 8.

That left a group of six headed by Foggia, from Sasaki, Muñoz, Nepa, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), while Guevara had worked his way up from 11th on the grid to be at the head of the second bunch of riders in seventh position, although he had a fight on his hands to stay there. Foggia ceded the lead for the first time when he ran well wide through Turn 12 at the end of Lap 13, but got it back almost immediately when he overtook Sasaki on the long, open run to Turn 3.

Then, on Lap 14, it was Moreira’s turn to run wide at Turn 12 and he lost touch with the top four of Foggia, Sasaki, Rossi, and Muñoz. Rossi made a move on Sasaki on Lap 15 at Turn 3 and actually held second place for several laps, before the ‘Crazy Boy’ went back down his inside at Turn 12 at the end of Lap 19 in what had become a three-rider breakaway. Foggia, however, looked comfortable, and Sasaki nearly lost second spot again when he ran wide at Turn 3 on the penultimate lap. Then, at the very last corner, Rossi fired it down the inside of the Japanese rider but was in too hot and he too took the long route. At the chequered flag, it was Foggia the victor by a margin of 1.524 seconds over Sasaki, with Rossi 1.280 seconds further back.

Meanwhile, Muñoz, Moreira, and Masia had all dropped back into the second group, in which the key man was Guevara. In fact, the Championship leader very nearly saw his race come to an end on Lap 16 when Masia folded the front just ahead of him at Turn 3, but he KTM Ajo rider caught it and saved a crash. Guevara dropped from fifth to seventh when he made an error and ran well wide on Lap 20 at Turn 3, but had climbed all the way to fourth, seven seconds back from the podium places, at the start of the final lap.

Three corners later, it was almost disaster again for Guevara! He ran wide once more at Turn 3 and opened the door for Nepa to pinch fourth, then made contact with Muñoz on exit and saw Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) also go past as a result. Muñoz was therefore fifth as he approached the final corner of the race but he became the latest rider to outbrake himself. After all of that, Nepa claimed fourth position, Guevara a valuable fifth, and Migno was sixth until he was handed a position drop penalty which promoted Moreira ahead of him. Masia finished eighth, ahead of Muñoz and Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) in 10th.

The rest of the points finishers were Holgado, Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power), Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), and Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team). Garcia eventually retired after trying to continue, while John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) crashed out in separate incidents, joining Suzuki and Fernandez as DNFs.

Now, Guevara has his first match point. Find out if he can clinch the Moto3™ World Championship at Phillip island when the Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix takes place on October 14-16!

Moto3™ Race Top 10

1. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing)
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 1.524
3. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 2.804
4. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 9.414
5. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) + 9.527
6. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) + 9.971
7. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 9.610
8. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 10.033
9. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) + 10.046
10. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) + 10.088