Tissot Sprint
There’s a new Tissot Sprint winner on the block! Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) moved through to the front and took off on a wet but drying track, with Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) chasing him down late on but not quite close enough to launch a last lap attack. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) made steady progress to pick his way through the order, the Aprilia rider coming home third for his first Saturday podium.

One headline also saw Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) fail to score, the number 1 having a couple of close moments on track to lose ground and ultimately forced to settle for 14th – outside the points on super Saturday! Bezzecchi therefore gains some ground with second place, and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) too as he took P6.

Bezzecchi held the hold shot from pole, but Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) didn’t waste time to strike and take over in the lead. From there it was a frenetic opening couple of laps to the Sprint, with the track wet enough for the medium wets but conditions starting to dry.

Miller quickly made his way back through on the VR46 rider to take the lead as Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Tech3) shot into P3 with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac) trying to force his way through on the rookie. Martin eventually got the better of Fernandez with Alex Marquez quickly following suit, his charge beginning in earnest. Martin then tried his hand at taking the lead, Miller wasn’t letting the Spaniard have it easy as the Aussie had plenty of answers for the Pramac rider’s attacks. 

The race began to settle with a seven-bike freight train battling for the victory with the top guys swapping and changing postions corner after corner. Once Alex Marquez took the lead, however, he went on to set the fastest lap and begin to stretch out the field. 

Marquez, Bezzecchi, Miller, Viñales, and Martin was the order with six laps to go, with a second between Marquez and Bezzecchi, and another half a second back to Miller who had the rest of the front group right in his wheel tracks. 

Marquez kept Bezzecchi at arm’s length for the rest of the race but as the rain started to come down once again on the final couple of laps, the Italian began to make up significant ground on the Gresini machine ahead. By the final sector it was only a handful of tenths but Bezzecchi didn’t quite have enough in the tank to make a move, seeing Alex Marquez sweep through to his first ever Sprint win.

Despite starting down in 8th place, Viñales was a man on a mission during Saturday’s Sprint action. The Spaniard was on the move and eventually pushed his way past the Aussie Jack Miller for the final podium spot, holding onto P3 as Miller faded the other way.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) also had his head down as he climbed his way up from 12th on the grid to 4th, before being demoted down to P5 by a late-charging Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing). Sixth went to Martin, meaning Bezzecchi just edges him down into third in the standings, and behid Miller came Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Miguel Oliveira (CrytoDARA RNF MotoGP) completed the top ten.

That leaves some big names out. Reigning Champion Bagnaia failed to score in a Sprint for the first time this year, getting pushed a little wide by Zarco but then fading down to P14. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) rode home behind teammate Joan Mir to literally observe as the Japanese giants work to make big steps forward, in P17 and P18, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) came home in P20 after that difficult qualifying too.

Silverstone Sprint Race Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alex Marquez – Gresini Racing MotoGP
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Mooney VR46 Racing Team (+0.366)
3 Maverick Viñales – Aprilia Racing (+3.374)

Sunday
MotoGP came back with a bang as the Monster Energy British Grand Prix delivered an instant, last lap classic. With spots of rain falling towards the end of the race, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) mastered the changing conditions to put himself in the perfect position for a last-lap attack on Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Italian had led the majority of the race and withstood both serious pressure and the difficult conditions, but Espargaro studied his prey and pounced late on for Aprilia’s second ever premier class win. Reigning Champion Bagnaia will be happy to take 20 points, however, as his title rival Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) crashed out whilst following Bagnaia earlier in the race, with that dropping back to third overall.

For third in the race, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had his hands full with the Aprilias of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) as the South African fought hard but got the job done to take that podium after it evaded him in Assen. Oliveira, meanwhile, took P4 as top Independent Team rider.

The grid settled at Silverstone as the 2023 MotoGP rollercoaster of a season was set to return to action after a long summer break. The Monster Energy British Grand Prix marks the start of the second half of the season as the title trio prepared to resume battle, and the track was bone-dry but a chance of rain added to tension on the grid.

Bezzecchi started on pole position, but as the revs rose and the grid flew off the line it was a lightning start from Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) from the middle of the front row with Bezzecchi eyeing up a way through on the Aussie. Meanwhile, Bagnaia shot up to P3 from 4th on the grid as he had Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Viñales in his wheel-tracks.

Bagnaia did not hesitate in getting past his title rivals as he took his first opportunity to pass Bezzecchi, with his sights set on Miller in the lead. Bezzecchi wasn’t letting Bagnaia have it easy though as he fired it back up the inside. That ignited the fire in the Championship leader as Bagnaia pulled off an incredible move around the outside of Bezzecchi and used his momentum to take the lead away from Miller at the next corner.

Bezzecchi followed pursuit and pushed the Aussie back to P3 into the clutches of Alex Marquez, and once through Bagnaia and Bezzecchi began to break away, the title rivals locked together at the front. Aleix Espargaro was a man on a mission with 16 laps remaining as the Aprilia rider pushed his way through on Marquez into 3rd place, however, and was the fastest rider on circuit.

Bezzecchi had rushed into turn Stowe corner with 15 laps remaining, running himself slightly wide. If that was a warning it wasn’t heeded, as one lap later the VR46 rider made the same mistake, but this time the Silverstone Circuit wasn’t as kind to the title contender as he tucked the front and went down and out of the British Grand Prix. Rider ok, but with Bagnaia in the lead, this was proving to be a big dent in Bezzecchi’s Championship charge.

The Italian’s crash promoted Espargaro to 2nd place and Brad Binder up into 3rd, with the Spaniard putting the hammer down to reel in the number one plated Ducati out the front. Bagnaia did respond and upped the pace at the front, but the Aprilia was able to hang onto his coattails, initiating an intense battle for the victory that went right to the flag.

Meanwhile, Viñales had made his way through on Binder with 11 laps to go, making it two Aprilias inside the top 3. Viñales then proceeded to catch the leading group with Binder latched onto his rear wheel. It became a true group of 4 at the front with seven laps remaining, and the white flags were displayed with light spots of rain dropping onto the Silverstone Circuit. And when the rain picked up at turn 15, the Aprilias backed off slightly allowing Binder to fly his way through as the South African was as committed as ever.

The yo-yo in the group continued though, and Espargaro made his way back through on Binder with 4 laps to go as Bagnaia was putting down a strong pace out the front. Espargaro was then able to latch back onto the Italian as Binder began to drop back, with Oliveira then throwing his name into the mix as he came out of seemingly nowhere to catch the leading group.  Oliveira wasted no time in getting past Binder and Viñales as the Portuguese rider pulled off an incredible two-in-one move to make his way into P3. 

By last lap time, Binder had gotten the better of Oliveira to slot himself back into P3 as Bagnaia stretched out the group in the first sector, edging a few tenths ahead of Espargaro on the chase. Was there time left for a move? There was. Espargaro dug in and got back on terms with the Ducati before making an incredible move on the power at the exit of Copse Corner to blast past the Italian. The Spaniard went defensive down the Hangar straight too, with Bagnaia desperate to get past the Aprilia, but there was no way through. Espargaro left no room for the reigning Champion, leaving him forced to settle for 2nd place. A historic second win for Aprilia and a ninth different winner in a row at Silverstone, but an extended Championship lead for Pecco.

Binder also put on an impressive defensive display as he fended off Oliveira for the final podium spot. Viñales came home in 5th place, making it three Aprilias inside the top five after a storming Silverstone for the Noale factory. It’s also the first time Aprilia, Ducati and KTM have shared the podium.

Behind that fight, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) took P6 as he gained significant ground on Bezzecchi for P2 in the standings, the Pramac also having earlier been sent quite wide with Binder after the South African found himself in a Lap 1 sandwich. Alex Marquez retired from the front group with a mechanical issue, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) pulled in to retire too after earlier contact in a crash for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) put in a storming first half of the race from the back of the grid but then tangled with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) before running over his own strewn fairing. He then pitted to change to his second bike on wets to try his luck, and did take the final point as a couple of others gambled too.

Marini took P7 just ahead of Miller, who was sent well wide in an earlier tangle with Viñales, with Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) in P9 ahead of Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) to make it all Aprilias in the top ten.

Silverstone MotoGP Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing
2 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team (+0.215)
3 Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (+0.680)

Moto2
Moto2 delivered enthralling action at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix as Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) came out guns blazing with the heat turned up in Silverstone, taking his first Grand Prix win in style. The Spaniard got the better of Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los40) who had the bit between his teeth in 2nd place. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was fighting at the sharp end as always, and a British GP podium saw him take the Championship lead from Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) who could only manage 10th place.  

It was Aldeguer who took the holeshot down into turn 1, before being pushed back down the order to 4th place with teammate Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp), Acosta, and Canet hitting the front. Meanwhile, it was a disaster home Grand Prix for Jake Dixon (Tensite GASGAS Aspar Team) who was looking for redemption in the race after crashing out of qualifying. Unfortunately, it was a similar fate for the Brit in the race as the Aspar rider went down and out of the race with 16 laps to go after a clash with Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP).

Meanwhile, back at the front, Canet began to put the hammer down and pull away from Lopez, Acosta, and Aldeguer. The Spaniard had stretched out a one-second lead with 11 laps remaining. One lap later there was drama still to come as Lopez went down. Out of the Grand Prix after dropping off the back of Acosta and Aldeguer, there would be no follow up to his dream first rostrum at the venue in 2022.

Aldeguer went on to put down a scintillating pace as he reeled in Canet, wasting no time to snatch the lead from his compatriot with 8 laps to go.  Canet did all he could to hold on, but then was forced to drop a position to Acosta after overtaking under yellow flags.  

The Boscoscuro of Aldeguer went on to pull away at the front, setting the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap with the only 2:04s of the weekend. The Spaniard’s pace was unmatched as he went on to take the win by 2.546s. Canet then bounced back at Acosta, snatching 2nd place from his compatriot as the KTM Ajo rider was forced to settle for P3, but it did see him take hold of the Championship standings, now leading the way by 2 points.  

Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing) picked up a great result in P4, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team) who carved through the field to round out the top 5 after being battered down out of points earlier in the race.  

Moto2 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Fermín Aldeguer – Beta Tools SpeedUp
2 Aron Canet – Pons Wegow Los40 (+2.546)
3 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo (+3.883)

Moto3
The Moto3 showdown at Silverstone will live long in the memory, not least for first time Grand Prix winner David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). The number 80 becomes the first Colombian Grand Prix winner in history, and after gaining a stunning 27 places from the back of the grid after a disastrous qualifying. It was a close, close fight at the front, however, and the finish is the second-closest top 15 in history.

Second place went to Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) as the Japanese rider’s run of podiums continued, moving him up into second overall as the rider who held that on the way in, Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) slid out of the lead early doors. Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) took third, however, minimising the damage from Sasaki’s recent charge. 

There was immediate heartbreak for Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) was unable to get off the line on the Warm Up lap. By the time the Brit had gotten his bike restarted he was behind the safety car and was forced to start his home Grand Prix from the back of the grid, instead of the front row.

When the lights went out it was a good start for Holgado, who snatched the holeshot from Masia into turn 1. Masia, who started from pole, bit straight back though as Holgado who was then pushed back to 4th place with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sasaki getting themselves stuck in on lap one. 

Öncü led as they came across the line for the first time ahead of Masia and Holgado. The typical Moto3 freight train then began to form as Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) joined the battle at the front. With 13 laps still remaining it was a disaster for Masia as the Spaniard crashed out at Village corner, remounting straight away and firing himself back into the race, but with a mountain to climb to the top 15, he was unable to score a point. 

Meanwhile at the front, Diogo Moreira (MT Helemts MSI) and Alonso had joined the party whilst Masia’s title rival Holgado was leading the freight train, with 20 riders locked together in victory contention. It was blink-and-miss-it stuff as the laps ticked away with the Moto3 riders banging bars, swapping paintwork, and bashing elbows in a hard but fair battle for victory.

Alonso was looking racey with eight laps remaining as the youngster wasn’t shy of battling with the big names at the front. Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) also threw his name into the mix with six laps to go, utilising his unique wide-swooping style to take the lead with an incredible round-the-outside move, but only to battered back down the order. 

When last lap time came around, it was Holgado that led Alonso and Öncü with Ortola, Sasaki, and Moreira eager to break into the top 3. Alonso took the lead halfway around but it didn’t last long as Sasaki pushed his way to the front ahead of the final sector.

Alonso snatched the lead back on the hangar straight as Öncü jumped into P2 to then be pushed wide creating a gap in the group, this allowed the Colombian to hold onto the lead until the line as the youngster took his debut win in his rookie season at Grand Prix level, ahead of Sasaki who fended off Holgado to the line.

Ortola narrowly missed out on the podium in P4 as he fended off the menacing David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) who rounded out the top 5. Ogden was a rider on a mission as he pushed his way into the top 20 with 12 laps remaining, tagging himself onto the back of the leading group. The Brit pushed his way into the points with 4 laps to go but dropped back to P16 in the closing stages, then classified one further back due to track limits on the last lap.

Moto3 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

1 David Alonso – Gaviota GASGAS Aspar M3
2 Ayumu Sasaki – Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (+0.152)
3 Daniel Holgado – Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+0.203)

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The cleaning operation, carried out yesterday, was largely successful and will allow the rider to recover in view of the first race of the season, scheduled for the weekend of the 24th-26th March.

Dr. XAVIER MIR – MD PhD
“Aleix Espargaró underwent surgery on his right forearm, due to a fibrotic retraction of the forearm fascia with compression of the median nerve in the proximal third of the forearm. An antebrachial fasciotomy and an arch release of the pronator teres muscle was performed using microsurgical techniques. He will start his recovery as soon as tomorrow”.

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A total of 427 laps were clocked over the two days by the RS-GPs of Aleix Espargaró, Maverick Viñales and Lorenzo Savadori, all of whom were involved in both tests related to the current season and in comparisons and simulations that could help the development of the 2023 prototype.

Caught up in a crash at Turn 13, Aleix had to interrupt his test towards the end of today’s morning session, having suffered a micro-fracture to the little finger of his left hand that is not cause for concern ahead of Aragón.

Aleix Espargaró
“The injury will fortunately only require a little rest. We’ll check it tomorrow with more detailed tests but I’m not worried ahead of Aragón. The test overall was positive. We tried some concepts with a view to 2023 but we will have to analyse the data well, because Misano is a track with a lot of grip, especially after a race weekend. So it will be necessary to reconfirm the sensations on other tracks”.

Maverick Viñales
“We have definitely taken a step forward with these tests. I am satisfied with the work Aprilia is doing, both with a view to 2023 and to help me in this season finale. In the second part of the race on Sunday I lost something compared to the best riders and in these two days we have also had the opportunity to analyse that situation and work to improve it.”

Romano Albesiano
“Despite what might come naturally seeing the results of this season, our path to perfect competitiveness is still a long one. We are not satisfied and we won’t be until we manage to fill all the gaps in the RS-GP. We are already working on the ideas that will go on to define the 2023 prototype but the analysis process has to be meticulous, the risk of missteps is always just around the corner. There are concepts that seem to work, others that don’t clearly improve, so after so many laps we will have to be good at analysing the data collected. We are at a good level of performance, but this does not allow us to slow down development.” he finished.

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Read the full race report here…

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The Argentina GP also marked Espargaro’s 200th premier class start, with the stage perfectly set to celebrate in style as the long road from 125s to 250s to MotoGP, back to Moto2, through the CRT era to MotoGP factory rider ended on the top step of the premier class podium.

It didn’t come easy either, with Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin leading the way for much of the race and then battling it out, ultimately forced to settle for second but taking his first podium of the year. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) likewise took his first podium of 2022 and first since Silverstone last season, the Suzuki rider close to the duel ahead but not quite close enough to attack.

For the first time since 2019, it was lights out in Argentina and Martin got away superbly from the middle of the front row for the holeshot. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) launched well to move up into P3 as well, just behind polesitter and older brother Aleix Espargaro as it got close but not full contact close at the front.

The top two, Martin and Aleix Espargaro, soon started to stretch clear. The gap was up to a second pretty rapidly as Pol Espargaro and Rins battled past Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and a whole host of riders sat line astern. Reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), meanwhile, had dropped back to P13 from the second row, with Indonesian GP winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) behind him and the likes of Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) all making moves in the initial freight train.

The gap at the front extended and extended fast. Martin and Aleix Espargaro soon had a buffer of two seconds to Rins and Pol Espargaro, with Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) into P5 ahead of Marini, who in turn had Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), Bagnaia and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for close company.

Lap 10 of 25 saw Aleix Espargaro run wide at Turn 1, losing 0.4s, and then the Aprilia man ran wide at Turn 5 – two mistakes in five corners costing the Spaniard 0.9s. That left Rins just a second in arrears as the Suzuki rider kept chipping away at the gap and Martin’s lead, with 15 laps to go, was up to just over a second. The response from Aleix Espargaro? The fastest lap of the Grand Prix – a 1:39.375, 0.4s quicker than Martin.

After Zarco crashed out earlier, the next to suffer a crash was then Pol Espargaro, rider ok. That promoted Mir to P4, but the 2020 World Champion had two seconds to bridge if he wanted to fight his teammate Rins for the final podium spot.

Up front meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro had regrouped and was now back to where he was before the double error – 0.3s behind Martin – and the first hint of a move came with eight laps to go. The Aprilia moved out the slipstream and was ahead, but it was only briefly. Hard on the anchors, Espargaro couldn’t get his RS-GP stopped at the apex and Martin was back through.

A lap later, it was copy/paste at Turn 5. Still no way through for Espargaro, who looked like he had a bit of pace in his pocket over Martin. But then, at the third attempt at Turn 5, the Aprilia was through. With four and a half laps to go, Aprilia and Espargaro were leading. With three to go, Martin hadn’t been dropped by Espargaro, and Rins was now 0.8s behind too. Two to go: 0.2s split the top two, and Rins was still just under a second behind.

Heading onto the last lap though, it looked like the stage was set. Espargaro had been able to give himself just over half a second of breathing space, and a monumentally huge lap was incoming for the number 41 and Aprilia – with just 4.8km of asphalt separating him from a dream debut victory. Turn 5 was safely negotiated. Turn 7 too. Three corners left quickly become two. Turn 13 was safely negotiated, no attack from Martin incoming, and finally, flicking his RS-GP left, Espargaro took the chequered flag in P1 for the very first time, handing Aprilia their first premier class victory and adding another entry into the record books.

Just behind, Martin had no answer in the end for Espargaro but second place is crucial to kickstart his World Championship after two DNFs in Qatar and Indonesia, putting him on the board. Rins completed the podium for his first visit to the rostrum in 2022, and in the end, Mir was only 0.5s away from his teammate and podium finish. That has put Team Suzuki Ecstar top of the teams’ standings, with Ducati top in the consctructors’ thanks to Martin. Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, leads the riders’ Championship for the first time.

Bagnaia put in an impressive Sunday salvage to take P5, the Italian getting the better of Brad Binder. Viñales enjoyed by far his best weekend yet with Aprilia as he takes home P7, ahead of former teammate Quartararo. The reigning Champion took a lonely P8 in the end.

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) upped the rookie ante with an impressive ninth place as he takes over at the top in the fight for Rookie of the Year, and the Italian beat compatriots Bastianini and Marini to it too. The ‘Beast’ loses the points lead after a P10, with Marini slipping down the order to P11. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) fended off Oliveira for P12, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) behind them as the Australian couldn’t make progress on Sunday afternoon and picked up a lowly P14. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) claimed the final point in P15.

History made and party begun, that’s a wrap and we have some new winners in town as the paddock packs up and heads for Texas. What awaits in the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas and, maybe crucially, who? The top step has only belonged to two, so tune in next week to see the next chapter in the story – with the sport also celebrating a very special milestone: 500 Grands Prix of the FIM, IRTA, MSMA and Dorna Racing together.

Aleix Espargaro: “I’m extremely happy about this weekend in Argentina. Overall in Qatar and Indonesia I also felt very strong. I felt competitive, I think we had a solid weekend. Honestly, the race was not easy. I expected it to be a bit easier as this morning I felt very strong. But I think I had a smart race, and finally after this long period with Aprilia we achieved the victory and we are leading the championship. This is like a dream. We keep our feet on the ground, but I think we truly deserve this!”

MotoGP Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – 41’36.198
2 Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +0.807
3 Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – Suzuki – +1.330

Moto2
Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) marches on in style in the 2022 Moto2 World Championship, putting in another stellar performance in Argentina for win number two of the season. Idemitsu Honda Team Asia celebrated a double podium as Somkiat Chantra took back to back rostrum finishes, this time in second, and Ai Ogura fended off Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) on the final lap to finish P3. It’s the first time two former Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup riders have shared the class podium. Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) crashed after contact with Vietti at Turn 13, deemed a racing incident.

Polesitter Aldeguer got away the best, but alongside him, Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was more sluggish. A bad start then turned into a disastrous start for the number 37, as he made some contact with Ogura’s rear wheel at Turn 1 and crashed out of contention. Vietti made a great start from the third row to move up, the only rider keeping tabs on Aldeguer in the opening exchanges.

At Turn 1 on Lap 4, Vietti then carved past Aldeguer to take the lead. Chantra was holding third, the Thai rider a second away from Aldeguer’s rear wheel, as Canet also made great progress to climb up to P4. Vietti, Aldeguer and Chantra seemed to be holding station. But with 16 to go, drama struck. Vietti was slightly wide at Turn 13 and sniffing an opportunity, Aldeguer stuck his front wheel up the inside. The two came together and the rider coming off worse was Alduguer, who was up on his feet but out of the race.

Up ahead, Vietti also now had his hands full with Chantra. Canet was P3 but over a second off second, with Ogura keeping tabs on the Spaniard in P4 – and the Japanese rider was the fastest rider in the lead group. For a second time, Vietti was then wide at Turn 13, and this time it did allow Chantra to come through and take the lead. On the following lap though, Chantra was wide at the same corner, putting Vietti back in charge. Chantra stayed settled in behind Vietti for a number of laps then, with the action shifting to behind between Ogura and Canet. The battle allowed Vietti and Chantra sail 1.7s up the road from the duo, and with five laps to go, it looked like it was Vietti vs Chantra for victory.

With just over two laps to go, Vietti pulled the pin and the gap went up over a second heading onto the last lap. Chantra, in turn, was 3.8s clear of teammate Ogura, but the Japanese rider was absolutely not clear of Canet. With a place on the podium up for grabs, the Spaniard was swarming all over the back of him and lunged at Turn 5. Canet was wide though, allowing Ogura back through, but the Spaniard then tried again at Turn 7 and managed to hold it around the outside of Turn 8.

As it already had in plenty Moto3 battles, it would come down to the penultimate corner. As Vietti sailed over the finish line for win two from three and Chantra secured his first back to back podiums, Ogura shot up the inside of Canet with a classic harsh but clean move, and the Honda Team Asia rider kept it pinned to the line to make it the first time two former ATC riders have shared the podium in the intermediate class.

Finishing less than a second behind Canet came Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) in P5, which marks a solid bounce back for the British rider after his Indonesian GP disappointment as he got the better of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in the closing stages. Arbolino claimed a fantastic P6, with the Italian coming home over four seconds clear of reigning Moto3 World Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P7. Albert Arenas (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) closed out the top 10.

Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) takes a P11 home from his first visit to Termas, the American now gets set for his home Grand Prix next weekend. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), rookie Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) and Marcos Ramirez (MV Agusta Forward Racing) took the final points on offer.

Moto2 Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Kalex – 39’44.098
2 Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +1.538
3 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +5.703

As last laps go, Argentina was pretty special from Sergio Garcia (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team). The now-Championship leader went from third to first and attacked Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) with some penultimate corner poetry to take his first win of the season. The Italian was quick to congratulate the move despite being forced to settle for second, once more banking some serious points as he and Garcia pull clear at the top. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) went from front row to podium despite a Long Lap penalty the Japanese rider had to serve from Indonesia, finally putting bad luck to bed.

It was a perfect getaway from pole for Garcia, who comfortably led into Turn 1, but a slower start for teammate Izan Guevara on the outside of the front row. However, despite dropping to P5 on the opening lap, Guevara expertly picked his way back through and on Lap 2 at Turn 5, took the lead from Garcia. The two GASGAS riders immediately started stretching clear as second on the grid Sasaki took his Long Lap Penalty.

Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 3 and had climbed from outside the top 10 into the top three, but with plenty of squabbling going on, the GASGAS leading duo were nearly a second up the road. By 14 laps to go though, Masia had bridged the gap and had Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) in tow.

A leading quintet of Guevara, Garcia, Masia, Migno and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) held station at the front, but drama then unfolded for race leader Guevara. At Turn 3 with 12 laps to go, the sophomore’s machine said no more and through no fault of his own, Guevara was out of the race, dropping down the Championship standings in the process. Meanwhile, Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) had made his way up to P5 from a tougher qualifying, and on Lap 11 of 21, the Italian snapped up a two-for-one deal at Turn 13 – Moreira and Masia dispatched, Foggia was now P3 and in the hunt for the win.

Turn 13 then staged arguably the biggest drama of the race. Trying to go through a door that wasn’t fully open, Migno collided with Masia and both were down with just over five laps to go. That left Garcia leading Leopard duo Foggia and Tatsuki Suzuki by half a second, with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Sasaki in the top five, the latter after clawing his way back from outside the points.

After reviewing the incident between Migno and Masia from every angle, the FIM MotoGP Stewards deemed it a racing incident with some responsibility shared between both riders. Masia did however receive a warning for the “touch” to Migno’s helmet after the crash.

With two to go, Foggia was closing in on Garcia. Half a second became 0.2s in a couple of laps and at Turn 12, Foggia led. The Italian kept the lead onto the final lap from Garcia, with Suzuki, Sasaki and Rossi in the top five, but Garcia then found himself in the firing line as Suzuki sliced past to make it a Leopard 1-2. The Spaniard was able to respond, however, replying at Turn 9 and then locking on to Foggia just ahead. 

There was. The number 11’s burgeoning reputation as a rider who will always go full send on Sunday – and within the limit – has been well-earned and Argentina would prove no different. Slicing up the inside at the final corner, the GASGAS rider got it done, kept it, and gassed it to the line for victory with Foggia hot on his heels. Just behind them, Sasaki dived up the inside of Suzuki too and made that stick, back on the podium despite a Long Lap to turn proven speed in 2022 into points. Suzuki, for his part, was given a drop one position penalty for track limits on the last lap too – so he’s classified fifth as Rossi takes P4.

Impressive rookie Moreira continued to earn that moniker as the Brazilian took P6, just ahead of a big step forward for 2021 FIM JuniorGP Champion Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as he gets back to full fitness after injury struggles in preseason. Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and his teammate Joel Kelso rounded out the top 10.

Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) and Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) were P11 and P12 respectively, the duo finished ahead of Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Adrian Fernandez and Deniz Öncü – both of whom had to take Long Lap Penalties for shortcuts. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) was the final point scorer in P15.

Moto3 Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 38:23.433
2 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +0.146
3 Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) – Husqvarna – +0.375

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After three days dedicated to the shakedown (the first real test of the new prototypes), it was time for the entire MotoGP class to have two days of official testing. It was clear by the end of the sessions that the competition is still extremely fierce, with 19 riders all within one second of one another. In any case, the stopwatch confirmed that Aprilia is on the right path, with Aleix second, just 26 thousandths of a second behind the leader and beating the track record. Maverick was also fast straight away, just 130 thousandths of a second behind, riding his RS-GP to fifth place.

However, although the times may not provide the most accurate picture of the situation, since they were achieved by all during true time attacks on soft tyres, feedback on the feeling is a different story. And this is why Aprilia is confident as they head to the new Indonesian Mandalika track for the second and final pre-season tests.

Aleix Espargaró: “I must thank the staff in Noale. Albesiano and all the engineers did a good job. From the first time I swung a leg over, during a photo shoot, I noticed how sleek and compact the new RS-GP is, and I know how hard it is to achieve this result. The ergonomics, the frame and all the new features make it extremely agile, letting me improve on corners speed, especially in fast turns. However, we still need to consider that this is just the first test and that we are all extremely close. The current level of MotoGP is absolutely incredible. We’ll keep working and I can’t wait to turn laps on the new Mandalika circuit too.”

Maverick Viñales: “I’m pleased with this first test. I felt extremely comfortable on the bike. I was especially surprised by our race pace, with used tyres, whereas on the flying lap, I am still unable to fully exploit the bike’s potential. When you try to find the limit, and you have to do that often in MotoGP today, the feeling has to be more than perfect, but I am still making a few mistakes. I need to get used to the way this bike behaves when I’m looking for maximum performance and that’s a process we’re working on.”

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