MotoGP Round 18 Report | Bagnaia brilliance in Thailand

MotoGP Round 18 | Bagnaia brilliance in Thailand. The #1 stayed calm under pressure to escape his title rival and take his first wet weather win in MotoGP as Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini crashed at Buriram. Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

For a second Friday on the spin, Australian GP winner Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) headed into Saturday at the summit of the timesheets as the eight-time World Champion set a brilliant new Buriram all-time lap record in Practice. Marquez’s 1:29.165 was enough to see him beat Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by 0.110s, with the World Championship leader a further 0.052s clear of third place Enea Bastianini. His Ducati Lenovo teammate, title-hunting Francesco Bagnaia, ended Friday at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand in P4 with the top four in the title fight just 0.195s apart heading into a vital Saturday.

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Last weekend it was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) who stole the qualifying show. Seven days later, it was the turn of title rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to do some Q2 record-breaking as the #1 fired in a belting 1:28.700 to bag a crucial pole position in a drama-filled Buriram battle. It also secured him a little history as the Ducati rider with most poles (22), surpassing MotoGP™ Legend Casey Stoner’s count with the Bologna factory.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) would launch from P2, “The Beast” a couple of tenths shy of teammate Pecco, as Martin was forced to settle for P3 after the Championship leader crashed at Turn 5 in the closing stages of Q2. Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was another big name to crash in Q2. The Australian GP winner’s qualifying stint ended at Turn 3 while the #93 was shadowing Martin. The Practice pacesetter eyed a victory challenge from fifth on the grid at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand.

Moto2

A two-tenth advantage heading into Saturday would do just nicely for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) as the Spaniard enjoyed a fruitful day at the office in Thailand. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – despite a nasty incident in Free Practice involving Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) that saw both handed penalties for Sunday’s race – acted as Canet’s closest challenger at the end of play, while third place went the way of Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing).

Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) rounded out the top five on Day 1 in Buriram, 0.4s adrift of Canet’s pace. Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) ended Friday in P6, but it wasn’t a straightforward day for the World Championship leader after he suffered a bike issue at the end of Practice 1.

Pressure? There was no sign of it on Saturday as title race leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) collected a crucial pole position at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand to hand himself the best possible starting slot for match point Sunday. The Japanese star set a 1:34.728 to beat Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) by 0.051s as rookie star Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) completed a front row that was split by just 0.074s.

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) was the Moto3™ rider to beat in Buriram after the 2024 World Champion was the only rider to dip into the 1:40s in Practice 1, despite a crash coming at Turn 12 in the afternoon. A 1:40.703 saw the Colombian beat second place Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) by 0.385s, with the Australian less than a tenth ahead of third place Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing).

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) – two of the three riders chasing the overall runners-up spot – claimed P4 and P5, with both over half a second down on Alonso. It’s been a long time coming but finally, following a fantastic final lap in Q2, Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) became a Grand Prix polesitter for the first time as the Australian’s 1:40.603 saw him beat Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) by 0.073s in Buriram.

After being in the group that didn’t get out of pitlane in time to complete a final flying lap, Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) settled for an outside-of-the-front-row start in P3. World Champion David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) started from the middle of the second row in P5 as he aimed to claim a record-breaking 12th win of the season.

Check out the full qualifying results here…

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) charged to victory in the Tissot Sprint at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand, taking glory by 1.357s after a sublime performance to escape at the front to lay down the gauntlet. Behind, the top two in the title fight went toe-to-toe, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) just able to hold off Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) on the final two laps to increase his Championship lead to 22 points.

Once the lights went out, Bagnaia made a phenomenal launch from pole, taking a slight advantage on the run to Turn 1. However, Martin was on the attack, launching a move down the inside and sending both himself and his main title rival wide enough to allow Bastianini and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) through. The #89 was now left with work to do, dropping even further to fifth as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) also picked his way past and defended when Martin tried to move straight back through.

On Lap 2, Martin was back in fourth though, past the rookie before Acosta overcooked it and slid out. The next target for the Championship leader was Marc Marquez. Martin made a textbook move at the final corner to overtake the #93, and it got close on the exit but the #89 kept it, digging in to now chase down the next target: Bagnaia in second. Martin began to edge closer to the reigning World Champion as Bagnaia, Martin and Marc Marquez were all glued close together on track. Once Martin was right on the tailpipes of the #1 though, he pounced at Turn 7. And there came some controversy as he ran slightly wide on the exit, that proving the next strike to award the Spaniard a track limits warning. But he kept the position.

It was building to be a tense finale, with Bastianini checked out at the front but the title rivals separated by a mere 0.350s on the chase. Bagnaia continued to pile on the pressure at every corner in an enthralling end to Saturday’s action, looking like he was going to be able to set up a move. By the final lap though, Martin had reeled in Bastianini more than Bagnaia had managed to make ground on the #89, and in a tense final few kms the three sliced round Buriram. Ultimately, the “Beast” kept it tidy to take a second Sprint win of the year in style, Martin held on under intense pressure to take second, and Bagnaia was forced to cede two more points in that Championship battle as he came home third.

Marc Marquez crossed the line in fourth, grabbing some strong points after the #93 was unable to match the pace of the top three in the latter stages. The eight-time World Champion finished ahead of teammate Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who rounded out the top five positions after a sensational ride.

“It was more than my expectation the race today. The qualifying has been (good), but, checking my pace, I wasn’t ready to win today. But, at the end, I don’t know, all the race I give my 100 percent from the first lap,” Bastianini explained. “Also, to be alone probably, in that track, can be an advantage, because you can brake much harder and also for the temperature of the tyre, we know that.”

Tissot Sprint Race Results

1. Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo
2. Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+1.357s)
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+2.372s)
4. Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati (+5.402s)
5. Alex Marquez Gresini Ducati (+10.140s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) reigned supreme with a stunning wet weather win under pressure at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand. The #1 battled Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) for the lead before the #93 crashed out of contention, leaving Bagnaia to steel his nerves and get the hammer down at the front to escape Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by nearly three seconds. With that statement made, the gap at the top came back down to just 17 points with two race weekends remaining, and it’s now officially two contenders for the crown. The Rematch is on! Behind that battle there was another, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) claiming the final spot on the podium after a stunning showdown against Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller.

There was drama before the Grand Prix began, with the wet conditions catching out Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) on the sighting lap. He made the start though, and as the skies above Buriram continued to brood, the lights went out to decide the winner of the 2024 Thai Grand Prix. Martin made a rocket start, snatching the advantage on the run to Turn 1 as a shuffle through there saw Bagnaia emerge in second, Marquez move up to third and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) lose out as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) went on the attack.

The Championship rivals began to duel – locking horns on the opening laps as Martin went wide, thus leaving Bagnaia to take over. But the #89 responded swiftly as he sliced past the Italian at Turn 4. Martin began to extend his lead to almost half a second, shadowed by Bagnaia, with Marquez on their tail as Acosta duelled Quartararo in their wake. The rookie then sailed well wide, giving himself work to do as Quartararo suffered a worse fate following contact from Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing). The Italian was given a Long Lap, and the Frenchman was forced to rejoin at the back.

Back at the front, the first drama came on Lap 5 as Martin made a crucial error, running wide at Turn 3 and dropping down to third position – behind Marc Marquez. That gave Bagnaia the lead and made it a different tone of Jaws music for the reigning Champion as the #93 continued to shadow him. More drama hit in the meantime, as Morbidelli’s day soon went from bad to worse, crashing out at Turn 8, moments before Bastianini’s Grand Prix also came to a halt at Turn 8, with the #23 losing the front and ending any hopes of scoring strong points on Lap 9.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez began his charge for victory, sending a move down the inside at the final corner. It was repelled. The #93 began to pile on the pressure though, with Martin lurking and waiting for an opportunity to pounce in P3. Marc Marquez sent his next attack on Lap 13, unable to make the move stick, with Bagnaia fighting back. Marc Marquez continued to push to the limit, but then he pushed over it. The #93 made a crucial mistake at Turn 8 – skitting across the track on his knee and almost, almost saving it, but it wasn’t to be. The eight-time World Champion was on the floor on Lap 14, promoting Martin into P2.  The rematch was all but guaranteed, and the top two were now leading the race – in reverse order.

Bagnaia pounded on at the front, with Martin not able to home in but this now a battle of nerves. It was a nail-biting finale to the Grand Prix at the front as the laps ticked down for what must have seemed like hours for Bagnaia, but behind the fans were treated to an incredible show of a different kind. After his earlier dramas, Acosta was back on terms with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and managed to slice past the South African, then next up was Miller. The Australian put up a stunning fight as the two went toe-to-toe, sideways and all which ways in a high-speed game of chicken, but in the end the rookie was able to make it stick.

At the head of the field, Bagnaia sealed the deal. Nearly three seconds clear and taking his first wet weather MotoGP™ win when he needed one most as the reigning Champion cut it back down to 17 points ahead of the final two races. With plenty on the line too, Martin’s composure in second ensured it’s still some gap at least – to falter would have been to cede the title lead. And he didn’t. Acosta completed the podium after his late charge, in the end finishing ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) as the Italian put in his own final bout of glory. Miller was forced to settle for fifth, ahead of teammate Binder, with Aprilia Racing rider Maverick Viñales next up.

“It was a day to make the difference and luckily we did it,” Bagnaia said. “I want to dedicate this victory to my team, because after the morning we just sat down and spoke about what to do to improve the situation because I was struggling a lot on braking. And we did it, again. I’m so happy. It wasn’t an easy race because it was very long and stressful, but as soon as I started I saw my feeling was very good and I saw Jorge pushing a lot. But I just decided to wait two more laps to make sure the rear was more ready, and as soon as it was I just tried to catch him back.”

MotoGP Race Results

1. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
2. Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+2.905s
3. Pedro Acosta Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (+3.800s
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio VR46 Ducati (+4.636s
5. Jack Miller Red Bull KTM (+5.532s

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

1. Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati – 453
2. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 436
3. Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati – 356
4. Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo – 345
5. Brad Binder Red Bull KTM – 203

Moto2

Ai came, Ai saw, Ai conquered. Having claimed a P2 finish in a red-flagged Moto2™ PT Grand Prix of Thailand race, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) was crowned the 2024 Moto2™ World Champion! The Japanese star became the first from his country to win the World Championship since Hiroshi Aoyama in 2009, and also the first former IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup rider to win a Grand Prix title.

Race winner Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) did all he could to try to put the celebrations on ice in Thailand, as the Spaniard strengthened his grip on the silver medal with win number three of 2024. Meanwhile, Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) finished P3 to bag his first rostrum of the season. Ogura got away well from pole position to slot into the lead ahead of Canet at Turn 1 before Canet pounced at Turn 3. Ogura was back in the lead at Turn 4 though as Turn 5 saw two key contenders go down. Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) crashed and took out the luckless Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), as the fast-starting Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) sent it up the inside of Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) and Ogura as the Championship leader was shuffled down to P7.

On Lap 3, Canet led from Ramirez and Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), with Lopez back down to P12 having run wide at Turn 5 a lap earlier. Ogura was now P6 behind Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Moreira. After a hectic start, the race settled down. The top six – Canet to Ogura – were covered by 1.7s with 16 laps to go, as Ogura then began to make moves. His first one was to set the fastest lap of the race, and his second was to aggressively pass Binder down at Turn 3. Contact was made, Binder was forced to run wide, as Ogura then set his sights on Dixon and Moreira.

With 16 laps to go, Dixon was picked off for P4 as Ogura stood in a Championship clinching position. Moreira was then demoted to P4 on Lap 9 of 22 as Ogura climbed to P3 and set another fastest lap of the race. The gap to Ramirez and Canet? 1.6s. After a couple of laps, Ogura was right on the coattails of Ramirez. And with nine laps to go, at Turn 3, the #79 used the cutback to great effect to overtake Ramirez. That was now P2 for Ogura, who had 0.9s to make up if he wanted to attack race leader Canet. That was soon 1.6s though as light rain began to fall in Buriram! Understandably, Ogura was cautious but with six laps to go, the rain wasn’t heavy enough for any kind of stoppage to come into play. Canet, meanwhile, slammed in his personal best lap of the race to edge his advantage up to two seconds.

With two to go, Canet was 3.6s clear of Ogura who in turn was a second ahead of Ramirez and then, the red flags were shown. Due to weather conditions and with 20 of 22 laps completed (over 2/3rds), Ai Ogura was crowned 2024 Moto2™ World Champion. The red flags came out at the right time for Ramirez as home hero Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) was on course to get himself into the podium picture, but the returning Thai rider had to settle for P4. Nonetheless, that was some effort from Chantra.

Moreira rounded out the top five in a brilliant battle that included sixth place Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), seventh place Dixon, eighth place Albert Arenas (Gresini Moto2™) and ninth place Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™).

Moto2 Race Results

1. Aron Canet Fantic Racing
2. Ai Ogura MT Helmets – MSI (+3.684s)
3. Marcos Ramirez OnlyFans American Racing Team (+4.683s)
4. Somkiat Chantra IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (+5.799s)
5. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team (+6.172s)

Moto2 Championship Points

1. Ai Ogura MT Helmets – MSI – 261
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing – 201
3. Sergio Garcia MT Helmets – MSI – 179
4. Fermin Aldeguer Beta Tools Speed Up – 175
5. Manuel Gonzalez QJMOTOR Gresini – 170

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) continued to etch his name into the record books at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand, securing a 12th victory of the season and creating history as the rider to win the most races in a single season in the lightweight class… now beating, not equalling, Valentino Rossi’s 1997 record. The Colombian took the win by a few tenths ahead of rookie Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) grabbing the final spot on the podium after a dramatic run to the line and contact with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia).

It was declared a wet race start, meaning a reduced distance of 12 laps and an opportunity for the Moto3™ field to complete multiple sighting laps given every session throughout the weekend was dry. By the time it was lights out though, everyone in the field opted for slicks barring Eddie O’Shea (Fleetsafe Honda – MLav Racing). From pole, Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) claimed the holeshot and stormed into the lead at Turn 1, but it was a dramatic start, with Veijer not waiting long to pounce – stealing the lead from the Australian. The #66 responded though, bunching up the lead group as Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) created opportunities after carving his way inside the top five. The #48 attacked Kelso early after the polesitter was demoted to P5 after a tough Lap 3.

Meanwhile, it was soon Alonso’s time to shine as spots of rain fell onto the circuit. The Colombian snatched the lead on Lap 4, setting sights on a 12th win of the season and the opportunity to create history in Thailand. Alonso had steep competition on his hands as Furusato took over in front, who began to put the hammer down. Lunetta then began to make inroads, catching the back of the lead group after stunning pace. The Italian soon began to duel with Veijer as he set sights on the podium. There was then drama at the front for the Leopard Racing squad that interrupted the group too, with Angel Piqueras and Adrian Fernandez colliding on Lap 11.

It was a grandstand finish, with Ortola and Alonso going head-to-head on the 12th and final lap. Alonso made the move stick, marauding to glory in Thailand as Lunetta and Veijer were able to pinch the podium from Ortola, who ran wide at the final corner. There was high drama in that fight as Furusato and Veijer made contact, the Japanese rider crashing just before the line. Rider ok and classified, but not a podium finish as he tookP5 behind Ortola. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) battled his way from P17 on the grid to P6, and he pipped teammate Kelso to the line as Scott Ogden (FleetSafe Honda – MLav Racing) took the flag in a strong eighth.

Moto3 Race Results

1. David Alonso CFMOTO GaviotaAspar Team
2. Luca Lunetta SIC58 Squadra Corse (+0.353s)
3. Collin Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (+0.522s)
4. Ivan Ortola MT Helmets – MSI (+0.936s)
5. Taiyo Furusato Honda Team Asia (+1.683s)

Moto3 Championship Points

1. David Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 371
2. Daniel Holgado Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 – 236
3. Collin Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP – 225
4. Ivan Ortola MT Helmets – MSI – 204
5. David Munoz BOE Motorsports – 162