The jury is out – and of all the machines on the Misano’s Wednesday circuit, Yamaha’s Monster Energy team saw the quickest rider!
Doing the honors was none other than Fabio Quartararo, who – according to a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha via Roadracing World – is really liking the bike Yammie gave him.
The relevance of this is night and day; if you recall, Quartararo refused to sign on with the Japanese marque until they were able to give him a bike worthy of his talents at the yoink – and fair.
This is MotoGP’s reigning 2021 Champion, after all.
“His improved feeling with his YZR-M1 put the Frenchman in a great mood as he tested fairings and winglets in the afternoon,” states the report.
“Quartararo clocked 288.3 km/h in the pre-lunchtime running on Wednesday, third on that metric at less than 2 km an hour slower than Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racig) Recorded on one of the Bologna Bullets…‘El Diablo’ admitted he used a slip stream to achieve that speed, but was still quite happy with what the Iwata manufacturer has rolled out.”
With the 2022 World Championship not too far away (and a purported new chassis situ for Team Blue), we’ll be looking forward to seeing the results hit the 2022 docket.
Join us after Sept 16 for the festivities, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.
Where do we start? First, the race winner. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was back on top in the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, backing up his stunner at COTA with victory at a clockwise circuit for the first time this season. He was followed home by team-mate Pol Espargaro in the first Repsol Honda 1-2 since 2017 and the number 44’s first podium with Honda, with Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) putting in another beast of a ride to complete the rostrum on home turf – after a last lap lunge on a newly-crowned World Champion, no less.
Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) escaped in the lead as he went all-in, searing around Misano in his bid to stop Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) taking the crown. But it was a push too far and Pecco slid out, rider ok but title hopes over as Quartararo’s 52 point advantage guaranteed him the crown – backed up by a fourth place in the race too.
MotoGP Misano II Race Report
Bagnaia didn’t get the best start but retained the holeshot as team-mate Jack Miller declined to engage in any friendly fire from second, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) therefore briefly passing the Australian but Miller hitting back soon after to tag back onto the tail of his teammate. For Quartararo, the start wasn’t the best either as the Frenchman went from 15th to 17th, but he was soon back up three places to one ahead of where he started.
After only a couple of laps, there was a breakaway trio of Pecco, Miller and Marc Marquez, and some drama elsewhere: former reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) jumped the start and was given the requisite Double Long Lap, but then the number 36 was out anyway, coming together with Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). No further action was taken, although it was investigated.
The Bagnaia-Miller-Marquez train had almost a couple of seconds in hand by then, but Miller was starting to come under some serious pressure from Marquez. And then, even more drama – Miller crashed out. Rider ok but leaving his team-mate in the lead and Marquez on the charge behind him – with Pol Espargaro in third with company from Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).
By 20 to go, Bagnaia and Marquez were nearly three seconds clear, Pol Espargaro vs Oliveira was the fight for third and Quartararo was still down in 10th, behind Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Soon after though the Suzuki and the Yamaha managed to pass the Pramac machine, the tension still hanging in the air as Pecco led Marquez and Quartararo made his moves.
On Lap 13, Martin crashed at Turn 1 and Quartararo was then embroiled in a five-rider battle – with fifth to ninth split by less than a second. But the Frenchman, keeping calm, picked his way past teammate Franco Morbidelli and then front-row starter Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) to climb to P7 on Lap 15, although Pecco continuing to hold the relentless Marc Marquez at bay.
With 10 to go, Quartararo sliced his way past Rins for P6, with Aleix Espargaro then next on El Diablo’s radar. And sure enough, with nine to go, Quartararo was ahead of the Aprilia RS-GP and now in fifth. Barring a disaster from Oliveira, that was as good as it was going to get for Quartararo, with the KTM star eight seconds up the road. Or so we thought….
Meanwhile, 17 seconds ahead of Quartararo, Bagnaia was holding up his end of the bargain. All Pecco could do on home soil was win, but he had an eight-time World Champion hanging onto his coattails. Looking incredibly strong, the Italian was starting to pull clear though… before Lap 23 of the Emilia-Romagna GP became the title-deciding lap of 2021. At Turn 15, where Miller crashed earlier in the race, Bagnaia suddenly slid out. Giving it all he had but just dancing over the limit with pace Marquez would later describe as ‘unreal’, it was over. Straight back up on his feet, Pecco knew. Ducati knew. Yamaha knew. Quartararo knew: a new MotoGP World Champion was about to be crowned.
Pecco’s crash, closely followed by an Oliveira crash right after, left Marc Marquez P1, Pol Espargaro P2 and Quartararo, the new World Champion, holding a sensational third place from P15 on the grid. But Bastianini had other ideas, the Beast on an electric charge in the latter stages. He wasn’t going to allow Quartararo to have an easy cruise home to the podium, and he was homing in.
Up ahead, the chequered flag came out and Marc Marquez won his second race in a row, his third of the season, and first on a clockwise track in 2021… much more difficult turf. Pol Espargaro came home second to hand Repsol Honda a fantastic 1-2, their first since 2017, and returned to the rostrum for the first time in 2021 and first time with the Japanese marque.
Meanwhile Bastianini, with a move at Turn 14, got the better of Quartararo on the last lap, cementing another stunning rostrum to take the lead in the Rookie of the Year fight. And then came the the 2021 MotoGP World Champion: Fabio Quartararo. Jubilation erupted for the Frenchman and Yamaha after a phenomenal season.
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) crossed the line in fifth to beat sixth place Rins by 1.2s, with Aleix Espargaro taking P7. P8 went the way of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who claimed his best result in Aprilia colours, and Marini secured his goal with a second top 10 of the season in P9 in his special Grazie Vale colour scheme.
Speaking of, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crossed the line in 10th in his final MotoGP race on Italian soil: a fitting send-off to the nine-time World Champion in front of his adoring fans after a tougher start to the race, and now two races remain in Portugal and Valencia to enjoy The Doctor doing what he loves best – racing motorcycles.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had an eventful day. The South African crashed on the sighting lap, started from the back of the grid and ended up finishing P11 after another impressive charge. Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) – the latter despite a crash – were the final points scorers at Misano.
And so the sun sets on the premier class Championship fight and a dramatic day in Emilia-Romagna. An emotional one too, as Quartararo won, Rossi bid farewell to his home crowd and Bagnaia was forced to cede. But the Ducati man came out in pitlane to congratulate Quartararo, as did Miller, and will surely be a force to be reckoned with in next year’s battle too…
Now we head back to Portugal for the Algarve GP, and the title fight may be over but the racing will remain as exciting as ever.
Marc Marquez – P1
“For me this is the most important win of the year. Winning at a right-handed circuit, with the corners where I struggled a lot this year, I’m still struggling a bit but it’s progress and evolution, something special. It’s something that will give me a lot of confidence for these last two races but especially in winter time, to be calmer and more patient. With time everything is going a good way and that’s the most important. Toay the pace was unreal, Pecco was riding super fast. When I saw the 32 low, 32 low, I mean.. I don’t know how I was able to say there! But on the lap where I gave up, because I saw he was so fast on that lap, he crashed. I was putting pressure on him but Pecco was the fastest rider on the track today. And aside from that, today is not my day, it’s Fabio’s day and I want to congratulate him. He deserves it, he did an incredible season and job, so congrats to him and the Yamaha team… we’ll try and make it difficult next year for him!”
MotoGP Misano II Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
41m52.830
2
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
+4.859
3
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
+12.013
4
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
+12.775
5
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
+16.458
6
Alex RINS
Suzuki
+17.669
7
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
+18.468
8
Maverick VIÑALES
Aprilia
+18.607
9
Luca MARINI
Ducati
+25.417
10
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
+27.735
11
Brad BINDER
KTM
+27.879
12
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
+28.137
13
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Yamaha
+41.413
14
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
+42.83
15
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
+1m22.462
Not Classified
DNF
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
5 Laps
DNF
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
5 Laps
DNF
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
15 Laps
DNF
Iker LECUONA
KTM
17 Laps
DNF
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
18 Laps
DNF
Jack MILLER
Ducati
24 Laps
DNF
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
25 Laps
DNF
Joan MIR
Suzuki
25 Laps
Fabio Quartararo 2021 MotoGP World Champion
“I already don’t have my normal voice just a few hours after, I’ve cried a lot an screamed a lot! It feels amazing. When I crossed the finish line I thought about all the tough moments I had, and to be World Champion in MotoGP is something I never expected when I was in bad situations only a few years ago. So right now I feel like I’m in a dream and I don’t realise what’s happening to me right now!
“Of course I had extra nerves, I never started further back than P11 in MotoGP, and I’m starting P15 in one of the most important races of my career! We chose the safe, let’s say, tyres but for us the hard would have been better and I think the podium was there with the hard. I didn’t have stability when I was with the group, I couldn’t overtake. But I’m really happy with my race, even if I hadn’t won the Championship it’s great to finish P4. Super happy about the race and of course with the Championship it’s something extra.
“Just before starting the race I was with Tom in the office and I was nervous, feeling stressed and he said, ‘just think about the last three races you had last year’. They were a total disaster and I just wanted to finish the Championship whatever the position was. And today I started the race that made me World Champion. I think everything that happened last year helped me a lot to win the title today. Thanks to the people for supporting me in these tough moments, I think I learned a lot during these years in MotoGP and still have a lot to learn to achieve more results like that.
“To be honest, last year we fought to have the factory bike but with Covid and everything, the 2019 bike was better. But with the 2021 bike I felt much better, the feeling with the front is what has made me win this year, I think. The feeling I had. We know the power is something we have to work on, but the feeling on the braking to overtake – not this race but in general – has been much higher than 2019 and 2020. Yamaha has worked a lot, we still have a lot to improve for next year because we know that power is something important, but right now with the bike I was feeling like on, I’m enjoying riding. Also today I had a lot of struggles with the front but I still enjoyed it a lot, and that was the most important thing of the day.”
“I’ve cried a lot and screamed a lot”
MotoGP Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
267
2
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
202
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
175
4
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
152
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
149
6
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
142
7
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
136
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
113
9
Maverick VIÑALES
Aprilia
SPA
106
10
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
92
11
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
91
12
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
90
13
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
87
14
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
82
15
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
71
16
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
54
17
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
42
18
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
38
19
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
37
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
37
21
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
35
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
13
23
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
12
24
Dani PEDROSA
KTM
SPA
6
25
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Yamaha
ITA
6
26
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
27
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto2
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS) got his elbows out and put his foot down at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, getting back on the top step in style at Misano. Teammate Augusto Fernandez made it an Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 1-2 despite a Long Lap penalty from qualifying, with the Spaniard just pipping compatriot Aron Canet after some late technical gremlins made life harder for the Aspar Team rider. Still, he completed the podium for another impressive race at Misano.
One moment stole the headlines, however, as Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) suffered a huge crash out of the lead – rider ok – and on a day when teammate and Championship leader Remy Gardner was suffering some of his own dramas, a way back off the podium fight. But the Australian stayed calm, dug in, overcame a Long Lap given for some contact with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and crossed the line in seventh – doubling his advantage to 18 points ahead of the Algarve GP.
Polesitter Lowes grabbed the holeshot, with Canet making a good start to earn P2 ahead of Augusto Fernandez, with Raul Fernandez and Gardner P7 and P12 respectively at the end of the first lap. But by Lap 3, Raul Fernandez had made his way up to P4, with Gardner still scrapping away in the lower ends of the top 10.
A late lunge from Canet on then-race leader Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up) at the tight Turn 14 right-hander allowed Lowes to retake the lead, while also gifting Raul Fernandez P3. The latter was then up to second on Lap 6, and with Gardner P8, as things stood Raul Fernandez was set to take the Championship lead…
Gardner then dived up the inside of Chantra at Turn 14 on his mission to make a comeback, but contact was made and the Thai rider crashed, adding a Long Lap Penalty to Gardner’s Sunday mountain to climb. Meanwhile, Raul Fernandez was swarming Lowes’ rear wheel for the lead…
By Lap 11, Lowes, Raul Fernandez and Canet were 1.3s clear of now fourth-placed Navarro, and then Augusto Fernandez passed Gardner too, the Australian back down to P8. Raul Fernandez then took the lead and the news of the Long Lap came for the Aussie in quick succession, with things seemingly going from bad to worse.
The everything changed. Heading down into Turn 8, Raul Fernandez was suddenly cartwheeling through the gravel, bike obliterated and out of the race, but rider ok. Another huge and unforeseen twist that left Gardner, despite the tougher race of it, suddenly holding a lot more cards. Still, he lost another position to Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46), and the race was on to try and maximise the open goal…
Back up at the front, it was now Lowes vs Canet for victory. The Brit ran wide at Turn 8 to allow the Spaniard through into the lead, and another moment for the number 22 then allowed Canet to get up to an advantage of over half a second with five to go. A lap late though and Lowes was back in P1, elbows out to make his way through but clean aggression returning him to the lead.
Augusto Fernandez was also up to third after his Long Lap Penalty, the Spaniard passing a brightly coloured Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) as the rookie impressed on home turf, but just unable to stay with the podium fight.
As was Gardner, but the Australian did gain a position back as Bezzecchi slid out late on, putting the Championship leader back into seventh – enough to double his advantage, which seemed an unlikely feat until his teammate’s crash.
Up front though, the Lowes show rolled on and the Brit crossed the line over a second clear for an impressive return to the top step. Augusto Fernandez produced a stunning comeback ride to pick off Canet on the run to the line – handing MarcVDS their first 1-2 since 2017. Canet was disappointed with P3 as technical gremlins halted his final push, but it’s a fourth podium of the season for the Spaniard.
Rookie Vietti rode brilliantly on home soil to bag his best result of the season, and fifth place went the way of Navarro. Manzi had a quiet but impressive ride to P6 at his home track, and the Italian finished nine seconds up the road from Championship leader Gardner. It was a tough afternoon at the office for Gardner, but after Raul Fernandez’ crash, the Aussie extends his lead in the title race to 18 points with just two races to go.
Sporting a special Gresini livery, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) claimed P8 ahead of rookie Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and 10th place Marcos Ramirez (American Racing). Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) was 0.6s away from a top 10 result in P11, Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) takes home a P12 as Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) rescues some points after his Long Lap Penalty. Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) picked up P14 and P15 at Misano.
That’s a wrap on Emilia-Romagna, and next up it’s a return to the Algarve and Gardner, after a rollercoaster day in Italy, has his first shot at the crown. But it’s an incredibly good venue for a few on the grid and one thing is for sure – no one will go down without a fight, whether in the battle for victory or the Championship! Come back for more in a fortnight!
Sam Lowes
“It was a complicated weekend for everybody to have the perfect setting and honestly I think the longest run I’ve ever done with the soft front is maybe 8 laps. I decided to use it cause of the conditions this weekend, the second half of the race was really difficult because it was sort of unknown for me with this tyre and I started to struggle. So I’m very happy to keep digging and keep with the pace. Normally I find a good advantage with the hard front but these conditions this weekend have been so difficult with grip with the left corners, so I felt definitely in the first half of the race I could take an advantage and then it was a bit of a struggle at the end but I dug in, I rode well and kept my pace to the end, tried manage the tyres the best I could.
“I’m really happy with the ride, I feel like all year I’ve been close to where I need to be and just missing a few results here and there. It’s all about building up these last few races. Well done to the team! Augusto also rode really well, he took a gamble with the hard front and well done to him, with a Long Lap he’s come back to second, Really good for the team, really good for me. At Portimão after crashing at Turn 1 at the start of the year I get a second chance so I can’t wait for that!”
Moto2 Misano II Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Sam LOWES
Kalex
40m25.180
2
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
+1.233
3
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
+1.4
4
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
+2.554
5
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
+4.243
6
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
+5.198
7
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
+14.261
8
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
+15.868
9
Ai OGURA
Kalex
+18.905
10
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
+19.069
11
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
+19.675
12
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
+24.309
13
Jake DIXON
Kalex
+26.777
14
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
+34.699
15
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
+36.24
16
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
+37.59
17
Barry BALTUS
NTS
+37.899
18
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
+37.966
19
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
+50.787
20
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV Agusta
+1m02.974
Not Classified
DNF
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
3 Laps
DNF
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
9 Laps
DNF
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
9 Laps
DNF
Mattia CASADEI
Kalex
10 Laps
DNF
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
11 Laps
DNF
Hector GARZO
Kalex
13 Laps
DNF
Tommaso MARCON
NTS
16 Laps
DNF
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
17 Laps
DNF
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
19 Laps
Moto2 Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
AUS
280
2
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
262
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
ITA
206
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
GBR
165
5
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
151
6
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
SPA
140
7
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
ITA
136
8
Ai OGURA
Kalex
JPN
120
9
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
SPA
89
10
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
GER
85
11
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
SPA
83
12
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
ITA
66
13
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
USA
59
14
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
ITA
51
15
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
NED
45
16
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
USA
39
17
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
THA
37
18
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
SPA
35
19
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
ITA
30
20
Jake DIXON
Kalex
GBR
30
21
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
SPA
28
22
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
SWI
23
23
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
ITA
16
24
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
SPA
13
25
Hector GARZO
Kalex
SPA
12
26
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
ITA
12
27
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
ITA
10
28
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
MAL
8
29
Alonso LOPEZ
Boscoscuro
SPA
4
30
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV Agusta
ITA
3
31
Barry BALTUS
NTS
BEL
2
32
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
Kalex
JPN
0
33
Manuel GONZALEZ
MV Agusta
SPA
0
34
Yari MONTELLA
Boscoscuro
ITA
0
35
Tommaso MARCON
MV Agusta
ITA
0
36
Miquel PONS
MV Agusta
SPA
0
37
John MCPHEE
Kalex
GBR
0
38
Fraser ROGERS
NTS
GBR
0
39
Taiga HADA
JPN
0
39
Taiga HADA
Kalex
JPN
0
40
Xavi CARDELUS
Kalex
AND
0
41
Mattia CASADEI
ITA
0
42
Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI
Kalex
POL
0
43
Keminth KUBO
Kalex
THA
0
Moto3
The heat was on for Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) in the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, with the Italian starting 14th on the grid as he aimed to stop key rival Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking the title from fifth. But the Italian seared through after a tougher start to home in on the front group and then take the lead, thereafter pitching it to perfection to hold off an impressive race from Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo). The fight for third went down to the wire, but Acosta did some damage limitation as he got back on the podium for the first time since the Styrian GP, keeping a healthy 21 points of advantage heading to the Algarve. In addition, the 2-3 wrapped up the Teams’ title for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) took the holeshot from pole, the veteran getting the perfect launch as Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) shot up into second and Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) dispatched teammate Riccardo Rossi. Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) lost out a little to drop from the top three, but by the end of the lap the bigger surprise was Foggia losing a few positions too. However, there were plenty of laps left to run.
As the race settled a little, Antonelli had Masia for company, with Salač back into third ahead of Nepa, Acosta and Guevara. Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) , Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the first breakaway group, with Foggia in the second group around a second and a half off the front freight train.
But Foggia was on a charge. What had been 1.7 seconds back to the second group was soon eight tenths, and only Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) was able to go with him. By 15 to go the number 7 had arrived on the scene, immediately slicing past Salač and setting his sights on Artigas, his teammate. He got through on him too, but with 12 to go Acosta hit the lead. Could this be the break?
Ultimately not, and after a strange moment that saw Antonelli swamped between turns 7 and 8, Foggia was suddenly right in the mix at the front. By 9 to go, the Italian was in the race lead and Acosta back in fifth, with a gap to the front four as well. The front four became three with 6 to go as Guevara crashed, but the trio of Foggia, Masia and Binder had breathing space and experience on their side as Acosta duelled Nepa for fourth behind.
With three to go, the fight for the win was a duel. Foggia led, with Masia absolutely glued to the back of his teammate’s Championship rival. The gap back to Binder had shot out to 1.8 seconds, but the South African also had the same in hand over Nepa, who was back ahead of Acosta.
On the last lap, Foggia remained in the driving seat but Masia was stalking. The Red Bull KTM Ajo machine was as close as ever, but just behind them it was even closer. Binder had seriously faded, and both Acosta and Nepa sliced past the South African to add another twist to the standings. For Foggia though, nerves of steel prevailed. The Italian stayed pitch perfect on the final lap to take another win: just this season his second at Misano, third on home turf and fifth overall, keeping the Championship fight alive.
As Foggia crossed the line and Masia too, the fight to join them on the podium was still hot. But Acosta stayed cool and ahead of both Nepa and Binder, doing some impressive damage limitation despite not quite securing the crown. The gap is now 21 points ahead of the Algarve GP…
Binder took fourth and a solid result as only he and Foggia repped Honda in the top eight, with Nepa taking fifth and his best Grand Prix result so far. Antonelli took sixth and some solid points but couldn’t come back from his earlier moment, with compatriot Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) just behind him. Fenati taking P7 doesn’t sound like the normal heights of the Italian’s season, but considering a tough Saturday and a mountain to climb, the veteran clawed back an incredible distance on race day.
Sasaki took good points in eight, ahead of a good P9 for rookie Artigas. Salač completed the top ten, ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) in some space. Next up was Guevara despite the earlier crash for the Austin winner, the rookie taking P12, with Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) completing the points.
And so it rolls on. Next up we return to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, where last time Foggia vs Acosta was already staging a show. Now the two will be fighting over the title, and it’s 21 points in the Spaniard’s favour – but the Italian far from throwing in the towel. Tune in for that in just under two weeks!
Dennis Foggia
“It was a difficult weekend because all sessions in the wet… and in the wet I’m not good! I don’t like it. So this morning in Warm Up I was so relaxed because I knew the race would be in the dry. I started from 14th, and I said ok, ‘it’s time to attack’ because Pedro was in front, and I knew with my team I had good potential. Six podiums in a row is fantastic, my second win here and third in Italy, it’s fantastic. I don’t know about the Championship now given the points because Pedro got a podium, but I’m just happy and I want to thank my team because the bike was perfect. See you in Portimão!”
Fabio Quartararo is the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion! After a dramatic decider at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider sliced from 15th on the grid to fourth as sole rival for the crown Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out from the lead. Quartararo is the first French premier class World Champion in history and the first Yamaha rider to lift the crown since 2015.
Quartararo was four years old when his father Étienne – a former French 125cc Champion – gave him a Yamaha PW50. It’s a familiar story for future MotoGP riders, and although Quartararo’s rise would prove stratospheric, there were definitely a few challenges and difficult seasons along the way.
After getting that first bike, he began riding at different mini circuits around his home Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region to master the basics before then going racing in Italy and Spain. And the success began early: the 50cc, 70cc and 80cc titles in the Catalan Championship and the pre-Moto3 title in the Mediterranean Championship showed promise, but once the young Frenchman arrived in the FIM CEV Repsol, or the Spanish Moto3 Championship as it was then, that promise exploded into something a lot bigger.
Winning the series that has now become the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship is one of the biggest achievements for a young rider. So becoming the youngest to do it in 2013 and then defending the crown the year after even more so. That allowed Quartararo the opportunity to move into Moto3 earlier than previously allowed and when he did, remaining in Estrella Galicia 0,0 colours, the momentum for the young Frenchman rolled on.
Quartararo debuted in Moto3 with 7th in Qatar in 2015, and it took him only one more race to get on the podium as he took second in Texas. Two more top sixes followed, he was on pole at Jerez, and he was back on the podium at the TT Circuit Assen too. The whispers of “the new Marquez” grew into assured articles, ramping up the pressure on a rider who was already, despite the moniker from some corners, instead very much the first Quartararo.
Later that season however, the first key challenge of his Grand Prix career saw El Diablo break his ankle at Misano. That meant he missed most of the final races of the year, only returning at Valencia but not scoring. So he ended the year in 10th, making a solid impression but not displaying the domination expected after his searing path to the World Championship.
So, for 2016 there was a change as Quartararo moved to Leopard Racing alongside Joan Mir and Andrea Locatelli. However, the team fielded KTMs and that proved an extra challenge to adapt to as the Frenchman arrived from a rookie season contested on a Honda. And the points finishes kept coming, but only six top tens – and no podiums – saw the excitement of his early success give way to a tougher patch as ‘El Diablo’ looked to move forward.
At that point, under pressure to perform, a bigger change of direction was needed. Enter Éric Mahé, who came on board a Quartararo’s new manager, and a crucial decision that started to build the foundations of the future premier class crown: for 2017, Quartararo would move to Moto2, taking on a new challenge on a bigger bike to press the reset button.
It started well, with a seventh place finish on his intermediate class debut in Qatar – the same result that, in Moto3, had prefaced a first podium soon after. But this time around there was no rostrum around the corner and 2017 swiftly became his toughest season yet, culminating in the Pons team and Quartararo parting ways for 2018.
Enter another key figure in the rise of El Diablo: Luca Boscoscuro. El Diablo moved to the Speed Up team with Boscoscuro at the helm for 2018, and on Moto2 take two it actually started worse: a 20th in Qatar and 22nd in Argentina. But then it started to come together: a 15th at COTA, a 10th at Jerez, an 8th at Le Mans… 11th at Mugello interrupted the pattern, but it was another solid result as Quartararo started to get back in the groove.
At Catalunya, the stars aligned. Saturday saw the Frenchman take his first Moto2 pole and on Sunday, he unleashed the first truly dominant performance of his Grand Prix career, fastest lap included. No one had an answer for the number 20, and he took his first Grand Prix win by nearly two and a half seconds. Next time out at Assen, it was another podium too. The return to the rostrum and that first victory had seemed a long time coming, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
By the time Quartararo took that win, there appeared to be a split between those who’d been waiting for the success they saw as inevitable and those who’d written the Frenchman off. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT outfit, and Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis, were definitely not the latter and at Silverstone it became official: Quartararo would join MotoGP in 2019. So he finished the 2018 Moto2 season with a solid run of form and then left the intermediate class to saddle up in MotoGP… and the rest is history in the best possible way.
On the pace from the off, Quartararo’s stunning debut season silenced the doubters. Fast and consistently so, and somehow making it look easy, it wasn’t long until the number 20 was an established, expected presence at the front. Jerez saw him become the youngest polesitter in the premier class, and he took five more that season. He also came up against then seven-time World Champion Marc Marquez in some incredible last lap duels – not quite defeating the number 93, but making life impressively difficult. Seven podiums saw Quartararo end the year fifth overall, take Rookie of the Year and the overall top Independent Team rider title. Fabio Quartararo had arrived.
In 2020, it started with a dream double win at Jerez and the Yamaha rider seemed the man to beat. But after some twists and turns, it wasn’t until Barcelona that El Diablo got back on top. Some more struggles later, the crown was instead nabbed by Joan Mir at Valencia and Quartararo went into winter pushing to reset and reload, vowing to iron out the kinks and fight for the crown again.
That he did, and he did it in Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP colours as he took on a new chapter with the factory Yamaha outfit. Off the podium in Qatar to start the season, he hit back in Doha to take his first victory of the year. At Portimão he was in a league of his own for another win, but then a speed bump appeared at Jerez as the Frenchman suffered with serious arm pump, taking only a handful of points. Surgery ahead of his home Grand Prix wasn’t the best run up to the event, but still El Diablo took a podium at Le Mans and then another win at Mugello.
Barcelona saw a little drama unzipped, but a solid 10 points and another rostrum in Germany prefaced victory at Assen, sending the number 20 flying high into the summer break. He was a man on a mission, although next up was Styria – Ducati and KTM territory. But still, one podium and then a salvage job of seventh in a crazy Austrian GP later, Quartararo remained firmly holding the cards as the paddock returned to Silverstone.
It had been a while since MotoGP had raced the British behemoth and not the best event for Quartararo when they did, but 2021 was a different story: one of domination. Another 25 points in the bag saw him increase his lead again, and after a tougher Aragon, the Frenchman took a little more risk to push key rival Bagnaia at Misano but ultimately settled for second as crunch time approached. Second in Texas, behind Marquez but ahead of Bagnaia, turned crunch time into match point at the Emilia-Romagna GP.
With a 52-point advantage, starting 15th and seeing Bagnaia on pole wasn’t ideal, but El Diablo kept calm and carried on, slicing back through the pack to fourth.
It wouldn’t have been enough had Bagnaia not crashed, but the Ducati rider’s final stand was ultimately just over the limit – guaranteeing Quartararo the crown with two races spare.
With five victories, ten podiums and a sublime season of speed, Fabio Quartararo is the history-making 2021 MotoGP World Champion!
Fabio Quartararo – The Stats
Quartararo is the sixth-youngest rider to clinch a premier class world title, aged 22 years and 187 days old, behind John Surtees (22 years and 182 days old) and ahead of Valentino Rossi (22 years and 240 days old).
In the MotoGP era, Quartararo is the third-youngest Champion behind Marc Marquez (20 years and 266 days old) and Casey Stoner (21 years and 342 days old).
In addition, Quartararo became the youngest Yamaha rider to clinch the premier class world title, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, who was 23 years and 159 days old when he took the title in Malaysia back in 2010.
Quartararo became the first French rider to clinch a premier class world title and the seventh overall in GP racing along with Johann Zarco (two titles), Mike Di Meglio (1), Arnaud Vincent (1), Olivier Jacque (1), Christian Sarron (1) and Jean-Louis Tournadre (1). Thanks to Quartararo, France became the seventh different nation to win a premier class Championship.
Quartararo became the first European rider to clinch the premier class world title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller GP classes since Franco Uncini in 1982. Overall, Quartararo is the 17th rider to do so along with Les Graham (first Championship season in 1949), Umberto Masetti, Libero Liberati, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Kenny Roberts Jr., Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
In the MotoGP era, Quartararo is the third rider to clinch the title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller classes along with Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
By taking the crown, Quartararo brought to an end a sequence of nine premier class titles from Spanish riders: six with Marc Marquez, two with Jorge Lorenzo and one with Joan Mir (the longest sequence for a country in the class).
Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to take the premier class crown since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 and the seventh overall along with Giacomo Agostini (one premier class title), Kenny Roberts (3), Eddie Lawson (3), Wayne Rainey (3), Valentino Rossi (4) and Jorge Lorenzo (3). This is the 18th title for a Yamaha rider in the premier class.
Quartararo is tied in sixth place with Max Biaggi and Maverick Viñales on the list of Yamaha riders with most premier class wins, just behind Kenny Roberts (22 wins). Valentino Rossi leads the way with 56 premier class wins with Yamaha.
With 20 premier class podiums so far, Quartararo is the French rider with most podiums in the class ahead of Christian Sarron (18 podiums).
With eight premier class wins so far, since his maiden premier class wins at the 2020 Spanish GP, Quartararo has almost tripled the number of French victories before him (one for Régis Laconi, plus Christian Sarron and Pierre Monneret).
This season Quartararo has stood on the MotoGP podium more than any other rider (10 times), including five wins. This is this first time that a Yamaha rider has taken five (or more) premier class wins since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 (seven). The last Yamaha riders with more than 10 podiums in a single season were Valentino Rossi (15 podiums) and Jorge Lorenzo (12) in 2015.
For the seventh successive year, the rider who clinched the premier class world title failed to win the opening race of the season. The last to do so was Marc Marquez in 2014.
The first ever French premier class World Champion!
Fabio Quartararo
“I already don’t have my normal voice just a few hours after, I’ve cried a lot an screamed a lot! It feels amazing. When I crossed the finish line I thought about all the tough moments I had, and to be World Champion in MotoGP is something I never expected when I was in bad situations only a few years ago. So right now I feel like I’m in a dream and I don’t realise what’s happening to me right now!
“Of course I had extra nerves, I never started further back than P11 in MotoGP, and I’m starting P15 in one of the most important races of my career! We chose the safe, let’s say, tyres but for us the hard would have been better and I think the podium was there with the hard. I didn’t have stability when I was with the group, I couldn’t overtake. But I’m really happy with my race, even if I hadn’t won the Championship it’s great to finish P4. Super happy about the race and of course with the Championship it’s something extra.
“Just before starting the race I was with Tom in the office and I was nervous, feeling stressed and he said, ‘just think about the last three races you had last year’. They were a total disaster and I just wanted to finish the Championship whatever the position was. And today I started the race that made me World Champion. I think everything that happened last year helped me a lot to win the title today. Thanks to the people for supporting me in these tough moments, I think I learned a lot during these years in MotoGP and still have a lot to learn to achieve more results like that.
“To be honest, last year we fought to have the factory bike but with Covid and everything, the 2019 bike was better. But with the 2021 bike I felt much better, the feeling with the front is what has made me win this year, I think. The feeling I had. We know the power is something we have to work on, but the feeling on the braking to overtake – not this race but in general – has been much higher than 2019 and 2020. Yamaha has worked a lot, we still have a lot to improve for next year because we know that power is something important, but right now with the bike I was feeling like on, I’m enjoying riding. Also today I had a lot of struggles with the front but I still enjoyed it a lot, and that was the most important thing of the day.”
“First of all, I want to congratulate Fabio whole-heartedly. We already knew he was an exceptional talent who understands how to get the best out of the YZR-M1 and shares Yamaha‘s ability to think and dream big – and now he has made his dream come true through hard work, passion, and exciting yet clean racing.
“We are thrilled that we have achieved this shared goal together. Grand Prix racing makes up a large part of Yamaha‘s heritage. Yamaha Motor Company was born from ’racing DNA‘, and this racing DNA is also present in our consumer products. Yamaha had a clear objective for this year: we strived to be back at the pinnacle of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing. With Fabio we‘ve secured five Grands Prix victories and ten podiums, and after a six-year period we have won the MotoGP World Championship again – a superb achievement. Moreover, to do it in such a competitive field is an achievement we can be proud of.
“On behalf of Yamaha, I would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors and partners, without whom none of this would have been possible. They have cheered on Yamaha through these last two difficult pandemic-affected MotoGP seasons, and this championship victory is therefore also very much theirs.
“The last two years have further underlined what a source of joy MotoGP and motorsports are in general to a vast audience. To many people the GPs were highlights during an otherwise dark period. I would therefore also like to take a moment to thank the fans around the world for their unwavering support, and also the Yamaha staff who this year again made significant sacrifices to adhere to Covid regulations – which meant often being away from home for weeks on end – and who unfailingly worked with 100% dedication towards the goal of becoming World Champion.
“Since its founding, Yamaha has always been striving to bring every Yamaha rider the feeling of ‘Kando’; a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value. This championship win is truly one of those moments: it‘s a milestone that will bring joy to many, as Fabio‘s fan base, like Yamaha‘s, is growing.”
Lin Jarvis – Managing Director – Yamaha Motor Racing
“I‘m extremely happy to congratulate Fabio on securing the Championship Title already in Misano. We asked Fabio to join the Factory team in 2021 because we knew full-well the extent of his talent. However, he managed not only to meet our expectations but even exceeded them.
“Fabio had obviously always dreamt of becoming a Factory rider and was very excited about what the future would hold, but the change of garage required some adjustment. He had to get used to a new team whilst simultaneously handle the added media pressure of being a Factory Team rider. Fabio had no trouble gelling with the team and finding speed on the Factory YZR-M1, and soon he secured his first two wins in Doha and Portimao. Right then we knew this year could be something special, but disaster struck in Jerez. Fabio had to cope with arm pump problems and a surgery quite early on in the season, a crucial time for a serious championship contender. This could have been a severe mental blow, but yet again this didn‘t faze him. He underwent it heroically and managed to show up at the very next GP ready to fight for the podium again.
“His mental fortitude really impressed us, and it resulted in him finishing no lower than eighth on ’bad‘ race weekends, except for when he had arm pump in Jerez, and even then he took 13th. He didn’t finish outside the points once so far this season.
“These statistics speak for themselves. They show that Fabio doesn’t leave a stone unturned yet manages to not let the pressure of a possible championship title get to him. He fights and beats the opposition fairly, purely on talent and race craft. And last but not least, he walks the tight line between relentless dedication to winning and improving while also having fun on the bike, a quality that our team has witnessed before with Yamaha‘s most successful premier class rider Valentino Rossi.
“This Rider Title is special because it has been achieved through great synergy between Fabio, the team, and Yamaha. I would like to thank and congratulate the members of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team working directly with Fabio as well as the engineers of Yamaha‘s Motorsports Development Division in Japan and Yamaha Motor Racing‘s European based staff. All of Fabio‘s great achievements are a testament to their hard work. The big question that now remains is whether we can also win the Team and Constructor titles… With just two rounds to go we will surely give it our 100% for a thrilling climax to another incredibly competitive MotoGP season.”
With a passion for racing comes the drive to be the best – and in the case of Maverick Vinales, the passion comes with a bit of drama.
According to reports from MCN and The-Race, Maverick Vinales has just requested an early end to his contract with Yamaha.
Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis has said in a statement:
“It is with sadness that we will say farewell to Maverick at the end of the year. We are in the middle of our fifth season together, and over the years, we have achieved many highs but also had to manage many lows.”
The news came after a frustrating day for the rider at the Sachsenring German Grand Prix last weekend.
The Spaniard completed his worst round yet, qualifying 21st and finishing the race in last position, with a quote afterward that showed the racer’s frustrations on the matter.
“I always have the same problem, and that is that the rear wheel skids a lot,” Vinales says, frustrated. “I have been saying it since Portimao, and there is no solution. Yes, it is true that we are working, but six races have already passed to find a solution.”….I’m sorry, but with this bike, it’s impossible. When I arrived at Franco [Morbidelli] I overtook quite well. Just in the first try, I overtook him because against a Yamaha, it is much easier, but with the Ducati, it’s so hard.”
Vinales shows his true racer’s spirit with the next admittance:
“I really try to be calm. I try to work; I try to do everything. But the result is the same. And then if you have a Ducati in front of you, the frustration is incredible.”
Understandable when worded like that – and it’s not like Vinales doesn’t have other wins to show.
The rider bagged a pole position and finished second at Assen, just a few days after the unfortunate incident at the Sachsenring.
When it comes to the young rider’s talents, the proof is in the pudding – though the damage is already done for his team.
“After the German GP, which was the most difficult weekend of our partnership, we had important discussions in Assen”, says Jarvis, “and came to the conclusion that it would be in the interest of both parties to go our separate ways in the future.”
Vinales still plans on finishing his remaining time with Yamaha strong, and there is talk of a potential move to Aprilia or Aramco Racing Team VR46 – now signed on with Ducati.
In the meantime, the importance of his time at Yamaha hasn’t been lost on him.
“This partnership has been very significant to me over the last five years, and it proved a difficult decision to part ways. In these seasons together, we experienced both great achievements and tough times. However,”, Vinales admits, “the underlying feeling is of mutual respect and appreciation. I am fully committed and will strive to achieve the best results for the rest of the season.”
Our hats off to the man, and may his drive to ride continue to guide his instincts – both on and off the track.
“I’m really happy, especially because during the weekend I did only bad starts, and I mean really bad, and I was actually a bit worried. But with the team we always get the job done and save the best for the race. Today it was like this, so I am so happy. It was a really good race. It was a tough one, but we did it. I think today is the perfect day to go on holiday after a victory. I will go see my family straight away to enjoy this moment and spend some time with them.”
Maverick Vinales – P2
“For me this was a great Sunday too! It‘s been a long time since I was last on the podium. It was good. Honestly, I‘m very happy. Actually, the second part of the race was fast. I was able to do fast laps, but I just expected a bit more from the beginning. I knew immediately when I was behind Nakagami for ten laps that I lost the race, because also the tyres suffered. Zarco was attacking me, and I was controlling the gap between me and Nakagami to make sure I wasn‘t overheating the tyres, so it was a very complicated race, but in the end, it finished in a good way.”
Joan Mir – P3
“I did everything I could to get a good result for the team and for myself ahead of the summer break; this podium is really important and we couldn’t ask for much more today. It wasn’t easy to get up to third, especially against the Ducatis, but I made a good start and tried to make clean passes. I had one or two moments that were a bit close to the limit and I’m sorry if I was too close sometimes. We’ve struggled more than we expected in the first half of the season, and it’s crucial to go into the break as close to the top guys as possible so I’m satisfied and today has given us a boost. There is still plenty of time to go this year, and we’re aiming to becoming more competitive, bring new parts, and be even closer to the top. Overall, we’re happy with how the season has been going, and this result brings a nice feeling to all of us.”
Johann Zarco – P4
“I am very satisfied. It was an extremely difficult race and we were able to handle it the best we could. At one point I even thought I could make the podium. All this makes me feel very confident and has given me greater certainty for the second part of the championship.”
Miguel Oliveira – P5
“A tough weekend but we’re happy to take home a 5th place and finish this period of four races in the top five and with decent points. This was the best we could hope for today and now we’ll take a rest. We’re fully motivated to continue the work once the summer break is over and we get into the second half of the season.”
Francesco Bagnaia – P6
“Today has probably been one of the most difficult races I’ve ever had in MotoGP. I tried hard to defend myself from Fabio, but it was clear I couldn’t stay with him when he passed me. In the first part of the circuit, I made up some ground, but I lost a lot from him in the last sector. It was hard fighting with Nakagami too. In my attempt to defend myself, I exceeded the track limits twice and had to serve a long lap penalty. At that point, it wasn’t easy to make up positions. I apologise to my team for this mistake, which I could have avoided, but today I really gave it all to try and bring home as many points as possible”.
Marc Marquez – P7
“I am very happy today, sure if you check the result and see seventh it’s not too impressive but when you start from 20th on the grid, it’s not too bad. I was pushing a lot in the opening lap and I was up to 12th. Then I made a mistake in the middle of the race and lost contact with the front group. From then I just focused on coming back and I was able to ride well until the end with a nice battle with Aleix Espargaro in the last laps as well. I was destroyed physically so could not challenge Pecco more. When I came back to the box I said thanks to the team and Honda because after Friday’s crash, they gave me the confidence again by changing some parameters with the TC and I was able to ride well. The potential of the bike was a podium if we had started in the front. Now for the summer break, time to rest and recover and come back stronger for the second half of the season.”
Aleix Espargaro – P8
“We can be proud of what we’ve done in this first half of the season. I had an outstanding pace again in this race, better than what we managed to put into practice. My fast lap at the end of the race when I was alone is demonstration of that. Unfortunately, when we are behind certain rivals, the difference in power makes it hard to overtake. The RS-GP accelerates well and has very little wheelie thanks to the aerodynamics, plus it is very competitive on all the sectors. We are truly very close to having a technical package that will let us battle for the podium in every single race. I know that the team is working hard and I’m sure that we’ll be able to count on a further evolution even before the end of the season.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P9
“This was quite a positive race. At the beginning of the race I was ready to go, ready to fight and I was in P3. I tried to overtake Bagnaia but it was really difficult and overall I’m happy about the race performance. Of course, in the middle of the race I had one big mistake and dropped positions and ending up in P9 was not the best result. But I’m happy about the feeling of the bike and it was nice to be in P2 and P3 during the race. I want to say thanks to the team and I’m really looking forward to the two races in Austria after the summer break.”
Pol Espargaro – P10
“I knew it would be a difficult race, I am still unable to overtake at the start of the race with a full tank of fuel. If I am alone, I can run with a good pace, like in Warm Up, but as soon as I am in trouble with other riders around – I am too defensive and I stop riding how I want to and I make mistakes. Again, we need to improve our Saturday to be in a better position for Sunday so we are not starting behind. The job for after the summer break is to improve Qualifying, but now we head to the break. The start of the season hasn’t been how I wanted so I am looking forward to this time to rest and reset.”
Alex Rins – P11
“I was very unlucky today because I made an incredible start and I felt able to fight for the Top three or four, I was with the lead group. Then in Turn 10 I went in like normal, when another rider arrived very fast and his winglet hit my arm, so the only thing I could do was pick up the bike to avoid crashing. If I hadn’t been there he would have run off for sure, but instead he hit me. But this situation was out of my hands, so I just had to try and do my best after that. My race pace was good and it allowed me to climb up to 11th. It’s a shame to have another race with unlucky circumstances, I’ve been fast in a lot of races but I’ve had crashes and incidents that have prevented me getting good results, but now we’ll go into the break and come back stronger and more ready for part two.”
Brad Binder – P12
“Difficult race for me. Starting in 21st and trying to pass the guys in the beginning, and then I clearly didn’t have the speed in the first stages of the race. As the laps went down I started to improve my riding at different points on the track and went quicker. At the end I could match my quickest time on the last lap. I’m glad I made an improvement, but I lost too much time early on. It was an up-and-down weekend and I got a bit lost but I gave ‘my all’ in the race. I was a bit disappointed with 12th but we’ll re-group and come back stronger in the next phase of the season.”
Danilo Petrucci – P13
“In the end we were able to score some points. It was a difficult race because at the beginning I had to recover many positions and I had a lot of fights. I maybe used the rear tyre too much and was not able to stick with Brad [Binder] in front of me. But anyway, regarding the fact that I had to start from P18, it was good to finish and get some points. I gave my best. For sure we have to improve Qualifying for the next races.”
Álex Márquez – P14
“I’m sad about the race today, I struggled a lot and didn’t enjoy it. It was a long race for me physically, when you don’t have the bike in hand and it’s not stable it’s very difficult. We made some changes in the warm-up that were maybe not the best solution, but in the warm-up I felt a bit better. The first time here on a MotoGP bike at Assen is difficult and maybe this is not the best track for our bike. Now, we have the summer break and it will be good for me and the team to rest, recharge batteries and come up with an action plan to improve in the second part of the season. We’ll be ready.”
Enea Bastianini – P15
“It was a good race, but I spent a lot of energy, and it was hard to get to the end. In the early stages I lost some time, but when I relaxed and let go, I felt more comfortable. We didn’t have a bad race, we probably need to improve a bit to find the limit of this bike. Now we have a few weeks to rest and to train because MotoGP is very tiring, both physically and mentally.”
Lorenzo Savadori – P16
“My race was conditioned primarily by the time lost at the beginning in the battle with Bastianini, where I was unable to maintain my lines and my pace. In the central part of the race, staying in the slipstream for a long time, the front pressure went up a bit and I was forced to slow my pace. In the finale I was back to lapping well, but it was too late by then and that is truly a pity.”
Garrett Gerloff – P17
“It had its difficulties for sure, like trying to remember the start procedure on the bike and understanding what the cold brakes would be like going into the first corner. I’m happy that I made it to the finish line, but I am a little disappointed with how far back I was. I was able to stay with Luca [Marini] at the start of the race, although I wish I could have passed him a little earlier as the others were just ahead and maybe I could have latched onto them. I am happy with today though and being able to finish my first MotoGP race. I just want to thank Petronas Yamaha SRT for the opportunity to ride their bike, to be here this weekend and I wish all the best to Franco in his recovery.”
Luca Marini – P18
“Today I struggled a lot. After free practice I chose the medium tire for the race, I felt confident, but with less grip it was not the best option. Like the other Ducatis, I had a lot of movement on the bike under acceleration that I had to manage. A shame and something to work on for the next races. In FP4 I didn’t feel comfortable on the hard, but with the medium I was able to ride as I wanted. Today with the wind it was more difficult. It’s time to enjoy a few days of relaxation and we’ll get back to work in Austria. I’m looking forward to it.”
Iker Lecuona – DNF
“I felt strong in the race. I overtook some riders but lost a lot of time fighting with another rider. There I lost the contact to the front group but my pace good enough to stay in P11. I was fighting with Pol Espargaro but then he started to push a lot and I couldn’t follow him anymore. At least I managed to defend my position and then I made a mistake. I touched the white line and lost the front. I need to say sorry: I had a very strong weekend but it was also important to finish the race before the summer break. I didn’t finish but, in general, I’m still happy about my improvements.”
Jorge Martín – DNF
“Unfortunately, for two races in a row, I have been restrained by my physical condition. I had a good race pace and could have made the top ten but I still haven’t completely recovered. The break we now have will help a great deal; I will be back in Austria in perfect health.”
Valentino Rossi – DNF
“The result today is a shame because my pace this weekend was not too bad and I could have had a decent race. Unfortunately I had a bad start and we had changed something in the strategy, which meant I did not feel at 100%. When you are behind it is hard because it creates problems with the front tyre, you lose some grip. I managed some overtakes and then pushed to join the group but I lost the front. I’m lucky though because it was a high-speed crash but I am fine. In this first half of the season we expected to be more competitive, have a bit more speed and be able to fight for better positions but there have been some races where I am not too bad.”
Jack Miller – DNF
“This is definitely not the easiest track for us, but I was hoping for a different ending to this weekend. Unfortunately, at turn five, there was a bit of confusion with Nakagami and Mir, and in an attempt to avoid a possible contact, I braked too early and lost control of the front, which caused me to crash. At that moment, I was maybe more focused on what was happening in front of me and not on my riding, and obviously, I am annoyed about this mistake. It’s a pity because it was important to get some points today, but it is what it is. We are not far behind in the Championship, so now we have to move on and try to get back to winning ways in the next two races scheduled in Austria after the summer break”.
Team Managers
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“It‘s been a perfect weekend at the Assen track for us, and a perfect way to close the first half of the season. We thought it was going to be a fight between Maverick and Fabio, but in the end, it didn‘t quite come to that. Once Fabio made his move on Bagnaia stick, he saw the opportunity to break away and took it. His strategy was faultless, and he managed the race perfectly, so these 25 points were totally deserved. Maverick‘s start lost him some time and cost him the opportunity to fight for the win. But we can only admire his multitasking skills today. He was holding off Zarco and at the same time trying to find a way through on Nakagami. That‘s a difficult balancing act, and in the end his efforts were rewarded with a really positive second place. This 1-2 is great for Yamaha and is a direct result of everyone’s hard work over the first half of the season. It‘s Yamaha’s 750th and 751st premier class podium, and it’s like a gift to all of us because we can now start the summer break on a high note as we look forward to the second half of the season.”
Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director
“Our riders started from the third and fourth rows today but they both recovered quickly at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately Alex was pushed out by another rider but luckily he was OK and he managed to make a good comeback and get some valuable points for the championship so we’re pleased. Joan was very consistent and he did a great job, especially from 10th on the grid. He achieved his third podium of the year, which is a really nice result to end the first half of the season. We know we still have room for improvement so we won’t rest in the break, but we’re happy with today’s efforts.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“It was a very tough race today, but Joan did an incredible race from 10th on the grid and he got a podium which was a really good result. This means that we can restart after the summer break with a positive mindset. Alex was unlucky today, because for sure he had podium potential but the incident prevented this. He did very well to recover and bring home some points, he made the best of a bad situation. In the factory we will seize the summer break to work on some improvements for the second half of the season, and we will come back with strong attitude.”
Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager
“We knew this track would be tricky for us. We didn’t race here last year and then FP2 was wet so we lost some valuable track time. When you cannot achieve all your goals but also score 5th position we have to be happy. Miguel was strong in that group and Brad suffered from qualifying. He was a rookie here on the KTM RC16 but was making good lap-times by the end. It was some more experience for him. Iker was having such a good weekend and his crash was a shame. We feel sorry for him because it had been a good performance. Danilo was just behind Brad and, overall, we need to think about what we can do better. Now we have the summer break and it’s good for everybody because it has been a demanding season so far with the travel restrictions. We have two riders in the top ten in the championship and Miguel has been one of the top points scorers from the last four races. We’ve made good progress and it’s a nice situation to be in when we next come together for two home GPs.”
Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal
“It was a good effort from Garrett, who is filling in for Franco this weekend, to end the race 17th, in his first experience of a full MotoGP weekend. We wish Franco a speedy recovery and hope to have him back stronger soon. It is a shame that Rossi had his crash, because his pace this weekend has been good.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager
“Not the way we expected to finish the first part of the championship here in Assen. We’ve been quite competitive all though practices and even Qualifying. We knew the lap times were going to be very close and it’s going to be a long and tough race, but nevertheless, I think both, Iker and Danilo got a pretty good start, gained some positions and we were really pleased to see Iker fighting with what we can call the front group. Until he lost the front in the last chicane, he was holding a strong 11th position behind Pol Espargaro, opening the gap on the guys behind him and we were quite happy. The lap times have been impressive, but unfortunately, we couldn’t see the chequered flag, so that’s no points.”
“On the other side Danilo put his head down with a tough grid position. He managed to do a few overtakes and had a strong rhythm, but that couldn’t be any better than 13th, which is right behind Brad Binder, who is a kind of reference for us. I think he gave all he had. He was pretty exhausted at the end of the race. This is a very tough track to pass, we could see that. Still, I think it’s a lot better than a few races to go for our two guys.”
“Now it’s time to have a rest for the two riders and the team. We will restart in Austria, which is KTM home territory, where we have an incredible memory of last year – the first ever win for Tech3 in the MotoGP class and the first ever win for Miguel Oliveira in MotoGP class. I don’t want to say we aim to repeat that, but we go there with high hopes, knowing that the bike is competitive there and there is no reason we shouldn’t be fighting in the top 10 again with our two guys. I wish some good holidays to the whole team!”
2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
40m35.031
2
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
+2.757
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
+5.76
4
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
+6.13
5
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
+8.402
6
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
+10.035
7
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
+10.11
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
+10.346
9
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
+12.225
10
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
+18.565
11
Alex RINS
Suzuki
+21.372
12
Brad BINDER
KTM
+21.676
13
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
+27.783
14
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
+29.772
15
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
+32.785
16
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
+37.573
17
Garrett GERLOFF
Yamaha
+53.213
18
Luca MARINI
Ducati
+1m06.791
Not Classified
DNF
Iker LECUONA
KTM
8 Laps
DNF
Jack MILLER
Ducati
8 Laps
DNF
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
12 Laps
DNF
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
19 Laps
2021 MotoGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Bike
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
156
2
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
122
3
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
109
4
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
101
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
100
6
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
SPA
95
7
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
85
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
61
9
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
60
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
50
11
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
41
12
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
41
13
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
14
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
33
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
27
16
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
27
17
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
26
18
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
23
19
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
17
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
14
21
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
13
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
24
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
25
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar June 23 Update
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pitched the tactics to perfection in the Motul TT Assen to come out on top, heading a Yamaha 1-2 ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales as the two Iwata marque machines pulled the pin once again on Sunday. The duo also push the factory past the milestone of 750 podiums, with Yamaha now counting on 751 with two riders on the rostrum at Assen. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the podium, slicing through from 10th on the grid.
Assen GP Race Report
Quartararo took the holeshot from second, but the Frenchman wasn’t allowed to escape early as fellow front row starter as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) went for a Lap 1 leap at Turn 8. It was close between Quartararo and Pecco, their exits compromised, with that allowing Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) up alongside the pair as Quartararo ran hot into Turn 9. Bagnaia said thank you very much, the Italian through to lead and holding station – for now.
Quartararo went for a move at the final chicane to answer back but was wide, and Bagnaia got his GP21 stood up and blasted back past. That happened again on Lap 6, before Lap 7 saw Quartararo grab P1 through Turns 12 and 13. How crucial was that going to prove? Meanwhile, Nakagami was still holding Viñales at bay, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Mir and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) line astern right behind.
Two 1:32.8s saw Quartararo stretch a 1.2 lead to Bagnaia on Lap 9, hammer down. On Lap 11, that gap was up to 2.5 as Bagnaia had to switch focus to keeping Nakagami behind him. The Japanese rider passed the Ducati rider on Lap 11 through the rapid kinks, but Bagnaia grabbed P2 back down the front straight. Viñales, Zarco, Mir and Oliveira were all waiting in the wings and there was a copy paste of Nakagami vs Bagnaia a couple of laps later. Drama hit then though as the number 63 was handed a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
On Lap 15, there was plenty of action. Bagnaia dived into the long-lap penalty loop, and then team-mate Jack Miller crashed unhurt at Turn 5. Nakagami was sat up by Mir at the same corner and it was now Viñales in second place, four seconds behind runaway leader Quartararo. Mir was then up past Zarco at Turn 5 with eight laps to go into third, with Oliveira around half a second away back on the Pramac rider, in fifth.
At the front, the gap came down to 2.5 with two laps to go between Quartararo and Viñales as the latter seemed quicker, but after too much lost ground no one had an answer to El Diablo at Assen. A fourth 25-point haul of the season extends his Championship advantage to 34 points heading into the summer break. Viñales delivered impressive late-race pace on the front soft tyre, but it wasn’t enough to reel in Quartararo. Nevertheless, after finishing last at the Sachsenring, P2 for the Spaniard is a splendid effort as the number 12 returns to the podium for the first time since his Qatar GP win. Mir kept his powder dry ahead of Zarco to secure third, the podium also his third of the season.
Zarco was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Oliveira in fifth, with a real battle deciding sixth just behind. Marc Marquez made a stunning start from 20th on the grid to gain ten places in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and he hustled on to the back of Bagnaia after the Italian’s Long Lap penalty. The eight-time World Champion couldn’t quite find a way past, although he was within 0.075 over the line as Bagnaia held on for sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took eighth, with Nakagami disappointed with ninth after an early podium challenge and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.
11th went to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) despite a run off for the number 42 following contact early in the race with Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki holding off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African got his first taste of Assen on a MotoGP bike. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took 13th, ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) – another debuting at the track in the premier class – as was rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who completed the points.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out fast at Turn 7 but rider ok, Miller went down at Turn 5. He rejoined but then had to stop with a mechanical problem. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also crashed, and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was forced back into pitlane with an issue.
2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
40m35.031
2
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
+2.757
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
+5.76
4
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
+6.13
5
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
+8.402
6
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
+10.035
7
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
+10.11
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
+10.346
9
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
+12.225
10
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
+18.565
11
Alex RINS
Suzuki
+21.372
12
Brad BINDER
KTM
+21.676
13
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
+27.783
14
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
+29.772
15
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
+32.785
16
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
+37.573
17
Garrett GERLOFF
Yamaha
+53.213
18
Luca MARINI
Ducati
+1m06.791
Not Classified
DNF
Iker LECUONA
KTM
8 Laps
DNF
Jack MILLER
Ducati
8 Laps
DNF
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
12 Laps
DNF
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
19 Laps
2021 MotoGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Bike
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
156
2
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
122
3
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
109
4
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
101
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
100
6
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
SPA
95
7
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
85
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
61
9
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
60
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
50
11
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
41
12
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
41
13
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
14
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
33
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
27
16
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
27
17
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
26
18
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
23
19
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
17
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
14
21
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
13
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
24
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
25
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto2
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads into the summer break on a high after a hard-fought win at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard recovering from the latter half of the top ten to get back to the front and then pull away from the fight to complete the podium. That fight was won by his teammate Remy Gardner as the Australian did some good damage control to hold off Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). With third place, the Spaniard nevertheless took his first podium since 2019 after a weekend of great form.
Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) took the holeshot ahead of Raul Fernandez, but Gardner muscled through on his teammate too as the number 25 got shuffled back. Lowes made quick work of moving back forward as he got up into second behind Canet, striking for the lead not long after but the Spaniard taking it back. Gardner was next on the charge as he picked his way through into the lead and Lowes followed, with Raul Fernandez then running off and dropping all the way back to ninth…
That left Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) making his presence felt at the front in fourth as Augusto Fernandez found himself looking for a way past the Japanese rider, but soon enough the number 37 was able to start pulling away with Gardner and Lowes, as Raul Fernandez started his fight back towards the podium battle.
The number 25 was on a charge and once in some clear air on the chase, his was reeling them in on his mission back to the front. Once there, he sliced back through past Gardner and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo back into the lead and soon, the number 25 had the hammer down to pull away.
That left a Gardner-Lowes-Augusto Fernandez showdown to decide the podium, with Lowes still heading the train with four to go. But over the line next time around his teammate pulled alongside and made his move, with Gardner leaving it two apexes longer before picking the Brit’s pocket too.
Onto the penultimate lap, Gardner was lining up a move for second and he struck at the end of the lap. Slicing through at the Geert Timmer chicane, the move was super clean as the Australian lost little momentum, then shutting the door as he withstood the pressure from Augusto Fernandez the remainder of the lap. The number 37 couldn’t make it through, however, with Gardner able to have enough in hand to head through the final chicane unbothered, taking second place and another 20 points. Augusto Fernandez got back on the podium in third after a tough start to the season, with Lowes forced to settle for fourth as the Brit just dropped off the back of the duo on the latter half of the final lap.
Raul Fernandez, however, made it another masterclass on Sunday for another 25 points. Over a second and a half clear once he’d escaped the squabble, the Spaniard continues to impress and pulled in five points on Gardner.
Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took fifth after an impressive ride back from P17 on the grid, ahead of Ogura as the Japanese rider took P6 and another impressive rookie result. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took seventh.
Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just beat Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) to eighth by 0.042, with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the top ten for his second top ten finish of his rookie season. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40), Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and his teammate and home hero Bo Bendsneyder completed the points, the latter despite two Long Laps for a jump start.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed out, as did teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).
2021 Assen Moto2 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
39’01.832
2
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
+1.066
3
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
+1.265
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
+1.879
5
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
+8.329
6
Ai OGURA
Kalex
+10.96
7
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
+13.993
8
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
+16.052
9
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
+16.094
10
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
+17.585
11
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
+18.286
12
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
+18.812
13
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
+19.273
14
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
+19.649
15
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
+22.162
16
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
+22.223
17
Alonso LOPEZ
Boscoscuro
+25.569
18
Jake DIXON
Kalex
+26.245
19
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
+27.323
20
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
+27.463
21
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
+27.638
22
Manuel GONZALEZ
MV Agusta
+35.908
23
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
+38.517
24
Barry BALTUS
NTS
+46.728
Not Classified
DNF
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
5 Laps
DNF
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
9 Laps
DNF
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
17 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
0 Lap
DNF
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
0 Lap
Moto2 Championship Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
156
2
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
122
3
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
109
4
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
101
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
100
6
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
SPA
95
7
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
85
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
61
9
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
60
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
50
11
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
41
12
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
41
13
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
14
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
33
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
27
16
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
27
17
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
26
18
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
23
19
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
17
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
14
21
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
13
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
24
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
25
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto3
Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) took his second win of the season in style at the Motul TT Assen, leading from the front for much of the race and taking another 25 points to move himself into third in the standings. Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) took second to consolidate second in the Championship and makes some gains on leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) completing the podium, impressively despite two Long Lap penalties.
Dennis Foggia – P1
“I’m happy! It was an incredible race, a hard race, but first of all congratulations to Romano Fenati because P3 with a double long lap penalty…so strong. For me, I’m really happy, the bike was perfect, but also the street so fast, so I’m really happy. I think I am third in the Championship so today was important to take points, because many riders took a penalty…my goal today was to win, and in the end I won so I’m really happy, I’d like to thank my team. Also, my goal was to go on the holidays calm and so, I’m really happy and see you in one month.”
Fenati got the best start from second on the grid, the Italian pipping Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) to the holeshot. Soon the Italian would initially drop back with two Long Lap penalties to take, however, and Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia), Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power), Yuki Kunii (Honda Team Asia), Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Takuma Matsuyama (Honda Team Asia) had to head through pitlane for their ride throughs.
That left second in the standings Garcia, Foggia, his teammate Xavier Artigas, Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Alcoba, his teammate Gabriel Rodrigo and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in the front group, although Fenati was able to get back in the mix and Pedro Acosta was soon on the scene from 18th on the grid. The Spaniard was declared fit to race on Sunday after missing qualifying.
The rhythm was fast at the front and the lead did change, but Foggia was a key presence throughout as he stuck to his style of hitting the lead and trying to stay there. That saw those on the chase lose more and more touch with the lead group, with only six riders set to prove able to stick it out to the end in the podium fight.
Coming onto the last lap, Foggia still led that podium fight, and the Italian had the hammer down ahead of Fenati and Garcia. It looked like the Leopard rider would be hard to catch, but Garcia was on the charge against Fenati and dispatched the Italian quickly, then closing and closing on Foggia in the lead.
As the final chicane dawned, the Spaniard wasn’t quite close enough and Foggia crossed the line with a tenth in hand for his second win of the season, in what’s fast becoming ‘Foggia’ style. Garcia takes second by just 0.078 but crucially was ahead of Championship leader Pedro Acosta, with Acosta taking fourth in the end. Fenati held onto third and thought better of a final chicane move, 0.129 off Garcia over the line.
Acosta’s fourth was awarded after the flag after Binder, who had passed him at the final chicane, was docked three positions for exceeding track limits earlier on the final lap so the South African is classified seventh. Tatsuki Suzuki takes fifth, ahead of McPhee by just 0.065, with Binder next up.
Rodrigo dropped off the back of the front fight in the end, taking eighth at the flag and some solid points after a tougher weekend ahead of the race. Artigas was close on his tail, the two split by just 0.045. Jeremy Alcoba completed the top ten from pole, the Spaniard riding at the track for the first time. Setafno Nepa (BOE Owlride), rookie Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power), Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the points, Antonelli despite a crash with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) after which the latter was forced to pull back into the pits.
Joel Kelso continued to learn the category throughout the three days. The Australian was penalized with a ride through during the race, but still managed to finish in 22nd.
Joel Kelso – P22
“We found out this morning that I had a penalty, which was a disappointment. I was feeling pretty good. I felt like I could have followed the leading group to learn as much as possible. At the end, there was a group of five riders within 30 seconds off the leaders. I stayed with the pack and waited until the last lap and finished second in that group. Overall, I’m happy with the experience I gained over these two weekends. I’m looking forward to what the future holds. I am very grateful to the CIP Green Power team for giving me this opportunity. I am very happy with the way everyone worked. We continued to make progress in each session. I want to thank the whole team. ”
Alain Bronec – CIP-Green Power Team Owner
“Joel had a great race. He was leading his group and finished 22nd, a very good result. He was making his debut in Assen and it’s positive for a rider who had never ridden here before. ”
2021 Assen Moto3 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Dennis FOGGIA
Honda
37m35.287
2
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
+0.078
3
Romano FENATI
Husqvarna
+0.207
4
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
+1.352
5
Tatsuki SUZUKI
Honda
+1.445
6
John MCPHEE
Honda
+1.51
7
Darryn BINDER
Honda
+1.338
8
Gabriel RODRIGO
Honda
+9.095
9
Xavier ARTIGAS
Honda
+9.14
10
Jeremy ALCOBA
Honda
+10.383
11
Stefano NEPA
KTM
+13.503
12
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
+13.555
13
Kaito TOBA
KTM
+21.057
14
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
+22.09
15
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
+27.036
16
Elia BARTOLINI
KTM
+35.745
17
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
+35.801
18
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
+35.811
19
Alberto SURRA
Honda
+35.879
20
Jaume MASIA
KTM
+45.67
21
Lorenzo FELLON
Honda
+1m03.492
22
Joel KELSO
KTM
+1m03.552
23
Yuki KUNII
Honda
+1m03.769
24
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Honda
+1m03.979
25
Takuma MATSUYAMA
Honda
+1m04.137
Not Classified
DNF
Adrian FERNANDEZ
Husqvarna
9 Laps
DNF
Andrea MIGNO
Honda
12 Laps
Moto3 Championship Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
SPA
158
2
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
SPA
110
3
Dennis FOGGIA
Honda
ITA
86
4
Romano FENATI
Husqvarna
ITA
80
5
Jaume MASIA
KTM
SPA
72
6
Darryn BINDER
Honda
RSA
69
7
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
ITA
67
8
Gabriel RODRIGO
Honda
ARG
59
9
Jeremy ALCOBA
Honda
SPA
58
10
Andrea MIGNO
Honda
ITA
58
11
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
JPN
57
12
Kaito TOBA
KTM
JPN
52
13
John MCPHEE
Honda
GBR
37
14
Tatsuki SUZUKI
Honda
JPN
37
15
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
SPA
36
16
Filip SALAC
Honda
CZE
35
17
Xavier ARTIGAS
Honda
SPA
30
18
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
JPN
28
19
Jason DUPASQUIER
KTM
SWI
27
20
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
TUR
25
21
Stefano NEPA
KTM
ITA
19
22
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
ITA
16
23
Carlos TATAY
KTM
SPA
14
24
Adrian FERNANDEZ
Husqvarna
SPA
10
25
Elia BARTOLINI
KTM
ITA
7
26
Yuki KUNII
Honda
JPN
7
27
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
AUT
3
28
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Honda
INA
2
29
Daniel HOLGADO
KTM
SPA
1
MotoE
Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) remains the king of bouncing back in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with the Brazilian putting in another stunner on Sunday to take win number 2 of the season and gain some serious ground in the standings, now up to third. Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) took second and fought off points leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) as the two duelled to the limit, although with drama for Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Zaccone extends his overall lead at the top.
From the middle of the front row, it was Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) who out-dragged polesitter Granado into Turn 1 to snatch the holeshot, with World Cup points leader Zaccone holding station in third. The key drama then unfolded at the end of the opening lap as Aegerter, the rider second in the standings heading to Assen, was down at the chicane – rider ok, but front washing away.
Lap 2 saw Zaccone take the lead, with Tulovic getting a bit beaten up after the perfect getaway. The German was shoved down to P5 as the riders ventured onto Lap 3, and Granado then put in the fastest lap of the race to take the lead at the beginning of Lap 4. There was an eight-rider freight train split by just 1.6s with three laps to go, but the Brazilian had half a second advantage as Torres made a Turn 1 move past Zaccone into second.
Granado was in the groove though. With two laps to go he was still half a second clear, and Torres and Zaccone had gapped fourth place Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE). Just 0.6 covered the leading trio with just one more lap to go, but Granado held firm.
Torres was pushing but the number 51 wasn’t to be caught, staying just about out of reach as the HP Pons 40 rider then had to switch his attention to Zaccone. The Italian went for a move – as expected – but this time Torres really did get his elbows out, firing straight back and some contact between the two. Zaccone then had a moment to compound it further, but the number 61 nevertheless completed the podium behind Torres. Granado, over the line, kept the gap at eight tenths.
2019 World Cup winner Ferrari claims his best finish of the season so far in fourth, 1.1 clear of fifth place Tulovic by the flag. Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was just 0.036 behind the German, meanwhile, with Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) only another 0.050 off in seventh. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) made a great start and was up to P4 at one point but the Japanese rider was forced to settle for P8 in the end, with Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) rounding out the top 10.
Heading into the summer break, 17 points split Zaccone, Torres, Granado and Aegerter in the title race. Zaccone leads by seven points, Torres gains and Granado too, with Aegerter now fourth but equal on points with Granado. After another classic at the Cathedral, make sure to stay tuned with more of the same coming up in Austria next time out!
2021 Assen MotoE Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Eric GRANADO
Energica
12m10.143
2
Jordi TORRES
Energica
+0.844
3
Alessandro ZACCONE
Energica
+0.925
4
Matteo FERRARI
Energica
+1.518
5
Lukas TULOVIC
Energica
+2.656
6
Mattia CASADEI
Energica
+2.692
7
Fermín ALDEGUER
Energica
+2.742
8
Hikari OKUBO
Energica
+4.728
9
Yonny HERNANDEZ
Energica
+4.715
10
Miquel PONS
Energica
+6.652
11
Corentin PEROLARI
Energica
+6.836
12
Xavi CARDELUS
Energica
+8.095
13
Kevin ZANNONI
Energica
+8.208
14
Andrea MANTOVANI
Energica
+9.155
15
Maria HERRERA
Energica
+10.27
16
Jasper IWEMA
Energica
+23.227
17
Andre PIRES
Energica
+29.349
18
Dominique AEGERTER
Energica
+50.109
MotoE Championship Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Alessandro ZACCONE
Energica
ITA
54
2
Dominique AEGERTER
Energica
SWI
53
3
Jordi TORRES
Energica
SPA
43
4
Miquel PONS
Energica
SPA
36
5
Mattia CASADEI
Energica
ITA
33
6
Eric GRANADO
Energica
BRA
28
7
Yonny HERNANDEZ
Energica
COL
27
8
Matteo FERRARI
Energica
ITA
27
9
Maria HERRERA
Energica
SPA
18
10
Lukas TULOVIC
Energica
GER
17
11
Hikari OKUBO
Energica
JPN
16
12
Corentin PEROLARI
Energica
FRA
13
13
Fermín ALDEGUER
Energica
SPA
11
14
Kevin ZANNONI
Energica
ITA
11
15
Andre PIRES
Energica
POR
11
16
Andrea MANTOVANI
Energica
ITA
10
17
Jasper IWEMA
Energica
NED
7
18
Xavi CARDELUS
Energica
AND
3
2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar June 23 Update
Despite an FP3 crash leaving him riding through the pain barrier, Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) managed to snatch pole position from Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon, the Frenchman pipping the Spaniard by just 0.046 for his tenth MotoGP pole. Yamaha led the way on Saturday once again, but Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took third and only two tenths off the top, with the Brit back on the front row for the first time since Austin 2019.
Q1 started with enough drama already; not a single Ducati having made it through automatically by virtue of combined practice times. So it was going to be tight, and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were running in tandem – Dovizioso ahead –for much of the session. Petrucci took to the top first and last, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) then ruining the Ducati Team party as the Aussie moved up to second. And that was it – Dovizioso was out, 13th on the grid and exceedingly unhappy about it.
As Q2 got underway, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the first to set a laptime but that was immediately beaten by Miller, a 1:47.657 coming in from the Australian to go top of the pile in the early stages. Quartararo slotted into P2 early doors before Morbidelli then snatched P2 back – and almost went top. Just 0.002 separated the number 21 from Miller, but there were plenty of red sectors lighting up the timing screens. Quartararo was one cause, shooting up to provisional pole, and following the Yamaha on track, Miller also improved. He stayed P2, but it was just a tenth splitting the pair.
Morbidelli then made it a Petronas 1-2 again, and again with less than a tenth in it, as Viñales slotted into P4 after the first set of flying laps. Crutchlow was in fifth, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) sitting on the outside of the provisional second row. But that was all going to change as the riders slotted in fresh rubber, ready for their second runs…
First up was Viñales, lapping alone, and he was 0.021 under Quartararo’s time in Sector 3. It only got better from there as he then leapfrogged his fellow Yamaha to take provisional pole by 0.171, taking over at the top. Crutchlow then crossed the line and moved up to P3 to shove Morbidelli down to head the second row, but the Italian was on a great lap and only 0.020 off in Sector 3. However, he then lost time down the back straight and despite setting a personal best time, the number 21 stayed P4. Viñales was then setting an almost identical lap time to his current P1 best, and the number 12 came across the line to go every so slightly quicker – but it was ultimately just 0.003 gained.
However, Quartararo had one more lap. The Frenchman was just through his first sector and up, and he kept it as he headed through Sector 2 0.073 faster than Viñales. Could he hold onto it? It was the latter half of the lap where Quartararo really gained time. Heading onto the almost 1km long back straight, the title chase leader was over a tenth and a half under Viñales’ best and despite losing over a tenth in the final split, the number 20 just kept it together to take pole by 0.046 seconds after yet another phenomenal final flying lap.
In terms of the front two rows, that was all she wrote so it’s a Yamaha 1-2 as Quartararo digs deep to claim Saturday honours, but Viñales has every chance of fighting for victory from second. Crutchlow makes a welcome return to the front row as the British rider finds form despite still nursing his arm injury, the LCR Honda man finishing 0.229 adrift of pole. Morbidelli was just 0.012 shy of the front row but it was a good day for the Italian and Yamaha on a circuit that hasn’t necessarily suited the YZR-M1’s characteristics in the past… ominous signs for race day?
After graduating from Q1, Miller claims a solid P5 to fly the Ducati flag in Aragon, the Australian fuming after his FP3 time – that was good enough for the top 10 – got chalked off due to Yellow Flag infringements, but amends made in the afternoon. Championship contender Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), meanwhile, will line-up in his best grid position since the Styrian GP. Suzuki’s strength doesn’t usually show on a Saturday afternoon compared to race day, so the signs are good for Mir and the Mayorcan should be one to watch on Sunday.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) set his personal best time on his final flying lap, and the Japanese rider ended up less than a tenth off Mir’s time to spearhead Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro on Row 3. The latter, younger brother Pol Espargaro and Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez had a bit of an incident in Q2 as the Aprilia, Honda and KTM all ended up sandwiched together at the final corner.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins completes the top 10 on home turf, with Alex Marquez cementing his best MotoGP qualifying result in P11, and after heading through to Q2 for the first time. After the incident earlier in the session and a little damage to his KTM, Pol Espargaro had to settle for P12.
MotoGP Rider Quotes
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“I was sore on the right from yesterday, and now on the left from today. I’m not feeling great, but on the bike though it is not too bad. Normally the new tyres are good, but today we had a big drop in grip with the rear and that was really strange. The team will analyse this for sure and try to figure out why. I’m really happy though as all through FP4 I was feeling okay, I was able to do a long run and I have the pole position. Let’s hope for a great race tomorrow; we still need to work on the pace, but we’re not too far off what we want. I think starting later tomorrow is the correct thing to do because it is really cold in the morning, starting later is best for the safety of all riders. I think we can fight for the podium, but we need to see tomorrow what happens.”
Maverick Vinales – P2
“I‘m quite happy, honestly. The lap times I set today I did while riding alone, which is good. I was feeling a little bit better with the first tyre. On that tyre I could set my best first sector. I also ran into some traffic in sector 3, so I couldn‘t really set my very best lap today but, anyway, I‘m really happy. I couldn‘t ask for much more than this. The rhythm is good and I feel incredible, this is the most important. I‘m enjoying the laps. Aragon is a track I really like, so tomorrow I will go for the maximum. For tomorrow we are going to try to improve a little bit more and try to be more consistent, but I‘m very pleased about the first two days here. I think we can do a good job tomorrow.”
Cal Crutchlow – P3
“It’s obviously great to be on the front row here in Aragon for the first of the two Grand Prix. I was close last week to getting on the front row so to back it up here in Aragon is good. The team did a good job, we worked hard over the weekend and now we need to prepare well for the race, because it’s going to be a long race with a lot of rear tyre wear that we’re going to have to manage. We’ll try our best to do that tomorrow.”
Franco Morbidelli – P4
“I was hoping to be on the front row, but maybe we didn’t use the right front tyre in qualifying. Starting on the second row is still a positive thing and we can aim to have a good race from here. We have been able to try many things today, which means we have a good amount of data to analyse to help us make the right choice tomorrow. At the moment I prefer to run the soft tyres, but we will see what is best for the race and look at the other options available. From today’s pace and the weekend so far I think we have a good chance of being on the podium tomorrow.”
Jack Miller – P5
“I’m quite happy for today, it’s never easy to switch from Q1 to Q2, but we made a huge step forward during FP4 with the set-up. I have a good feeling with the bike and tomorrow we will start from the second row, so I can’t complain.”
Joan Mir – P6
“I’m really happy about the work that the team and I did today. We took some steps forward compared to yesterday; I feel great with the bike and my race pace is strong. I also had an improvement in terms of qualifying, which is something I really wanted to do. So I’ll start from the second row tomorrow and I hope to continue with my feeling and see what I can do in the race.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P7
“It was a bit of a difficult qualifying (Q2) session because our first time attack was not the best performance and I couldn’t make a good lap time. In the second one I was really close to the limit but on our last lap we did the best time and P7 is a good position. We just missed the second row, but many races I didn’t make it into the top 10 in qualifying so we made some steps forward. The feeling of the bike is good, but it will be difficult in the race to manage the tyres. In FP4 we kept the soft compound for the race laps and it was really difficult, but I think everyone had a similar problem and they struggled to keep the pace. But we have a chance and I’m confident on the bike, so we’ll try to make a good start and then I want to fight for the podium tomorrow. We’ll try our best and hopefully we can finish in the podium positions.”
Danilo Petrucci – P8
“It was a pretty positive qualifying although we couldn’t repeat in Q2 the time we got in Q1. Unfortunately, we are still struggling to manage well the rear, and we have not found the ideal setup for the bike yet, so tomorrow morning we will have to work to try to find a good solution. It will be a difficult race tomorrow, but at least our starting position is not so bad”.
Aleix Espargaro – P9
“We do well here – that’s no surprise – but I also expected something more. Unfortunately, in qualifying I had to slow down to avoid Alex Márquez on what could have been a good lap. It’s a shame since it was important to start as far forward as possible on such an even playing field. In any case, I’m pleased with the setup, which lets me maintain a fast pace even on used tyres. We need to work on the character of the fresh engine I’m using. It provides a lot more power, but it is also a bit too aggressive. Aragón is definitely a good chance for us and, since we have to do two races here, we’ll try to get the most out of it.”
Alex Rins – P10
“FP4 today went really well and I focused a lot on being consistent and having a solid race pace, this paid off and I feel good with the bike. I struggled to get one hot lap in qualifying, but 10th on the grid is not too bad. Our bike works well here and if it’s a bit warmer tomorrow it could be even better.”
Alex Marquez – P11
“We have secured our best grid position of the year after coming directly to Q2, it was a good result as I have been feeling good here since the first session. In the Q2 session I was expecting a little more initial grip, we were looking for a bit more after FP4. But we have good race pace and we are starting from further ahead than in the last races so I think we can be fighting for the top ten. It’s going to be a long race so we really have to be careful and pay attention for the whole race. We keep making progress and we keep doing our work.”
Pol Espargaro – P12
“Today was going good until the qualifying. I took good time to set-up the session. I did not want to crash because the conditions were tricky and I wanted to do the fast lap in the second run. Everything was going very good until that last corner. It was a shame not to get on the second row. It should have been possible. We’ll need to check with Michelin and our technicians to see which will be our tire tomorrow but luckily we have quite a lot of info.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P13
“I am disappointed about how today’s qualifying went. After a difficult start of the weekend, with even a crash this morning, we had finally managed to find our way to do a good weekend. I felt good in Q1, I had managed to make a good lap time, and I thought I could do just as well in Q2. I was able to find a good pace, but starting from the fifth row tomorrow will be a huge limit considering the drop that the tyres will surely have tomorrow in the race”.
Brad Binder – P14
“I think I can sleep a whole lot better tonight because we definitely made a good step forward. It was a bit disappointing not to get into the Q2 but at the same time I’m happy because we made good progress. My team did a great job to make me a lot more comfortable on the bike. I want to try and have a good look through the data tonight for those last few improvements for the race tomorrow.Today was a great day even if the result does not show how good I feel. I’m going to give it a good go tomorrow and I’m looking to get in that top ten.”
Iker Lecuona – P15
“I’m really happy. In FP3 I struggled a little bit with the bike, it was difficult to use the extra grip of a new tyre. In FP4 we tried two different bikes and I felt good with one of them. In Qualifying I just tried to push as much as I can and I went out alone. In the end, I managed to do a 1:48.0, so it’s a very good lap time for me. Thanks to me team, they did a great job again and helped me a lot. We’ll see what we can achieve in tomorrow’s race.”
Pecco Bagnaia – P17
“I had a hard time today and start from theseventeen position is not easy. Tomorrow we will try to do some changes during the warm up and trying to geta satisfactory result. I have to commit myself to improve to ridein these conditions as all the next races will take place in these temperatures.”
Miguel Oliveira – P18
“It has been a difficult Qualifying. I had the same issues as yesterday with a new tyre. I’ve had quite many difficulties to find traction on the track and in fact together with my team we tried many things to fix it, but unfortunately, it looks like the direction was not right. So we will try again tomorrow and hope for a good race.”
Bradley Smith – P19
“We found a good improvement today in terms of the bike’s balance. Working with the team, they implemented a few of my indications and we were able to make a step forward. Our starting position will penalise us tomorrow. I’ll have to get off the grid well when the lights go out and stay with the group. There are still some doubts where front tyre choice is concerned. The soft guarantees more grip, but I think I’ll opt for the stability the medium solution provides.”
Stefan Bradl – P21
“It’s a disappointing result because in Qualifying I couldn’t get one lap together, putting us in a really difficult position for the race tomorrow. We made some big changes to the bike this weekend to try and follow the direction that you need to make the most of the bike. I am still working on adapting my style for this. In FP4 we were consistent and our lap times were good so I am optimistic that we can gain some positions based on this tomorrow.”
MotoGP Qualifying Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q2
1m47.076
2
Maverick VIÑALES
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.046
3
Cal CRUTCHLOW
HONDA
Q2
+0.229
4
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.241
5
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.337
6
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q2
+0.603
7
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q2
+0.683
8
Danilo PETRUCCI
DUCATI
Q2
+0.848
9
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q2
+0.912
10
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q2
+0.959
11
Alex MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q2
+1.113
12
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
Q2
+1.126
13
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.147
14
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.248
15
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.400
16
Johann ZARCO
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.463
17
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.781
18
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.826
19
Bradley SMITH
APRILIA
Q1
(*) 0.951
20
Tito RABAT
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.953
21
Stefan BRADL
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.561
Moto2 Qualifying Report
Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) means business at MotorLand Aragon, and the Brit took his tenth Moto2 pole position at the track on Sunday with a lap record, beating Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) to the honour. Championship leader Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) starts seventh, with his closest challenger Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team VR46) in 12th – leaving Lowes and Bezzecchi with a real advantage heading into Sunday…
In Q1 it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nagashima heading through on top, joined by Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as the four got ready to fight it out again for the top 18 positions on the grid, leaving behind a few surprises such as Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing). But the clock was reset, and it was go-time for Q2.
It was Di Giannantonio who came out the blocks fastest in the second part of qualifying. A 1:52.364 was a decent banker lap time but it was soon beaten by Championship leader Marini, with rookie Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) then taking over at the top as he sat just behind Marini on track. Fortunes then favoured Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the British rider became the first ever Moto2™ rider to set a sub-1:52 at MotorLand Aragon, although the stunning lap was soon bettered by Diggia as the Italian took back to the top.
Out of nowhere, Bezzecchi then produced a sterling final sector to take provisional pole, making it an Italian 1-2 at the summit and Lowes lurking down in P10 with just three minutes to go. The number 22 was soon #OnIt though and at the third checkpoint, the Brit was a whopping four tenths quicker than Bezzecchi. Surely pole position was his with just the back straight and final two corners to navigate? Lowes flew across the line to do exactly that, but he did lose three tenths in the last split. Not that it matters though, the number 22 snatching P1 by 0.148.
No one else could challenge in the closing stages so Lowes will start from his first pole position since the 2016 Aragon GP – a race he went on to win. Bezzecchi will also be looking to close down the points gap from second, with Diggia completing the front row – his first since the 2019 San Marino GP. Dixon’s 1:51.999 was a firecracker of a time and yet, he’s not on the front row. Nevertheless, it’s a Moto2™ best qualifying for the sophomore who continues to show fine form. Lining up next to Dixon in P5 is another rider who claimed a career-best Moto2™ qualifying result – Ramirez. The Spaniard has been on form all weekend and will be hoping – at least – a top 10 challenge is on the cards.
Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) was also under the former lap record, but has to settle for P6. Spearheading Row 3 is Marini who gets bumped back after Lowes’ late lap, far from a disaster for the Italian but it looks like he has plenty of work on his hands to try and stop Lowes or Bezzecchi closing his Championship gap further. Q1 graduate Jorge Martin salvages a P8 starting slot after finishing Free Practice in P19, the Spaniard ahead of compatriot Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) as the duo round out the top 10.
Enea Bastiaini (Italtrans Racing Team) – the man second in the Championship – starts from his second-worst qualifying place of the season in P12, just behind 11th place Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing).
Moto2 Qualifying Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
1m51.651
2
Marco BEZZECCHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.148
3
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
SPEED UP
Q2
+0.219
4
Jake DIXON
KALEX
Q2
+0.348
5
Marcos RAMIREZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.515
6
Jorge NAVARRO
SPEED UP
Q2
+0.516
7
Luca MARINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.537
8
Jorge MARTIN
KALEX
Q2
+0.584
9
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.697
10
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+0.750
11
Joe ROBERTS
KALEX
Q2
+0.903
12
Enea BASTIANINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.945
13
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q2
+1.051
14
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
KALEX
Q2
+1.078
15
Hector GARZO
KALEX
Q2
+1.100
16
Edgar PONS
KALEX
Q2
+1.100
17
Bo BENDSNEYDER
NTS
Q2
+1.446
18
Simone CORSI
MV AGUSTA
Q2
+1.570
19
Hafizh SYAHRIN
SPEED UP
Q1
(*) 0.219
20
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.359
21
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.453
22
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.488
23
Stefano MANZI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 0.495
24
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.651
25
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.740
26
Nicolò BULEGA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.911
27
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.460
28
Xavi CARDELUS
SPEED UP
Q1
(*) 1.912
29
Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI
NTS
Q1
(*) 2.663
30
Kasma DANIEL
KALEX
Q1
(*) 2.758
Moto3
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) backed up going fastest on Friday by taking a fourth pole position of the season at MotorLand Aragon, the Spaniard coming out on top in a duel with Le Mans winner Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) by just 0.059. The two were in a class of their own on Saturday, with Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) taking third to complete an all-KTM front row but over half a second back.
In Q1 there were a few key names looking to move through, including John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) as the two had laps cancelled late on in FP3 after Yellow Flags invalidated them- The two moved through behind Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) at the top of the session and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in second, with the clock was then reset and the four joining the rest fighting it out for the top 18 places on the grid.
CIP – Green Power’s Darryn Binder was the first man to top the timesheets early on in Q2, before John McPhee hit back to take over and immediately depose the South African. And then came Fernandez: the Spaniard hit the top soon after, then later going even faster to bang in a 1:57.681.
Only 11 riders had set a lap mid-session, however, so would the tables turn? With a couple of minutes left, Vietti managed to leapfrog the two Sterilgarda Max Racing Team riders, Alonso Lopez and Romano Fenati, who had been in P2 and P3 respectively, to become the closest challenger to Fernanez’ impressive lap. Vietti was now within a couple of tenths and on another solid lap, and in even better news for the VR46 Academy rider, he was setting his laps on his own too… something that most definitely bodes well for race day.
It all came down to the final push for the number 13, and he got even closer as he stayed in touch with Fernandez’ time throughout the lap. Could he do it? Ultimately no, but it was incredibly close as the Italian crossed the line just 0.059 off Fernandez, with no one else able to challenge the number 25.
Arenas moved up on his final lap to take the final place on the front row, with Alonso Lopez shuffled down to fourth but nevertheless putting in an impressive session as he keeps his recent pace rolling. The number 21 will, however, have to take a Long Lap Penalty in the race that he was given following his collision with teammate Fenati last time out. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) denied that same Fenati fifth on the grid as the Japanese rider pipped the Italian by just 0.004, pushing the number 55 down to P6.
Tatay went from Q1 to seventh, joined on the third row by Championship challenger Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and another Q1 graduate: Rodrigo. McPhee completes the top ten, missing out to Rodrigo by just 0.001 but beating Darryn Binder by 0.012 as the South African starts just outside the top ten.
Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took a stunning home turf pole position on Saturday at the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France, the Frenchman denying Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) by two tenths after a late lunge for the top. Miller impressed in second to make it an Independent Team rider 1-2, with fellow Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) completing the front row as Borgo Panigale machinery shone in qualifying.
Before the final push to decide the top 12 positions on the grid got underway, however, Q1 made some headlines as both Team Suzuki Ecstar machines failed to move through. Joan Mir was left down in P14 on the grid and teammate Alex Rins two places further back, giving the Hamamatsu factory a mountain to climb on Sunday. Can Mir do the damage limitation with Quartararo starting from the front?
Moving through from Q1 instead were Petrucci, who set the fastest lap of the weekend up to that point, followed by Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) as the Italian pipped Mir to it. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) lost out too, with a few final laps chalked off after a late crash for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) that brought out the Yellow Flags.
Q2 began with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) leading fellow Yamaha riders Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Quartararo over the line, and it was the Italian who set the first benchmark time – a 1:32.393. Bagnaia then went up to P2 with Viñales slotting into P3, but the times were going to change immediately, with red sectors everywhere. All four Yamahas were inside the top four with Quartararo launching to P1 with a 1:31.679, but Bagnaia then improved again to slot into P2 behind the home hero; 0.073 the gap after two flying laps.
Quartararo then improved again to extend his advantage to 0.087, with Morbidelli holding P3 for the time being as the riders completed their first runs. Viñales was P4 and was seemingly – like he did at Misano – on a two-stop qualifying strategy as Petrucci and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) joined Viñales on the provisional second row. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was sitting P10 with six minutes to go, meanwhile Bagnaia hadn’t pitted and after venting his frustrations at Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3), although he was on another flyer before it went wrong at Turn 9…
Viñales was then pushing for a lap but it wasn’t happening for the Spaniard, with Dovizioso the man on the move instead as the Italian shot up to P2 to sit 0.082 off Quartararo. On the next lap, he was on it once more. Dovi was over a tenth under, but then lost some time in the last sector and didn’t improve…
It was all go in the final few seconds. Riding wounded Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) seemed to come out of nowhere to set an unbelievable 1:31.686 and take provisional P2, and just behind him on the road, Miller was also setting the world alight. The Aussie was 0.3 under at the third split and despite losing some time in the last sector, Miller demoted Quartararo to P2 and went to provisional pole position by 0.128. Alas for the Aussie, it wasn’t over yet…
There were red sector times across the board, the last push seemingly making it anyone’s game. Viñales improved but couldn’t find his way onto the front row and went to P4, and then Dovizioso was one of the riders who was going faster. Despite setting his personal best lap time, the Italian didn’t improve his position – but teammate Petrucci did. The latter shot up to P3 to beat Crutchlow’s time by just 0.012, and Miller was safe from another threat. But then a Frenchman caught everyone’s attention: Quartararo was determined to make it a home Grand Prix pole position and he was on course to absolutely smoke the competition; the number 20 two tenths under Miller’s time heading into the last sector. And the number 20 kept it pinned and tidy with no mistakes, taking the chequered flag to claim his ninth MotoGP pole position, ultimately by 0.222.
Nevertheless, Miller was happy to claim a front row start given his FP3 crash, and Petrucci’s wonderful Saturday afternoon sees the charismatic Italian start from the front row for the first time since the 2019 Italian GP – and we know what happened there.
Crutchlow’s P4 was a true stunner given his physical condition, his right arm after surgery still giving him grief but the Brit taking his first top 10 qualifying result in 2020. He’s joined on the second row by Viñales in fifth; the Yamaha star ending Q2 0.4 seconds off Quartararo. He did, however, just edge out Dovizioso by 0.003. Still, P6 is Dovi’s best qualifying since his fourth in Austria.
After coming through Q1, Bagnaia claims P7 as both he and eighth place Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also sit around 0.4 off pole position, again showing how tightly contested MotoGP really is in 2020. Frenchman Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) joins Bagnaia and Espargaro on Row 3, with two Yamahas left disappointed in Q2: Rossi and Morbidelli have work to do on Sunday afternoon after qualifying P10 and P11, and Oliveira was forced to settle too, in his case for P12. The Portuguese rider encountered plenty of troubles in FP4 with a mechanical problem and a crash, but the Styrian GP winner was just 0.694 from pole despite his position.
Quartararo takes full advantage of his main title rival Mir suffering on Saturday. Is a dream home Grand Prix victory going to come his way on Sunday? If it does, he’ll be the first ever French premier class winner at Le Mans. Only time will tell, but judging from FP4, it looks likely that he’s going to take some stopping.
MotoGP Rider Quotes
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“It feels great to be back in pole position, and even more so to do it in France. I feel great on the bike and qualifying was great as well; the first run was really good. At that point I knew I really wanted pole position today. It’s my second pole position at Le Mans, so I am really happy. The focus now is on the first laps of the race, we want to stay ahead of the others and then see what the pace is like. If we do this, I think we can have a really good race. The team has done a really fantastic job with the bike and we will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Jack Miller – P2
“A really positive day, I am very happy, we have always worked well this weekend and the feeling with the bike and this track is really good. Starting from the first row tomorrow will help me a lot, I will try to make a good start and not risk too much. I’m nottoo much worry about the weather conditions, fortunately I can adapt very easily.”
Danilo Petrucci – P3
“I’m happy to be back on the front row after a long, difficult period. As of this morning, I felt I had the potential to do a good qualifying. Unfortunately, in FP3, I found different yellow flags on the track, and I missed the opportunity to put in a good lap to access directly in Q2. Nevertheless, we managed to make an excellent qualifying. Starting in front is certainly very important for tomorrow, as at least ten riders have the pace to fight for the podium. After the last race in Catalunya, I found a good feeling in braking and even the low temperatures will help me tomorrow, so I am very confident that I can get a good result”.
Cal Crutchlow – P4
“It was a much better day today. It’s nice to be able to put in some good laps of the track this weekend, and I have to give credit to the LCR Honda Castrol Team because they have worked very hard, as always. Before the qualifying session it seemed we had a slight problem with both of our bikes, but thanks to their hard work they were both ready for the qualifying session. In the end, we have shown good pace over the last two days so far, in all conditions, and now we can really look forward to the race tomorrow.”
Maverick Vinales – P5
“A second-row start is not bad, but I‘m not really happy about the feeling with the bike. In Montmeló I was already struggling and it continues here in Le Mans, which is strange because usually this is a track where we are quite competitive. Fifth place is the maximum we could do, because the bike is moving a lot and I‘m unable to create grip on banking. Tomorrow will be a tough day. We will try to do our best. We can still try to fight for the top, because in FP4 the rhythm with old tyres was very fast and consistent.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P6
“I am delighted with today’s qualifying. My feeling with the bike was excellent, and although I could not close a perfect lap, we got the start from the first two rows, which is always our main goal in qualifying. Our pace ahead of tomorrow’s race is also positive. We still have to improve some aspects to make sure I can fight at the front for the duration of the race, but compared to other tracks my feeling is a lot better, and that’s why I am confident for tomorrow”.
Pecco Bagnaia – P7
“Startingfrom Q1 is never positive, it is always a risk. I was wrong, it took me too long to get used to the cold conditions of the track. I spend a lot of time warming the tires, but it’s not a justification and I have to improve because even today during the FP4 and qualifying I only thought about driving and I pushed a lot and it went much better immediately. Unfortunately when I was doing my best lap in Q2 I found Migueland this penalised me, but my reaction was exaggerated and I will apologise to him.”
Pol Espargaro – P8
“It wasn’t the perfect lap. I had an issue with the traction control in Turn 6 and then out-braked myself in the last two corners. I lost a couple of tenths and a chance for the second row which is where I wanted to start tomorrow. The third row is not too bad though and we are fast in the first sector of the track, so we need to get through that without any mistakes and then see how the race goes. Our pace is good. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Johann Zarco – P9
“Third row for tomorrow, I feel good after today as in FP3 we took a big step forward.We have been improving as the weekend progressed and I hope to continue taking steps tomorrow in the race.I am very confident with the front end, which I think will allow me to fight for the top 5 tomorrow, and hopefully for a podium in the home race.”
Valentino Rossi – P10
“I‘m not happy about my qualifying and my position. I have to do better, because I think that my potential is better, my pace is better than this. The qualifying was a bit difficult, a bit tricky. In the end on the last lap I was not so bad, but I made a mistake. If not, I could have started from a bit more towards the front. Starting from ten is difficult, for sure, but the feeling with the bike is not so bad. We have to fix something, but my pace is quite good, so we have to try tomorrow.”
Franco Morbidelli – P11
“It was a strange qualifying today and I’m a little disappointed. I felt great all day, I was fast in Free Practice and I had a lot of confidence on the bike. In qualifying I felt good in the first time attack, I made a decent lap time and I was third. I was aiming for something good, but in the second time attack I didn’t have the same feeling with the new rear tyre. I couldn’t attack like I wanted to and also I didn’t improve my lap time. 11th is not what I was expecting, it’s not what I wanted, but we will try to have a good race tomorrow. Our pace is really strong, so we will try to move through the pack as much as we can, although overtaking will be difficult, and see where we are at the chequered flag.”
Miguel Oliveira – P12
“I’m a bit disappointed about the Qualifying. FP4 was going really well until I had an issue. I restarted with a new tire but crashed on my first lap and the damage was too big to continue. The team did a great job to repair the bike in time for Qualifying session. After this, I had to recover my feeling. Still I improved my lap time from this morning, which is a positive point. Tomorrow is going to be a hard one, we all need to be safe in the first laps and then do our race. I think my pace is really good, I just need to keep a strong attitude and stay optimistic for tomorrow.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P13
“I was trying to push to the maximum and get the most performance out of the bike during qualifying but we definitely saw an improvement in terms of race pace during Free Practice 4. The bike felt much more comfortable and stable then, which is good news for the race tomorrow. Qualifying was a bit tricky, and I missed out on Q2 by just over a tenth. 13th on the starting grid is not the best for us, and we certainly weren’t expecting it, but let’s see what happens tomorrow. The warm up will be cold, but our race pace is very much improved so I’m looking forward to it. I will be doing my best as always to make up some positions – especially at the beginning of the race – and then we will see.”
Joan Mir – P14
“I’m struggling quite a lot, and it’s tough to be really competitive here. The weather conditions are extreme and the cold affects my feeling with the tyres a lot, especially on the front end. I struggle to keep the front tyre at best working temperature, and this means that it’s tough for me to get a good split in sector 1, in the left-hand corner 2 after the straight. The other sectors were not bad, but we’re always paying for what we lose in sector 1. We need to check the data tonight and try to find some good solutions. It’s going to be tough to recover so many positions, but the first priority is to find the right feeling that would allow me to get the best position possible at the chequered flag.”
Aleix Espargaro – P15
“Not a simple day. Unfortunately, the frame I had tested and liked in Barcelona didn’t work well here. It was hard to understand yesterday in the wet, but when I went back to my standard bike today, I was immediately able to go faster. I lost my best lap in qualifying due to a yellow flag, so we’ll have to start from the fifth row, but we have the potential to recover positions. The low temperature will certainly be a problem. It will be a tough race.”
Alex Rins – P16
“It’s not great to have two crashes before qualifying because it affects your confidence – but the positive thing is that we understood why they happened and it’s mainly a problem of keeping the temperature in the tyres. My pace isn’t that bad, I think it was good enough for Top 5, but the cold temperatures made it tough for us today. Tomorrow’s first lap will be key for the race; if I can be competitive at the beginning I believe we can still recover many positions and have a good race.”
Brad Binder – P17
“Qualifying didn’t go to plan even if FP4 went quite well and FP3 also, where I narrowly missed Q2. We went out in Q1 and I didn’t get a good lap, so we changed tires but then I crashed on my flying lap. We didn’t have the day we were hoping for…but I think our potential is a look higher than how it looks. We’ll get the job done tomorrow.”
Alex Marquez – P18
“Today we started very well in Qualifying but there was a little bit of misunderstanding about the strategy, so I wasn’t able to benefit from the slipstream like all the other riders who went faster. It was a bit of a shame but our pace is very close to everyone else so I think we can make something happen in the race. We have to be careful because the forecast is looking really cold and making a mistake will be really easy, Turn 2 will be especially important to pay attention to. The plan is to make a good start and then see what the race brings, we are close to Nakagami and this will be a good reference.”
Bradley Smith – P19
“We struggled this morning, but the guys worked hard between FP3 and FP4 and I gained a bit of feeling. In FP4, I followed Aleix for a few laps, also managing to identify where he is able to be faster and I got close to his performance overall. I am also satisfied with my qualifying time, especially because I did it on my own and the slipstream can really make a difference here. Obviously, if we look at the positions, our limitations are clear and they are certainly not mitigated by the characteristics of this track and the weather conditions. We’ll have to be very careful tomorrow. It looks like there will be low temperatures for both warm up and the race and, while the rear doesn’t pose a big problem, it will be hard to keep the front up to temp.”
Iker Lecuona –P20
“It was really difficult to manage the situation today. I felt good, my lap time was also quite strong but everybody improved a lot and finally I’m quite far back in the grid. I think I have a strong pace to fight for the points tomorrow.”
Stefan Bradl – P21
“Our position is a bit disappointing but to be honest I am quite pleased with how myself and the team have been working. We had a good FP4 where we were able to do a lot with the used tyre and our pace is looking OK. With everyone so close you can gain a lot of positions with just a tenth of a second, so I was a bit unlucky to be just behind those guys ahead. We’ve been managing everything well considering we are on day four of riding. Let’s hope for good weather!”
Tito Rabat – P22
“It has been a strange and difficult day, since in FP3 I found myself very comfortable, even reaching Q2 positions.In the afternoon, both in FP4 and in qualifying, I didn’t feel comfortable with the bike and it was hard for me to get a good time.Tomorrow we will give everything in the race and we will try to continue improving.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Tean Director
“It was a very tricky day today. Though the riding conditions were completely dry, it was cold. To push on slicks right from the get-go, when the track temperature is this low, is risky and it‘s easy to go over the limit. Both Maverick and Valentino pushed hard in Q2, but the competition was very close, and as a result we got a P5 and P10 start. Maverick is struggling to find a good feeling at this track, but he salvaged a second-row start which could give him the opportunity to fight for a top position. Valentino would have liked to be more towards the front. Starting from the fourth row is never easy, but he showed during FP4 that his rhythm is good, just like Maverick. We will analyse all of today‘s dry session data tonight and work hard to prepare some further setting tweaks that we can try in Warm Up. The forecast predicts it will be mostly dry here tomorrow. The pace seems to be similar for many riders in these conditions, so we expect a hard but also exciting race.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“It’s been a difficult day and we still haven’t managed to find the optimum feeling for the riders here. We have to think about how we can improve before the race. Alex had two crashes today, and Joan had one, so it was difficult for them to find their pace and get into a good rhythm. We’ll be working tonight and tomorrow in Warm-Up and we’ll enter the race as usual; trying our best and trying to pick up positions.”
MotoGP Qualifying Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q2
1m31.315
2
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.222
3
Danilo PETRUCCI
DUCATI
Q2
+0.359
4
Cal CRUTCHLOW
HONDA
Q2
+0.371
5
Maverick VIÑALES
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.404
6
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
DUCATI
Q2
+0.407
7
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q2
+0.437
8
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
Q2
+0.480
9
Johann ZARCO
DUCATI
Q2
+0.517
10
Valentino ROSSI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.574
11
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.576
12
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q2
+0.694
13
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.227
14
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q1
(*) 0.235
15
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q1
(*) 0.587
16
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q1
(*) 0.805
17
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.814
18
Alex MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.822
19
Bradley SMITH
APRILIA
Q1
(*) 0.881
20
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.907
21
Stefan BRADL
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.909
22
Tito RABAT
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 1.658
Moto2 Qualifying Report
Not since 2005 has an American taken three poles in a single Grand Prix season, and back then it was the late, great Nicky Hayden doing the business in MotoGP. Now it’s Joe Roberts in Moto2, with the Tennor American Racing rider putting in a stunner at the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France to take his third pole of the year, ahead of Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team).
In Q1 there was plenty at stake with some big names looking to move through, and the man second in the Championship, Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), got the job done to top the session ahead of Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) – despite a crash for the Swiss veteran – Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Termozeta Speed Up). Then it was time to decide the sharp end…
Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the early pacesetter and went P1, but disaster struck for the Spaniard at Turn 3 as he crashed out, rider ok but then left to watch from the sidelines. Would anyone overhaul his lap? There was still half the session left and more drama came swiftly as Jorge Navarro (Termozeta Speed Up) followed his compatriot into the gravel at the same corner, out of contention.
Back at the top, Martin’s lap was a solid one and it took a few minutes for anyone to depose him. When they did, it was Sam Lowes. The Brit shaved a tenth and a half off it and it was all going down to the final push – but Roberts was lighting up the timing screens on his final lap…
Over the line it was less than a tenth but the number 16 did it by 0.087, making a little history and setting himself up well for a crack at the win on Sunday. If Roberts does take victory, he’ll be the first American winner in the intermediate class since 1990! Lowes is forced to settle for second but was consistently quick once again, with Gardner putting in a late lunge to complete the front row – the Australian delighted with that as he continues to recover from injury and had a more turbulent weekend at Barcelona.
Martin was shuffled down to fourth, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) in fifth and only half a tenth off his old Moto3 sparring partner. Incredibly, despite his monster highside on Friday, Championship leader Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) starts sixth as he races on, looking at least to not lose too much ground at Le Mans.
Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just got the better of teammate Jake Dixon as they launch from seventh and eighth respectively, with Bastianini’s tougher weekend so far seeing him ultimately line up ninth. With Marini not so far ahead on the grid, however, we can guess the ‘Beast”s Sunday target…
Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) took his best grid position of the year as he completed the top ten, ahead of Di Giannantonio and Canet, with Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) in P13. Lüthi will start P14, ahead of Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS).
Moto2 Qualifying Results
Pos
Rider
Motorcycle
Q
Time/Gap
1
Joe ROBERTS
KALEX
Q2
1m36.256
2
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
+0.087
3
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+0.193
4
Jorge MARTIN
KALEX
Q2
+0.266
5
Marco BEZZECCHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.321
6
Luca MARINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.412
7
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q2
+0.481
8
Jake DIXON
KALEX
Q2
+0.570
9
Enea BASTIANINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.584
10
Stefano MANZI
MV AGUSTA
Q2
+0.621
11
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
SPEED UP
Q2
+0.623
12
Aron CANET
SPEED UP
Q2
+0.625
13
Simone CORSI
MV AGUSTA
Q2
+0.674
14
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.691
15
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.758
16
Hector GARZO
KALEX
Q2
+1.021
17
Marcos RAMIREZ
KALEX
Q2
+1.079
18
Jorge NAVARRO
SPEED UP
Q2
+1.300
19
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.680
20
Nicolò BULEGA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.684
21
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.701
22
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.781
23
Hafizh SYAHRIN
SPEED UP
Q1
(*) 0.848
24
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.048
25
Edgar PONS
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.099
26
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.176
27
Bo BENDSNEYDER
NTS
Q1
(*) 1.253
28
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.802
29
Kasma DANIEL
KALEX
Q1
(*) 2.132
30
Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI
NTS
Q1
(*) 3.216
Moto3
Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) put in a stunner to snatch pole from Championship challenger Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3) at the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France, the number 5 judging it to perfection to edge just 0.020 clear at the top. The two riders were ultimately in a class of their own in the final few seconds of Q2, with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) taking an important P3 and front row but the Scot left a few tenths in arrears on the timesheets. For Championship leader Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) it was a different story, the number 79 crashing without a lap on the board and left facing a big fight back on Sunday.
At a slightly warmer and certainly sunnier Le Mans, it was Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped Q1, heading through to contest the top 18 grid positions alongside Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), Ryusei Yamanaka (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3). Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the man who just lost out, the Italian crashing right at the end and unable to improve. Rodrigo also went down, but the Argentinean had already done enough to move through.
With that, the stage was set and as Q2 got underway, it was Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who held the reins after the first runs, the Spaniard ahead of winner last time out, Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power). Toba crashed early on, the Japanese rider able to make it back to the garage at least, but soon enough the grid headed into the calm before the storm – the classic mid-session lull. Sky Racing Team VR46 riders Celestino Vietti and Andrea Migno were hard at work doing some formation running, however, and they improved, as did Foggia as the Leopard man also stayed out.
With just under five minutes to go, only 11 laptimes were on the board, with many choosing to wait it out. But then some started disappearing, laps cancelled for a few riders and that upping the ante even more. Fernandez remained top as the field filtered out for a final push though – and then some big drama happened.
After only just automatically making it through to Q2, disaster then struck for Championship leader Ogura. Without a lap even set for the Japanese rider, he crashed out and watched his hopes of a solid start position for the French GP evaporate. Rider ok, but in worse news, forced to watch the remainder of the session from the sidelines, unable to get back out.
Meanwhile at the top, Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) was first to depose Fernandez, but the Spaniard remained on his roll and soon hit back. Masia was on an absolute charge late on, however, the Leopard Racing rider with a full house of red sectors on the timing screens and out the final corner and over the line, the lap was more than enough to take over on provisional pole – with a few seconds left on the clock and therefore chance for one more lap to boot…
Fenati couldn’t hit back as he completed his final effort, and neither could Fernandez as the two early duellers were forced to concede defeat. But Arenas was on a flier, and as he crossed the line red sectors became provisional pole as the Spaniard tried to put himself in the strongest possible position to try and take back the Championship lead on Sunday. Masia still wasn’t done though, and those few seconds he’d had left to start another lap would prove crucial as the number 5 put in another stunner, back on top and taking his first pole position of the season in some style – by just 0.020.
Arenas will be satisfied with a front row – and some serious speed – as he looks to take the lead back from Ogura on Sunday, although the Spaniard has got a different key rival right next to him: McPhee. The Scot left it late but pulled a fast one out the bad to complete the front row, just over four tenths off Masia but one who, like Arenas, has already enjoyed a trip to the top step at Le Mans.
Raul Fernandez heads the second row, ahead of Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) as his solid form of late continues in France, with Rodrigo ultimately bouncing back from a trip to Q1 and a crash to line up in a solid sixth. Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) had a slightly under the radar Saturday afternoon but heads Row 3, just 0.015 off Rodrigo, as he aims to continue his march upwards in the standings. Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was eighth quickest and with another tiny deficit as the Japanese rider missed out by only 0.020, with Romano Fenati next up but a larger 0.208 off the number 71. Vietti ended up relegated to tenth, 0.173 off compatriot Fenati.
Foggia, Binder, Migno, Stefano Nepa (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3), Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) and Toba complete the top 16 as the last riders who set valid laps. Yamanaka crashed, with Migno collected in that incident, and he’ll start P18.
Ogura will start 17th and after his disastrous session the Championship leader is faced with an almighty fight back if he’s to keep Arenas – and McPhee – at bay.
Moto3 Qualifying Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Jaume MASIA
HONDA
Q2
1m41.399
2
Albert ARENAS
KTM
Q2
+0.020
3
John MCPHEE
HONDA
Q2
+0.447
4
Raul FERNANDEZ
KTM
Q2
+0.457
5
Sergio GARCIA
HONDA
Q2
+0.521
6
Gabriel RODRIGO
HONDA
Q2
+0.548
7
Tony ARBOLINO
HONDA
Q2
+0.563
8
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
Q2
+0.583
9
Romano FENATI
HUSQVARNA
Q2
+0.791
10
Celestino VIETTI
KTM
Q2
+0.964
11
Dennis FOGGIA
HONDA
Q2
+0.984
12
Darryn BINDER
KTM
Q2
+1.140
13
Andrea MIGNO
KTM
Q2
+1.145
14
Stefano NEPA
KTM
Q2
+1.198
15
Carlos TATAY
KTM
Q2
+1.713
16
Kaito TOBA
KTM
Q2
+1.906
17
Ai OGURA
HONDA
FP3
+0.857
18
Ryusei YAMANAKA
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.127
19
Niccolò ANTONELLI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.310
20
Tatsuki SUZUKI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.319
21
Filip SALAC
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.479
22
Davide PIZZOLI
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.706
23
Alonso LOPEZ
HUSQVARNA
Q1
(*) 0.800
24
Yuki KUNII
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.801
25
Jeremy ALCOBA
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.909
26
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.021
27
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.306
28
Khairul Idham PAWI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.323
29
Jason DUPASQUIER
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.343
30
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.569
31
Barry BALTUS
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.844
MotoE
Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) is now not only an FIM Enel MotoE World Cup race winner, he’s also now the Cup leader by some margin after huge drama in Race 1 at Le Mans. The Spaniard escaped the chaos to lead the majority of the race and defend from home hero Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who took an impressive second, with Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) completing the podium and back on the box after a tougher season for the first ever MotoE race winner. But the drama…
It began from the off as the first start was Red Flagged due to a crash for Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse), the Italian losing his chance to fight for the Cup early on. He was up and ok, but the bike was left stricken on track and the race was stopped. After the re-start, it would be a five-lap super sprint to the finish with everything on the line.
It was the man ahead going in who got the holeshot, Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), with everything briefly going to plan until disaster struck and the Italian suddenly crashed out – leaving Torres, Di Meglio and more to avoid. And behind that, even more drama was changing the landscape of the standings as a huge, domino-effect incident saw Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) and teammate Niccolo Canepa going down, and second overall Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) caught up in it. The field scattered, the riders scrambled to get back on and Torres kept it pinned at the front. Aegerter was the only one who managed to get going but far off the rest of the field – and Torres was in the driving seat.
The Spaniard, by then, was well in the clear but Di Meglio was on a march, the Frenchman making his way through to second and then able to reel Torres in, chunk by chunk. Tuuli was up to third too, having navigated his way to the front through the chaos, and the Finnish rider kept pace with the Frenchman as the two managed to home in on Torres and drop Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) from the podium fight.
Onto the final lap, Di Meglio was right on Torres, the gap gone and the Frenchman looking menacing. Would he go for a lunge to taste home turf glory? And Tuuli, in third, remained within striking range. The three thundered round Le Mans for the final time but ultimately, the answer was no. Torres defended to the line and was able to take his first ever MotoE win in some style, the 25 points also putting him well clear in the standings… and the result meaning he starts from pole in Race 2.
Di Meglio said it was better to finish second than crash and that he did, back on the box on home turf, and Tuuli seemed somewhat surprised by third and a podium result. The Finn was a huge chunk faster than in Free Practice to set the fastest MotoE lap of Le Mans and earn the rostrum, however, getting some pay back after a tough year affected by injury. Di Meglio and Tuuli now start second and third on Sunday, too.
Hook took his best ever MotoE result at a track he knows well – having shared the top step with Di Meglio as teammates in the 24h endurance race at the track earlier this year – and the Aussie had some solid time in hand ahead of Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing) as the Italian bounced back from a dramatic Misano Race 2 and grid penalty. Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was sixth and not far off Marcon, the Brazilian banking some good points.
Maria Herrera is classified seventh after a track limits penalty for teammate Alejandro Medina switched the order of the two Openbank Aspar Team riders, Medina is forced to settle for eighth. Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) was ninth, with Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing) completing the top ten despite his recent surgery, the German putting in a superhuman effort to end the race only six tenths off Zaccone.
Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was next up ahead of another superhuman performance in the form of Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE). The Sammarinese rider had a huge crash in E-Pole on Saturday morning but made it through the race to score points, with now only one race left of his career before he retires. Jakub Kornfeil (WithU Motorsport) took P13, also taking a penalty but his a time addition.
Finally, after the 13 men ahead of him, Dominique Aegerter crossed the line. The second huge bout of bad luck for the Swiss rider cut his chances at the Cup, but the effort was a valiant one as he nevertheless salvaged two points and kept going. Now, it all goes down to Sunday.
Torres sits on 104 points heading into the last race of the year, and the Cup would appear his to lose as he also starts from pole. Ferrari is 18 points adrift and Aegerter 20, but both start further back after the drama on Saturday, with Race 1 deciding the grid for Race 2.
MotoE Race One
Pos
Rider
Team
Time/Gap
1
Jordi TORRES
Pons Racing 40
8m43.391
2
Mike DI MEGLIO
EG 0,0 Marc VDS
+0.116
3
Niki TUULI
Avant Ajo MotoE
+0.557
4
Josh HOOK
OCTO Pramac MotoE
+1.925
5
Tommaso MARCON
Tech 3 E-Racing
+4.296
6
Eric GRANADO
Avintia Esponsorama Racing
+4.590
7
Maria HERRERA
Openbank Aspar Team
+6.514
8
Alejandro MEDINA
Openbank Aspar Team
+6.201
9
Alessandro ZACCONE
TRENTINO Gresini MotoE
+11.875
10
Lukas TULOVIC
Tech 3 E-Racing
+12.419
11
Xavi CARDELUS
Avintia Esponsorama Racing
+13.262
12
Alex DE ANGELIS
OCTO Pramac MotoE
+14.087
13
Jakub KORNFEIL
WithU Motorsport
+23.207
14
Dominique AEGERTER
Dynavolt Intact GP
+59.643
MotoE EPole
Pos
Rider
Team
Time/Gap
1
Jordi TORRES
Pons Racing 40
1m43.843
2
Matteo FERRARI
TRENTINO Gresini MotoE
+0.329
3
Mike DI MEGLIO
EG 0,0 Marc VDS
+0.637
4
Josh HOOK
OCTO Pramac MotoE
+0.644
5
Dominique AEGERTER
Dynavolt Intact GP
+0.66
6
Niccolo CANEPA
LCR E-Team
+0.732
7
Alejandro MEDINA
Openbank Aspar Team
+0.813
8
Xavier SIMEON
LCR E-Team
+0.878
9
Eric GRANADO
Avintia Esponsorama Racing
+1.045
10
66 Niki TUULI
Avant Ajo MotoE
+1.21
11
Tommaso MARCON
Tech 3 E-Racing
+1.393
12
Maria HERRERA
Openbank Aspar Team
+1.715
13
Xavi CARDELUS
Avintia Esponsorama Racing
+2.208
14
Alessandro ZACCONE
TRENTINO Gresini MotoE
+2.614
15
Lukas TULOVIC
Tech 3 E-Racing
+2.654
16
Jakub KORNFEIL
WithU Motorsport
+3.513
MotoE Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jordi TORRES
104
2
Matteo FERRARI
86
3
Dominique AEGERTER
84
4
Mattia CASADEI
71
5
Mike DI MEGLIO
55
6
Eric GRANADO
53
7
Niccolo CANEPA
42
8
Xavier SIMEON
37
9
Josh HOOK
36
10
Alejandro MEDINA
36
11
Lukas TULOVIC
34
12
Alex DE ANGELIS
33
13
Tommaso MARCON
33
14
Alessandro ZACCONE
33
15
Niki TUULI
28
16
Xavi CARDELUS
28
17
Maria HERRERA
26
18
Jakub KORNFEIL
14
2020 MotoGP Calendar
Rnd
Date
Circuit
1
08 March (Moto2/Moto3)
Losail International Circuit
2
19 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
3
26 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
4
09 August
Automotodrom Brno
5
16 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
6
23 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
7
13 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
8
20 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
9
27 September
Barcelona – Catalunya
10
11 October
Le Mans
11
18 October
MotorLand Aragón
12
25 October
MotorLand Aragón
13
08 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14
15 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15
22 November
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
SHARK Helmets Grand Prix de France Schedule (AEST)
“This is the best moment that I have had in a long time! We have had some tough times since Jerez, so this actually feels better than those wins. I was not expecting to be so fast in the opening laps, but those two guys were so fast at the end of the race. We need to look at why we are struggling at the end of the race. We know that our bike is better in qualifying, so we need to balance this a bit better, but at the end of the day the race result is the most important thing and we won. It feels so good though to be back on the top step of the podium. I am also so happy that I am able to race at my home GP next, because there are not many races in this season. My thanks to the team because this victory is well deserved.”
Joan Mir – P2
“It was quite a tough race, especially starting from the third row. It means you have to push in the early laps and it can be a bit risky. I tried to avoid any trouble and keep my head down whilst also over-taking some riders. When I was behind Miller I knew I needed to stick with him and be ready to take advantage. I got close to the victory today, maybe with a couple more laps it could have been possible, but Fabio was managing everything really well and he did a great race. It’s so nice for Suzuki to have two riders on the podium after a long time and I’m really pleased with today’s work!”
Alex Rins – P3
“I’ve been struggling a lot in the last weeks, and to take a podium here today at my home race feels fantastic. Since my shoulder injury in Jerez things haven’t been easy, and I have found it hard to be physically strong enough to compete at the very front. But I’ve worked hard off the bike and the team have worked super hard and have supported me a lot, so I want to thank them. I also want to thank the fans for their support and for standing by me in this tricky season. I’m so happy.”
Franco Morbidelli – P4
“I’m a little angry about finishing fourth, but it is a positive thing as it means we are at a good level and want more. I’m angry because I made a mistake in the race: I started a bit too hot and wore the tyre out too much early on. When fighting with Fabio I was too much on the limit and trying to recover in braking, in the end I lost two seconds running wide and the chance for a podium. I still feel like this was the best strategy though. However I cannot complain about this weekend; I got pole position and I was really fast in general, so I’m happy. Now we rest a little bit and try to also be fast at Le Mans.”
Jack Miller – P5
“Ride fast, but not too fast … open the gas, but don’t spin the rear tyre … there’s races where you can go for it from first lap to last, but Sunday in Barcelona was a day of riding on eggshells as well as you could and seeing if you could get away with it. I did and managed to come home fifth which was something, because it was a day where it could have gone wrong so easily. Shame to miss out on a podium and all that, but it would have been a shame to be on the floor as well after doing so much work. So I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been happier, but I’m not disappointed, let’s say that.
“Why was it so hard here compared to usual? I know talking about weather and tyres isn’t the most exciting thing in the world but it’ll help me explain. Last year we raced here in June (like we always do) and it’s bloody hot in Barcelona at that time of year. It was about 25 degrees, the track was over 50, so that affects what tyres you choose and how you approach it. This year, because we’re here in late September because of the calendar being shuffled and delayed with COVID and all of that, it was cold all weekend. We’re racing in the middle of the afternoon in autumn and it was only 17 degrees, and the track was only 20 when we started, and there was no sun at all. The track was just so cold. The hard tyres we have were too hard for that temperature and gave you no grip, so nobody used them. The soft had decent grip, but using them for 24 laps around here was about tiptoeing around to make sure you had something left at the end.
“We all just about managed it, and you can see how close it was at the end because (Takaaki) Nakagami was seventh and less than four seconds behind Fabio (Quartararo), who won it but said his tyres were destroyed afterwards. I was more than two seconds a lap slower at the end of the race than I was at the beginning when we had a full tank of fuel. So it was definitely a race where we tried to hang on instead of being in attack mode.
“I was fourth most of the race but those Suzukis had way better pace than us near the end so I couldn’t fight them, there wasn’t much point. When my teammate Pecco (Bagnaia) came by me on the last lap I fought that one though! I got him back and had just enough to hold him off in the end, and I didn’t lose a spot in the championship so that’s good, I’m still sixth with six races to go so I’m still in it. It felt like a salvage day for the championship, one where you take your points and go home, basically.
“We got to about 10 laps to go and my plan was to start pushing on and trying to reel in those Yamahas, and then with about seven laps to go the rear tyre fell off a cliff and died in the arse, more or less. I was a bit of a sitting duck from there, and the Suzuki boys, (Joan) Mir and (Alex) Rins, seemed to have more tyre life than the rest of us. As we were coming back in on the cool-down lap I noticed their tyres didn’t even have any lines on them, where mine and all the Yamahas did. The Suzukis could have handled a few more laps, but I reckon the rest of us were pretty happy that it ended when it did.
“It’s been a crazy busy time for all of us, eight races in about 11 weeks I think it’s been – I’ve kind of lost count to be honest! So, a week off before we head to Le Mans if definitely something to look forward to – it’ll be a quick chance to recharge and then get set for these final six races, they’re going to come thick and fast …”
Pecco Bagnaia – P6
“It was a difficult weekend because Friday I was not able to adapt to the situation, and I lost one day. Unfortunately starting so far back does not help, but the pace was fast. If we had started from the front maybe we could have fought for the podium, but it was my mistake and you learn from mistakes, we will try again at Le Mans.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P7
“It was a bit of a difficult race as the track temperature was very low from the warm up session to the race, so it was really difficult to warm the tyre. We raced a soft compound on the front and the rear and, at the beginning of the race, my pace was not strong enough and I dropped some positions. Then I tried to keep consistency on my laps and started to close the gap on the riders in front of me. I had the opportunity to pass some riders and the second part of the race I was into the top 10 – P9, then P7 – and at the end of the race I had a really strong pace compared to the other guys in my group. So the podium could have been there, but I had no chance to overtake or even try to and I finished P7. It’s another top 10 and a good result and we were only 3.6 seconds behind the race winner, so it was very close and this was positive. We’re now looking forward to Le Mans and we’ll keep pushing.”
Danilo Petrucci – P8
“I’m delighted with my performance today and, in general, with how this weekend went. Today I felt comfortable in the race, and I was able to manage the tyres well. Unfortunately, I was struggling a lot in the straights, where I got passed by most of the riders that overtook me. Maybe, if we had qualified better, we could have aimed for an even better result, but I think it was a good race overall and that after last weekend in Misano, we are gradually returning to our levels”.
Maverick Vinales – P9
“There was no issue at the start, the only weak point is our top speed. I couldn‘t pass anyone, especially in the first fifteen or sixteen laps. So I was just riding around. I‘m really disappointed because if you don‘t start from first or second, you have big problems. I couldn‘t do anything and was just losing positions. We will see in Le Mans. This result after winning last week is difficult to swallow. The championship could go any way. This weekend we made a mistake in the qualifying and we paid the price.”
Cal Crutchlow – P10
“It was a positive day to finish the race and be in the top 10 today, I expected a little more but I was unable to get a good start. I always knew the start was going to be a challenging part of the race as I was probably the only rider on the grid without the start device. But I think we did a good job in the race to be battling with riders who had good results last week and, not having been on the bike for a long time, it was good to get race distance under my belt. I had some pain and problems with my arm, but I felt I didn’t finish the race too bad and with a different setting on the bike we could have been a little bit better. But we did a good job as a team this weekend and we look forward to Le Mans.”
Brad Binder – P11
“Today was a bit different to what I had in mind. Coming into the race my pace seemed really good and I had a good feeling with the bike. In the race it just didn’t quite go to plan. I tried my best at the start but when we hit lap sixteen things became a bit more difficult with the rear tire. It was tough, for sure. Not a great result in the end but we’ll learn from this and use it for the future. We’ll stay focused, look ahead to the next race and try to make things right there.”
Aleix Espargaro – P12
“The conditions of this track are certainly not the best for us, and we struggled again today. The lack of grip kept me from being incisive. I was able to stay with the other riders, but I wasn’t able to overtake them. Finishing the race was important to be able to provide the engineers with as much data as possible, but these are certainly not the positions I like to battle for.”
Alex Marquez – P13
“A difficult race today. We were expecting warmer conditions and we couldn’t use the soft front; we went with the medium. That was my mistake, I pushed the team hard to use the medium but during the race the temperature dropped a lot. In the first laps I lost a lot of time after my good start, then in the middle of the race I felt better but in the end I slowed again. It’s my mistake, sometimes this happens as a rookie and I have been able to learn from this. We also found a few things this weekend, so we are still improving and learning and now we look to Le Mans and also a quick visit to Portimao to learn the layout.”
Iker Lecuona – P14
“In the end, I’m quite happy that I finished the race, which was my target, as it was a difficult weekend for me. Finally, I could enjoy the race a bit and managed to regain a better feeling. I was fighting with a small group and finished in the points. Thanks to the team for all the support this weekend. I’m sure we will be better in Le Mans.”
Tito Rabat – P15
“Yesterday I did not qualify well, so today we would have to gain positions in the race.The first laps were good, and I was in a group of four riders, so we continued to take steps.Today we have done a good analysis of this race, I am not happy, but not satisfied either.One more point for the championship and now to think about Le Mans.”
Bradley Smith – P16
“We knew this would be a complicated circuit for us because it highlights one of our weak points, namely traction coming out of turns. The positive aspect is that I battled with good riders and good bikes and, at certain times, I was even able to overtake them. We’re lucky to be staying here for a day of tests and we’ll be able to focus on grip, hopefully finding some solutions that can help us on the upcoming tracks.”
Stefan Bradl – P17
“It was cooler than everyone thought it would be, everyone had to manage it. For me it’s tricky to understand the rear tyre and I was struggling a bit. At the end of the race I had to slow down a lot because the rear dropped off a lot. In the middle of the race I was not so bad, and I was near the points, fighting well. Sadly, the rear then dropped and we fell back. But we keep working with the Repsol Honda Team, trying different things and pushing. Now we have a little break before heading to Portimao for a test which will be important for me and Honda.”
Valentino Rossi – DNF
“It‘s a great shame, two mistakes in a row. This was a very different crash from last week‘s. In Misano we did something different on the bike, and technically I was not very strong. I didn‘t feel very good, and also on Saturday and Sunday I was not 100% me. I didn‘t feel very well. This weekend was very different, because I was always competitive. I was good on the bike, I rode well, and I also improved practice by practice. This is very good. Today I was at the limit, because I was behind Fabio and I didn‘t want to lose a lot, I wanted to stay with him. On the left is always dangerous, especially with a low temperature, and I lost the front. It‘s a great shame because I think I could have fought for the victory and for sure for the podium, that was our target. This year my speed is not too bad, but as for the results I have to do better. We still have a lot of races until the end of the season, so our target is to be competitive again starting from Le Mans, work well in the garage with the team, and try to stay at the top.”
Andrea Dovizioso – DNF
“Crashing out at the second corner is always difficult to digest, and I’m sorry for how the race went today. I had focused on making a good start, and at the end of the straight, I managed to recover several positions. Unfortunately, I got involved in an accident on the first lap, which was the result of a normal race dynamic. The Championship is potentially still open but, if we want to challenge for the title, now more than ever, we need to return to the levels of competitiveness to which we are used to”.
Johann Zarco – DNF
“I am sad after today’s race because I thought I could have a good race.The start was not bad, with a good first braking but in the change of direction Petrucci had a scare, I braked and crashed.Dovizioso couldn’t help it and crashed next to me.Now we have to think about Le Mans.“
Miguel Oliveira – DNF
“It’s sad to end the race like this. We had very challenging conditions and expected to be competitive and for that we needed to use the medium front tire. The temperature was quite low today, so it took me just one lap with no slipstream to cool down the tire and when I went to the left side, there was no way I could save the crash. It’s a shame. This is racing. I hope we can get back to the front in Le Mans, the home race for the team. I want to do well there, also for the championship.”
Pol Espargaro – DNF
“For sure I’m disappointed. I paid for some frustration today because with the medium front tyre I could not push so hard in the left corners. I was fighting a lot with Petrucci even though I felt faster than him. I entered the corner a bit too fast and lost the front. My fault entirely. I was trying too hard. I’m keen to get to Le Mans and remove the bad taste in the mouth from here. It was my home Grand Prix and this wasn’t what I expected.”
Team Managers
Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal
“It was a strange weekend for us, but we are glad that Fabio’s win helps to inject positivity. It would have been nice to have a double podium, but Franco’s fourth was still a strong finish. It is good for the championship, for both Fabio and Franco, but especially for Fabio who is back leading the championship ahead of his home GP at Le Mans.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“It was an incredible race today. Joan has been working very well in these last weeks and I’m very impressed and pleased with his performances. Alex did an unbelievable job from 13th on the grid, and this podium is very important for him. I’m so happy to have both our riders riding so well and bringing us these great results. Thank you to everyone for their work and support.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“We’re very happy, it’s been a super day with both our riders on the podium! This is something that hasn’t happened for a long time and it’s a great feeling to achieve it. Joan is keeping a very positive trend going and I’m really pleased for him. I’m also very happy for Alex who did a great performance in the race, especially from 13th on the grid and a difficult couple of weeks. We will celebrate inside the team, and I want to say thank you to everyone who has been working so hard, the personnel here, at home, and in Japan. This is possible because of them.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“It’s a disappointing end to an otherwise really good race weekend. The first corner is what cost Maverick a good result today. He was forced to brake earlier and other riders overtook him left and right, losing him a lot of positions. Once you fall back, it’s very difficult with our bike to overtake, as we know. Maverick also never had the same amazing feeling this weekend that he had in Misano. We will have to analyse the data to see how we can fix this for the next round. The team is heartbroken for Vale. He had great confidence on the bike all weekend. It‘s a shame that he crashed, losing a great opportunity to finish on the podium. We will try our hardest to create another podium possibility again at the next GP weekend in Le Mans. But first the team will have a week off, though we will certainly use this time to prepare for the next triple header.”
Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager
“We saw already earlier in the weekend that tyre choice would be super-difficult for us. We would always find a solution in the afternoon when the temperatures were higher but race day was pretty cold on track and we knew it would be tough. Pol was doing well until he crashed but, overall, we cannot be happy with our overall results: it is the first time this season that we don’t have a rider in the top ten and we have to analyze why we could not find the performance we wanted. Everybody pushed and gave what they could, but we’ll work now to know more for Le Mans.”
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“What a tough weekend here in Catalunya. It’s been very difficult. The highlight of the weekend was clearly Saturday, when we had the best track and weather conditions with a great lap in FP3. But apart from that, it was very, very difficult. We never managed to find the right tyre fitting the track grip and temperature. All top three KTM started with a medium front and we knew that was the only possibility for us to go fast. But we also knew we couldn’t afford to let it cool down and more or less this is what happened when Miguel found himself in front. He was doing a good race until then. But he said as soon as nobody was in front of him, the temperature dropped and it was a really cold front tyre. Taking the soft would have probably not end in a crash, but meaning to finish much further down, so it’s a big pity to end up the weekend with a DNF. The positive is, Miguel is still leading KTM in the ranking, but everybody is so close now. Anyway, let’s forget about this weekend and try to move on to the next. Iker had a very, very tough weekend as well and basically, we told him this morning, try to recover your confidence in Warm Up. We gave him the soft-soft front and rear option and told him, his target is to regain confidence and finish that race, which is what he did. Thanks to him, he ended up in 14th position and got two points and for sure has recovered quite a lot of confidence that he lost throughout the weekend. Outside of that, there’s not a lot to say. It was the third weekend in a row, I think it’s time we have a few days off to recover and rest. See you all in Le Mans for the French Grand Prix!”
“This has been a very demanding weekend for all concerned. We have to choose the tyres before the season and we were coming to Barcelona in September instead of the usual June, but after looking at historical weather and seeing that both times of the year are similar, we picked a range of tyres with that in mind. Unfortunately, we have had unseasonally cold conditions and this made it very difficult to get the heat in the tyres and for the riders to get the grip from the track. Our Technicians worked tirelessly with every rider all weekend to assist with advice for the optimum compound for the set-ups they were using, in an aim to give the best grip that could be extracted from the asphalt. I feel that we did very well under these exceptional circumstances and stand by the choice of tyres, it is not easy to guess the weather for a track when you have not been to the circuit at that time before, with all this in mind the range provided four raceable tyres for Sunday, of which three were used, so we didn’t go far wrong with our selection. We now head home to Le Mans and another busy weekend where MotoE will join us and we will see that title decided, hopefully it will be a bit warmer than it was this weekend!”
Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) bounced back in serious style in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Frenchman picking his way to the front to pull away initially before just holding off a charge from Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir.
Mir took yet another podium and his Team Suzuki Ecstar team-mate Alex Rins sliced through from P13 to third to make it two Suzukis on the podium for the first time since 2007.
A drama ripped through the title fight just behind, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) down and out early on after he got collected by Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) in a domino effect Turn 1 shuffle.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) dropped down to P15 before recovering to ninth at the flag and remains in third place on the championship standings despite a somewhat frustrating race for the Spaniard.
MotoGP Race Report
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was lightning off the line and grabbed the holeshot, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) propelling himself from fourth to second as Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Quartararo dropped a couple of places.
The huge drama then hit Turn 2: Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) almost went down – and pulled off an amazing save – but it was just in front of Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing).
Petrux clipped Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). and, reacting, Zarco tucked the front.
On the outside of the dominoes lay Dovizioso, and the (former) Championship leader and Zarco were down and out.
Back up at the front it was a little less dramatic as Rossi got the better of first Quartararo and then Miller, before the Australian then ran wide which allowed Quartararo through too, making it a Yamaha 1-2-3 at the end of the opening lap.
Mir was holding off team-mate Rins for P5 as both Suzukis had made good starts, Rins especially so, whereas Viñales got an awful start and had been shuffled down to P15.
It didn’t take long for the top five to start pulling clear of the chasing pack, with Pol Espargaro getting the better of Rins for P6 and Mir then last man half in touch with the front in the early stages. The gap to the number 36 was a second on Lap 3 and up to two a couple of laps later though, with the top five all equally split on the road.
Quartararo had Rossi firmly in his sights, however, and the 21-year-old homed in on the ‘Doctor’, making a pass stick at Turn 1 to make it a Petronas 1-2. Miller was sticking with the three Yamahas in fourth as Mir dropped back slightly, but it was early, early doors… and much was yet to come.
By Lap 8, Quartararo was hounding team-mate and race leader Morbidelli, with Rossi and Miller waiting in the wings.
‘El Diablo’ then snatched the lead into Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 9, and a fastest lap of the race came in for the number 20. Morbidelli and Rossi were keeping him honest though and set slightly quicker lap times on Lap 10, with nothing to choose between the YZR-M1 trio. Miller was 0.7 seconds off the podium at that point, with Mir 1.2 behind Miller.
With 14 to go, there was just 0.8 covering the leading three, but Morbidelli was then nearly down at Turn 1 a lap later. The Italian was out of shape into the braking zone and ran wide, then nearly tucked the front, just saving it.
Rossi was through on his protégé with the number 21 slotting back into third, and Miller now also seeming to struggle in the fight to keep Mir at bay. Quartararo was just 0.7 ahead of the number 46 up front too, although that then went up to 0.9s on the 15th lap of 24, with the tension palpable in Barcelona.
On Lap 16, that tension broke with more drama at Turn 2. On for his second podium of the season and 200th premier class rostrum on his 350th premier class start, Rossi slid out of contention as he tipped into the left-hander. Rider ok, but a big chance gone.
That left Quartararo with a three-second lead over his team-mate, which seemed like some solid breathing room. But after a Turn 10 mistake from Miller, Mir was up to third and smelt blood as that now foreboding late-race pace for the Suzuki man was coming to the fore again. With seven to go, Mir was just half a second off Morbidelli.
Suzuki late race pace was coming on strong for Rins, too. With five to go, the number 42 was all over the back of Miller in the fight for fourth, with Mir unable to get within striking distance of Morbidelli for the time being. Quartararo seemed safe in P1, his lead up to 3.3, but Rins then pounced on Miller at Turn 10; the two Suzukis on a charge.
Quartararo’s lead was 2.8 with four to go and at the end of Lap 21, the gap was down to just 2.5 – Mir seven-tenths quicker than the race leader, and the lead Suzuki man now right on Morbidelli. Onto the penultimate lap, Mir struck for second, and that wasn’t the last of Morbidelli’s worries as Rins homed in as well.
The Suzukis were swarming and Mir immediately pulled clear of Morbidelli, with Rins then up the inside of the Petronas SRT #21 at Turn 10 as well, making it two Suzukis in the top three for the first time since Misano 2007.
Was that all she wrote? Quartararo’s lead was 1.8, but Mir was flying. Halfway round the last lap the Mayorcan was just 1.4 off, and the tenths kept evaporating from Quartararo’s advantage. In the final sector, it was almost equidistant from the Frenchman to Mir to Rins, and the number 20 seemed to almost be looking over his shoulder. Having pushed so hard so early, there wasn’t enough grip left for pushing late to make up much ground…
Round the final corner though, the Frenchman stood firm. An emotional victory ultimately just a second ahead of Mir sees him take back the Championship lead, and get back on the top step for the first time since Jerez.
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“Honestly it was a difficult race, I made a great start then I was fourth, Jack made a mistake and I knew that was the perfect time to overtake! When I took the lead, and Franco stayed some laps behind, our pace was really fast and I think at that moment it was way too fast to keep the tyre fresh to the end. At the end I was three seconds slower but it’s not because I was in control! I was pushing at my maximum, and unfortunately it’s difficult to understand because the two guys here were much faster than me at the end but I think it was so important to make the first half of the race in the best conditions. We can be happy with our job today after five races of tough times. We learned many things but today it’s good to be back on the podium!”
Mir took yet another rostrum to move him up to second overall – just eight-points behind Quartararo. What would one more lap have meant between the two now at the top?
Rins, meanwhile, gained an impressive ten places to take third and his first podium since his stunning win at Silverstone last year, making it a real milestone day for Suzuki with both Hamamatsu machines on the podium for the first time in 13 years.
Morbidelli slipped to P4 after the Suzuki late charge, but he’s now just seven behind Dovizioso on the standings.
Miller managed to hold off team-mate Bagnaia on the last lap to claim a top five, making it strong rides for both Pramac Racing riders in Barcelona after Ducati looked to be on the back foot on Friday.
Nakagami was just a tenth behind the two as the Japanese rider keeps up his run of finishing in the top 10 in every race this season – the only rider to do so – with Petrucci eighth for his second best result of 2020.
Viñales’ difficult day at the office after the ground lost at Turn 1 saw the number 12 only able to push back through to ninth, although that is some points at least. The Yamaha rider is now 18 adrift of Quartararo heading to the French GP though, and he’ll want to hit back quickly at a venue he’s reigned before.
Battered and bruised Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) gritted his teeth for a great top 10 ride, the Brit less than a second away from Viñales.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the top Austrian machine in P11 for some more solid points towards Rookie of the Year. Team-mate Pol Espargaro crashed out, as did Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira.
Oliveira’s teammate Iker Lecuona was P14, behind Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and an unexpectedly tough race for Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the rookie took P13. Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) completed the points.
That’s it for a dramatic, pivotal and, at times, chaotic Catalan GP. It’s advantage Quartararo as we head for his home turf at Le Mans, and the Sarthe venue has hosted plenty of Yamaha glory before.
MotoGP Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
40m33.176
2
Joan MIR
Suzuki
+0.928
3
Alex RINS
Suzuki
+1.898
4
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
+2.846
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
+3.391
6
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
+3.518
7
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
+3.671
8
Danilo PETRUCCI
Ducati
+6.117
9
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
+13.607
10
Cal CRUTCHLOW
Honda
+14.483
11
Brad BINDER
KTM
+14.927
12
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
+15.647
13
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
+17.327
14
Iker LECUONA
KTM
+27.066
15
Tito RABAT
Ducati
+27.282
16
Bradley SMITH
Aprilia
+28.736
17
Stefan BRADL
Honda
+32.643
Not Classified
DNF
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
6 Laps
DNF
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
9 Laps
DNF
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
12 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
0 Lap
DNF
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Ducati
0 Lap
MotoGP World Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
108
2
Joan MIR
Suzuki
100
3
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
90
4
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Ducati
84
5
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
77
6
Jack MILLER
Ducati
75
7
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
72
8
Alex RINS
Suzuki
60
9
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
59
10
Brad BINDER
KTM
58
11
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
58
12
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
57
13
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
39
14
Danilo PETRUCCI
Ducati
39
15
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
36
16
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
27
17
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
22
18
Iker LECUONA
KTM
17
19
Cal CRUTCHLOW
Honda
13
20
Bradley SMITH
Aprilia
11
21
Tito RABAT
Ducati
8
Moto2
Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini produced some Montmelo magic to see off the hard-charging Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in the closing stages of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, taking what could turn out to be a vital victory in his quest to be crowned Moto2™ World Champion in 2020. Lowes was forced to settle for second, with the podium completed by Fabio Di Giannantonio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) as the Italian was back on the rostrum for the first time this year,
Marini would take the holeshot from pole position, with Di Giannantonio diving past his teammate Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) to take second into the opening corner. Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), meanwhile, was already inside the top five and trying to help his own Championship cause after starting from tenth on the grid, left with some Sunday work to do.
At the end of Lap 1, Lowes attacked Bastianini to take fifth, with the Italian slipping further back four corners later when Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing) found a way through as well. At the front, meanwhile, the leading trio were already showing that they had the pace to break away with a gap starting to form from Navarro back to Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) in fourth.
A lap later Lowes was aggressive again as he lunged past Bezzecchi, but he couldn’t get the bike stopped and allowed the Italian back through. The Brit got the job done moments later though, putting in the fastest lap of the race as he started to close in on the three men ahead. It didn’t take long for the six-wheeler at the front to become an eight-wheeler, and once on the scene Lowes caught and then passed Navarro in one fell swoop to take third.
The front trio were locked together, but Marini seemed a threat to breakaway and Lowes was next looking for a way through on ‘Diggia’. The Brit then got totally out of shape into Turn 10 trying to get past, keeping it together but sending the pair of them wide. Was this the chance for Marini to bolt at the front? The Italian had just over a second in hand as they came across the line to complete Lap 8, but Lowes was unperturbed and he then dispatched the Speed Up ahead before setting another fastest lap. That put him within a second, but Marini remained in his rhythm…
Lowes was too though. Churning through the deficit to tag back onto the Sky Racing Team VR46 machine in the lead, the Brit looking threatening as he hovered in Marini’s shadow. By seven to go, Lowes decided the time was now as an inch-perfect attack into the opening corner saw him take the lead. Marini wouldn’t allow him to escape, however, and as the laps ticked by, the Italian continued to apply the pressure.
Marini waited for the penultimate lap to pounce, and pounce he did. A carbon copy of the move that saw him lose the lead then saw the Italian regain it at Turn 1 as he sliced back through, hammer down immediately as the last few kilometers ticked on. Lowes tried to stay with him, but the Brit was then too hot into Turn 6 and lost ground, left watching Marini escape just enough to secure the win.
Luca Marini
“It was a very good weekend because starting from Friday the feeling was great with the bike, it wasn’t easy and I didn’t expect it because compared to Misano it’s a totally different track but we made the right changes on the bike for here. The race was nice, with the low temperatures it was easy to push every lap, I also tried to manage the rear tyre a bit because I knew that was important, we worked a lot on the engine braking all weekend to try and save the tyre. Sam was so fast, I was worried when he overtook me because I was struggling a bit with the rear tyre, but when he overtook me I tried to push a litlte bit more, fortunately I had something more at the end and I could overtake him again. It was important for me to win this race because the feeling on the bike was very good and when I didn’t win in Misano I was a bit angry because there the feeling was great too, and I said… here I need to win!”
That third win of the year for Marini could prove to be his most pivotal yet, as his World Championship lead stretches out to twenty points. Lowes’ four-year wait for an intermediate class win continues, but another podium finish made for some solid points to gain ground on Bezzecchi in the title fight. Di Giannantonio, meanwhile, managed to keep himself in some clear air to take his first podium of the season after what’s been a difficult start to the year.
The good news continued for HDR Heidrun Speed Up in fourth. After a near race-long battle with Joe Roberts, Navarro finally got the better of the American on the final lap to take fourth place. Roberts completed the top five, with Bastianini forced to settle for sixth as his Championship hopes got a slight dent, and the same could be said for Bezzecchi as he came across the line in seventh, ending a run of three podium finishes.
Inde Aspar Team Moto2’s Aron Canet was up there challenging for one before a late mistake saw him drop back to eighth, with Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) rounding out the top ten.
Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) crashed out of contention for a solid finish, as did Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was also forced out of the top six fight with a mechanical problem, the Brit on song but short on luck in Barcelona, as was the returning Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as he retired from the race.
Remy Gardner managed to avoid the usual lap one chaos to finish sixteenth at the flag, despite receiving a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits and having to race with a faulty tyre.
Remy Gardner – P16
“It was decent opening day and a decent qualifying session. I was still riding a bit nervous and didn’t get the best from my lap but P10 was ok although with the penalty it meant the sixth row. I think penalty was highly uncalled for if I am being honest and totally not fair. Yes, I crashed under yellow flags, but I saw the flags on my first lap when the tyre probably wasn’t up to temperature. I know the rule and I closed the gas but as soon as I did the front dived and it folded on me. That’s why I crashed. Not because I didn’t respect the rules. We have the data, but Race Direction didn’t seem to care. There was nothing I could do about it other than accept it and focus on the race but from lap one we had a rear tyre problem. It was completely blistered at the end. We found out that others had a similar problem in practice but that doesn’t make it an easier pill to swallow. It was like riding on ice and it sucks when you give it 100% all weekend and a tyre company lets you down when it matters. It was something out of our control and we have to just focus on the next one. I think we could have been in the top ten, the only consolation is that we leave the weekend with no further injury. I am sore but we dug deep, and I will rest now to be in even better shape for France.”
Moto2 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Luca MARINI
Kalex
38m11.103
2
Sam LOWES
Kalex
+0.981
3
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Speed Up
+4.399
4
Jorge NAVARRO
Speed Up
+5.608
5
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
+5.797
6
Enea BASTIANINI
Kalex
+6.08
7
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
+8.552
8
Aron CANET
Speed Up
+9.928
9
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
+14.874
10
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
+15.058
11
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
+17.687
12
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
Kalex
+18.91
13
Hector GARZO
Kalex
+19.017
14
Edgar PONS
Kalex
+19.315
15
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
+20.404
16
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
+24.358
17
Bo BENDSNEYDER
NTS
+27.561
18
Hafizh SYAHRIN
Speed Up
+36.014
19
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Kalex
36.101
20
Kasma DANIEL
Kalex
+37.659
21
Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI
NTS
+1m00.256
Not Classified
DNF
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
Kalex
1 Lap
DNF
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
2 Laps
DNF
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
2 Laps
DNF
Jorge MARTIN
Kalex
8 Laps
DNF
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
15 Laps
DNF
Jake DIXON
Kalex
17 Laps
DNF
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
19 Laps
DNF
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
20 Laps
DNF
Stefano MANZI
MV Agusta
20 Laps
Moto2 World Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Points
1
Luca MARINI
Kalex
150
2
Enea BASTIANINI
Kalex
130
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
114
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
103
5
Jorge MARTIN
Kalex
79
6
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
Kalex
72
7
Aron CANET
Speed Up
61
8
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
59
9
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
57
10
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
56
11
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
54
12
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
41
13
Jorge NAVARRO
Speed Up
41
14
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
Kalex
39
15
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Speed Up
36
16
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
36
17
Jake DIXON
Kalex
22
18
Hector GARZO
Kalex
21
19
Hafizh SYAHRIN
Speed Up
17
20
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
17
21
Stefano MANZI
MV Agusta
16
22
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
12
23
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
8
24
Bo BENDSNEYDER
NTS
5
25
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
5
26
Dominique AEGERTER
NTS
4
27
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
3
28
Edgar PONS
Kalex
2
Moto3
Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) is a Grand Prix winner! The South African came out on top in another classic Moto3 melee in Barcelona, escaping the clutches of Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) on the last lap to take his first victory. There was drama for the title fight further back though as John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed out and collected former Championship leader Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Tea, Moto3) and the ‘former’ gives a clue there as to what happened: Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia), although only taking P11 faced with an open goal, is the new man in the lead.
Polesitter Arbolino launched perfectly as the lights went out and despite a huge run down into Turn 1, the Italian held off the fast-starting Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Arenas for the holeshot. Ogura made a storming start from P24 on Lap 1 too, up to P14 in what felt like the blink of an eye.
Arbolino led the opening couple of laps but it was slipstream city down the front straight and Arenas, Binder and McPhee were all up there fighting for the lead or close to it. On the long run down into Turn 1 for Lap 5, the top 19 were split by just 2.3 seconds.
Next time around was when the drama hit for the World Championship. Heading into Turn 4, McPhee was up the inside of Arenas as the pair sat P2 and P3, but the British rider then tucked the front as he was in slightly too hot… going down and collecting Arenas. Suddenly, it was an open goal for many and none more so than Ogura, who was immediately told via his pit board that both of his closest Championship rivals were out.
That left Arbolino leading Binder as a lead group of six formed, with Rodrigo, Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ahead of the second group by a second. That gap was quickly being bridged by Foggia and Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) though as the duo were over half a second quicker than the guys ahead. Ogura was at the back of that group too, progress somewhat stalled.
Sure enough, it became a freight train once again. It was a 22-wheel fight as Binder retook the lead into Turn 1, with the South African, Masia and Foggia seeming to take turns. By five to go it was a Leopard 1-2 at the front ahead of Arbolino, Garcia and Rodrigo, and with two to go, Foggia was looking very strong at the front. Masia had dropped to fifth after Binder made a move stick at Turn 4, before the Spaniard then also got crossed up into the Turn 4 braking zone, just about keeping it on the asphalt but podium hopes gone…
Over the line for the final lap, it was Foggia who led and, crucially, the Italian also led into Turn 1. The first passing opportunity had been and gone for second-placed Binder, but opportunity knocked at Turn 5 and the South African was up the inside. A clean, slick move as Foggia lost two places in one corner, Arbolino also slicing through. Turn 10 then reared its head and we’ve seen drama there before, but Binder was solid and held P1. That meant, unless Arbolino could channel his inner 2009 Valentino Rossi, the race was pretty much done. Ultimately, Binder was fast through the final sector and kept it pinned to perfection, crossing the line ahead for his first Grand Prix win. Arbolino thought about a final corner move but was forced to settle for second and a third podium of the season, with Foggia losing out on a potential second win but the Italian happy to return to the podium for the first time since the Czech GP.
Garcia took P4 and his best result of the season, and right behind him there was another Spaniard picking up their best result of the year so far: Alonso Lopez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team). It was a great ride from the Husqvarna rider to finish just three tenths from victory in his first top 10 of the campaign, which was also best finish since his podium in Thailand last year.
Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) backed up his Emilia Romagna GP victory with a solid P6, the Italian benefitting from two last lap penalties imposed on Masia and Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46). The two exceeded track limits at Turn 9 and were each handed a one-place penalty, seeing Fenati finish ahead of both and making it P7 for Masia, P8 for Vietti. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Rodrigo completed the top 10, with Ogura having to settle for P11 but making some small gains… and taking over as Championship leader.
The Japanese rider now leads the way by three points heading to Le Mans, with 28 points separating Ogura from fifth place Vietti heading to the second of three triple-headers. Thankfully, McPhee and Arenas were both ok – although somewhat miffed – after the Turn 4 crash, and it’s game on in the lightweight class!
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Jose Julian Garcia (SIC58 Squadra Corse) crashed together at Turn 4, riders ok, with Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) and Andrea Migno (SKY Racing Team VR46) forced to retire. Davide Pizzoli (BOE Skull Rider Facile Energy) also crashed – rider ok.
Darryn Binder
“I’m super happy, this weekend I’ve felt strong all weekend and I managed to qualify semi decent for a change so I didn’t have as much work to do in the race. It proved in my favour because in Misano I got to the front but I ended up making a mistake in both races. But today I got to the front and was still able to be strong at the end. I’m so happy to finally win my first race. Too stoked!”