MotoGP Round 20 Report | Martin Wins World Title! - Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training...

MotoGP Round 20 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion! Having taken a 24-point lead into the title-deciding weekend at the Solidarity GP of Barcelona, the Spaniard held his nerve to win his first premier class title by 10 points. Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Day 1 of #TheRematch decider at the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona belonged to the hunter – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).

Read our Round 19 MotoGP Report here…

The reigning #1 set the pace on Friday to land an important early jab on World Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), as the latter managed to hold onto a fifth place finish after encountering some Turn 5 troubles deep into Practice. It was job done in terms of getting into Q2 without too many issues for the #89, but there was plenty of room for improvement for the rider who sat 24 points clear of the current #1 with the biggest Saturday of the season firmly on the horizon.

Operating inside the top three on Day 1 was second fastest – and one of Bagnaia’s chief allies – Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian was on song in Practice as he aimed to bid farewell to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team with a podium finish at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) started the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix at the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona from pole as the #1 stayed cool under pressure to hold on at the top. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) made a late lunge for glory but came up short by just 0.055 in his final Q2, with Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) completing a fascinating front row – and one that doesn’t feature Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). He will instead start P4, directly behind his title rival Bagnaia.

Moto2

0.231s was the advantage Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) held heading into Saturday at the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona after the Spaniard set a 1:42.426 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) pocketed P2 on his final Friday with the Aspar outfit, as Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™) claimed third as the Spaniard went hunting for a third place Championship finish.

After claiming a phenomenal podium in Malaysia, Jorge Navarro (OnlyFans American Racing) kicked off his Solidarity GP with a P4 in Practice 1, as Sepang winner Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed Friday’s fastest five. Newly crowned World Champion, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI), had a solid outing to end the day in P6.

A 1:42.003 handed Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) a final race of the season pole position at the Solidarity GP of Barcelona, and by a decent margin too. A tenth and a half was the Spaniard’s advantage over second place Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™), as a late flyer from Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) saw the Dutch star grab a front-row start in third.

Moto3

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) topped the Moto3™ timesheets in Practice 1 thanks to a 1:46.568, but it wasn’t by much as compatriot David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) lapped within a tenth of the #96. Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) slotted his Honda inside the top three, just under two tenths away from Holgado’s pace.

Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) bagged top five results on Friday as the latter aimed to beat Holgado on Sunday to the 2024 silver medal honour. The duo sat tied on points ahead of qualifying and the race.

It was seven pole positions in 2024 for World Champion David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) as the Colombian again shone brightest on a Saturday afternoon. The #80 claimed pole by over three tenths in Barcelona to head Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) on the front row, as both set their sights on finishing as the overall runner-up in 2024 on Sunday.

Full Friday practice and qualifying results all classes are here...

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

It was pretty much a must-win Tissot Sprint for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, so win it he did. But it was also nearing a must-not-bin Sprint for Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), and he passed his test too.

Revs up, lights out – it was a tight, tight run into the first corner, with it looking like Bagnaia was set for the holeshot before Martin made up the metres to move alongside – and then Bastianini sailed past both. But Bagnaia attacked back in the melee, grabbing the lead again round Turn 3.

There was drama at the same corner on Lap 1 as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) then tangled, however. Both headed wide and both stayed upright, but Marquez was able to collect it – and Acosta’s front fairing got ripped off, leading the rookie to limp back to pitlane, out of the action.

Bagnaia led Bastianini and Martin, but by the end of Lap 2, the reigning Champion was starting to build a small gap as the #89 lined up Bastianini. He got the job done into Turn 1, close but perfectly-judged, and stayed ahead until the next time round – when Bastianini did an even more brutal carbon copy to take back second.

The two were then locked together for another lap before Martin hit back, finding a few more millimetres to really push both to the edge. With that, the momentum behind for Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) got them involved, but Martin was just clear and Bastianini shouldered his way back through to third. As you were.

At the front, Bagnaia pounded on. Martin was hovering just over a second away but the gap was going up tenth by tenth, with those on his tail not being left behind either. Bastianini had faded briefly but got back within half a second, and both Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) were now on the scene as Morbidelli started to get dropped.

By the penultimate lap, it was Bagnaia holding a small gap ahead of that quartet. But then Alex Marquez was wide at Turn 10 and Espargaro got through, dividing the four into a duel for fourth and a decisive one ahead: the points leader vs. his title rival’s teammate for second.

Down the main straight for the final time, Bastianini wasn’t quite close enough. But he was able to close in and by Turn 5, the red machine darted out from behind the Championship leader and went for it. Breath held, the move was aggressive but clean enough, and crucially it got the job done. Now Martin had to decide whether to try and reply or take the third place he’d got pretty secure. He looked tempted but Bastianini offered no way back through.

Bagnaia crossed the line just less than a second clear to ensure the Championship fight rolled on to the final showdown of the season, staying near perfect under pressure. Bastianini got his elbows out to stake a further claim on that third overall, as well as proving his own point.

Martin put in the exact performance needed to ensure he remained in a comfortable position heading into the Grand Prix – now 19 points clear. Could he wrap it up on Sunday? The duel behind saw Espargaro hold onto fourth, with Alex Marquez completing the top five.

“Job done for today, but for tomorrow we need to repeat what we did,” Bagnaia said. “I think that more than this is impossible, Jorge did again a fantastic job so it’s fantastic that it’s like this. Let’s see for tomorrow, but for today I’m very happy.”

Tissot Sprint Race Results

Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo (+0.942s
Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+1.270s
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Racing (+1.857s
Alex Marquez Gresini Ducati (+1.942s

Sunday
MotoGP

After 20 Tissot Sprints and 19 Grands Prix, everything came down to the final race of the season… and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) held his nerve. The #89 was crowned the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion with a third place finish, becoming the first Independent Team rider to clinch the title in the MotoGP™ era. Even with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) taking an incredible 11th GP victory of the season, the podium was enough for the #Mart1nator to take the crown.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) claimed a strong second place, shadowing Bagnaia for much of the race before being forced to settle for second. It was, however, his 150th GP podium as he prepares to saddle up in red.

Bagnaia nailed the start to take the holsehot, but Martin got a rocket launch too to slot into second – initially. By Turn 1 on Lap 2 though, Marc Marquez attacked the Championship leader to tag onto the back of Bagnaia in the lead. A rear gunner or just waiting to pounce?

Martin then had Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) for company, but soon enough Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was on the scene. He diced with the Beast before Bastianini then went deep into Turn 1 and dropped back into the battle for fifth, leaving Espargaro as the rider safe on the chase behind Martin. Another rear gunner?

Bastianini was ultimately left fighting with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as at the front Bagnaia and Marquez were stretching away. Martin was in a safe enough third, but as the laps ticked on the battle behind him was going from any questions about rear gunners to serious throwdown as Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) arrived on the scene.

Bagnaia’s pace was relentless, remaining inside the 1:40 bracket with 11 laps remaining. It was an impressive ride from the Italian, pulling out all stops to increase a half-a-second gap to Marc Marquez. The #93 tried everything to respond, initially looking like he was fading before beginning to turn up the wick and match the Italian’s pace.

Behind, it was getting loose. Acosta was sixth on the circuit, losing a position to Bastianini before dropping to ninth on Lap 18, losing a further place to Morbidelli and receiving a track limits warning as the trio and Binder battled it out. Elbows were likewise out.

In the closing stages, it was becoming clear. Bagnaia was going to win the Grand Prix as he started to stretch away, and Marc Marquez was going to sign off from Gresini on the box. But Martin was going to win the 2024 MotoGP™ World Championship. Where in 2023 he may have faltered or doubted or come up short, not this time. The #89 staked his claim on the #1 plate with a third place finish, celebrating the title in style with a record-breaking 16th GP podium of the year, a new record for a Ducati rider. One he shares with Bagnaia, whose throne he now takes over despite the 2022 and 2023 World Champion’s awesome 11 GP wins this year.

Alex Marquez managed to edge out Espargaro in the closing laps, finishing fourth and missing the podium rostrum by just 1.512 seconds. Espargaro would round out the top five after the #41 defended heroically in the closing laps in his final outing as a full-time rider.

And just like that, 2024 drew to a close after an unforgettable season which will go down in the history books. However, the focus now shifts to Tuesday for the Barcelona Test as the riders and teams return to track for the first on their 2025 machines, where it will mark Martin’s debut for Aprilia! And remember: we’re about to see the new brand too! Stay tuned.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m completely shocked. On the last few laps I couldn’t even ride, I started crying a bit, it was really an emotional race. It’s been a long journey, a lot of crashes and big injuries. So finally we are here,” an overjoyed Martín explained.

MotoGP Race Results

Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati (+1.474s)
Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+3.810s)
Alex Marquez Gresini Ducati (+5.322s)
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Racing (+5.753s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati – 508
Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 498
Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati – 392
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo – 386
Brad Binder Red Bull KTM – 217