On a glorious day in the Tuscan hillside, Daniel Holgado stamped his authority on the Moto3 championship with a slipstreamed snatching victory in Mugello. Holgado now heads to the Sachsenring next weekend with a 35 point lead in the championship. With no victory from pole position so far this season, an ongoing curse causing major heartache for our Turkish teenage wonderkid, Deniz Öncü. Losing a race in the last few metres can’t be easy to take, and I’m sure Öncü will be gunning for revenge next weekend in Germany.
Image Credit: Leopard Racing
AS IT HAPPENED
With no threat of rain and the track temperature at 36°, we all know that Moto3 at Mugello produces a blistering slipstreaming battle at the front and this race was no exception.
Before we got going, Romano Fenati stalled at the start having to start in the pit lane watching the rest of the pack blast down to San Donato (turn 1) with Holgado moving up to 2nd. Pushing hard on lap 1, Öncü managed to create a bit of a gap in his favoured sector 3, only to be swallowed up, caught and past on the straight by Holgado and Ayumu Sasaki closing out the first lap of the race.
Approaching the end of lap 3 and into lap 4, a snaking slipstreaming train of Moto3 riders dicing into turn 1 was becoming common practice for the race. A leading group of 8 riders now lead by Öncü onto lap 4, and it was anyone’s guess at this point as to who would come out on top.
Each time Öncü tried to break free from the pack, the group of riders behind had other ideas, especially Sasaki in the early stages of the race. Sasaki clearly comfortable sitting in second place and dicing with Holgado, Öncü and Jaume Masia at every opportunity. Could any rider break free and build a lead?
As the laps ticked by it was becoming clear that whoever was leading this race after the last turn of the last lap, it was going to be difficult to win the race. A special mention to Öncü and the overtake around the outside of Masia at the start lap 6 into San Donato it was definitely my favourite overtake of the race.
As we move past half distance, we had a tightly bunched up group of 5 riders continuing to dice and swap places at every opportunity. With 7 laps left to go any of the 5 riders could take victory in the Tuscan hillside. Öncü, Sasaki, Masia, Holgado and David Alonso all showing what they’re made of as the Italian crowd looked on with awe as to who would come out on top.
Snaking along the straight with 3 laps to go, it was clear that this was shaping up to be a last lap thriller of a finish and we weren’t disappointed. Even as the leading pack all received conduct warnings, it wasn’t going to stop any of them in pursuit of victory in Mugello.
Now heading into the last lap of the race, Sasaki was 3 bike lengths ahead heading down into San Donato and leading the race coming out of turn 1. Out of turn 2 and into turn 3, Holgado didn’t wait any longer to make a move and take the lead of the race. Holgado holding station for now in the next few corners until Öncü made a move in his beloved Arrabbiatta 2 (Turn 9). Now with only 5 corners left, Öncü clearly desperately clinging on to first as we headed into the final few corners. As the group wound round the last corner to take the straight for the final time and with only a few metres to go for Öncü, the slipstream blasted Holgado by Öncü taking the chequered flag and first win away from Öncü, gifting Holgado’s 3rd win of the season. A cruel and thrilling finish to an action packed Moto3 race in Mugello.
As we move on to Germany this week in the second race of our triple header of back to back races, will Öncü manage to finally get his maiden victory? Will anyone manage to put a dint in Holgado’s championship lead?
After taking pole position and a sprint race win, Pecco Bagnaia has rounded out his home race weekend with a win on Sunday. He took a dominant win, leading every lap of the race after overcoming a short early challenge from Jack Miller. He eventually came over the line 1.067 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
The Italian rider, celebrating his third race win of the season, made his way to the Bagnaia Fan Club grandstand to enjoy an alfresco hot dog – a very old-school celebration for the reigning champion!
Bagnaia has been able to extend his lead at the top of the championship standings, after a difficult weekend for Marco Bezzecchi, who wasn’t able to make his way any higher than 8th today.
Joining him on the podium were both Prima Pramac riders, Jorge Martin in 2nd and Johann Zarco in 3rd. The veteran Frenchman had to fight hard for a podium today, coming through from 9th on the grid and then battling hard with Luca Marini for much of the latter stages of the race.
After sharing Parc Ferme together, for the first time ever, after qualifying on Saturday, the Marquez brothers faced a far more difficult day today with both Marc and Alex ending up in the gravel. The first crash was from Marc whilst running in 4th. He went down at turn 15 on lap 6 after running a little too wide when chasing down Marini who was running in 3rd. Then, on lap 15, Alex went down at turn 2 whilst running in 3rd and facing a huge amount of pressure from Marini just behind him.
It was also a tricky day for Miller who, despite flying off the start line and leading the race into the first corner, was eventually shuffled back and had to settle for 7th. Fabio Quartararo has really been nowhere this weekend, failing to make it out of Q1, settling for 10th in the sprint race and then, today, finishing the race in 11th.
As It Happened
As the riders went out for their warm-up lap, one of the grandstands could be seen holding red and white cards that spelt “Ducati”. There was certainly a lot of expectation in the air and the crowd were hoping to see their first home-grown winner of the day.
As the lights went out and the race got started, Jack Miller was the rider to get the best start and before the grid had even passed the pit lane exit, he was leading the field. The glory was short-lived as Pecco Bagnaia was back ahead by the following corner.
Jorge Martin was also quick to make moves in the field, flying from his starting place of 6th up to 3rd.
As the first lap ended, with had Bagnaia in the lead, followed by Miller in 2nd, Martin in 3rd, Luca Marini in 4th, Marc Marquez in 5th and Alex Marquez in 6th.
Although things were quickly changing up and down the pack – the most significant move came when Martin took 2nd place away from Miller. Marini tried to follow the Prima Pramac rider through, and Miller and Marini then battling hard for 3rd. This battle let Martin break away ahead of them and he quickly built a 1 second lead over the fighting pair.
By this point in the race, the end of the second lap, Bagnaia already had a 0.4s lead over the rest of the field – he was exactly where he wanted to be, out in clear air and controlling the field with ease.
On the third lap, Marc Marquez seemingly came out of nowhere to make a stunning move that saw him overtake three other bikes. In the same move, his brother Alex Marquez lost control of his bike and in an attempt to stay upright, nearly took Miller out of the race. Miller was quick to show his frustrations and the pair were soon locked in to a tough battle, swapping and changing positions at almost every corner.
At lap 5, Johann Zarco was behind Brad Binder with the pair fighting hard for 7th place. He eventually bested the South African and, on the start-finish straight at the start of lap 6, the pair flew past Miller and shuffled him back down to 8th.
It was shortly after this move, at turn 15 of lap 6, that Marc Marquez ended up in the gravel thanks to going a little wide when trying to take 3rd away from Marini. He was clearly pushing hard on a seemingly mediocre bike and his frustrations were clear for everyone to see.
This gave Marini some breathing room as Marc Marquez was very hot on his tail. However, he was then being followed by the younger Alex Marquez who is an equally ferocious competitor.
It was at this point that everything seemed to settle down across the grid with the only moves coming from Fabio Quartararo, who moved up to 12th on lap 9, and Alex Marquez tussling with Marini for 3rd as well as Zarco starting to close in on Marini for 4th.
At lap 15, the second Marquez brother ended up in the kitty litter with Alex Marquez going down at at turn 2 – it seemed that the pressure he was put under by Marini just became too much for him.
Everyone’s attention then turned to Zarco who was trying hard to claim the final podium spot away from Marini. He made the slip stream work perfectly, getting close behind the VR46 machine, but couldn’t seem to make a move work. That was until lap 18 when a tough battle between the pair ended with Zarco finally on top.
All this battling allowed Martin and Bagnaia to pull away from the field, with Martin 1.9 seconds ahead and Bagnaia a further 1.3 seconds ahead of him.
Full Results
1st
Pecco Bagnaia
Lenovo Ducati
2nd
Jorge Martin
Prima Pramac
3rd
Johann Zarco
Prima Pramac
4th
Luca Marini
Mooney VR46
5th
Brad Binder
Red Bull KTM
6th
Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia
7th
Jack Miller
Red Bull KTM
8th
Marco Bezzecchi
Mooney VR46
9th
Enea Bastianini
Lenovo Ducati
10th
Franco Morbidelli
Monster Energy Yamaha
11th
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha
12th
Maverick Vinales
Aprilia
13th
Takaaki Nakagami
LCR Honda
14th
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Gresini
15th
Augusto Fernandez
GASGAS Tech 3
16th
Michele Pirro
Aruba.it
17th
Raul Fernandez
CryptoDATA RNF
18th
Lorenzo Savadori
Aprilia
19th
Jonas Folger
GASGAS Tech 3
DNFs: Miguel Oliveira (CrypotDATA RNF), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Alex Marquez (Gresini)
As we are becoming accustomed to in MotoGP this season, the sprint race was full of drama from start to finish, with multiple overtakes and lots of drama happening on every lap.
After taking a stunning pole position earlier in the day, and smashing the qualifying lap record, Pecco Bagnaia has taken a dominant win in the Mugello sprint race.
He was joined on the podium by fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, who fought hard to keep his teammate at bay.
It was a difficult race for Alex Marquez who, after putting in a brilliant qualifying lap and starting the race in 3rd, sadly crash at the first corner, bringing his day to a sudden and unexpected halt.
Similarly, Jack Miller and Marc Marquez will have been disappointed to finish in 6th and 7th respectively after enjoying some dramatic battles in the podium places at the early stages of the race.
We have two returning riders this weekend – Aleix Espargaro is back from a bicycle accident and finished in 8th, whilst Enea Bastianini, who has returned from injuries sustained earlier in the season, ended the day in 9th.
As It Happened
As the lights went out, the rain began to fall – however, it was only light rain which didn’t affect the grip on the tarmac.
Off the line, Bagnaia managed to hold on to the lead despite Marc Marquez appearing alongside him into turn 1. Bagnaia was able to strategically place his Ducati to block this attack and keep the lead. In doing this, he also hampered Jack Miller’s approach as he left the Aussie nowhere to go.
Further back, we had Johann Zarco flying off the line but he sadly goes wide in turn 1, which hampers his amazing start slightly.
In the middle of turn 1 of the first lap, Alex Marquez sadly found himself in the kitty litter after Brad Binder bumped into him on the inside. After reviewing the incident, Binder was deemed to be at fault and was later handed a long lap penalty. That did nothing to soothe Alex Marquez though, who was forced to watch the rest of the sprint race from the garage.
As the grid crosses the line to start lap 2, Jorge Martin stole 2nd from Marquez. He was clearly the real winner at the start, working his way up from 6th. Miller was also on the climb and, with the drama hotting up, Marquez found himself squeezed in to the middle of a Miller-Marini sandwich, which pushed him down the order and promoted Miller to 3rd.
There were aggressive moves happening up and down the field, including the front where Martin stole the lead from Bagnaia on lap 2.
It was at this point that Miguel Oliveira, the wet weather specialist who was running down in 13th, laid down the fast lap of the race so far proving his mastery of these tricky and changeable conditions.
With 4 of 11 laps completed, Bagnaia made his way back into the lead with Martin settling for 2nd. Just behind them were the two Mooney VR46 riders, Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini, who were putting in a brilliant performance for a race where their boss, Valentino Rossi, was watching from the garage.
By lap 6, the action started to settle down and there were a few gaps forming throughout the grid. Bezzecchi was now the rider setting fastest laps, with a lap so fast that is smashed the previous race lap record by 0.3 seconds! Shortly after that, Binder clocked the fastest ever speed recorded at Mugello, as he topped out at 366km/h.
As the lap counter ticked down, and we reached the final stages of the race, we had Bagnaia leading, but being chased down by Bezzecchi in 2nd, and Martin in 3rd with his teammate, Johann Zarco in 4th and hot on his tail. It continued this way until the checkered flag fell, with neither Bezzecchi nor Zarco able to manufacture a move on their competitors.
Full Results
1st
Francesco Bagnaia
Ducati Lenovo
2nd
Marco Bezzecchi
Mooney VR46
3rd
Jorge Martin
Prima Pramac
4th
Johann Zarco
Prima Pramac
5th
Luca Marini
Mooney VR46
6th
Jack Miller
Red Bull KTM
7th
Marc Marquez
Repsol Honda
8th
Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia
9th
Enea Bastianini
Ducati Lenovo
10th
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha
11th
Brad Binder
Red Bull KTM
12th
Miguel Oliveira
CryptoDATA RNF
13th
Maverick Vinales
Aprilia
14th
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Gresini
15th
Michele Pirro
Aruba. it
16th
Franco Morbidelli
Monster Energy Yamaha
17th
Takaaki Nakagami
LCR Honda
18th
Lorenzo Savadori
Aprilia
19th
Raul Fernandez
CryptoDATA RNF
20th
Augusto Fernandez
GASGAS Tech3
21st
Jonas Folder
GASGAS Tech3
DNFs: Alex Rins (LCR Honda), Alex Marquez (Gresini)
Following two pole positions in a row, Sam Lowes was hoping to have a successful qualifying at Mugello this weekend but the best he could do was third place. Aron Canet crashed out in the second qualifying session but the time he set in the first half of the session, a 1:50.796, was too good for any rider to beat and he will line up on pole position tomorrow, dependent on the medical review he will have before the race starts tomorrow.
The top four spots in the first qualifying session were constantly changing but it seemed to be the same four riders who seemed most comfortable on the Italian asphalt.
Darryn Binder was so confident that he did not need to go out for a second time in the session with the time he set to take second place, behind Ai Ogura, at the halfway point. Even with all the other riders out on track, he was safe and finished the session in fourth place. Jeremy Alcoba and Joe Roberts both set faster times than Binder, dropping him down to fourth fastest.
The riders who made it through to Q2 from Q1 were Roberts, Ogura, Alcoba and Binder.
All riders went out at the start of Q2 to set some banker laps. After the first few tours of the circuit, Canet topped the timesheet with a 1:15.089, followed by Lowes and Manuel Gonzalez.
With nine and half minutes remaining on the clock, Pedro Acosta took the top spot away from Canet, but the Pons Wegow Los40 rider was able to take the position back almost immediately.
At the halfway point of the session, all riders except for Mattia Pasini had set a representative lap time.
With six minutes to go, provisional pole sitter Canet crashed out at the exit of turn three and he lost his visor through the crash. He was taken to the medical centre and following a review, a small bone infraction was found on the ring and little fingers of his right hand. The doctors have decided to review him tomorrow before the race before they make the decision on whether he is fit to race.
Ogura also crashed during the session at turn 12.
At the end of the session, no rider was able to put together a good lap. Alonso Lopez and Celestino Vietti both set fast sectors 1 and 2 but were not able to improve in the third and fourth sectors.
Lining up on the front row alongside Canet will be Acosta and Lowes, who continues his streak of starting on the front row. Roberts, Filip Salac and Jake Dixon fill up the second row. Vietti, Fermin Aldeguer and Lopez are the riders who will start on the third row.
Championship leader Tony Arbolino will start tomorrow’s race from tenth on the grid.
Rory Skinner was injured in the morning practice session due to a collision with Alcoba, forcing him to withdraw from the race and move his focus onto the next round in Sachsenring.
2023 ITALIAN MOTO2 GRAND PRIX, MUGELLO – QUALIFYING RESULTS
With dark clouds lurking in the skies over the circuit in the Tuscan hillside, we headed into the Moto3 qualifying session here in Mugello unsure if the sunshine would hold out for the riders. After nothing short of perfection so far this weekend, could anyone put a stop to Red Bull KTM rider Deniz Öncü taking pole position?
With the longest straight on the MotoGP calendar, as always it’s a battle of the slip stream in Moto3. In Q1, we saw Ryusei Yamanaka dragging Joel Kelso along to post the fastest time. Kelso, with a fantastic lap of 1:57.282, returned to the pits confident of his Q2 slot which was later proved to be right.
As all of the riders took to the track for a final run at getting into Q2, and with only 5 seconds left of the session, Jose Antonio Rueda moved up into 2nd in the timings only to be quickly booted out of the top 4 by a swarm of riders crossing the finish line. Taiyo Furusato, Stefano Nepa, Vicente Perez and Kelso ended Q1 as your top 4 riders.
As we headed into Q2 the battle for pole was on. Deniz Öncü has been outstanding so far this weekend and quickest in every session. Sat in the pits, the riders all picked who to follow out onto the circuit to get the best slip stream possible.
In the early stages of Q2, Daniel Holgado and Öncü were dicing with each other during their first runs, nearly coming together at one point and resulting in Öncü diving into the pits to wait for a better spot to go back out.
With 8 minutes of the session left and all of the riders were now posting flying laps. It was Kelso who set the fastest lap with Diogo Moreira, Ayumu Sasaki and Jaume Masia rounding up the top 4. All riders headed back to the pits after their first attempts at pole, only to leave Öncü and Sasaki still pushing on track.
With the track empty and taking full advantage, Öncü quickly posted the fastest time of 1:56.135, nearly half a second clear of Kelso in 2nd. As the riders now made their way back out of the pits for the second attempt, they had a mountain to climb to claim pole position here in Mugello. Coming to the end of their out laps and half the pack blasting down the long straight into turn 1 , could anyone challenge Öncü’s time with only a minute remaining in the session?
Despite having provisional pole, Öncü wasn’t slowing down for anyone, again going faster and posting a 1:56.020 chasing that elusive 1:55 lap time. As the swarm of riders crossed the line on their next flying laps it was Kelso hanging onto 2nd with Sasaki in 3rd and Moreira 4th.
A brilliant qualifying for Kelso but an even better performance from Öncü who showed total dominance and ended the session half a second quicker than anyone else. Sasaki, true to form, ended up on the front row of the grid, his fifth front row start of the season. Rounding off the front row for the race tomorrow is championship leader Holgado promoted to 3rd on the grid after the penalties.
Top 10:
1. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – 1:56.020
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) + 0.591
3. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) +0.780
4. Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) +0.844
5. Ricardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) +0.983
6. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) +1.077
7. Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power) +1.323
8. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) +1.338
9. Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) +1.454
10. David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) +1.498
The jewel in the crown of the MotoGP season has delivered us a tantalising qualifying session, building the excitement ahead of the two races this weekend.
Championship leader and home hero, Pecco Baganai has set the first ever 1:44 lap at Mugello to take pole in the Tuscan hills. He tackled the pressure of being an Italian rider, on an Italian bike, at an Italian track in spectacular style to the delight of the grandstands.
He will be joined on the front row by both Marc and Alex Marquez, in 2nd and 3rd respectively. This is the first time the brothers have been in parc ferme together.
It was a truly difficult day for Fabio Quatararo who wasn’t able to get out of Q1 and will line up in 15th for the sprint and main races.
Qualifying 1
There were some big names in the first qualifying session, including both Monster Yamaha riders, Fabi Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, Jack Miller, Alex Marquez, Maverick Vinales and rookie-on-the-rise, Augusto Fernandez.
In the early stages of the session, it was Alex Marquez who set the first fastest lap – so fast, he was just shy of the overall lap record. Slotting in behind him, in the second promotion spot, was Morbidelli.
As normal, the riders made their way back to the garages to change tires before their second run. Vinales first improved up in to the promotion spots, followed by Miller who leap-frogged him to second.
This pushed Morbidelli down to 4th, who stayed one place ahead of teammate Quartararo who was having a day to forget.
As the checkered flag fell for Q1, it was Alex Marquez (1:45.231) and Jack Miller (1:45.559, +0.328) who progressed to the next session for their shot at pole.
Qualifying 2
As rain threatened to add some drama to qualifying, every rider was quickly out on track and eager to set themselves a banker lap.
With Valentino Rossi watching from the sidelines, his VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi set the first flying lap with a 1:45.372. Marc Marquez and Jack Miller were close on his tail, taking 2nd and 3rd respectively.
With 11 minutes left on the clock, and without having yet set a lap time, Enea Bastianini crashed at turn 11 to give himself a huge amount of hard work on his return to MotoGP after recovering from an injury.
Jorge Martin then takes provisional pole away from Bezzecchi just before the riders came back to the garages for a tire change.
Instead of waiting to rejoin the track with everyone else, Pecco Bagnaia came out early to enjoy a complete empty track. However, he was soon joined by Marc Marquez and Bagnaia didn’t hide his frustrations at this, waving to the Spaniard and angrily gesturing to him.
Despite being forced to tow the Spaniard round the track, Bagnaia’s pace was blistering and he crossed the line to set the first ever 1:44 lap at Mugello, smashing the previous lap record. Marc Marquez, however, had to settle for 2nd as he was 0.078s behind the reigning championship
Luca Marini had his previously-cancelled lap time reinstated after the session, gifting 4th place back to him. Aleix Espargaro faced opposite luck – he looked set for a front row start but as the other riders set flying laps, he was eventually shuffled down to 8th.
The earlier Superpole race saw Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) claim his second win of the weekend, after the race was red flagged with only 3 laps remaining. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) finished 2nd, with Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) rounding out the podium.
WorldSBK Round 5 Misano Picture courtesy of HRC
Conditions were again ideal for racing, and Bautista was looking to make it 14 wins out of 15 races so far this season. Doing so would cement his name in the history books as the first rider to achieve it. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) was declared unfit to race due to a leg injury sustained in the Superpole race.
Lights out then for race 2, and it was Toprak with the hole shot into turn 1 looking to make life difficult early on for Bautista. Bautista was in 2nd, Rinaldi 3rd, Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 4th, Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 5th, Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 6th. Both Kawasaki’s then got through on Bassani, moving Rea and Lowes into 4th, and 5th respectively. Vierge (Honda HRC) 7th, Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorlsSBK) 8th, Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 9th, and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 10th.
Next lap of 21 laps and Bautista takes the lead for the first time using all the top end speed of the yellow Ducati to scream past Toprak down the straight.
With 19 laps to go, Toprak now had the other Ducati to worry about with Rinaldi sizing him up for the pass. He made the move stick and Rinaldi moved up into 2nd. Meanwhile Bassani got back past both factory Kawasaki’s and into 4th.
Next lap and Bautista had pulled out his lead to 1.6s. Further back it was Redding 10th, Oettl (Team GoEleven) 11th, and Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 12th.
With 16 laps to go, and a stark warning for the other riders, Bautista put in the new fastest lap a 1:33.936, and extended his lead to 2.7s in the process. Meanwhile further back Vierge had now caught the back of the factory Kawasaki team mates, and was also looking for the pass. In 3rd place Toprak held a gap of 2.6s over Bassani in 4th.
Then with 14 laps to go, drama for Alex Lowes who crashed out of the race, losing control of his Kawasaki before it plunged into the gravel. He looked unhurt, and was able to walk away.
Next lap and Redding got mugged by both the GYTR Yamahas, as first Gardner, and then Aegerter got past, 11th and 12th respectively. That dropped Redding down to 14th, and then Brad Ray (MotoxRacing Yamaha) seized the opportunity and dived through. Redding now in 15th, lost 3 places in a few corners, another disappointing race for the factory BMWs.
WorldSBK Round 5 Misano Picture courtesy of KRT
Just over half race distance and Redding had now dropped down to 17th, he seemed furious and could be seen shaking his head as he came past his pit board. Meanwhile at the front, Toprak was slowly reeling Rinaldi in and the gap was cut down to 0.2s.
With 8 laps remaining the factory BMWs were now in 16th and 17th, with the two satellite bikes of Gerloff and Baz ahead of them. The Texan, Gerloff, was best placed in 10th.
Next lap and Bautista had a commanding lead of 5.0s and was looking as comfortable as he had all season long. Meanwhile having caught Rinaldi, Toprak dived up the inside of the Italian to move into 2nd. The Turkish rider held a gap of 7.8s over Bassani in 4th. Bassani then held a gap of 1.0s over Rea, with Rea holding a gap of 1.9s over Vierge in 6th.
Not willing to concede his place to Toprak in front of his home fans, Rinaldi then ran into turn 1 too hot, collected the rear of Toprak in the process and crashed out. Toprak stayed upright and held onto his position, while Bassani was now in podium contention.
With only 5 laps remaining, Petrucci had now caught the back of Locatelli in 6th and was looking for the pass. Further back it was Oetll in 8th, Gerloff 9th, and Gardner in 10th. Drama for Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) who went down into turn 3, his race was over.
With 3 laps to go, reigning BSB champion Brad Ray, seemed to suffer a mechanical issue and went back to the pits his race over. That allowed both Rokit BMWs of Sykes, and Redding to move up into 13th and 14th respectively.
WorldSBK Round 5 Misano Picture courtesy of KRT
Last lap, and Bautista crossed the line with a gap of 8.4s over Toprak in 2nd. That made it 14 wins of the first 15 races in a season, and moved him into the history books. Bassani 3rd, Rea 4th, Vierge 5th, Locatelli 6th, Petrucci 7th, Gerloff 8th, Oetll 9th, and Gardner 10th.
Back to Misano after the few weeks break for the riders, and it will be the first of two rounds in Italy this season, with a trip to Imola for round 7. Breaking news earlier in the week saw a major shake up in the grid with news Toprak Razgatlioglu would be leaving Yamaha at the end of the season, with a shock switch to BMW.
WorldSBK Misano Race 1 Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
The earlier Superpole saw Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) claim pole with a time of 1:33.017, sporting the new one off yellow livery for Ducati. Followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK), and Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Conditions for race 1 were near enough perfect as the riders lined up on the grid.
Lights out then for the first race of the weekend, and it was Bautista with the hole shot into turn 1, followed by his team mate Rinaldi in 2nd, Toprak in 3rd, Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 4th, Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 5th, Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 6th, and Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 7th.
Next lap of 20 laps, and Bassani cut under Rea in a high speed corner to take 5th, the Italian was looking aggressive early on. It was another Italian who set the new fastest lap, Rinaldi with a 1:34.136 in 2nd. It was a Ducati 1, 2 at the front, and Bautista extended his lead to 0.8s. Meanwhile further back Scott Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) was in 11th, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK) 12th, and Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) 13th.
With 16 laps to go, Bautista had now increased his gap over Rinaldi to 0.9s. Meanwhile Bassani, continued his aggressive start and was all over the back of Petrucci and looking for the pass. The Brit Brad Ray (MotoxRacing Yamaha) was down in 18th after stalling on the grid.
Next lap and Bautista had now extended his lead to 1.4s, and was slowly pulling away from Rinaldi. The Italian unable to match his pace, so too Toprak in 3rd was losing contact with both riders ahead of him. Meanwhile Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made a charge moving initially past Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and then through on Lecuona (Honda HRC) to take 8th. Moving up two places in a few corners. Meanwhile the gap to Aegerter in 7th was at 4.4s.
With 13 laps remaining, Rinaldi held a gap of 1.9s to Toprak in 3rd. Bassani in 5th held a gap of 1.1s to Rea in 6th. Meanwhile Domi Aegerter was all over the back of Rea and looking for the pass. Rea was not having a happy time on his Kawasaki, and wasn’t getting the drive, or stability he was hoping for.
WorldSBK Misano Race 1 Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
Nearing half race distance, and Petrucci, was having one of his best races of the season so far and was closing in on Toprak, reducing the gap to 0.5s.
Just over half race distance, and Toprak responded to the Petrucci charge by increasing the gap to 0.9s. Meanwhile out in the lead, Bautista looked ice cool as he had much of the season, and held a gap of 3.1s. Rinaldi held a gap of 2.9s. Rinaldi was in 2nd, Toprak 3rd, Petrucci 4th, Bassani 5th, Rea 6th, Aegerter 7th.
With 7 laps to go both the factory BMW’s were struggling in 12th and 17th. Meanwhile Rea had his hands full defending his position from Aegerter in 6th. Brad Ray hadn’t made any headway and was still in 18th.
Next lap, and drama for Petrucci who crashed out of 4th place, he had been looking good all race until that point.
With only 4 laps remaining positions were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Rinaldi 3. Toprak 4. Bassani 5. Rea 6. Aegerter 7. Lowes 8. Lecuona 9. Gardner 10. Vierge. Redding, the best placed BMW rider, was all over the back of Vierge and looking for the pass.
Penultimate lap, and it was Bautista’s to lose.
WorldSBK Misano Race 1 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK
Last lap and it was a Ducati 1, 2 in the yellow livery for the team’s home race, and Bautista’s 12th win of the season. Rinaldi 2nd, Toprak 3rd, Bassani 4th, Rea 5th, Aegerter 6th, Lowes 7th, Lecuona 8th, Gardner 9th, Vierge 10th.
British Superbikes 2023 – Some of the Story so far.
Round 3 Donington Park. Baking under the early Spring sunshine, the Derbyshire track once again provided a great weekends racing. Dominated by a trio of wins from Yamaha, namely Kyle Ryde Lami Vape OMG Yamaha (2) and Jason O’Halloran McAMS Yamaha (1).
Followed up with podiums from regulars to the box and clear championship contenders, Josh Brookes, Glenn Irwin, Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam. Surprise of the weekend coming in the form of 2nd place finisher from Race 2, Ryan Vickers bagging his maiden podium in the Superbike class on board his Lami Vape OMG Yamaha.
With the new points system in place, cast aside have been the moans and groan of the pessimists as the new points system is proving to be keeping the points close this season, that in addition to the different mix of riders able to win races in 2023 and the unfortunate DNF’s of the Beermonster Ducati team (neither rider finishing the first race on Sunday). Also add in to that the unexpectedly problematic start to the season from widely acclaimed preseason favorite, championship contender Jason O’Halloran and you have the top 5 in the standings covered by 10 points after 9 races.
British Superbike Standings After Round 3
So who’s got 2023 right so far?
For one it seems now the move by both Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell to Paul Bird’s Beermonster Ducati has been a stroke of genius for all involved, especially Paul for pursuing the 2 riders. Many expected fireworks from the Ducati pairing, with Irwin being a feisty character who commands ‘full gas’ from those around him while Bridewell has been the solo entrant for his team for the last 5 years under the Oxford Products Ducati banner in the MotoRapido team ran by Steve Moore, it was thought by those in the know that the two potentially wouldn’t co-exist in the same environment.
BeerMonster Ducati – Glenn Irwin – Picture PBM Ducati and Double Red
So far though, the 2 British Superbike veterans are remaining professional, co-existing nicely and keeping the on-track battles clean and respectful. Whether this will remain the plan come Brands Hatch in a few months remains to be seen. Both Irwin and Bridewell are in the best position they have ever been to be crowned British Superbike Champion this year. Tommy is leading the championship on 119 points followed closely by Glenn on 116 points.
BeerMonster Ducati – Tommy Bridewell – Picture PBM Ducati and Double Red
Another rider to be kicking 2023 off on the positive foot is Lami Vape OMG Yamaha rider, Kyle Ryde.
With 5 podiums, including 1 win throughout the whole of 2022 season, Ryde has already chalked up 3 dominant wins in 2023. He is 5th in the championship, but crucially only 10 points behind leader Bridewell. According to paddock sources, Ryde is fitter, stronger, more determined and professional this year. It seems nothing but a championship is the goal for the team which secured the 2022 BSB crown with Brad Ray, and Kyle is on course for being right in the mix come the end of season. Depsite a DNF at Donington Park, Ryde has laid down a marker that he IS one of the men to beat in 2023. Kyle Currently sits 5th in the standings on 109 points. Also a special mention to his team mate, Ryan Vickers who despite missing a full round of the BSB after an opperation, he currently sits 8th overall, helped by his maiden podium this weekend at Donington Park.
Kyle Ryde – Official BSB Image
Some of us are not surprised at all!
Josh Brookes left the PBM Ducati team at the end of 2022 with some questions as to whether he was past his best? Struggling with form since his Championship winning 2020 season, Brookes made no secret of the fact he believed it was the Ducati Panigale V4 that was the problem during the 21 & 22 seasons.
Josh Brookes – FHO BMW – Official BSB Image
FHO BMW announced Brookes as partnering their long-term rider Peter Hickman on the BMW M1000RR and from Round 1, Josh has come out swinging. 5 podiums including 2 wins so far in 2023 shows Brookes still has the will to win, the skill to win and the determination to be British Champion. It also points towards the fact Josh could have been correct, claiming it was the previous version of the V4R that was hindering the popular Australian. The PBM team have returned to winning ways under new riders Irwin and Bridewell aboard the new for 2023 V4 Ducati, but it’s somewhat Ironic that the rider joining them, winning races and sharing the podium is the very same rider who left the team the previous year under scrutiny. No doubt Josh finds humor in this, ‘coz I know we all do. Josh currently sits 3rd in the standings on 114 points.
Josh Brookes on the Podium – Image Courtesy of FHO Racing BMW
Rokit BMW Motorrad Team.
In true Haslam style, grit and determination have put Leon on the grid this year in a true privateer effort. Sponsorship coming from the Rokit company with some support from the SMR BMW team in World Superbikes bringing together the infrastructure for Leon to start his own team with a view to bringing talent through the ranks all the way to BSB. No surprise to most, after a very successful test out in Spain at the start of the season, it was clear Haslam has gelled with the BMW machinery and it has enabled him to mount a strong start to the 2023 season. While race wins have evaded him so far, 4 podiums in 9 races is a vast improvement on his 2022 campaign aboard the Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki and one that Leon would have snapped your arm off had you predicted this before the season got underway. Outshining all but Brookes on the FHO BMW, Haslam’s operation is certainly turning heads. Leon proves a case for experience will always carry the series forward over youthful exuberance. Leon currently lies 4th in the standings on 110 points.
Leon Haslam Rokit BMW – Image Official BSB
2023 is shaping up to be a strong debut from the Mar-Train Yamaha team.
Making the step up to Superbikes from Supersport after years of domination, Jack Kennedy and team are regularly inside the top 10 and has scored points in all but 1 race so far this year. Being honest, I think it’s surprising the team can run in such company so early in their superbike tenure, while vastly experienced in the 600 category, the Superbike is still new ground. However, I am not shocked Kennedy has been so competitive. If anything as a multiple Supersport Champion, I feel Jack should be able to run with the front pack. I’d go as far as saying by next year he should be running for the podium. Kennedy has the experience and the calibre to do so. Hopefully over the summer of racing, the team and Jack keep making them marginal gains and start to knock on the door of regular top 5’s. Kennedy will be under survailance from some of the other teams in the paddock, if not already on the radar for the likes of McAMS Yamaha, Honda Racing UK etc. Well done Jack and Mar-Train Yamaha I say! Jack currently sits 9th in the championship on 50 points.
Jack Kennedy – MarTrain Yamaha – Image Official BSBMy final hurrah goes to Danny Kent of Lovell Kent Racing Honda. While the standings themselves do not show it, Danny has pedaled some good laps this season. Running in the top 5 and spinning some fast laps in qualifying. For another true privateer team, Kent has adapted to the Honda well and hopefully a little consistency will come his way and bring the points. A DNF at Oulton Park and 2 DNF’s at Donington haven’t helped Kent, but by the same vain the points gaps are closer and if Danny can spin it around, he will soon make ground on the top 5. He is a World Champion after all.
Danny Kent – Lovell Kent Racing – Image Official BSB
Who hasn’t 2023 been kind to?
Unfortunately the first name on the list has to be Jason O’Halloran. The curse of Oulton Park kicking in again for the 3rd year running with a double DNF during iffy weather conditions, also affecting his qualifying positions for Race 3 where he was able to fight his way back into the top 10 to finish off the weekend, some 22 seconds back from the leaders. Unfortunately for Jason, Donington didn’t start well either. What appeared to be a wrong tyre choice left him battling to save points with Jason crossing the line in 14th overall. Luckily a change of tyre compound for the Sunday racing, O’Show was out of the blocks bagging his first race win of the season in Race 2 and a close battle between Oxford Products Christian Iddon, FS3 Lee Jackson and O’Show in Race 3 saw Jason come off worst with a 7th over the line.
39 points separate O’Halloran from Kyle Ryde in 5th position overall and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Oulton Park and Doningotn Race 1 have left O’Halloran with quite the hill to climb. Later in the season we enter the showdown races and the finale. Showdown in title only, the new points system could give Jason the opportunity he needs to recoup some points on his competitors if a late season flurry of wins is on the cards. Jason currently lies 6th in the championship on 70 points.
Jason O’Halloran – Bennetts Image
Another victim of 2023 cruelty?
Christian Iddon. Widely anticipated to hit the front winning races from the very get go, Iddon seems to have had no luck so far this season. A few early technical gremlins for the Ducati, combined with Christian being taken out of the race by Charlie Nesbit (Silverstone) and Andrew Irwin (Donington) have left ‘fan favourite’ Iddon pedaling like mad playing catch up. Unfortunately, once you are on the back foot it is very difficult to bridge the gap without other riders suffering misfortune. Hopefully Iddon will benefit from the new points system, while working on fighting his way back to the front of British Superbikes. Christian is currently 10th overall in the championship on 49 points.
Christian Iddon – Oxford Products Ducati – Ducati UK Image
Poor Andrew Irwin of Honda Racing UK.
A triple DNF at Donington Park has left the Honda rider down in 12th position in the standings. Many expected Irwin to be resurrecting his winning form of 2019/20 where he teamed with brother, Glenn but so far it hasn’t gone to plan. With a lot of fans arguing over “Do you go for the gap or not” after Irwin was involved in an incident with Chrstian Iddon, going for the gap at the hairpin with both riders going down. BSB Race Direction said “Following analysis of multiple video sources including onboard cameras, and after hearing the accounts of both riders, the Race Direction concluded that neither rider acted in a careless, reckless or dangerous manner and no further action was required”.
However after an incident with Storm Stacey in subsequent race, in almost identical moves, Irwin was handed 3 penalty points and a 3 place grid penalty for the next race following the incident with Stacey. Irwin apologised to Storm, his team and the Honda Racing UK team in a post on social media.
The truth be told it’s a conversation for race direction, Andy Irwin himself and team principal Harvier Beltran. Only they know if this is a homecoming combination of their dreams or whether it’s going tits up. Andy Irwin comes across as a lovely lad, popular with some fans and hopefully can find some consistency and finish races. I wish him luck.
Andrew Irwin – Image @AndrewIrwin8 Twitter
So that’s it. A bit of a wrap up on 2023 so far.
Who’s your money on moving forwards? Are you more interested in the story from the back half of the grid? The progression of riders such as Davey Todd, Jack Scott, Tom and Tim Neave? Are the rookies performing as you expected? For more thoughts, chat and a bit of banter follow me on twitter and we can continue this discussion @RacingArmchair
Tony Arbolino wins the red-flagged Moto2 French Grand Prix ahead of Filip Salac, who took his first podium in the dry, and Alonso Lopez following a three-rider crash on lap two.
After starting on pole, Sam Lowes had a good start, but Lopez was able to get past at turn two to take the lead of the race. Further down the field, Jake Dixon and Aron Canet brushed against each other but were both able to continue. Fermin Aldeguer was the big gainer during the first lap moving up from 11th place to fifth at the midway point of the lap.
Coming over the start-finish line for the first time, Arbolino overtook Lopez to lead the field. At turn two, Lowes caused a yellow flag after crashing when his front tyre locked. At the exit of turn five, Albert Arenas, Manuel Gonzalez and Canet were involved in a crash which initially resulted in a yellow flag followed by a red flag on lap 3.
Following the red flag, information was shared that all riders were conscious, and Canet was taken to the medical centre for further checks.
As three laps had not been completed, a shortened 14-lap race with original grid positions and a quick-start procedure was selected as the restart method. All riders were eligible for the restart.
All riders who were able to start the race made it out of the pitlane in time to start from their grid positions except for Lowes who was 5 seconds too late and therefore started the warmup lap from the pitlane and the race from the back of the grid.
From the restart, Arbolino got the best start and was able to take the race lead into the Dunlop Chicane. Pedro Acosta had a better restart the second time around moving up to fifth. Aldegueur was unable to make up as many places on the first lap, ending up in sixth place as he crossed the start-finish line.
Lopez and Acosta spent two laps fighting for second place which allowed Arbolino to break away from the rest of the field and Salac to catch them up. By lap four, Salac was able to get past Lopez, but Arbolino pulled out a 0.7-second lead over Acosta.
At turn 7 on lap 5, Acosta crashed out of second place promoting Salac to second place. Also on lap 5, Rory Skinner crashed out at turn 6.
Arbolino continued to extend the gap to 1.8s until he made a mistake on lap 6 allowing Salac to reduce the time between them to 0.7s.
Dixon was able to pass Aldeguer on lap 7, just before the Spanish rider received communication that he had received a long-lap penalty for taking a shortcut between turns 9 and 10. As Aldeguer completed his long-lap penalty, Sergio Garcia and Ai Ogura were able to pass him.
By lap 10, the gap between Arbolino and Salac had been at 0.5s at its lowest, and Salac kept setting laps faster than the Italian rider but was unable to do so before the chequered flag waved after fourteen laps. Lopez was able to cross the line in third place. Celestino Vietti finished just behind Lopez.
Dixon and Somkiat Chantra battled for fifth place until Dixon was able to pass the Thai rider at Garage Vert. Dixon and Chantra finished the race in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Barry Baltus was close behind the pair, crossing the line in seventh.
A few laps after his long-lap penalty, Aldeguer overtook the two riders who passed him earlier and finished 9 seconds behind the race winner.
After the crash during the first start, Lowes was able to salvage one point by finishing in 15th place.
