ThePitcrewOnline

Tag: Misano

  • WorldSBK: Points gap to Bulega slashed by Razgatlioglu after Misano treble

    WorldSBK: Points gap to Bulega slashed by Razgatlioglu after Misano treble

    Toprak Razgatlioglu has slashed the championship points lead of Nicolo Bulega after the BMW rider romped to a treble of victories in Misano and his Ducati rival went pointless in the Tissot Superpole Race.

    TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE

    With Bulega now able to start on pole position having served his 3-place grid penalty in Race 1 yesterday, he was keen to get the hole-shot into the first corner.  However, Axel Bassani (gambling on qualifying tyres for the half-distance event) got a much better launch but went into turn 1 too fast and eliminated himself and Bulega on the spot.

    Thankfully neither of the Italian riders were injured on home soil and were able to race again in the full-distance race in the afternoon.  Bulega was fuming that Bassani did not immediately offer an apology and the latter was dealt a double long-lap penalty for Race 2.

    Razgatlioglu was very fortunate to have avoided the chaos at turn 1 and after his main rival went down the half-distance race was a foregone conclusion.  The Turkish rider came home 4 seconds clear of an impressive Alex Lowes (also on qualifying rubber) in 2nd place who secured the first podium finish for Bimota in 25 years that arguably might have gone to his teammate if not for the accident at turn 1.

    The rival Yamahas of Andrea Locatelli and Remy Gardner squabbled over 3rd place on lap 1 and their resulting battle left the latter vulnerable to Danilo Petrucci.  Unfortunately for Petrucci’s teammate and compatriot Yari Montella he crashed out while chasing Iker Lecuona for the final points-paying position in 9th.

    Andrea Iannone was given yet another double long-lap penalty for jumping the start having already been found guilty of the same offence twice before this year.  That ruled him out of the fight for points, where the man with the most pace on Sunday morning was Alvaro Bautista.

    Bautista was determined to improve his grid position for Race 2 by finishing in the top 9 of the Tissot Superpole Race and eventually made it past Gardner for 5th.  Gardner then slipped behind Sam Lowes and Jonathan Rea, who was finally showing some promising pace in his injury-affected 2025 campaign.

    TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS

     

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    RACE 2

    Having dropped 12 points to Razgatlioglu in the Tissot Superpole Race and consigned to starting in 10th for Race 2 of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, Bulega had a point to prove on Sunday afternoon.  The championship leader had made it into 2nd place with 17 laps still to go, but it was already too late to catch Razgatlioglu up front who won by a dominant margin of almost 10 seconds.

    Once Razgatlioglu survived the first lap in the lead from pole position the ‘treble’ never looked in doubt.  This was the second time in as many years that Razagtlioglu had won all three races in Misano and he has now cut the points gap to Bulega down to just 9 points at the halfway point of the season.

    In the sweltering Sunday afternoon heat that was 3 degrees hotter than Race 1 a day earlier, Locatelli, Petrucci and Alex Lowes were once again the riders who ran behind Razgatlioglu.  Bautista took some time to get up to speed but after being passed by his charging teammate the Spaniard began his pursuit of the podium.

    Around the halfway point of the race, Bautista engaged in battle with Locatelli for 3rd and sealed the deal with a move at turn 10.  It was particularly important for Bautista to have a good result as it was revealed ahead of the Misano weekend that negotiations between himself and his factory Ducati team had broken down over a 2026 contract.

    Gardner and Montella suffered a high-speed crash while Jonathan Rea slid out of 9th to end his encouraging weekend on a low.  Likewise, Alex Lowes crashed out of 6th after his and Bimota’s breakthrough podium finish earlier in the day but recovered to finish 14th.

    The double long-lap penalty for torpedoing Bulega in the Tissot Superpole Race cost the other Bimota of Bassani any chance of a good result after such a strong qualifying earlier in the weekend, while Iannone’s nightmare weekend continued with a crash two laps from home.

    The attrition left Locatelli ahead of Petrucci in 4th, with the Italian struggling to keep the Lowes brothers and the Lecuona behind.  Once Alex Lowes slid off, Petrucci just held on ahead of Lecuona and Sam Lowes for another solid result that helps keep him narrowly ahead of the factory Ducati of Bautista in the championship.

    There was a monumental gap between Sam Lowes in 7th and Garrett Gerloff in 8th.  The fight over P8 however was absolutely thrilling.

    Gerloff prevailed over Xavi Vierge, an under-pressure Michael van der Mark and an impressive Ryan Vickers but the race-long fight for 8th also featured Iannone and Scott Redding before they both crashed out with less than 2 laps to go.  The battles further down the grid compensated for the lack of action at the sharp end as an ecstatic Razgatlioglu gets ever more motivated to switch to MotoGP next year as the reigning World Superbike champion, but Bulega is far from beaten as the season concludes its first half…

    RACE 2 RESULTS

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu lays down marker in Misano Race 1

    WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu lays down marker in Misano Race 1

    After inheriting pole position but falling to third at the start, Toprak Razgatlioglu fresh from the news of his move to MotoGP calmly retook the lead of Race 1 at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round to ominously breeze past home hero Nicolo Bulega.

    In the 30 Degrees Celsius Saturday afternoon sunshine, there was some great action on lap 1 as Bulega shot through from 4th on the grid (having been penalised three spots after going fastest in Superpole) to take the lead through the fast turn 11 from Axel Bassani.  Bassani had stolen the lead after Razgatlioglu ran wide through the long left-hander of turn 5 while Dominique Aegerter and Bahattin Sofuoglu both went down at the same spot seconds later.

    Alex Lowes put a move on Andrea Locatelli for 4th on lap 2 but just seconds later his Bimota teammate Bassani crashed out, as did Andrea Iannone.  This left Razgatlioglu free to chase after Bulega and the two left Lowes behind on track, with the gap already being at 4 seconds by lap 4.

    By the 5th lap, Razgatlioglu was confidently closing on Bulega and easily swept past in a move that saw him encounter little defence.  Bulega simply had to accept that his BMW rival was a cut above the rest at the circuit where the Turk had performed a hat-trick one year ago and the race was ultimately settled at this point.

    Danilo Petrucci had passed Locatelli for 4th and set about catching Lowes for 3rd.   It appeared that Petrucci had sealed the deal but with 6 laps to go Lowes retaliated, only for the Italian to get back ahead a couple of corners later in an interesting duel for the final spot on the podium.

    Behind the top 4 came Locatelli who held off Alvaro Bautista for 5th then Sam Lowes and Yari Montella were behind and closely contested 7th place.  Scott Redding sandwiched the Honda duo with Jonathan Rea, Ryan Vickers, Garrett Gerloff and a returning Michael Ruben Rinaldi rounding out the points scorers.

    RACE 1 RESULTS

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

     

  • MotoGP: The Beast Strikes In Misano

    MotoGP: The Beast Strikes In Misano

    Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) clearly reflected on his Sprint race performance and upped his game for Sunday’s main event. ‘The Beast’ Enea hunted down Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and simply wouldn’t let anyone else take the victory.

    Was the winning overtake controversial? Yes! Of course it was, that said we have seen far worse moment’s in the heat of battle! It was a last lap battle for glory. It was hard racing and to some it crossed the line, but Bastianini took the chance and it paid off. Enea was rewarded for his relentless pursuit to win at his home Grand Prix in Misano.

    Martin had given everything to win and I’m sure would have been far angrier had title rival Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) not crashed out of the race. With the world champion in the gravel from a comfortable 3rd, Martin now has a 24pts lead in the championship as we head to Indonesia next weekend.

    Image Credit: MotoGP
    Image Credit: MotoGP

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Martin made a great start off the line and took the lead into turn 1. It was short lived as Martin ran in too hot into turn 2 and Pecco went around the outside of Martin and retook the lead into turn 2.

    Pecco looked strong on lap 1 with almost half a second gap to Martin at the end of the lap. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a great start and gained 7 places on the 1st lap and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) gained 5 places.

    Yellow flags waved in sector 1 as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out at turn 4. Binder was ok and re-joined the race to later finish in last place. The crash left a Binder sized gap between the front 3 of Pecco, Martin & Bastianini to the chasing back behind lead by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

    Into lap 3 and Martin was late on the brakes into turn 4 but unable to get it stopped as Bagnaia retook the lead into turn 5. Bagnaia, Martin and Enea all within touching distance at this point in the early stages of the race.

    In the opening stages Bagnaia was under immense pressure from the GP24’s behind him. Acosta in 4th looked to bridge the gap to the front 3 setting the fastest lap of the race. Into lap 4, through turn 6 and down the straight Martin went up the inside of Pecco and the move stuck for the Spaniard taking the lead of the race. Much to the dismay of the partisan Italian crowd.

    Bagnaia seemed to have less grip and pace with Enea seemingly being held up behind his Ducati teammate. Martin already stretched out a gap to 6 tenths of a second as Enea finally got by Bagnaia. Acosta however was still pushing that KTM to the limit and nearly lost the rear through turn 13.

    Quarter race distance completed and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) was having his race of the season riding in 7th at this point on the factory Yamaha. Martin lead with Bastianini setting the quickest lap of the race.

     

    Onto lap 10 and Acosta’s KTM couldn’t hang on any longer as Acosta went down in sector 4 at turn 15.

    Bastianini continued the hunt of Martin out in the lead, as Bagnaia’s fortune turned for the better with blistering pace out of nowhere for the Bologna man. However, the world champ had an almost impossible task of closing the gap of 3 seconds to the leader.

    All the hard work from Bagnaia came to nothing as Bagnaia went tumbling into the gravel on lap 21 of 27. Devastating for the championship and could possibly of handed a 29pts gap lead to Martin at this point.

    Into the final few laps of the race and Bastianini was on the rear wheel of Martin. Bastianini planned his attack looking for any weakness in Martin as we headed to the conclusion of the race.

    There was nothing between Martin and Bastianini as Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) cruised around in the final podium position in 3rd.

    Into the last lap we went and Martin was still hitting every apex and not willing to give up the race win. Bastianini had other ideas though and forced his way through to take victory!

     

    Race Classification 

    Image credit: MotoGP
    Image credit: MotoGP

     

    Image Credit: MotoGP
    Image Credit: MotoGP
    Constructors Champions 2024
    Image Credit: MotoGP
  • MotoGP: Pecco Pounced to Victory!

    MotoGP: Pecco Pounced to Victory!

    After an incredible performance in qualifying and back to full fitness. The world champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) pounced on title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) after Martin ran wide and gifted victory to Bagnaia.

    After today’s sprint race, The Martinator only has a 4pts advantage to the Bologna bullet as we head into tomorrow’s 27 lap Grand Prix. Can Martin get to the front and stop Pecco from taking glory in front of his partisan crowd? Can we see Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) take his performance to the next level and beat his title rivals like he did at Silverstone? 

    When the conditions are clear and with plenty of grip, it’s clear to see the Ducati GP24s are another level to the rest of the field. A common sight of Pecco, Martin and Bastianini at the front some distance clear of the rest of the pack.

    Winner last time out in Misano, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing) stated he was happy with 4th place after the race and job done recognizing the GP24s have a pace that his Gresini Ducati GP23 simply can’t get near to. Marquez finished the race over 5 seconds behind the front 3.

    A special mention to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) for riding the wheels off that Yamaha today. We no longer see the frustrated Fabio anymore, we see a more measured and ruthless Fabio proving that if given the bike, Fabio will deliver. Fabio is a world champion for a reason and Yamaha know it!

    The level of effort that is going into the factory M1 is monumental. Yamaha now more determined than ever to fight their way back to the top. What they promised Fabio when he signed his new contract, they are clearly starting to deliver on. As soon as the new Yamaha V4 is on track, we can be sure Fabio will take the fight to Ducati. 

    Image credit @Michelin_Sport on X
    Image credit @Michelin_Sport on X

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Martin and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had the start of their dreams as Martin blasted into the lead from the off. Binder started from 4th on the grid and up into 2nd up the inside of Pecco into turn 1.

    In the early stages, Binder dropped back through the pack and eventually finished in 6th place behind next season’s teammate and rookie of the year Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

    It was very much game on for the 2 riders at the top of the championship, as Martin lead from the front and Pecco hunted down the Spaniard.

    At the half race distance, Pecco got his reward for the pressure put onto Martin as Martin ran wide. A gift to Pecco and an opportunity he was never going to miss.

    One mistake was all it took and Pecco Bagnaia with the roar of the Italian crowd crossed the line to take the sprint victory. If Pecco takes victory tomorrow, he will sit atop of the standings as we head to Indonesia next weekend.

    There wasn’t much to mention from this sprint race and it wasn’t the most exciting to be honest. All of the overtaking was done within the first few laps and revealed the top 4 riders at the front. Fabio finished in the top 10 which was brilliant for Yamaha and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) battled his way to finish 13th after starting at the back of the grid.

    Race Classification 

    Image Credit: MotoGP
    Image Credit: MotoGP

     

     

  • Formula E Season 10 Milano E-Prix: Da Costa Loses Victory After Technical Infraction at Misano

    Formula E Season 10 Milano E-Prix: Da Costa Loses Victory After Technical Infraction at Misano

    Antonio Felix Da Costa managed to to make up positions in Milano after a disappointing qualifying to take the victory for Formula E’s first visit to Milano! However, disaster struck for the 2020 champion when he was disqualified  just to add to the chaos of this race. Rowland inherited the win BUT Porsche have announced an intention to appeal.

    Key Moments Of The Race

     

    • Mitch Evans lead the field away from pole ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne in P2 and Pascal Wehrlein in P3.
    • This was a peneton style race from the early stages with Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy, Jean-Eric Vergne and Oliver Rowland.
    • Dan Ticktum and Sergio Sette Camara were both near the back of the grid at the start.
    • Edoardo Mortara had to stop the car very early..
    • 6.5 seconds seperated the entire field at one point.
    • Multiple collisions, including Wehrlein receiving front wing damage.
    • Cassidy and Vergne collided, Cassidy pitted with Vergne receiving a 5 second time penalty.
    • Guenther went over the sausage kerbs and did a wheelie at one point.
    • Nato went over the Gravel
    • Multiple DNFs
    • Da Costa crossed the line first and was the provisional winner before being disqualified so Rowland wins, Dennis P2, Guenther P3.

    Formula E Season 10 Round 6 Misano E-Prix Results

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Oliver Rowland(FL)

    Nissan Formula E Team

    		 26
    2nd Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E  18
    3rd  Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 15
    4th Dan Ticktum ERT Racing 12
    5th Mitch Evans(Pole) Jaguar TCS Racing 13
    6th Jean-Eric Verge Pole DS Penske  18
    7th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 6
    8th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 4
    9th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 2
    10th Lucas Di Grassi  Abt Cupra Formula E Team 1
    11th Nico Mueller Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    12th Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 0
    13th Jake Hughes Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    14th Nyck De Veries Mahindra Racing 0
    15th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    16th Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 0
    17th Robin Frijns Envision Racing 0
    DNF Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    DNF Sam Bird Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    DNF Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 0
    DNF Edoardo Mortara  Mahindra Racing 0
    DSQ Antonio Felix Da Costa Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 0

    Formula E Season 10 Championship After Round 6

    Position Driver Team Points
    1. Oliver Rowland Nissan Formula E Team 80
    2. Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E 71
    3. Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 63
    4. Pascal Wehrlein Andretti Formula E 63
    5. Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 61
    6. Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 52
    7. Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 47
    8. Sam Bird Neom McLaren Formula E Team 37
    9. Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 23
    10. Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 22
    11. Robin Frijns Envision Racing 21
    12. Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 20
    13. Antonio Felix Da Costa Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 20
    14. Jake Hughes Neom McLaren Formula E Team 18
    15. Dan Ticktum ERT Formula E Team 12
    16. Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 10
    17. Nico Mueller Abt Cupra Formula E Team 6
    18. Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 3
    19. Lucas DiGrassi Abt Cupra Formula E Team 1
    20. Edoardo Mortara Mahindra Racing 0
    21. Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 0
    22. Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    Dan Ticktum, ERT Formula E Team, ERT X24, Jake Hughes, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, e-4ORCE 04, Nyck de Vries, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro, and Sergio Sette Camara, ERT Formula E Team, ERT X24, chase the pack at the start Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

    Most Impressive Race

    My driver of the race has to be Antonio Felix Da Costa. Despite him losing his win due to outside circumstances, he still made incredible progress and took the victory for 5 hours.  He also managed to handle the energy perfectly.

    Driver who needs to improve the most after this round

    I think Vandoorne was a bit lackluster throughout the day. From qualifying out of position in comparison to his teammate to finishing P10 on the road (P9 after Da Costa’s DSQ), it was very underwhelming. While his teammate did finish a few places ahead of him due to receiving a 5 second penalty for causing a collision with Cassidy, qualifying was ulitimately Vandoorne’s downfall for this particular race.

  • MotoGP: Marvellous Martin takes Second Double

    MotoGP: Marvellous Martin takes Second Double

    Jorge Martin does the double for the second time this season after winning both the Sprint and Main Race in the same weekend. He was joined on the podium by Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia who suffered a horrific crash last weekend in Barceona.

    Martin got a great start from pole position and led from the front into the first corner. Bagnaia dropped down behind Bezzecchi off the start, but the factory Ducati rider was able to get past his compatriot around the outside of turn two.

    The Italian pair kept close behind Martin during the first lap and Bagnaia had a look into the final corner of the first lap and second corner of the second lap but was unable to get past.

    Brad Binder made his way past wildcard rider Dani Pedrosa on the second rider and the South African was also the fastest rider on the grid towards the start of the race and was even faster than the Ducati’s ahead of him on the track.

    Bezzecchi was able to get past Bagnaia once again on lap six. The Mooney VR46 Ducati rider ran wide and was unable to keep the position.

    The front four riders began to break away from Pedrosa and Bagnaia continued to trail the rear wheel of Martin, putting pressure on the Spaniard.

    On lap 8, Binder crashed out of fourth place at turn fourteen, leaving the leading group being Martin, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia.

    Two laps later, another KTM rider went out, this time Jack Miller after being involved in an incident with Michele Pirro. Fabio Di Giannantonio also got caught up in this incident but was able to continue following this.

    Joan Mir crashed at turn four on lap 11 and Pol Espargaro crashed at turn one on lap 16. That crash was the Tech3 GASGAS riders fifth crash of the weekend.

    By lap 17, Martin had begun to break away from the leading group and slowly extended his lead at the front. However, the Spaniard was given a track limits warning, meaning that if he exceeded them once more, he would need to take a long lap penalty. This would have dropped him out of the lead, so he made sure not to go over the white lines.

    Marc Marquez had a relatively quiet race but on lap 17, he started using Maverick Vinales as a marker around the track, looking for a chance to try and overtake the Aprilia Racing rider.

    Bagnaia was visibly struggling on the bike and on lap 19, Bezzechi passed him and Pedrosa gained 0.7s to him on the same lap. Pedrosa would have hoped to have found an opening to pass the Italian but was unable to.

    Martin increased his gap to Bezzechi to 2.335s on lap 21 and this was the largest gap during the race because the Italian rider started setting faster lap times.

    Miguel Olivera was able to pass M. Marquez at turn 8 on lap 22. On the same lap, Bagnaia ran wide at turn fourteen and Pedrosa closed the gap once more.

    The battle for seventh place started well before lap 25 but M. Marquez had to block Raul Fernandez and Luca Marini continuously. Marini did get past on the final lap but at the end of the race, M. Marquez had regained seventh.

    Jorge Martin stood on the top step of the podium for the second time of the season during the main race and closed the championship lead that third placed rider Francesco Bagnaia had over him. Third in the championship, Marco Bezzecchi also brought home a good haul of points for the Mooney VR46 Ducati team finishing the race in second.

    Wildcard rider Pedrosa was the highest placed KTM rider in third followed by Vinales and Olivera, both on Aprilia’s. M. Marquez finished in seventh place followed by Raul Fernandez, Luca Marini, and Johann Zarco.

    The final points positions were filled by Alex Marquez, Aleix Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder and Franco Morbidelli.

    Feature Image Credit: Jorge Martin (@88jorgemartin) on X (formerly Twitter)

    2023 SAN MARINO MOTOGP, MISANO – RACE RESULTS
    POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF
    1 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP23) 41m 33.421s
    2 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +1.350s
    3 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP23) +3.812s
    4 Dani Pedrosa SPA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +4.481s
    5 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) +10.510s
    6 Miguel Oliveira POR RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) +12.274s
    7 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +13.576s
    8 Raul Fernandez SPA RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) +14.091s
    9 Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +14.982s
    10 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP23) +15.484s
    11 Alex Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP22) +15.702s
    12 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) +15.878s
    13 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +15.898s
    14 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +23.778s
    15 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +24.579s
    16 Augusto Fernandez SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* +31.230s
    17 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Ducati (GP22) +32.537s
    18 Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda (RC213V) +35.330s
    19 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +43.601s
      Pol Espargaro SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) DNF
      Joan Mir SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) DNF
      Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) DNF
      Michele Pirro ITA Aruba.it Ducati (GP23) DNF

     

  • Moto3: Pole for Masia in Misano

    Moto3: Pole for Masia in Misano

    Jaume Masia stormed to pole position today in Misano, increasing pressure on championship leader Daniel Holgado, with the championship lead halved to just 13 points after last weekend in Catalunya.

    Ayumu Sasaki managed to rescue his qualifying and starts alongside Masia on the front row in 2nd. The Husqvarna rider crashed at the start of the Q2 session. Kaito Toba had the qualifying session of his season, as the Squadra Corse rider qualified in 3rd completing the front row of the grid.

    With main title contenders Masia, Sasaki and Deniz Öncü all starting in front of Holgado. Everything is in place for another crazy Moto3 classic on Sunday.

    Image Credit: Leopard Racing

    Image Credit: Leopard Racing

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Qualifying 1

    Championship leader Daniel Holgado was in the Q1 session after being unable to string a good lap time together so far this weekend.

    David Munoz lit up sector 2 and crashed out at the start of the session. Munoz went up the inside of Ogden and into a high side crash. Fortunately Munoz seemed ok and we know Munoz doesn’t mind racing from the back. In the race on a Sunday, you can guarantee to see Munoz fighting his way through the pack.

    Early leaders in the Q1 session were Holgado top with Matteo Bertelle 2nd, Xavi Artigas 3rd and David Salvador in 4th.

    Riccardo Rossi breaking into the top 4 just before everyone headed back into the pits for new tyres for the remainder of the session.

    Holgado keen to get on with it and now on track putting in the work to get through to Q2. Holgado going over half a second clear to the rest of the field on his second go at getting through to Q2. A time of 1:42.467 to top the session, a fantastic time set from Holgado.

    Munoz back on his spare bike at the end of the session managed to scrape 4th and get into Q2. Heroic from Munoz getting into Q2, after toppling over only moments before.

    Qualifying 2

    After being quickest this morning KTM rider Deniz Öncü will be gunning for pole in this Q2 session.

    Ayumu Sasaki crashed out in sector 4 on his out lap. A disastrous start for Sasaki to this session. Sasaki ok in the crash but this was the last thing Sasaki need with the fight for the championship heating up at the minute.

    Toba the first to cross the line and set the first flying lap of the session. Quickly topped by Munoz and then followed by Masia. Masia quickest in both of the Friday practice sessions, only just to be topped by Öncü in this mornings session.

    10mins remaining of the session and the next set of flying laps are coming through. Masia tops the session followed by Munoz and Holgado currently locking out the front row.

    Öncü now with red sectors in 2 and 3 and comes through to set the quickest time of the session only to be pipped straight away by Diogo Moreira. Moreira clearly on a high and full of confidence after his deal this week promoting him to Moto2 for next season.

    As both GASGAS Aspar team riders Ryusei Yamanaka and David Alonso head back into the pits, Masia comes across the line but unable to knock Moreira off the top spot. Moreira sitting at the top a tenth clear to Masia in 2nd with Öncü 3rd. Holgado dropped down to 6th at this stage with 6mins remaining of the qualifying session.

    Sasaki back out onto the track now and with the spare bike, managed to get up to 6th place on his first flying lap. Sasaki determined to recover as much as possible after crashing only a few mins earlier in the session.

    The last flying laps now Toba out of nowhere topped Moreira at the top. Sasaki then quickest but only for a few moments as Masia come by and blown Sasaki’s time away by over 2 tenths of a second.  The rest of the swarm of riders still come through but didn’t look like the rest of the field will be challenging for pole position.

    Pole position for Masia for the San Marino Grand Prix. Exactly what Masia would of dreamt of last night as the championship battle is heating up in Moto3.

    Classification 

    Image Credit: MotoGP

  • MotoGP: Martin Misano Masterclass

    MotoGP: Martin Misano Masterclass

    Jorge Martin was on fire today in Misano. Not only setting a new all time lap record around this Misano circuit but annihilating the field in a fantastic qualifying session. A session that sent a clear message to title rivals Pecco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi that The Martinator is doing all he can in the fight for the world championship this season.

    The top 3 title rivals all on the front row for the Tissot Sprint race and main Grand Prix tomorrow. Both Pecco and Bezzecchi are still suffering from injuries this weekend. Can Martin now take advantage of this and win both races this weekend?

     

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Qualifying 1

    Last weekends winner in Catalunya, Aleix Espargaro was a surprise name in Q1 and was keen to get going. KTMs Jack Miller after a shocking practice session was also in Q1 with a lot of work to do.

    Both factory Yamaha’s Quartararo and Morbidelli swapped places at the top of the timings early on in the session and just as Pol Espargaro on the GASGAS split them at the top of the timings, Pol’s left front tucked underneath him and crashed out at turn 2. Pol ok though and sprinted back to the pits for the spare bike.

    10mins left of the session and the riders come through setting their next set of flying laps. Miguel Oliveira now at the top with Fabio 2nd. Aleix still yet to set a fast time on the factory Aprilia.

    The riders headed back into the pits to make some last minute adjustments and got some fresh boots on for the remaining few mins of the session. Aleix and Miller still with a lot of work to do here and under a lot of pressure to get through to Q2.

    With 2mins remaining we had a 2nd crash of the session for Pol Espargaro at turn 13, Miguel top of the timings and a stunning lap from Stefan Bradl pushes himself up to 2nd.

    Aleix Espargaro plucks a time out of nowhere and puts himself fastest. Zarco unable to get through but had one last lap to get to get a time crossing the line with a few seconds left in the session

    Fabio on the factory Yamaha just missed out on a Q2 place, with Miguel topping the timings at the end of the session. Both Aprilia’s 1-2 in Q1 with Oliveira and Espargaro going through to Q2.

    Jack Miller will be starting way down in 18th place for the Tissot Sprint and the main race tomorrow. A disastrous weekend here for Miller in Misano so far.

    Qualifying 2

    As the riders head out for Q2 its VR46s Bezzecchi leading the way to start the first flying lap of the session.

    As the lap times started to come through in the early stages of the Q2 session, KTMs Brad Binder sat atop the timings with Martin 2nd, followed closely by this weekends wildcard and legend Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa showing everyone that class is permanent.

    The next set of flying laps come through and after setting the all time lap record yesterday, Bezzecchi now sits on provisional pole with Martin moving to 2nd. Both pushing as hard as they can to take pole position here in for the San Marino Grand Prix.

    Reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia, after round the clock physio and treatment from last weekend’s horrific crash, moves up to 4th. Pecco used every ounce of grit and determination, with a dash of adrenaline, to drag himself through this weekend’s qualifying session.

    Martin now back to the top with a 1:30.832 setting a new all time lap record beating the time set by Bezzecchi yesterday in practice.

    Riders headed back to the pits for the last minute changes for the last 6mins of the session. Pecco was the first out of the pits, leading the pack onto the track to battle for pole position.

    The riders then come through setting the times and Jorge Martin smashes his all time lap record now with provisional pole time set at 1:30.390. Pedrosa clearly a Misano specialist, put himself onto the front row briefly, but in the end topped by championship protagonists Bezzecchi and Pecco as they come through taking to 2nd and 3rd. Pecco at one point had everyone watching in disbelief as at one point he was on target during his last flying lap to take pole position.

    An incredible qualifying session here in Misano. One of the best pole position laps we have witnessed for some time. A masterclass in Misano from the The Martinator Martin!

    Starting Grid 

    Image Credit: MotoGP

     

  • MotoGP: The Martinator Sprints to victory in Misano

    MotoGP: The Martinator Sprints to victory in Misano

    Jorge Martin continued his great form from this morning with a dominant win in this afternoon’s Tissot Sprint race. Championship rival Marco Bezzecchi finished 2nd and reigning world champ Pecco Bagnaia finished in 3rd.

    Both Bezzecchi and Pecco carrying injuries into this weekend from last weekend in Barcelona, both using all of the painkillers and adrenaline they could get a hold of to get through the sprint race today. Heroic performances from both riders.

    Pecco fended off legend Dani Pedrosa and late charging Brad Binder at the end of the sprint, both KTM riders tried all they could to get by Pecco in the closing laps of the race. With his title rivals not at 100%, can Martin capitalise on this and win the main grand prix tomorrow? When Martin is in this kind of form, its hard to imagine any rider being able to stop The Martinator. 

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Martin got off the line and off to a great start leading into turn 1. Pecco close in behind Martin through turns 2 and 3 with a gap already to Bezzecchi 3rd who was leading the rest of the group behind.

    Pedrosa managing to get up the inside of Maverick Viñales into4th with Pol Espargaro up 6 places on the opening lap. A great start given the KTM GASGAS rider crashed twice this morning.

     

    Onto the second lap the stand out overtake of the race happened as Binder went up the inside of both Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro in one corner, up into 6th place. Binder was determined to catch those in front before its too late. The lead group of 4 already pulling away from the rest of the field now forming a gap at the front. Martin leading from Bezzecchi now up to 2nd pulling away from Pecco and Pedrosa 3rd and 4th.

     

    Over the next few laps, the VR46 star Bezzecchi tried all he could to catch Martin ahead, losing it at one point at turn 16, gifting half a second back to Martin who controlled the race at the front throughout.

    Binder eager to carry on the charge to the front was in a great battle for 5th place with Viñales and Marini. Eventually Binder coming out on top and keen to press on to catch the wildcard Pedrosa and Pecco battling for 3rd ahead of him.

    Aleix Espargaro at this point was unable to keep pace with the battle in front eventually settling in 8th place. Aleix will be hoping for better tomorrow given he won the race last time out in Catalunya.

    Moving into the final stages of the Tissot Sprint and Martin maintained his gap to Bezzecchi controlling the race from the front. Pedrosa was closing up behind the injured Pecco , ever keen to try and get onto the podium with only a few laps to go.

    Just as Pedrosa was closing onto the back wheel of Pecco, Pecco responded putting his personal best lap time of the race so far. An incredible performance here with the pain he must be suffering after the horrific crash last weekend in Barcelona. Its nothing short of a miracle that Pecco is here competing this weekend.

    Lap 11 of 13 now and as Pecco runs wide Pedrosa is right up behind Pecco with 2 laps to go. The first two places were sown up at this point, as Martin was over a second ahead of Bezzecchi in 2nd. Almost every rider in the field was on the brink of a long lap penalty, as Binder closed in on the Pedrosa and Pecco battle for 3rd.

    Last lap now and the KTMs of Pedrosa and Binder are right up behind Pecco as Pecco is still resisting this charge hanging onto 3rd.

    Into turns 11, 12 and 13 the factory Ducati just glides through with ease as Pecco creates just enough of a gap to keep 3rd place.

    Jorge Martin takes the chequered flag and wins the Tissot Sprint with a commanding and faultless performance. VR46 star man Bezzecchi takes a well deserved 2nd and a superb performance given the pain Bezzecchi must be in with the carrying hand injury.

    Race Classification

    Image Credit: MotoGP

     

    Image Credit: MotoGP

     

  • All in a days work for Pecco!

    All in a days work for Pecco!

    Qualifying:

    Rainy, damp conditions greeted the riders for their qualifying sessions on Saturday.

    But, it was Ducati-man Jack Miller who took full advantage and secured pole, followed by Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi, making an all Ducati front-row. Second and third place were local-boys, hoping to shine bright at home.

    The top two riders in the championship – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) both qualified on the 3rd row.

    Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) received a 3 place grid penalty which resulted in him starting in 5th, following on from slowing down on the racing line, after he assumed the chequered flag had been waved to end the session.

    Race:

    A wonderful tribute to the late Fausto Gresini would be done during the race, in the form of the Gresini Racing bikes having their livery changed to remember the 1987 125cc World Championship winning Garell bike that Gresini used. Whatever their outcome for the race, this was a wonderful surprise.

    The livery! Courtesy of: Moto GP website.

    The rain/ damp conditions had passed ready for Sunday with partly cloudy weather, the track temperature though had risen significantly to 43 degrees, come race time. Would this prove to be an issue?

    It was finally lights out for the Moto GP race: Miller got a great start, as did Bagnaia. Miller led Bastianini and Bagnaia into the first corner. But behind it was  disaster for; Johann Zarco (Ducati), Michele Pirro (Ducati) and Pol Espargaro (Honda), who all toppled out together. Hopefully, none were injured in the collision.

    Crashing out. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.

    After the news this week, that Bastianini had been confirmed he was to be Bagnaia’s teammate next year, there didn’t seem to be any future team orders between the pair. Bastianini soon passed Bagnaia to take 2nd place. But on the second lap Miller unexpectedly fell from first (turn 4), leaving ‘The Beast’ to lead the race.

    Bastianini led Marini (VR46) and Bagnaia (Marini had also managed to pass Bagnaia to take 2nd). While one VR46 rider fortunes were in his favour, teammate Bezzecchi’s fortunes were not – crashing out also on lap 2.

    The new race leader also almost toppled from first moments later, but managed to recover.

    The excitement was far from over though. Lap 3 saw Bagnaia and Vinales both pass Marini, pushing him back to 4th, another yellow flag waved but this time for both Frankie Morbidelli (Yamaha) and Fabio DiGiannantonio (Ducati), Bagnaia passed Bastianini for the lead and ‘Top Gun’ passed ‘The Beast’ for 2nd.

    Bagnaia led Vinales, Bastianini and Marini with Quartararo and Espargaro close behind.

    Bagnaia took fastest lap (lap 5) but had mounting pressure in the form of Vinales, who was looking menacing behind.

    In 5th place on lap 7, Espargaro made a small error, which Quartararo needed no invitation and passed him to gain another place. Meanwhile in 3rd Bastianini was pushing hard and took fastest lap (1:32.560 seconds).

    Now in 5th spot, could Quartararo close the gap on the front 4 riders, their gap had increased to 0.826 seconds, with 21 laps still to go? He knew he had to try. Next lap he took fastest lap. Could he be in for a shout of a podium finish?

    Fastest lap soon went to Bagnaia, but was beaten seconds later by 6th place rider Espargaro. Fighting for the championship, alongside Fabio, could Aleix catch him to reduce the points between them? He certainly kept the momentum going – with 16 laps till the end, he secured another fastest lap.

    Track limits warnings were coming thick and fast: Vinales was the first to receive one, then Martin then Quartararo. But, Vinales didn’t seem perturbed by his warning and soon took 2 fastest laps in a row, all the while, eyeing up a pass on Bagnaia.

    With 12 laps to go, Bastianini went slightly wide, letting Marini take 3rd, but Bastianini wasn’t having any of it and re-took the position straight back. The gap between number 23 and 12 was 0.615 seconds. Could Bastianini manage to catch up and if so fight for the win?

    Setting fastest lap with only 10 laps to go he had managed to claw the gap down between himself and Maverick to 0.471 seconds. With Vinales still trying to get the perfect spot to pass Bagnaia for the lead. But, he had waited too long to make his move and 2 laps later Bastianini attacked and took 2nd place on turn one. Bagnaia now led Bastianini, Vinales and Marini.

    Following closely. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.

    The next track-limits warning went to Bastianini with 6 laps till the end.

    But, more drama was about to unfold going onto the last lap:

    Bastianini was all over the back of Bagnaia. Would he make a last lap lunge? Surely not – this would be his teammate next year and a championship contender this year. None of this was on his mind though as he went to make a move but had to abort it, in fear of crashing into Bagnaia, which in turn created a small gap between the pair. The gap was severely shrunk down on the start-finish line though making it a picture-finish. Bagnaia had the edge and claimed the victory (with only 0.034 seconds between them) and in the process made history: Being the first-time Ducati have won 4 races in a row!

    Super close end. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.

    A great ride from Vinales saw him finish on the last spot of the podium.

    Top 10 race finishers:

    1st

    F. Bagnaia

    2nd

    E. Bastianini

    3rd

    M. Vinales

    4th

    L. Marini

    5th

    F. Quartararo

    6th

    A. Espargaro

    7th

    A. Rins

    8th

    B. Binder

    9th

    J. Martin

    10th

    A. Marquez

    Top 4 Championship Standings:

    1st

    F. Quartararo

    211 points

    2nd

    F. Bagnaia

    181 points

    3rd

    A. Espargaro

    178 points

    4th

    E. Bastianini

    138 points

    As seen above, there are some changes to the championship table.

    The race was brilliant and had everyone on the edge of their seats. BUT, we can’t end there.

    For the last 21 years there has been a consistent rider, one who we have had the pleasure to watch come through the ranks: winning the 125 championship, coming close to winning the 250 championship and coming runner-up many times in the Moto GP class.

    Ever a gentleman off track but with the heart of a lion on track, he gave us many exciting battles and has raced against many big names in the sport. He won his first-ever race at Misano and decided to end his Moto GP career his way, at the very same track. He has won many fans over the years and the paddock will not be the same without him.

    Thank you for the memories Andrea Dovizioso and Ciao! We wish you all the best wherever your future takes you.

    Feel the love Dovi. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.

     

     

    Featured image: Courtesy of: Moto GP website.