He’s won in Moto2™, he’s won in WorldSBK, and last season he took on a new challenge in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup. And it went pretty well as Jordi Torres took the crown despite being a rookie, putting together a consistent season and a fast one too. The Spaniard returned to the field in 2021, and he’s now become the first rider to win the Cup twice, back-to-back no less.
On the second lap, Torres had began to open up a considerable advantage which jolted Aegerter into action, the Swiss rider moving past Ferrari into P2. Coming into the final laps, the number 77 had closed the gap considerably to run side-by-side with the Spanish race leader, and threw the kitchen sink at it with the Cup at stake. Laying it all on the line, the two exchanged overtakes in a tit for tat battle, and while Torres didn’t need to win to take the title, he wasn’t backing out of the fight, and the Spaniard seemed to pay the price for his brazen approach with just three corners to go.
Up ahead, Miller was making headway into his teammate’s lead, cutting two-tenths off before a big error undone all his hard work. Coming into Turn 13, the Aussie ran it way wide and off the track, with Quartararo following, to hand Bagnaia a 2.45s lead which was begin to look unassailable. It was to get worse for Miller, as just past the halfway point, Quartararo fired up the inside of him at Turn 6. The number 43 then received a track limits warning, but that was the least of his problems with the race’s fastest rider Bastinanini hot on his heels. It looked just a matter of time before the Avintia rider moved past his factory counterpart, and so it proved, taking P3 at Turn 13 on the 19th lap.
In the closing laps, the race leader extended his lead to nearly a second, and looked set to cruise to victory, but Gardner wasn’t having any of it, disposing of Canet on the penultimate lap and then began taking huge chunks out of his teammate’s time, and we were set up for a grandstand finish. The gap was down to less than half a second, and with a track limits warning not helping matters for Fernandez it was game on!
The Italian profited from a heartbreaking crash for Romano Fenati while his Championship rivals had an off day
It was a story of contrasting fortunes for the two form riders in the Moto3™ Championship, with Dennis Foggia profiting from Romano Fenati’s (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) heartbreaking crash to romp home for back-to-back victories and keep the his title hopes well and truly alive at the Octo Grand Prix of San Marino. The Leopard Racing man sprayed the bubbly from the top step of the rostrum alongside an all-Italian podium, with Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) the other top three finishers.
The opening exchanges
Having sat on pole and taken three podiums in his last four races, it looked like we were in for another faultless Fenati performance as the Italian took the holeshot into the first corner, batting away the close attention of Antonelli. There were good starts also from Migno, Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), but it was Foggia who sat in third as we completed the opening corners.
There were battles all over the circuit with Antonelli responding to a Foggia cut back to keep himself in P2, while Garcia and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rubbed shoulders at Turn 8, with the Aspar rider’s machine producing smoke at Turn 8. It was a fascinating watch, but as the lightweight class traded blows, it allowed the fastest man on track to open up a gap of four-tenths to Antonelli in second, and seven-tenths to Foggia in third by the close of the third lap.
Further back, the race lost its first rider as Elia Bartolini (Bardhal VR46 Academy) crashed out of his home Grand Prix at Turn 4. Further back, it was clear Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) would have an off day, as he lost touch with the lead group early on and began a damage limitation mission.
Over the course of the next few laps, Fenati continued to widen the gap despite Antonelli’s best efforts to keep in touch. The VR46 rider then got it horribly wrong ten laps in, going in too hot at Turn 4, and dropping to P7 while Fenati’s lead at the front was almost two seconds.
Over the course of the next few laps, Fenati continued to widen the gap despite Antonelli’s best efforts to keep in touch. The VR46 rider then got it horribly wrong ten laps in, going in too hot at Turn 4, and dropping to P7 while Fenati’s lead at the front was almost two seconds.
It looked for all the world that the Italian would romp home to a second victory of the season, but then disaster struck on the 15th lap. Comfortably leading with a 2.6 second gap to second, Fenati lost the front at the Turn 15 left-hander, and in an instant, his victory chance had vanished as he was on the cusp of bringing himself back into the Championship picture.
A six bike battle for victory
Suddenly the podium battle became one for victory, with Foggia now leading Migno and Binder with Garcia, Masia and Antonelli all chasing the rostrum. However, like his predecessor, the rider occupying P1 would waste no time in opening up a lead over the chasing pack. Garcia and Binder traded overtakes with the Spaniard sitting third, and then set his sights on Migno in second, but when. He made his move at Turn 8 with six laps remaining, he went in too wide and dropped to P4, with Masia moving into the final podium place. The podium battle continued in the same vein for the remainder of the race, with Antonelli also getting involved as he hunted down a fourth podium of the season.
With just a few laps remaining, Foggia’s lead was unassailable, but the podium battle was well and truly alive, with Antonelli rediscovering his early pace to move ahead of Masia and Garcia, and then taking Migno on the penultimate lap, relegating his compatriot to P3. And that’s how the top three would finish after a sensational battle, with Garcia, Masia and Binder just missing out.
The rest of the point scorers
It was an excellent salvage job from Acosta to take P7, as he had the likes of Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) snapping at his heels all race. The race result means that the title leader’s Championship advantage is now down to 42 points with Foggia and Garcia in pursuit. Further back, Ricardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) took points at his home Grand Prix, as did Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Japanise duo Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) round out the top 15.
The Italian profited from a heartbreaking crash for Romano Fenati while his Championship rivals had an off day
It was a story of contrasting fortunes for the two form riders in the Moto3™ Championship, with Dennis Foggia profiting from Romano Fenati’s (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) heartbreaking crash to romp home for back-to-back victories and keep the his title hopes well and truly alive at the Octo Grand Prix of San Marino. The Leopard Racing man sprayed the bubbly from the top step of the rostrum alongside an all-Italian podium, with Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) the other top three finishers.
The opening exchanges
Having sat on pole and taken three podiums in his last four races, it looked like we were in for another faultless Fenati performance as the Italian took the holeshot into the first corner, batting away the close attention of Antonelli. There were good starts also from Migno, Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), but it was Foggia who sat in third as we completed the opening corners.
There were battles all over the circuit with Antonelli responding to a Foggia cut back to keep himself in P2, while Garcia and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rubbed shoulders at Turn 8, with the Aspar rider’s machine producing smoke at Turn 8. It was a fascinating watch, but as the lightweight class traded blows, it allowed the fastest man on track to open up a gap of four-tenths to Antonelli in second, and seven-tenths to Foggia in third by the close of the third lap.
Further back, the race lost its first rider as Elia Bartolini (Bardhal VR46 Academy) crashed out of his home Grand Prix at Turn 4. Further back, it was clear Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) would have an off day, as he lost touch with the lead group early on and began a damage limitation mission.
Over the course of the next few laps, Fenati continued to widen the gap despite Antonelli’s best efforts to keep in touch. The VR46 rider then got it horribly wrong ten laps in, going in too hot at Turn 4, and dropping to P7 while Fenati’s lead at the front was almost two seconds.
Over the course of the next few laps, Fenati continued to widen the gap despite Antonelli’s best efforts to keep in touch. The VR46 rider then got it horribly wrong ten laps in, going in too hot at Turn 4, and dropping to P7 while Fenati’s lead at the front was almost two seconds.
It looked for all the world that the Italian would romp home to a second victory of the season, but then disaster struck on the 15th lap. Comfortably leading with a 2.6 second gap to second, Fenati lost the front at the Turn 15 left-hander, and in an instant, his victory chance had vanished as he was on the cusp of bringing himself back into the Championship picture.
A six bike battle for victory
Suddenly the podium battle became one for victory, with Foggia now leading Migno and Binder with Garcia, Masia and Antonelli all chasing the rostrum. However, like his predecessor, the rider occupying P1 would waste no time in opening up a lead over the chasing pack. Garcia and Binder traded overtakes with the Spaniard sitting third, and then set his sights on Migno in second, but when. He made his move at Turn 8 with six laps remaining, he went in too wide and dropped to P4, with Masia moving into the final podium place. The podium battle continued in the same vein for the remainder of the race, with Antonelli also getting involved as he hunted down a fourth podium of the season.
With just a few laps remaining, Foggia’s lead was unassailable, but the podium battle was well and truly alive, with Antonelli rediscovering his early pace to move ahead of Masia and Garcia, and then taking Migno on the penultimate lap, relegating his compatriot to P3. And that’s how the top three would finish after a sensational battle, with Garcia, Masia and Binder just missing out.
The rest of the point scorers
It was an excellent salvage job from Acosta to take P7, as he had the likes of Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) snapping at his heels all race. The race result means that the title leader’s Championship advantage is now down to 42 points with Foggia and Garcia in pursuit. Further back, Ricardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) took points at his home Grand Prix, as did Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Japanise duo Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) round out the top 15.
Alex Rins provided a reminder of his speed in Sunday morning Warm Up at the Octo Grand Prix of San Marino, with the Suzuki rider finishing the session fastest thanks to a 1:32.521. The Spaniard had over a tenth to spare on race favourites Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Augusto Fernandez is aiming to end a long victory wait at the scene of his last win in 2019, and the Elf Marc VDS rider got his Sunday off to a perfect start with a 1:36.886 seeing him take P1 in the final session ahead of lights out. Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) is 0.127s behind Fernandez, while Championship leader Remy Gardner was third quickest in the morning.
Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) ended Moto3™ Warm Up quickest thanks to a 1:41.978 as the Italian leads race rival Dennis Foggia by just 0.038s. Sitting in P3 after the session is Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) with the rookie rider just over a tenth off the pace, and looking in good form as he hopes to break his podium duck in Misano.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) remains the man to beat as the sun set on Saturday at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with the Italian setting another all-time lap record to take pole position.
It’s Bagnaia’s third pole of the year and with team-mate Jack Miller in second, the first factory Ducati 1-2 in back to back Grands Prix.
To copy-paste the front row from MotorLand but with a seemingly pretty different race ahead, it’s Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in third despite a crash for the Frenchman in Q2.
MotoGP Rider Quotes
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“I’m really delighted with this result! Again this weekend, we had to make only a few adjustments to the bike since I have felt comfortable on it right from the start. I wasn’t sure I could take pole in qualifying because Quartararo was going so fast, but I managed to set a great time! The team is doing a great job, and we were fast also in FP4, so I’m very optimistic heading into tomorrow’s race”.
Jack Miller – P2
“I’m thrilled with my result in qualifying today, and I was also surprised. My first attempt on the soft tyre didn’t go particularly well, and when I went out on the second one, I took the yellow flag on the first lap. I was nervous because I thought I didn’t have enough time to try again. Fortunately, I could get through before the chequered flag and finish the second lap with a very good time. Now we’ll have to work on the data we collected in FP4 to see where we can still improve, but in general, I’m confident for the race.”
Fabio Quartararo – P3
“I‘m perfectly okay after the crash. When you want pole position, you‘ll try anything. I was braking super late in Turn 1. I knew it was pole position or nothing, and unfortunately today it was nothing. But overall qualifying was good. I gave it a try. As always, our main goal was the front row and we got that. I‘m feeling okay, and our pace is really good compared to Aragon, there it wasn‘t so great. I think we‘ve done a really great job today. I‘m feeling ready for tomorrow. Of course, I hope for a dry race. My feeling in the dry is super good, so I want to keep going in that direction. We‘ll see what position I have after the first lap, and I will do my best. The race is long, so I‘ll be taking it step by step.”
Jorge Martín- P4
“Today has been a good day. To start from the second row will prove to be very important. I am regaining confidence on the bike and this will be fundamental – as it will be to start erll tomorrow and remain with the leading group.”
Johann Zarco – P5
“Today has been a good day. To start from the second row will prove to be very important. I am regaining confidence on the bike and this will be fundamental – as it will be to start erll tomorrow and remain with the leading group.”
Pol Espargaro – P6
“We had an interesting day and made the most of the dry track time today. We still have one or two things to confirm in Warm Up but I am satisfied overall today. Sixth position is good but our distance to Bagnaia is a bit too big for my liking. Tomorrow will be a hard race because Ducati look to have something extra here, but I think we can fight behind them in the race. It can be very difficult to overtake here so starting on the second row is really important. Let’s make a good start, fight and see what’s possible – tomorrow is a new day.”
Marc Marquez – P7
“I’m happy about today because in Free Practice 3 we found ourselves struggling a lot. Q1 is always really difficult but with HRC we made a really nice strategy, so I want to say thank you to HRC and Bradl because he was the guy to open the track. In Q2 I pushed again and I was able to make a good lap, I’m happy because I have been struggling at this circuit a lot. We are not very far from the top considering this.”
Aleix Espargaro – P8
“If it’s true that the 2021 RS-GP is performing well everywhere, this is a track where we have historically struggled a bit more. I don’t have the same feeling as Silverstone and Aragón, but I’m still satisfied with the level we have achieved. The hard front tyre betrayed me in qualifying. I usually feel pretty good on it, but it works in a rather tight temperature range. It only took letting it cool down a couple of degrees to crash. Third row is still a good starting point. I think that, apart from Pecco, there may be a group of riders with a similar pace. Weather permitting!”
Alex Rins – P9
“FP3 and FP4 went really well for me, I felt very good with the bike and my lap times were strong too. Tomorrow will be really unpredictable; it could be wet or dry or something in between! But we feel quite ready to fight, we’re on the third row and ninth is quite good – especially if it’s dry I feel pretty confident. I gave 100% during qualifying, but in the end we still struggle in this area and we’re far from pole. All the riders are close and we’ve seen a lot of crashes in these two days, so we will need to be careful. If it’s wet it becomes a lottery, but if it’s dry I think it could be an exciting fight.”
Maverick Vinales – P10
“We worked well again today, focusing on our goal of getting to know the bike and accumulating experience. Maybe just in qualifying I expected to be able to do better, but I obviously still need to understand how to take the RS-GP to the limit on the flying lap. In terms of pace, on the other hand, I had good sensations. I lapped in FP4 with a full tank and used tyres and I think that proper tyre wear management may be an important factor on this track. We’ll work in the warm-up session tomorrow as well, trying some new solutions. Every session is like a test for us.”
Joan Mir – P11
“Overall, today I’ve been competitive and riding hard. I felt strong, and even though things didn’t go to plan, I’m quite happy. Qualifying was a shame; we didn’t have the potential to fight for pole and we’re honestly quite far from that. I felt that the second row was possible, but then I had some trouble with the front on my first exit, then I saw a message on my dashboard right after I exited for the second run. I thought I should stop in case there was something wrong with the bike, and in the end this impacted my qualifying as well as the yellow flag on my last flying lap. There’s no point being frustrated; the focus now is on the race and I know I have good pace if I can get a strong start.”
Enea Bastianini – P12
“It’s important to be in Q2, although I could have done more. However, I didn’t feel as good as I did in Q1 and it was a shame because I’m sure we could have finished in the top 6. We have improved a lot throughout the weekend and the track conditions are constantly changing. I think if we keep going like this we can do well in the race.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P13
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it through to Q2 this afternoon. The qualifying session was good, I had good pace and the feeling on the bike was better, we were able to make a big step and improve the bike and I was confident. But I had a mistake in the qualifying session (Q1) and had a crash at turn 10 and that cost us quite a lot. We couldn’t make Q2 after that, but the positive thing is that the feeling on the bike is really, really good now, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race from P13. It wasn’t the result that I expected, but we have confidence on the bike, good pace for the race, so I’ll try my best and hopefully we can get a great result.”
Michele Pirro – P14
“I’m a little disappointed with the qualifying result. This morning, because of the yellow flags, we couldn’t get into Q2, which made everything a little bit complicated. In Q1, there was a lot of traffic, and I didn’t get through to the next session just a few tenths of a second. Anyway, I’m happy that we have two Ducatis starting on the front row and four of our bikes in the top five positions on the grid. I’ll do my best to try to finish our home race in the top ten.”
Luca Marini – P15
“Yesterday we struggled, but today we worked well and made a good step forward. I’m riding better even though we are still a little bit short in terms of set-up to be 100%. We are going in the right direction, maybe I could have done more in Q1 by putting the hard tyre on immediately. I went out for the first time attack on the medium to get more grip, but the hard tyre would probably have given me more stability. Let’s look at the data, the tyre choice for tomorrow is pretty much set and we’ll sort out the final details.”
Franco Morbidelli – P16
“I’m really happy and pleased about these two days. We are already trying to find a base set-up that I like on this bike, and we already could almost go directly into Q2 this morning, we were just two tenths shy of it. This afternoon in Q1 we tried again. We didn’t manage it. Finally we’re about 0.270s off the top 2 and ended in P6. This shows again the level of this category. But I’m really pleased with this performance. Looking at the situation I’m in right now, I need to be – and I am – happy.”
Brad Binder – P17
“It was a difficult day for us. We tried hard but couldn’t quite find the setting to be comfortable and to improve my feeling on the bike. I think we could have done better in qualifying but – unfortunately – I got a big rear-kick going into Turn 1 and I washed the front tire. We’re struggling a bit with one-lap pace, more than we’d like, but the race is tomorrow and we’ll try as hard to see what we can do.”
Stefan Bradl – P18
“Today was another positive day and I am pleased with the work we have done and the pace that I have been able to show. My team and I were able to help Honda with a few things and I am glad about this. This afternoon, and also tomorrow in the race, is all about enjoying riding and seeing what we can do. As everyone knows, the level in MotoGP is so high and everything is so close but I think we can have a good battle with some other riders. We also have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday which is the real focus for myself and the Test Team. Let’s keep the good weekend going.”
Álex Márquez – P19
“Second day here and we made a big improvement from yesterday in the dry in the morning. I still made some adjustments in the afternoon and in FP4 we did a really good job and I made another step forward and felt good. In the qualy (Q1) we were quite unlucky, I did a good lap time, a 32.4, and then later on I was going much faster – maybe not enough to get through to Q2, but close – and unfortunately there was a crash at turn 10 and a yellow flag, so that lap was cancelled. That was very unlucky, but that’s how it is sometimes and you have to accept it. So tomorrow I’m motivated to make a good start and, in the morning, we’ll try to improve in the final sector and then we’ll be ready for the race.”
Iker Lecuona – P20
“I don’t know what I need to improve, I have the feeling that I am on the limit. In FP3 I was a bit faster, but I still found it hard to go faster today. In Qualifying we improved a bit. Now we wait for the weather tomorrow. In case of rain, I think we can try to fight for a decent position, if it’s dry, our goal is to finish as the best KTM.”
Miguel Oliveira – P21
“A very tough qualifying. The team tried to give me some different bike settings so we could work to be faster but we couldn’t even match last year’s pace. So, tough times for us but we won’t give up and we’ll try the best we can for tomorrow’s race. We’ll keep fighting.”
Danilo Petrucci – P22
“A tricky weekend for us in general. The track is very bumpy and we struggle to find a good setup for our bike. We miss a lot of corner speed and can’t go as fast as we like. The weather seems to be a bit unpredictable tomorrow and to be honest, I hope it’s going to rain, because then we have a better chance for a good result, as we are struggling a lot in dry conditions.”
Valentino Rossi – P23
“I was optimistic for Q1 because I had done some good lap times on the used tyre in FP4, but it was difficult with the hard front tyre. It had better potential but when you are on the left side of it you are on the limit. The first lap wasn’t too bad, but I made a small mistake on the second lap and went wide in Turn 4. I then decided to do one more lap before changing the rear tyre, because I thought I could improve, but I had slowed down a little and the tyre was cold on the left, so I crashed in Turn 15. I don’t have a great position on the grid for tomorrow, but I think I can be a bit stronger than this. I’ll try to have a good start, make some overtakes and have a good race.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P24
“I’m not at a point yet where I can fully utilise the full potential of the bike, but I’m happy because I am getting closer and closer. This was our target, it’s what we have to do and now we aim to be fast enough to stay with the other riders in the race. We also need to understand as much as we can to prepare for next week’s test as best as we can. It was nice this morning because from the beginning of FP3 I felt a bit better with my position. Of course it’s not good to be starting from the back, but it’s normal in this situation, and we will try to be consistent throughout the whole race.”
Q1
Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) is on a good roll of form recently and the rookie topped Q1 on home turf, setting the fastest lap to head through ahead of eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). The number 23 unfortunately then slid out after the flag, but no harm done, although there was plenty of drama earlier in the session.
Sadly, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) slid out early as the ‘Doctor’ pushes for the penultimate time on home turf, and both Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) found and exceeded the limit.
On track it got close too, with Marc Marquez’ final run seeing the number 93 catch HRC test rider Stefan Bradl and lose a little time – the German also on a hot lap and entitled to keep pushing – and Bastianini also found himself tucked up behind Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol). In the end though, Bastianini remained unthreatened in first regardless, and Marc Marquez took that second spot in Q2.
Q2
Bagnaia left it relatively late but once again arrived on provisional pole in style. The Italian smashed in his new record with just under two minutes to go, slamming down the gauntlet. He already had the best race lap at Misano, so why not add the all-time lap record? Miller moved into second not long after that but couldn’t quite get in touch, with everything then left to Quartararo. Could the Frenchman do it?
He has done before with some Saturday heroics but this time wasn’t to be, as he suddenly slid out of contention and early in the lap too. The last likely challenger to Bagnaia’s cloud nine of a week so far had to bow out, rider ok but not able to improve from third.
There was also drama for Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) as both crashed out – separately and in that order – losing the chance to move up the order in the latter minutes.
The Grid
A Ducati 1-2 sees Bagnaia and Miller ready to prime those holeshot devices at Misano, with Quartararo on the outside of the front row. With Bagnaia’s pace looking mighty, the Frenchman will want to make sure he stays on the two Ducati Lenovo Team machines as a minimum at lights out.
El Diablo also finds himself with a Ducati armada behind as Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) slotted into fourth, top Independent Team rider just ahead of team-mate Johann Zarco, who continues to suffer arm pump issues but pulled a solid lap out the bag on Saturday.
Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) edged out teammate Marc Marquez in the end to complete the second row, with MM93 shuffled down to the head of Row 3. He’s joined by fellow Q2 crasher Aleix Espargaro, with the Aprilia rider losing out on P7 by just 0.002. it’s still the Noale factory’s best qualifying at Misano though. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will start ninth after a step back forward at Misano.
Guess who’s tenth? Yep, it’s Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). After going fastest on Friday and getting straight into Q2, his second weekend with the Noale factory is going well and he’ll line up there. He has reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company, the number 36 left frustrated after some miscommunication saw him box at the wrong time, with Bastianini the last of Q2 in P12.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), meanwhile, was provisionally up there early on in Q1 but ended up P16 as he gets back in action following surgery on his knee. The back row of the grid will also have some serious firepower as Rossi lines up alongside returning veteran Andrea Dovizioso, who continues to settle in at Petronas Yamaha SRT and on the YZR-M1.
MotoGP Combined Qualifying Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q2
1m31.065
2
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.249
3
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.302
4
Jorge MARTIN
DUCATI
Q2
+0.598
5
Johann ZARCO
DUCATI
Q2
+0.771
6
Pol ESPARGARO
HONDA
Q2
+0.858
7
Marc MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q2
+0.870
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q2
+0.872
9
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q2
+0.952
10
Maverick VIÑALES
APRILIA
Q2
+1.056
11
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q2
+1.361
12
Enea BASTIANINI
DUCATI
Q2
+1.396
13
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.334
14
Michele PIRRO
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.411
15
Luca MARINI
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.413
16
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 0.420
17
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.551
18
Stefan BRADL
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.563
19
Alex MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.600
20
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.605
21
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.945
22
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.015
23
Valentino ROSSI
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 1.091
24
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 1.222
2021 MotoGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
214
2
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
161
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
157
4
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
137
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
129
6
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
117
7
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
96
8
Maverick VIÑALES
Aprilia
SPA
95
9
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
87
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
79
11
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
71
12
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
68
13
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
64
14
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
55
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
49
16
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
45
17
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
18
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
38
19
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
37
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
28
21
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
28
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Dani PEDROSA
KTM
SPA
6
24
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
25
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
26
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto2
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) keeps impressing and the rookie again took pole at the Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, the first since MM93 to take five or more in a rookie Moto2 season.
He’s joined by Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing) in second, with Lowes’ team-mate and man on form Augusto Fernandez taking third – back on the front row for the first time since 2019. Given his recent run of podiums, that could be a warning shot.
Remy Gardner heads row two alongside Aron Canet and Jorge Navarro.
Moto2 Combined Qualifying Times
Pos
Rider
Motorcycle
Q
Time/Gap
1
Raul FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
1m36.264
2
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
+0.351
3
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.524
4
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+0.597
5
Aron CANET
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+0.605
6
Jorge NAVARRO
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+0.664
7
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q2
+0.664
8
Marco BEZZECCHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.757
9
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
KALEX
Q2
+0.907
10
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA ITA
KALEX
Q2
+0.928
11
Nicolò BULEGA
KALEX
Q2
+0.968
12
Ai OGURA
KALEX
Q2
+1.048
13
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q2
+1.081
14
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q2
+1.124
15
Joe ROBERTS
KALEX
Q2
+1.168
16
Stefano MANZI
KALEX
Q2
+1.210
17
Celestino VIETTI
KALEX
Q2
+1.353
18
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q2
+1.405
19
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
Q1
(*) 0.655
20
Jake DIXON
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.707
21
Hector GARZO
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.731
22
Tony ARBOLINO
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.753
23
Marcos RAMIREZ
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.936
24
Yari MONTELLA
BOSCOSCURO
Q1
(*) 0.955
25
Simone CORSI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 1.070
26
Albert ARENAS
BOSCOSCURO
Q1
(*) 1.082
27
Bo BENDSNEYDER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.165
28
Cameron BEAUBIER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.189
29
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 1.434
30
Barry BALTUS
NTS
Q1
(*) 1.501
Moto2 Championship Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
AUS
251
2
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
212
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
ITA
179
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
GBR
127
5
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
108
6
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
SPA
103
7
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
ITA
101
8
Ai OGURA
Kalex
JPN
95
9
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
GER
80
10
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
SPA
71
11
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
SPA
67
12
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
USA
59
13
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
ITA
47
14
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
ITA
40
15
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
NED
40
16
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
THA
35
17
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
USA
28
18
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
SPA
23
19
Jake DIXON
Kalex
GBR
21
20
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
ITA
20
21
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
SPA
20
22
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
SWI
16
23
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
SPA
13
24
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
ITA
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
Moto3
Before summer break, Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) hadn’t had a pole position since 2017. Now, he’s had three! The Italian put in a stunner on home turf to top qualifying at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini by two and a half tenths, now in the perfect position to bounce back from some bad luck last time out.
He’s joined by Aragon winner and key rival Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) in second, with Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) forced to settle for third by just 0.007.
Moto3 Combined Qualifying Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Romano FENATI
HUSQVARNA
Q2
1m41.756
2
Dennis FOGGIA
HONDA
Q2
+0.257
3
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
Q2
+0.264
4
Andrea MIGNO
HONDA
Q2
+0.343
5
Jaume MASIA
KTM
Q2
+0.355
6
Xavier ARTIGAS
HONDA
Q2
+0.515
7
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
Q2
+0.520
8
Elia BARTOLINI
KTM
Q2
+0.796
9
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
Q2
+0.802
10
Carlos TATAY
KTM
Q2
+0.810
11
Stefano NEPA
KTM
Q2
+0.863
12
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
Q2
+0.931
13
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
Q2
+0.973
14
Darryn BINDER
HONDA
Q2
+0.996
15
Matteo BERTELLE
KTM
Q2
+1.040
16
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
Q2
+1.265
17
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
Q2
+1.277
18
Kaito TOBA
KTM
Q2
+1.351
19
John MCPHEE
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.654
20
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.736
21
Adrian FERNANDEZ
HUSQVARNA
Q1
(*) 0.762
22
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.777
23
Lorenzo FELLON
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.796
24
Yuki KUNII
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.087
25
Jeremy ALCOBA
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.340
26
Filip SALAC
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.791
27
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
FP1
0.780
28
Tatsuki SUZUKI
HONDA
FP1
0.923
29
Gabriel RODRIGO
HONDA
FP1
1.138
30
Alberto SURRA
HONDA
FP3
2.036
Moto3 Championship Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
SPA
201
2
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
SPA
155
3
Dennis FOGGIA
Honda
ITA
143
4
Romano FENATI
Husqvarna
ITA
134
5
Jaume MASIA
KTM
SPA
111
6
Darryn BINDER
Honda
RSA
104
7
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
ITA
98
8
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
JPN
87
9
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
TUR
73
10
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
SPA
72
11
Andrea MIGNO
Honda
ITA
68
12
Kaito TOBA
KTM
JPN
62
13
Tatsuki SUZUKI
Honda
JPN
61
14
Jeremy ALCOBA
Honda
SPA
60
15
Gabriel RODRIGO
Honda
ARG
60
16
John MCPHEE
Honda
GBR
53
17
Filip SALAC
KTM
CZE
46
18
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
JPN
42
19
Xavier ARTIGAS
Honda
SPA
30
20
Stefano NEPA
KTM
ITA
30
21
Jason DUPASQUIER
KTM
SWI
27
22
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
ITA
24
23
Carlos TATAY
KTM
SPA
20
24
Adrian FERNANDEZ
Husqvarna
SPA
20
25
Yuki KUNII
Honda
JPN
15
26
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
AUT
10
27
Elia BARTOLINI
KTM
ITA
7
28
Syarifuddin AZMAN
Honda
MAL
3
29
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Honda
INA
3
30
Daniel HOLGADO
KTM
SPA
1
31
Lorenzo FELLON
Honda
FRA
0
32
Joel KELSO
KTM
AUS
0
33
Takuma MATSUYAMA
Honda
JPN
0
34
Alberto SURRA
Honda
ITA
0
35
David SALVADOR
Honda
SPA
0
MotoE
Race 1 at Misano was a big one for the 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with the crown at stake already – and certainly a hotseat in the standings for the final race of the season on Sunday. As the dust settles, it’s Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) who emerges as the winner and the new points leader, with the Spaniard playing it to perfection in a wily last corner. Dominique Aegerter (Dynvolt Intact GP) was just pipped to it and was forced to settle for second after seeing off a late lunge from Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing), with the Brazilian going in too hot and sliding out. Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse), meanwhile, rounded out the podium after an impressive return to action.
There was drama from the off as points leader going in, Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE), crashed early on Lap 1, out of contention and also taken to the medical centre after the Italian suffered post-crash contact from Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE). Zaccone was then transferred to hospital for further checks and was found to have an iliac wing fracture in his pelvis. He’s unfit, so will sit out Race 2, and everyone at the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup wishes him a quick recovery.
As Zaccone sadly lost his chance to fight for the crown, that battle raged on at the front and was getting tight. Torres had made a great start, joined in a breakaway group by Casadei, Aegerter and Granado, the latter making up some ground, as the four bolted just over a second free of Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE). The pace was hot and the elbows out, with some stunning moves and certainly a scare for Torres as the Spaniard just clipped the rear wheel of Aegerter. But no harm done, and he slotted back in.
As the final sector of the final lap dawned, Aegerter was holding on in the lead as he put on another masterclass in door-closing, but Granado was close and Torres too. And Granado went for it right at the final corner, all-in and briefly edging ahead. But then hit the heartbreak as the Brazilian slid out, losing a key chance to gain big in the standings.
The attack left Aegerter slightly on the back foot and Torres capitalised to perfection, sweeping past and just able to beat the Swiss rider to the line. For the reigning Cup winner it’s the first victory of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time, seeing him head into Sunday eight points clear of Aegerter at the top.
Casadei completed the podium after an impressive return for the final round, with Ferrari then classified fourth as he found his podium record at Misano take a dent. He was followed by rookie Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team). The final positions in the top 10 went to Kevin Zannoni (LCR E-Team); an impressive best yet, Fermín Aldeguer (OpenBank Aspar Team), Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing), Yonny Hernández (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Xavi Cardelús (Avintia Esponsorama Racing).
It’s now eight points in it between Torres and Aegerter, with Zaccone a further nine behind the Swiss rider and sidelined too. Granado remains in contention, just, but now 24 off the top. Race 2 will see the grid do battle for the final time in 2021, and that could all shuffle again.