Sprint Race
Pole position was converted into a Tissot Sprint victory for Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) the only rider able to run the Spaniard close on Saturday. Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) picked up his 10th Saturday podium of the season – and his most hard-fought yet – as the #1 fended off the two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machines of MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and a charging Brad Binder for P3.

Martin got the exact launch he’d have wanted from pole as he grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, as Bagnaia powered his way around the outside of Bezzecchi to grab an early P2. Pedrosa went P5 to P4 to get the better of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) as Binder didn’t get away well – the South African was outside the top 10.

Martin immediately began to pull the pin. On Lap 2 his lead was up to 0.9s as Bagnaia made a small mistake to relinquish P2 to Bezzecchi. Meanwhile, Binder was responding in the only way he knows how: full attack mode. Midway around Lap 3 Binder was up to P6 and hounding Viñales, who by then was already nearly two seconds back from Pedrosa.

At the front, it quickly became Martin vs Bezzecchi. Lap 3 belonged to the latter, the Italian cut the gap by a sizeable 0.5s, with Bagnaia dropping to two seconds off the P1 fight. Binder vs Viñales was raging on and on Lap 6 of 13, a move finally stuck for the #33. Next on his radar: KTM stablemate Pedrosa.

With five laps to go, Martin’s gap to Bezzecchi was up to 0.8s as Pedrosa reeled in Bagnaia in by 0.4s. Binder was making ground but he wasn’t taking chunks out of the pair just up the road, the gap to try and bridge was hovering at around one second.

With two laps left in the Tissot Sprint, a two-horse race for P3 became a three-horse race. Binder was right with Bagnaia and Pedrosa, knowing gaining points on Pecco is absolutely crucial. Considering what happened less than a week ago, however, the reigning Champion was riding unbelievably to keep the KTMs behind as the last lap began.

Martin led by a second over Bezzecchi as we strapped in for a KTM vs Bagnaia scrap for the final podium place. Halfway around the lap, Pecco was holding on. Binder was out of shape; Pedrosa was waiting to pounce. A headshake down the back straight cost Pedrosa time and despite the efforts of the orange bikes, Pecco just held on to claim P3 behind Martin and Bezzecchi taking the chequered flag in P1 and P2 respectively.

Behind the rostrum lock out for the top three in the title fight, a dream podium wasn’t to be on Saturday but Pedrosa rolled back the years again to claim a wonderful P4, with Binder crossing the line 0.159s off the ‘Little Samurai’ in P5 after a belting comeback. Viñales grabbed P6 ahead of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), the latter in P9 picking up the final Sprint point in Misano. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) initially got his elbows out in that fight but came home in P10, just missing out on a point.

Misano MotoGP Sprint Race Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Jorge Martin – Prima Pramac Racing
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Mooney VR46 Racing Team (+1.445)
3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team (+4.582)

Race Day
Pole position, Tissot Sprint win and a Sunday race victory. Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) weekend at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini couldn’t have gone any better as the Spaniard made no mistakes to take maximum points on his title rivals’ stomping ground. The winning margin over second place Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was just 1.3s as Bez homed in though, with reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) fighting through the pain to claim an important third. And Pecco was only just ahead of some familiar company at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli: wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM).

Just like he did in the Tissot Sprint, Martin got a perfect launch and pocketed the holeshot as Bezzecchi and Bagnaia slotted in behind. Pedrosa got away well again and was up to P4, and the MotoGP Legend held on after a moment between Turn 1 and 2 looking for a way through on Bagnaia. But Bagnaia then picked his way past Bezzecchi at Turn 3 as the #1 immediately began to hound Martin.

Unlike yesterday, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made good progress off the start and at the beginning of Lap 2, the South African was up to P4 and began to chase Martin, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi.

A fascinating early race fight was unfolding at the front. Martin, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi were locked together, with Binder 0.7s adrift heading onto Lap 5. On Lap 6, Bezzecchi passed Pecco for P6 down at Turn 8 but just like he did a lap previous, the Italian was wide at Turn 10 to allow the Champion back through. That gave Martin a little bit of breathing room – if you can call 0.3s that – as Binder went quicker than the trio in front of him.

Disaster then struck for Binder at Turn 14 on Lap 8. The KTM star was down at the tight right-hand hairpin as his podium hopes ended, handing Pedrosa the lead KTM baton. The #26 was 1.5s off the leaders, as KTM’s afternoon then got worse as Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of contention after being involved in an incident with Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing).

Elsewhere, on Lap 12 of 27, it was time to cue the jaws music. Who for? Pedrosa. The wildcard was beginning to close at a vast rate of knots and with 15 laps left, Pedrosa was just 0.6s off Bezzecchi’s rear wheel. Unbelievable. The Little Samurai was the only rider lapping in the 1:31s at this stage of the race.

Pedrosa’s pace dropped off soon after but the gap remained at just over a second. At the front, with 10 laps to go, Martin’s lead grew to over a second for the first time as the #89 began to get the hammer down. Were the injuries to Bagnaia and Bezzecchi starting to take their toll or was Martin’s pace just too good? Bezzecchi was looking impatient behind VR46 compatriot Bagnaia, and a move came at Turn 8. By now though, Martin’s advantage was 2.2s.

Bagnaia was fading. Pedrosa was coming. 0.7s split the double World Champion from the three-time World Champion, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and an extremely classy ride for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) putting him a further four seconds back after initially closing on the number 12. A huge six laps beckoned, could Bagnaia hold on to what would be a very valuable and hard-earned 16 points?

With four laps to go, Bagnaia was holding Pedrosa at bay by 0.6s. Bezzecchi was now under two seconds away from Martin but it was too little too late, with the latter controlling his advantage nicely as he powered towards completing the perfect weekend.

With two to go, Pedrosa was right on Bagnaia’s coattails. Catching the Ducati rider was one thing but as he found out in the Sprint, passing was a whole different kettle of fish. In the end, Bagnaia did hold on to a crucial P3 as Martin made no mistake to cap off a sensational weekend. Bezzecchi bagged P2 despite his injured hand to gain ground in the title chase.

Just off the podium of Martin, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, Pedrosa took the chequered flag just 0.6s away from the rostrum as the Little Samurai again demonstrates why he’s a three-time World Champion and a MotoGP Legend. Unreal from the popular Spaniard, who finished six seconds up the road from fifth place Viñales.

Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) was sixth ahead of Marc Marquez, who somehow bags a brilliant P7 after racing with a soft rear tyre. Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) takes home his best MotoGP finish in P8, as the Ducatis of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) complete the top 10.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), Catalan GP winner Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha), a recovering Binder and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) closed out the points in San Marino. Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) joined Miller and Pirro as the riders to notch up DNFs.

Misano MotoGP Race Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Jorge Martin – Prima Pramac Racing
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Mooney VR46 Racing Team (+1.350)
3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team (+3.812)

Moto2
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was back in business at Misano, putting in an inch-perfect performance to take victory. The Spaniard controlled the race perfectly at the front as he edged away from home hero Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) pilling on the pressure mid race. The Italian brought home an important second place, with Alonso Lopez (+Ego SpeedUp) keeping Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) at bay to round out the podium.  

Acosta came out the gates with fire in his belly as he took the holeshot from the polesitter Vietti. Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Mastercamp) tried to hold on from his front row start, but the Spaniard quickly fell victim to Lopez and Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) who charged their way through on the first lap.  

The front three then began to break away as Lopez dropped off the back of the group, with a few bike lengths back to Gonzalez in fifth. Acosta was pushing on at the front and was asking big questions of Vietti, who was keeping the Spaniard in his sights. Still, the Championship leader’s pace began to stretch out the field and it wasn’t long before the Red Bull KTM Ajo machine was almost a second up the road.  

With the pace getting hotter and hotter, Canet then cracked as a tiny mistake at Carro corner saw him crash out of a podium position with 14 laps to go, promoting Lopez to P3. That left Vietti in a lonely 2nd place and with some ground to cover to Acosta out the front. Vietti responded to the Spaniard’s hot pace however as he began to reel in the Championship leader tenth by tenth.  The Italian was throwing absolutely everything he had at it with the prospect of a home Grand Prix victory dangling before his eyes. Vietti’s bike was making all sorts of shapes as the Italian had no choice but to push the limits to try and match Acosta’s pace. 

After a couple of big moments, that was all she wrote in terms of the Italian’s charge for the win though. With five laps remaining Acosta had stretched the gap back out to over two seconds, and it was game set and match from there going forward as Acosta had done all the hard work and cruised to victory by 6.3s, extending his Championship lead. 

Whilst the battle for victory had been decided the battle for third was raging on. Arbolino had been carving his way through the field from the moment the lights went out. The Italian desperately needed a good result to keep his Championship hopes alive and after charging from ninth on the grid to fourth, with five laps to go he had just under a second to Lopez in the final rostrum position…

Arbolino had the bit between his teeth as he proceeded to hit his markers in a valiant attempt to reel in the Boscoscuro machine. Lopez had it covered however as the Spaniard’s pace just made it too difficult for the Italian to bridge the gap. The SpeedUp rider took his first podium since Le Mans, with Arbolino forced to settle for P4. A late charge from Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura and Somkiat Chantra saw them pip Gonzalez as the Spaniard dropped to P7, with Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) and wildcard home hero Mattia Pasini (Fieten Olie Racing GP) completing the top ten.

Moto2 Misano Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo
2 Celestino Vietti – Fantic Racing (+6.305)
3 Alonso Lopez – +Ego SpeedUp (+9.989)

Moto3
David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), take a bow. The young Colombian takes his third victory in four races after beating Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in a phenomenal Moto3 battle at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The top three crossed the line 0.2s apart as World Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) struggled to P16, blowing the title race wide open.

It was Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) who got the best launch from the middle of the front row as the Japanese star grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, but Masia immediately responded to take the lead at Turn 4. Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) lost ground on the first lap, he was shoved down to P5 as Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and Alonso made forward progress.

Masia held a 0.6s advantage on Lap 2 as Sasaki and Moreira squabbled for second place. The lead was up to a second heading onto Lap 3, with the chasing pack needing to settle down and work together to try and reel in the early runaway leader. However, settling down isn’t something Öncü can do. The Turk shoved his way past Moreira and set his sights on catching Masia.

By Lap 6 of 20, Öncü and Moreira had bridged the gap. Sasaki, David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), Alonso and Toba were a further 0.7s adrift, with World Championship leader Holgado battling outside the top 10.

With 12 laps left, a lead group of seven had formed with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) tagging onto the back of the battle in P8 and P9. Lap 11 of 20 saw the lead change for the first time as Masia went from P1 to P3 in the blink of an eye, with Öncü now at the front.

With seven laps remaining, a top four of Öncü, Masia, Muñoz and Alonso had gapped Moreira, Sasaki, Toba, Veijer and Rueda. The front quartet were two seconds up the road, with Holgado still P11 and over a second off tenth place Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team). It was bubbling up nicely for a final lap spectacular in Misano. The top four was as you were for a few laps before Muñoz had a big front-end moment at Turn 2 – the Spaniard did well to keep it upright but lost P3 to Alonso.

Heading onto the final lap, Öncü led from Masia and Alonso, with Muñoz 0.6s adrift in P4. Alonso slammed in the fastest lap of the race as we strapped in for a last-lap thriller. It stayed the same through the first half of the lap before Alonso grabbed P2 at Turn 10. Then on the run into Turn 14, Masia pocketed a two-for-one deal. It was a cracking move but Alonso returned the favour on the cutback and managed to hold onto the lead all the way to the flag. The Colombian beat Masia by 0.036s to P1 with Öncü settling for P3 having led for most of the second half of the race.

Muñoz bounced back from his Catalan GP disappointment with a solid P4, as Veijer takes home a top five after showing great late race pace. Japan’s Toba and Sasaki crossed the line in P6 and P7 respectively, with Ortola doing well to claim P8 after being shoved well wide in the early exchanges. Rueda and Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounded out the top 10, as Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Moreira, Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) rounded out the points.

Moto3 Misano Podium (Full Results Here)

1 David Alonso – Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team
2 Jaume Masia – Leopard Racing (+0.036)
3 Deniz Öncü – Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.237)

The post MotoGP Misano: Perfect Weekend For Martin appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Misano Race One
As the lights went out for the 20-lap race, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Rinaldi looked to have got a better start compared to Bautista but the reigning Champion was able to hold on from the pair to keep the lead from pole position. The trio fought it out over the early laps of the race with Razgatlioglu aiming to pass Rinaldi around the outside into Turn 4 with the Italian defending to keep second place.

As the race settled down, Bautista and Rinaldi were both able to gap Razgatlioglu in first and second place respectively to claim a home victory for Ducati on a special liveried Panigale V4 R, with the bike running yellow colours rather than red to pay homage to Ducati’s history. The win was Bautista’s 44th win in WorldSBK and his fourth at Misano, while Rinaldi equalled his podium tally from 2022 with second place to take his fourth podium of the season. It was also the first win for a yellow Ducati since Sylvain Guintoli at Assen in 2012.

While the two Ducati riders checked out in front, Razgatlioglu had to withstand some early pressure from Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) but the 2021 Champion was able to resist that pressure before pulling out a gap over his rivals. As the race hit the halfway stage, Petrucci dropped Bassani behind him and started gaining on Razgatlioglu in the podium fight. By Lap 12, Ragatlioglu started pulling away from the Italian rookie to claim third place. Razgatlioglu’s third place means he closes in on a century of WorldSBK podium while it was Yamaha’s 349th race on the podium.

It had looked Petrucci would claim fourth place, but his race ended when he crashed on Lap 15 at Turn 8, with his Panigale V4 R ending up in the gravel and his race was over. This promoted Bassani to fourth place as he equalled his best result of the season while the battle for fifth raged on behind him between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). On the penultimate lap, Aegerter tried to make a move at Turn 14 and looked like he got ahead of Rea but he ran wide and allowed Rea through. He then tried to make a move at Turn 8 on the final lap, but, again, ran wide to allow Rea to keep fifth place.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battled up the order to claim seventh place after a fight with Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in the early stages of the race, with the Spaniard having to resist Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) behind him after he passed the Australian rookie. Lecuona was able to hold off Gardner to claim eighth place ahead of Gardner in ninth, while Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) rounded out the top ten.

Vierge was involved in a race-long with Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with the Spaniard coming out on top ahead of Redding, who finished 11th but missed out on a spot in the top ten by just three tenths of a second. It was a difficult race for Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who, until today, had finished every race in the top seven in 2023. He took 12th in Race 1, finishing ahead of Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) who put in a late charge to pass Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) in 14th. Home rider Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) rounded out the points with 15th place.

Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) narrowly missed out on points on his return to BMW as he finished in 16th place, finishing almost a second down on Baldassarri. He was able to finish ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) who overcame a three-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding in FP3 to take 17th place ahead of Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 18th. Ray had to start from the pitlane after an issue on the grid which delayed the start and reduced the race duration from 21 laps to 20.

Tito Rabat (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 19th on his return to WorldSBK action, 16 seconds down on Ray ahead of him, while he was six seconds clear of compatriot Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) in 20th place. Ryo Mizuno (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) finshed his maiden WorldSBK race in 21st place.

WorldSBK Misano Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.221s
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.971s

Misano Tissot Superpole Race
A tyre gamble for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) paid off in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as he used Pirelli’s SCX tyre to victory while his rivals used the SCQ. With the red flags deployed on Lap 8 of 10, Bautista timed an overtake perfectly on Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) to take his second victory of the weekend.

Once again, Razgatlioglu looked to get a better start than Bautista but the reigning Champion was able to resist the pressure into Turn 1, before Razgatligolu passed him ay Turn 4. The switched positions on Lap 3 when Bautista made the move into Curvone before Toprak again passed him at Turn 4 on Lap 5. On Lap 8, Bautista was able to get ahead again, and the red flags were deployed moments later after a Lap 7 crash involving Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) at Turn 8, meaning he claimed his second win of the weekend at Misano ahead of Razgatlioglu. The Turkish rider used the start to stay ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in third, with the trio sharing the front row for Race 2. Lecuona and Petrucci were taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.

Fourth place went to Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) after he battled with Rinaldi in the early stages of the race, with Bassani passing Rinaldi on Lap 2 before Rinaldi responded immediately to deny Bassani a home podium. Two Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK riders will join Bassani on the second row for Race 2 with Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes in fifth and sixth respectively in the shortened eight-lap Superpole Race.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) will line up in Race 2 from seventh place after he passed Lecuona on Lap 7 into Turn 1, giving him a third row start for Race 2. He was ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in eighth while Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was the main beneficiary of the Petrucci-Lecuona incident as he secured ninth place in the Superpole Race, giving him a third row start for Race 2 as he finished as the highest-placed BMW rider.

It was a difficult race for the GYRT GRT Yamaha Team with Dominique Aegerter finishing 23rd, the last of the classified riders, and Remy Gardner retiring from the race after a collision with Petrucci at Turn 2 on Lap 1 when in the top ten. The incident was investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards with Petrucci given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the collision. Gardner was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.

WorldSBK Misano Tissot Superpole Race Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.101s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.738s

Misano Race Two
As the lights went out, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) got the holeshot to lead into Turn 1 before Rinaldi battled his way through on his teammate at Turn 4 to move into second. However, it did not take long for Bautista to head to the front of the field as he overtook his teammate and then went through on Razgatlioglu at Turn 8 on Lap 2. From there, he was able to build a gap to Razgatlioglu behind him as the Turkish star found himself under pressure from Rinaldi.

That pressure soon told for Razgatlioglu as the pair battled it out for second place before Rinaldi overtook the 2021 Champion heading into Turn 8 on Lap 3. Despite Rinaldi pulling away, Razgatlioglu started closing the gap but, by the halfway point of the race, Rinaldi had stabilised the gap slightly to around three tenths. On Lap 13, Razgatlioglu again closed the gap on Rinaldi as he looked to take second place from the home hero. Razgatlioglu made his overtake on Rinaldi at Turn 8 on Lap 15 to move into second but Rinaldi kept the pressure on, with the pair making contact at Turn 1 when Rinaldi looked to re-gain second place; Rinaldi’s race ended when he went into the gravel.

Originally a battle for fourth but turning into a podium fight after Rinaldi’s crash, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) went head to head with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Rea got ahead in the early stages before Bassani responded on Lap 3 to move ahead of Rea to claim what turned into third place to claim his first podium on home soil and his first of the 2023 campaign as he pulled out a gap over Rea behind him.

Bautista’s victory gave him his 46th win in WorldSBK and is now on a streak of 10 consecutive wins in WorldSBK, while he also has 14 wins in 15 races this season with his fourth hat-trick of the season. It means he is the first rider to win 14 victories in the first 15 races of the season. Razgatlioglu is now even closer to 100 podiums, with 96 to his name following his Race 2 second place, while it is also Yamaha’s best ever streak of podiums at 15 races. Bassani claimed his fifth podium in WorldSBK, his first since San Juan last year.

Rea claimed fourth place after losing touch with Bassani as the race progressed, but he was able to finish more than two seconds clear of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in fifth place as he enjoyed a strong Emilia-Romagna Round. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) came home in sixth place after fending off Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in the closing stages of the race to take six, finishing a second behind Vierge and 0.245s clear of Petrucci in seventh after he bounced back from two incidents in the Tissot Superpole Race.

American star Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed eighth place and finished as the top BMW rider in Race 2 after a race-long battle with Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven), with the American coming through on the final lap to take eighth place. Oettl was ninth at the end of the race, only 0.350s down on Gerloff at the end of the 21-lap race, while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and teammate Dominique Aegerter had a fight for 10th place; the Australian having the better of Aegerter after they were involved in a crash in the Superpole Race.

Aegerter had a nine second advantage over Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) who claimed 12th place despite having to start from the back of the grid. On the sighting lap, Baz had a technical issue with his M1000RR machine, and he was able to bring it back to the pits and, while he was able to start the race, he started from last place. Baz was at the front of a trio of BMW riders with Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 13th with the 2013 Champion finishing ahead of teammate Scott Redding in 14th. Redding had been fighting in the top ten in the early stages of the race, but he dropped down the order as the race progressed, finishing 14 seconds behind Sykes. Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) was the final points scorer with 15th place, while Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) was the last classified rider in 16th place.

Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the first retirement of the race when he had a technical problem at Turn 8 on the opening lap. On Lap 3, Ryo Mizuno (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) ceashed out of the race at Turn 4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was running in the top six during the first third of the race but a Turn 4 crash put him out of the race. Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) retired after a crash at the Turn 1-2 chicane when fighting for a strong points position, while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) brought his bike into the pits at the end of Lap 19. Gabriele Rui (Bmax Racing) did not race in Race 2.

WorldSBK Misano Race 2 Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.446s
3 Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +18.368s

Championship Standings After Misano (Full Standings Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 298 points
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 212
3 Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 150

The post WorldSBK Rd5 Misano: Another Ducati Masterclass appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Yamaha
Much of the pre-test talk centred around Yamaha’s new engine, and the top speed charts made for very encouraging reading indeed. Quartararo clocked 298.3km/h in the pre-lunchtime running on Wednesday, third on that metric at less than 2km/h slower than Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) recorded on one of the Bologna bullets otherwise known as a Ducati. ‘El Diablo’ admitted he used a slipstream to achieve that speed, but was still quite happy with what the Iwata manufacturer has rolled out. He was fastest in that morning session on a 1:31.116 before shaving off a little more time in the afternoon to consolidate his place at the top.

Yamaha also worked on a new chassis, as well as new aerodynamic pieces, with different versions seen on the bikes of Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, who finished the test 12th-fastest overall. While Misano is very much about developing a bike for the following season, it might also give Quartararo a big boost to his hopes of back-to-back World Championship titles, given Team Manager Massimo Meregalli says that the new chassis could appear as soon as the upcoming Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon. Intriguingly, Meregalli also reported that Yamaha may have found a way to achieve more power this year, which would require a development somewhere other than the engine. What have they got up their sleeve, and we will see the evidence of that in Aragon also?

Honda
Marc Marquez fans rejoice! The eight-time World Champion completed another 61 laps on Day 2 of the Misano test. It was certainly not the most mileage, but he notched up a solid haul in both of the Wednesday sessions – an extremely positive sign for the Honda rider’s fitness after his arm surgery in June, and therefore a positive sign for Honda in general.

As for the machinery, there was plenty going on at Honda as well. The Kalex swingarm which HRC Test Rider Stefan Bradl tried out on Day 1 was back again on Day 2 – and this time, it was seen on one of Marc Marquez’s bikes. The #93 had three different examples of the RC213V at his disposal, those being a pair of 2022 versions and more of a 2023 model, and Honda tested three different air intakes across its fleet of motorcycles. Bradl also tried out a different exhaust, and even did some back-to-back running with the 2021 bike.

On the timesheets, Marc Marquez was Honda’s best in 13th for the test on combined times, having gone as fast as a 1:31.642 in the morning session on Day 2. More importantly, however, there is plenty for the Japanese marque’s technical gurus to pore over in coming weeks and months as preparations for next season ramp up.

Ducati
San Marino GP winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished the test second-fastest thanks to the 1:31.172 which he set before lunchtime on Day 2, while the man who was runner-up last Sunday, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) claimed fourth in the test on a 1:31.260. None of the Ducati riders ventured onto the track in the afternoon, while Mooney VR46 Racing Team had already wrapped up its testing on Day 1.

In the main, the Bologna marque worked on chassis and new aerodynamics, although only with Bagnaia and Bastianini. Meanwhile, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a spill at Turn 4 – rider okay.

Aprilia
Both of Aprilia Racing’s full-time Grand Prix riders, Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro, finished in the top five, the former third on a 1:31.189 and the latter fifth on a 1:31.333 – both set in the morning session on Day 2. Of particular note, however, was that Espargaro’s crash in that session has left him with a broken little finger on his left hand. Thankfully, he will not need surgery, and while the Argentina GP winner admitted to being in pain, he expects to be okay to ride at the Aragon GP.

The Noale manufacturer tested different chassis and, like Yamaha, could roll out a new specification as soon as Aragon. There was also new aerodynamics to trial as well.

KTM
Despite chatter in the paddock, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said that the Austrian manufacturer did not have a 2023 prototype at Misano, although it did test 2023 parts. Miguel Oliveira was quickest of its riders on a 1:31.585 although much of the development work was done by Brad Binder and test rider Dani Pedrosa – with the former putting in a big effort of 46 laps on the Wednesday afternoon.

Suzuki
Team Suzuki Ecstar completed its programme on Day 1 of the test, and was not in action on Day 2.

That’s a wrap on the Misano test, but make sure you check out motogp.com for more news and insights from two fascinating days of action which will shape not only next year, but also the rest of the 2022 season. Then, tune in for MotorLand on September 16-18!

MotoGP Misano Test Top Three (Full Results Here)

1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – Yamaha – +0.492
2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.024
3 Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – Yamaha – +0.492

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” was won by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he claimed a hard-fought victory during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round to extend his Championship lead. Bautista started from pole position but dropped back before battling back to claim victory as he set a race lap record in the closing stages of the race.

Bautista initially lost out at the start but was able to battle back, first to take second place from Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) on Lap 4 before making his move on Rea at the high-speed Curvone corner on Lap 13 to move into the lead of the race and from there did not look back as he claimed victory for Ducati on home soil. In the first two-thirds of the race, it was a three-way battle between Bautista, Rea and Razgatlioglu, as has been customary throughout the 2022 season. However, at the end of Lap 14, Razgatlioglu suffered a technical issue on his machine and retired from the race.

Bautista’s victory, by 5.128s after the 21 laps were completed, gave him his 21st win in WorldSBK which puts him level with Max Biaggi on the all-time list. Rea’s second place gave him his 224th podium and ninth this year as well as Kawasaki’s 498th in WorldSBK; just two shy of the amazing landmark 500 podiums.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) started Race 1 from tenth place but soon found himself inside the top five after an incredible start by the Italian rider, looking to challenge the lead trio at the time for a podium place. He eventually dropped back and had to battle with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for what would turn out to be a podium position, but Rinaldi was able to make the move for his first podium of the 2022 season and the 11th of his career. Like Kawasaki, Ducati are on the verge of a podium milestone and sit just five away from 1,000 podium placements in WorldSBK. Bassani finished in fourth place as he took his best result of the 2022 season. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured fifth place after he battled his way back into a top five finish, finishing ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) who completed the top six with Locatelli just 1.4s back from Lowes.

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed seventh spot as he withstood the challenge from Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team); the American, once again, putting on a late-race charge to claim eighth spot. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) lost ground at the start of the race but was able to fight his way back to a top ten finish as he claimed ninth spot with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten.

Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) claimed his joint-best WorldSBK report with 11th place finishing ahead of Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Nozane got a good start and fought his way into the top ten but dropped back as the race progressed before dropping back to 12th. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed 13th spot after passing teammate Loris Baz in the closing stages, while Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) also passed Baz to finish 14th; Baz claiming 15th.

Replacement rider Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) narrowly missed out on points, finishing less than a second behind Baz, on his comeback to the Championship with 16th place ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team), Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Leonardo Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura).

Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) was the first retirement from the race after he had a Lap 3 crash at Turn 4, forcing the Frenchman out of the race. Ponsson was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and declared unfit with a right collar bone fracture and cervical strain. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) had a crash at Turn 8 on Lap 5 and, while the German was able to re-join the race, he retired a short time later. Italian rider Alessandro Delbianco (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) did not compete in the race. Wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) was also a retirement from the race after a crash. The Italian did re-join the race but retired from the race following the incident.

WorldSBK Misano Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.128s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.289s

Tissot Superpole Race
Razgatlioglu got the holeshot on the opening lap of the race and from there did not look back as he claimed his first race win of the season and secure a front row start for Race 2. He was able to take advantage of an early race scrap between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) scrapping to open up a gap and was unchallenged throughout the race. Bautista came home in second place ahead of Rea, with the top three in the Championship making up the front row for Race 2.

It meant Razgatlioglu claimed his 19th career win and his 62nd podium, while Bautista now has 38 podiums to his name and 11 consecutive podiums from the start of the season. Rea now has 225 podiums to his name while his third place means Kawasaki now have 499 podiums, just one away from a milestone 500.

Both Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona used Pirelli’s new-for-2022 SCQ tyre to full advantage in the Superpole Race as they fought their way up the field. Vierge finished in fourth after looking like he was going to challenge Rea for a podium, although fourth is his best result in WorldSBK, with Lecuona in fifth place. They will be joined on the second row by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), with the Italian claiming his second sixth-place finish of the round.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was able to battle his way up to seventh place to lead away the third row in Race 2, ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who lost ground at the start and was unable to fight his way back up the order. Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) will start Race 2 from ninth place, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), a podium finisher in Race 1, finishing outside of the top nine after losing ground during the 10-lap race.

Tissot Superpole Race Misano Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’33.770s
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.087s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.975s

Race Two
Bautista found himself behind Razgatlioglu from the opening lap and looked to make a move on several occasions, first on Lap 4 through Curvone before Razgatlioglu responded into Turn 14 before the same result a couple of laps later. On Lap 7, Bautista did make his move at Curvone and Razgatlioglu was unable to respond, allowing Bautista to clear on for his second win of the weekend and the 22nd victory of his career, putting him level with Marco Melandri. Razgatlioglu’s second place meant he claimed the 63rd podium in his WorldSBK career. The results mean Bautista has a 36-point in the Championship standings after four rounds in 2022.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way up from 10th on the grid to claim a second podium of the weekend, and the season, after making a move on Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the third lap of the race. Rinaldi now has 12 podiums to his name, including five on home soil, putting him level with Gregorio Lavilla and Chris Walker. After Rinaldi’s move, Rea lost ground to the Italian but also kept a clear margin to the riders behind him to finish in fourth place, the first time this season Rea has finished a race outside the podium places.

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed fifth place to claim his sixth top-five finish in the first 12 races of the season, although he had to fend off a late charge from Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). Bassani once again got a good start to fight in the top group but dropped back before stabilising his pace at around the halfway mark of the race. After losing out at the start of the race, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) battled his way to sixth place for the third sixth-place finish of the round for the Italian, making a late move on Bassani at the end of the race.

Bassani came home in seventh place despite losing out after making his superb start, benefitting from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) being given a Long Lap Penalty for track limits infringements in the race. Lowes had got ahead of both Locatelli and Bassani, but, after taking his penalty, finished in eighth place.

Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a rollercoaster race as he finished in ninth place, despite dropping down in the early stages of the race, to record a top-ten finish. He finished ahead of the lead BMW rider with Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) rounding out the top ten, 11 seconds behind Redding at the end of the 21-lap race.

Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) and Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a late-race fight for 11th place with the German rider just edging out Tamburini by less than a second. It was another comeback for Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) as he finished in 13th place after starting from 20th. BMW duo Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) and Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounded out the points with 14th and 15th.

Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in 16th place after spending much of the race in the points, before being overhauled late on. Substitute rider Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 17th place ahead of Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 18th and 19th respectively; the final two riders classified in the race.

The first retirement from the race was American rider Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) when he crashed at Turn 16 on Lap 3, while wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) was out of the race on Lap 4 with a technical issue. Italian rider Alessandro Delbianco (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) brought his bike into the pits with a technical issue, while Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) also retired with a technical issue on Lap 8 at Turn 10.

After a strong start to the race, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) had a crash at Turn 11 on Lap 12 which ended his race; the Spanish rookie was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Following examination, Vierge was diagnosed with a fracture of the base of his third metacarpal bone in his right hand and fractures of the capitate and hamate bones in his right wrist. An incident between Vierge and Bassani will be investigated after the race by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.

WorldSBK Misano Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +7.194s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +11.119s

WorldSBK Championship Standings After Misano (Full Standings Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 220 points.
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 184
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 141

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Ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, the press caught up with all of the stars from up and down the grid, as they preview their weekend ahead and lay down the gauntlet, with all eyes on more battles from the titanic trio, as well as on a Honda rider who came back from testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I think there’ll be more riders fighting for the victory If I can have fun on the bike, I can be competitive. It will be nice if I can win all three races for the fans so just trying to enjoy it together. It’s a track that’s very short, so we saw in the past fighting in the races. Here, my teammate Rinaldi won two races here last year. He was second in Race 2 so he will be competitive. I don’t think this round will only be three riders fighting for the victory, we are also talking about Michael to fight for the victory. It’s a track that’s very technical and the differences are very small compared to other tracks. I think there will be more riders fighting for victory and for the podium; it’ll be more exciting for everybody watching the races.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I expect a lot more to join the party at Misano. Last year, our biggest nemesis was the SCX tyre. We could only really work that tyre in the real hot conditions. Estoril was mid-20s, we would be scared of that last year. Race 2 showed us that we could be convinced that we can use that tyre now. All our work in the offseason has paid off. I feel like at the end of the race, we had the better tyre and was able to go forward and catch Alvaro and spring a pass on the last lap. That gives us some confidence that these summer races can be even better. I’m just enjoying racing, enjoying riding the bike and the battle right now at the front with Toprak and Alvaro, two very different characters on the track, is really fun but I expect a lot more to join that party at Misano.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “A very positive test… we need luck! After Estoril, we had a one-day test and we tried many new parts, especially with rear grip. At Estoril, my big problem was spinning on the exit of the final corner. It was a very positive test, and we improved the rear grip. Last year, I won for the first time at Misano and after Estoril, I feel like we are fighting for the win again. I like the track and I love Italy! Sometimes we need luck, especially in Race 1 at Estoril when Bautista passed me easily on the straight, and then in the Superpole Race, I almost won but I made a very small mistake, although maybe it’s not small as I nearly crashed! I’m smiling after the race weekend but this round, we’re fighting to win again as I’ve been training a lot in Turkey and the team have been working hard. Last year, Rinaldi was very fast at this track so maybe he will come strong again this year. I just focus on my job and try to enjoy it.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We had to sacrifice the result for the future. I feel super happy to be here and to race at home, a track that I like. It’s a track where my friends and fans can come, and this is great! I think I can be in the battle and I will try to win, and I will push my 120%. After Assen, we changed our way of working and we knew at Estoril that we wouldn’t have the result. Last year, we were really, really strong or really, really bad, never constant. We started this year at Aragon when I was fast with the top guys but then I went back, and it was the same at Assen. Like this, maybe I would win some races but not be there in all of them, so I needed to find something different. The team agreed so at Estoril, we were in a phase where we had to sacrifice the result for the future. We are still working but I think Misano can help us to get to the top set up. I’m working hard with the team and I hope the work pays off.”

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “Very happy with this season so far… test at Suzuka was amazing! I’m very happy with this season so far. This track I know very well. I like it, it’s not my best track but normally I go quite fast. It’s my first time here with Honda and the Superbike so I know that normally, in the first part of the weekend we struggle a lot, so we need to work but we can be there. The test at Suzuka was an amazing experience. It’s a very beautiful track, a difficult and fun track. It’s true the bike is not very different, but some parts are different like tyres for example. I need to learn a lot quickly to feel fine on the bike, but this helped us to get the feeling with the bike. For me, it’s nice if we go to the eight-hour race, but it’s still not confirmed.”

Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha): “The past is no indicator of what the future holds. I’m happy to be here and happy that the doctor said I was good to go. I would say I’m 100% for the most part, it hurts a little bit but I can bend my knee. My approach is to take it one thing at a time; on Friday morning, it might be raining a little bit so that might be a nice way to ease my way into things. We tested here earlier this year so I have a good idea about where we’ll start with everything, so hopefully we can have the same feeling right away. I felt like my pace was good here last year and my times were competitive. The past is no indicator of what the future holds; everyone is going fast this year so it will be a matter of trying to stay close to the top. I think we’re going in the right way.”

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Fabio Quartararo is the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion! After a dramatic decider at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider sliced from 15th on the grid to fourth as sole rival for the crown, Francesco Bagnaia, crashed out from the lead.

Read the race reports from Misano here…

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Fabio Quartararo is the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion! After a dramatic decider at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider sliced from 15th on the grid to fourth as sole rival for the crown, Francesco Bagnaia, crashed out from the lead.

Quartararo was four years old when his father Étienne – a former French 125cc Champion – gave him a Yamaha PW50. It’s a familiar story for future MotoGP riders, and although Quartararo’s rise would prove stratospheric, there were definitely a few challenges and difficult seasons along the way. 

After getting that first bike, he began riding at different mini circuits around his home Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region to master the basics before then going racing in Italy and Spain. And the success began early: the 50cc, 70cc and 80cc titles in the Catalan Championship and the pre-Moto3 title in the Mediterranean Championship showed promise, but once the young Frenchman arrived in the FIM CEV Repsol, or the Spanish Moto3 Championship as it was then, that promise exploded into something a lot bigger. 

Winning the series that has now become the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship is one of the biggest achievements for a young rider. So becoming the youngest to do it in 2013 and then defending the crown the year after even more so. That allowed the opportunity to move into Moto3 earlier than previously allowed and when he did, remaining in Estrella Galicia 0,0 colours, the momentum for the young Frenchman rolled on.

Quartararo debuted in Moto3 with 7th in Qatar in 2015, and it took him only one more race to get on the podium as he took second in Texas. Two more top sixes followed, he was on pole at Jerez, and he was back on the podium at the TT Circuit Assen too. The whispers of “the new Marquez” grew into assured articles, ramping up the pressure on a rider who was already, despite the moniker from some corners, very much the first Quartararo.

Later that season however, the first key challenge of his Grand Prix career saw El Diablo break his ankle at Misano. That meant he missed most of the final races of the year, only returning at Valencia but not scoring. So he ended the year in 10th, making a solid impression but not displaying the domination expected after his searing path to the World Championship.

So, for 2016 there was a change as Quartararo moved to Leopard Racing alongside Joan Mir and Andrea Locatelli. However, the team fielded KTMs and that proved an extra challenge to adapt to as the Frenchman arrived from a rookie season contested on a Honda. And the points finishes kept coming, but only six top tens – and no podiums – saw the excitement of his early success give way to a tougher patch as ‘El Diablo’ looked to move forward.

At that point, under pressure to perform, a bigger change of direction was needed. Enter Éric Mahé, who came on board a Quartararo’s new manager, and a crucial decision that started to build the foundations of the future premier class crown: for 2017, Quartararo would move to Moto2, taking on a new challenge on a bigger bike to press the reset button. 

It started well, with a seventh place finish on his intermediate class debut in Qatar – the same result that, in Moto3, had prefaced a first podium soon after. But this time around there was no rostrum around the corner and 2017 swiftly became his toughest season yet, culminating in the Pons team and Quartararo parting ways for 2018.

Enter another key figure in the rise of El Diablo: Luca Boscoscuro. El Diablo moved to the Speed Up team with Boscoscuro at the helm for 2018, and on Moto2 take two it actually started worse: a 20th in Qatar and 22nd in Argentina. But then it started to come together: a 15th at COTA, a 10th at Jerez, an 8th at Le Mans… 11th at Mugello interrupted the pattern, but it was another solid result as Quartararo started to get back in the groove.

At Catalunya, the stars aligned. Saturday saw the Frenchman take his first Moto2 pole and on Sunday, he unleashed the first truly dominant performance of his Grand Prix career, fastest lap included. No one had an answer for the number 20, and he took his first Grand Prix win by nearly two and a half seconds. Next time out at Assen, it was another podium too. The return to the rostrum and that first victory had seemed a long time coming, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

By the time Quartararo took that win, there appeared to be a split between those who’d been waiting for the success they saw as inevitable and those who’d written the Frenchman off. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT outfit, and Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis, were definitely not the latter and at Silverstone it became official: Quartararo would join MotoGP in 2019. So he finished the 2018 Moto2 season with a solid run of form and then left the intermediate class to saddle up in MotoGP… and the rest is history in the best possible way. 

On the pace from the off, Quartararo’s stunning debut season silenced the doubters. Fast and consistently so, and somehow making it look easy, it wasn’t long until the number 20 was an  established, expected presence at the front. Jerez saw him become the youngest polesitter in the premier class, and he took five more that season. He also came up against then seven-time World Champion Marc Marquez in some incredible last lap duels – not quite defeating the number 93, but making life impressively difficult. Seven podiums saw Quartararo end the year fifth overall, take Rookie of the Year and the overall top Independent Team rider title. Fabio Quartararo had arrived.

In 2020, it started with a dream double win at Jerez and the Yamaha rider seemed the man to beat. But after some twists and turns, it wasn’t until Barcelona that El Diablo got back on top. Some more struggles later, the crown was instead nabbed by Joan Mir at Valencia and Quartararo went into winter pushing to reset and reload, vowing to iron out the kinks and fight for the crown again. 

That he did, and he did it in Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP colours as he took on a new chapter with the factory Yamaha outfit. Off the podium in Qatar to start the season, he hit back in Doha to take his first victory of the year. At Portimão he was in a league of his own for another win, but then a speed bump appeared at Jerez as the Frenchman suffered with serious arm pump, taking only a handful of points. Surgery ahead of his home Grand Prix wasn’t the best run up to the event, but still El Diablo took a podium at Le Mans and then another win at Mugello.

Barcelona saw a little drama unzipped, but a solid 10 points and another rostrum in Germany prefaced victory at Assen, sending the number 20 flying high into the summer break. He was a man on a mission, although next up was Styria – Ducati and KTM territory. But still, one podium and then a salvage job of seventh in a crazy Austrian GP later, Quartararo remained firmly holding the cards as the paddock returned to Silverstone.

It had been a while since MotoGP had raced the British behemoth and not the best event for Quartararo when they did, but 2021 was a different story: one of domination. Another 25 points in the bag saw him increase his lead again, and after a tougher Aragon, the Frenchman took a little more risk to push key rival Bagnaia at Misano but ultimately settled for second as crunch time approached. Second in Texas, behind Marquez but ahead of Bagnaia, turned crunch time into match point at the Emilia-Romagna GP. 

With a 52-point advantage, starting 15th and seeing Bagnaia on pole wasn’t ideal, but El Diablo kept calm and carried on, slicing back through the pack to fourth. It wouldn’t have been enough had Bagnaia not crashed, but the Ducati rider’s final stand was ultimately just over the limit – guaranteeing Quartararo the crown with two races spare.

#ELD1ABLO IN STATS

• Quartararo is the sixth-youngest rider to clinch a premier class world title, aged 22 years and 187 days old, behind John Surtees (22 years and 182 days old) and ahead of Valentino Rossi (22 years and 240 days old).
• In the MotoGP era, Quartararo is the third-youngest Champion behind Marc Marquez (20 years and 266 days old) and Casey Stoner (21 years and 342 days old). 
• In addition, Quartararo became the youngest Yamaha rider to clinch the premier class world title, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, who was 23 years and 159 days old when he took the title in Malaysia back in 2010. 
• Quartararo became the first French rider to clinch a premier class world title and the seventh overall in GP racing along with Johann Zarco (two titles), Mike Di Meglio (1), Arnaud Vincent (1), Olivier Jacque (1), Christian Sarron (1) and Jean-Louis Tournadre (1). Thanks to Quartararo, France became the seventh different nation to win a premier class Championship. 
• Quartararo became the first European rider to clinch the premier class world title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller GP classes since Franco Uncini in 1982. Overall, Quartararo is the 17th rider to do so along with Les Graham (first Championship season in 1949), Umberto Masetti, Libero Liberati, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Kenny Roberts Jr., Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.

• In the MotoGP era, Quartararo is the third rider to clinch the title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller classes along with Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
• By taking the crown, Quartararo brought to an end a sequence of nine premier class titles from Spanish riders: six with Marc Marquez, two with Jorge Lorenzo and one with Joan Mir (the longest sequence for a country in the class).
• Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to take the premier class crown since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 and the seventh overall along with Giacomo Agostini (one premier class title), Kenny Roberts (3), Eddie Lawson (3), Wayne Rainey (3), Valentino Rossi (4) and Jorge Lorenzo (3). This is the 18th title for a Yamaha rider in the premier class.
• Quartararo is tied in sixth place with Max Biaggi and Maverick Viñales on the list of Yamaha riders with most premier class wins, just behind Kenny Roberts (22 wins). Valentino Rossi leads the way with 56 premier class wins with Yamaha. 
• With 20 premier class podiums so far, Quartararo is the French rider with most podiums in the class ahead of Christian Sarron (18 podiums). 

• With eight premier class wins so far, since his maiden premier class wins at the 2020 Spanish GP, Quartararo has almost tripled the number of French victories before him (one for Régis Laconi, plus Christian Sarron and Pierre Monneret).
• This season Quartararo has stood on the MotoGP podium more than any other rider (10 times), including five wins. This is this first time that a Yamaha rider has taken five (or more) premier class wins since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 (seven). The last Yamaha riders with more than 10 podiums in a single season were Valentino Rossi (15 podiums) and Jorge Lorenzo (12) in 2015.
• For the seventh successive year, the rider who clinched the premier class world title failed to win the opening race of the season. The last to do so was Marc Marquez in 2014. 
• The first ever French premier class World Champion!
  

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Fabio Quartararo: “I already don’t have my normal voice just a few hours after, I’ve cried a lot an screamed a lot! It feels amazing. When I crossed the finish line I thought about all the tough moments I had, and to be World Champion in MotoGP is something I never expected when I was in bad situations only a few years ago. So right now I feel like I’m in a dream and I don’t realise what’s happening to me right now!

“Of course I had extra nerves, I never started further back than P11 in MotoGP, and I’m starting P15 in one of the most important races of my career! We chose the safe, let’s say, tyres but for us the hard would have been better and I think the podium was there with the hard. I didn’t have stability when I was with the group, I couldn’t overtake. But I’m really happy with my race, even if I hadn’t won the Championship it’s great to finish P4. Super happy about the race and of course with the Championship it’s something extra.

“Just before starting the race I was with Tom in the office and I was nervous, feeling stressed and he said, ‘just think about the last three races you had last year’. They were a total disaster and I just wanted to finish the Championship whatever the position was. And today I started the race that made me World Champion. I think everything that happened last year helped me a lot to win the title today. Thanks to the people for supporting me in these tough moments, I think I learned a lot during these years in MotoGP and still have a lot to learn to achieve more results like that.

“To be honest, last year we fought to have the factory bike but with Covid and everything, the 2019 bike was better. But with the 2021 bike I felt much better, the feeling with the front is what has made me win this year, I think. The feeling I had. We know the power is something we have to work on, but the feeling on the braking to overtake – not this race but in general – has been much higher than 2019 and 2020. Yamaha has worked a lot, we still have a lot to improve for next year because we know that power is something important, but right now with the bike I was feeling like on, I’m enjoying riding. Also today I had a lot of struggles with the front but I still enjoyed it a lot, and that was the most important thing of the day.”

BIOGRAPHY

• First Grand Prix: Qatar 2015, Moto3
• First pole position: Jerez 2015, Moto3
• First podium: Austin 2015, Moto3
• First victory: Barcelona 2018, Moto2
• Grands Prix: 116 (49 in MotoGP)
• Victories: 9 (8 in MotoGP)
• Podiums: 24 (20 in MotoGP)
• Pole positions: 18 (15 in MotoGP)
• Fastest laps: 10 (9 in MotoGP)
• World Championships: MotoGP (2021)

World Championship career:

• 2015: Moto3 World Championship – 10th, Honda, 13 races, 92 points
• 2016: Moto3 World Championship – 13th, KTM, 18 races, 83 points
• 2017: Moto2 World Championship – 13th, Kalex, 18 races, 64 points
• 2018: Moto2 World Championship – 10th, Speed Up, 18 races, 138 points
• 2019: MotoGP World Championship – 5th, Yamaha, 19 races, 192 points
• 2020: MotoGP World Championship – 8th, Yamaha, 14 races, 127 points
• 2021: MotoGP World Championship – 1st, Yamaha, 16 races, 267 points
  

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The post Fabio Quartararo is the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion! appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Marquez was followed home by teammate Pol Espargaro in the first Repsol Honda 1-2 since 2017 and the number 44’s first podium with Honda, with Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) putting in another beast of a ride to complete the rostrum on home turf – after a last lap lunge on a newly-crowned World Champion, no less.

Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) escaped in the lead as he went all-in, searing around Misano in his bid to stop Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) taking the crown. But it was a push too far and Pecco slid out, rider ok but title hopes over as Quartararo’s 52 point advantage guaranteed him the crown – backed up by a fourth place in the race too.

Bagnaia didn’t get the best start but retained the holeshot as teammate Jack Miller declined to engage in any friendly fire from second, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) therefore briefly passing the Australian but Miller hitting back soon after to tag back onto the tail of his teammate. For Quartararo, the start wasn’t the best either as the Frenchman went from 15th to 17th, but he was soon back up three places to one ahead of where he started.

After only a couple of laps, there was a breakaway trio of Pecco, Miller and Marc Marquez, and some drama elsewhere: former reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) jumped the start and was given the requisite Double Long Lap, but then the number 36 was out anyway, coming together with Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). No further action was taken, although it was investigated.

The Bagnaia-Miller-Marquez train had almost a couple of seconds in hand by then, but Miller was starting to come under some serious pressure from Marquez. And then, even more drama – Miller crashed out. Rider ok but leaving his teammate in the lead and Marquez on the charge behind him – with Pol Espargaro in third with company from Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).

By 20 to go, Bagnaia and Marquez were nearly three seconds clear, Pol Espargaro vs Oliveira was the fight for third and Quartararo was still down in 10th, behind Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Soon after though the Suzuki and the Yamaha managed to pass the Pramac machine, the tension still hanging in the air as Pecco led Marquez and Quartararo made his moves.

On Lap 13, Martin crashed at Turn 1 and Quartararo was then embroiled in a five-rider battle – with fifth to ninth split by less than a second. But the Frenchman, keeping calm, picked his way past teammate Franco Morbidelli and then front-row starter Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) to climb to P7 on Lap 15, although Pecco continuing to hold the relentless Marc Marquez at bay.

With 10 to go, Quartararo sliced his way past Rins for P6, with Aleix Espargaro then next on El Diablo’s radar. And sure enough, with nine to go, Quartararo was ahead of the Aprilia RS-GP and now in fifth. Barring a disaster from Oliveira, that was as good as it was going to get for Quartararo, with the KTM star eight seconds up the road. Or so we thought….

Meanwhile, 17 seconds ahead of Quartararo, Bagnaia was holding up his end of the bargain. All Pecco could do on home soil was win, but he had an eight-time World Champion hanging onto his coattails. Looking incredibly strong, the Italian was starting to pull clear though… before Lap 23 of the Emilia-Romagna GP became the title-deciding lap of 2021. At Turn 15, where Miller crashed earlier in the race, Bagnaia suddenly slid out. Giving it all he had but just dancing over the limit with pace Marquez would later describe as ‘unreal’, it was over. Straight back up on his feet, Pecco knew. Ducati knew. Yamaha knew. Quartararo knew: a new MotoGP World Champion was about to be crowned.

Pecco’s crash, closely followed by an Oliveira crash right after, left Marc Marquez P1, Pol Espargaro P2 and Quartararo, the new World Champion, holding a sensational third place from P15 on the grid. But Bastianini had other ideas, the Beast on an electric charge in the latter stages. He wasn’t going to allow Quartararo to have an easy cruise home to the podium, and he was homing in.

Up ahead, the chequered flag came out and Marc Marquez won his second race in a row, his third of the season, and first on a clockwise track in 2021… much more difficult turf. Pol Espargaro came home second to hand Repsol Honda a fantastic 1-2, their first since 2017, and returned to the rostrum for the first time in 2021 and first time with the Japanese marque.

Meanwhile Bastianini, with a move at Turn 14, got the better of Quartararo on the last lap, cementing another stunning rostrum to take the lead in the Rookie of the Year fight. And then came the the 2021 MotoGP World Champion: Fabio Quartararo. Jubilation erupted for the Frenchman and Yamaha after a phenomenal season.

Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) crossed the line in fifth to beat sixth place Rins by 1.2s, with Aleix Espargaro taking P7. P8 went the way of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who claims his best result in Aprilia colours, and Marini secured his goal with a second top 10 of the season in P9 in his special Grazie Vale colour scheme.

Speaking of, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crossed the line in 10th in his final MotoGP race on Italian soil: a fitting send-off to the nine-time World Champion in front of his adoring fans after a tougher start to the race, and now two races remain in Portugal and Valencia to enjoy The Doctor doing what he loves best – racing motorcycles. 

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had an eventful day. The South African crashed on the sighting lap, started from the back of the grid and ended up finishing P11 after another impressive charge. Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) – the latter despite a crash – were the final points scorers at Misano.

And so the sun sets on the premier class Championship fight and a dramatic day in Emilia-Romagna. An emotional one too, as Quartararo won, Rossi bid farewell to his home crowd and Bagnaia was forced to cede. But the Ducati man came out in pitlane to congratulate Quartararo, as did Miller, and will surely be a force to be reckoned with in next year’s battle too… Now we head back to Portugal for the Algarve GP, and the title fight may be over but the racing will remain as exciting as ever. 

Marc Marquez: “For me this is the most important win of the year. Winning at a right-handed circuit, with the corners where I struggled a lot this year, I’m still struggling a bit but it’s progress and evolution, something special. It’s something that will give me a lot of confidence for these last two races but especially in winter time, to be calmer and more patient. With time everything is going a good way and that’s the most important.”

MotoGP podium (Full Results Here)

1 Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – 41’52.830
2 Pol Espargaro – Repsol Honda Team – Honda –  +4.859
3 Enea Bastianini* – Avintia Esponsorama – Ducati – +12.013

Moto2
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS) got his elbows out and put his foot down at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, getting back on the top step in style at Misano. Teammate Augusto Fernandez made it an Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 1-2 despite a Long Lap penalty from qualifying, with the Spaniard just pipping compatriot Aron Canet after some late technical gremlins made life harder for the Aspar Team rider. 

One moment stole the headlines, however, as Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) suffered a huge crash out of the lead – rider ok – and on a day when teammate and Championship leader Remy Gardner was suffering some of his own dramas, a way back off the podium fight. But the Australian stayed calm, dug in, overcame a Long Lap given for some contact with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and crossed the line in seventh – doubling his advantage to 18 points ahead of the Algarve GP. 

Polesitter Lowes grabbed the holeshot, with Canet making a good start to earn P2 ahead of Augusto Fernandez, with Raul Fernandez and Gardner P7 and P12 respectively at the end of the first lap. But by Lap 3, Raul Fernandez had made his way up to P4, with Gardner still scrapping away in the lower ends of the top 10.

A late lunge from Canet on then-race leader Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up) at the tight Turn 14 right-hander allowed Lowes to retake the lead, while also gifting Raul Fernandez P3. The latter was then up to second on Lap 6, and with Gardner P8, as things stood Raul Fernandez was set to take the Championship lead…

Gardner then dived up the inside of Chantra at Turn 14 on his mission to make a comeback, but contact was made and the Thai rider crashed, adding a Long Lap Penalty to Gardner’s Sunday mountain to climb. Meanwhile, Raul Fernandez was swarming Lowes’ rear wheel for the lead… By Lap 11, Lowes, Raul Fernandez and Canet were 1.3s clear of now fourth-placed Navarro, and then Augusto Fernandez passed Gardner too, back down to P8. Raul Fernandez then took the lead and the news of the Long Lap came for the Aussie in quick succession, with things seemingly going from bad to worse.

The everything changed. Heading down into Turn 8, Raul Fernandez was suddenly cartwheeling through the gravel, bike obliterated and out of the race, but rider ok. Another huge and unforeseen twist that left Gardner, despite the tougher race of it, suddenly holding a lot more cards. Still, he lost another position to Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46), and the race was on to try and maximise the open goal…

Back up at the front, it was now Lowes vs Canet for victory. The Brit ran wide at Turn 8 to allow the Spaniard through into the lead, and another moment for the number 22 then allowed Canet to get up to an advantage of over half a second with five to go. A lap late though and Lowes was back in P1, elbows out to make his way through but clean aggression returning him to the lead.

Augusto Fernandez was also up to third after his Long Lap Penalty, the Spaniard passing a brightly coloured Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) as the rookie impressed on home turf, but just unable to stay with the podium fight. As was Gardner, but the Australian did gain a position back as Bezzecchi slid out late on, putting the Championship leader back into seventh – enough to double his advantage, which seemed an unlikely feat until his teammate’s crash.

Up front though, the Lowes show rolled on and the Brit crossed the line over a second clear for an impressive return to the top step. Augusto Fernandez produced a stunning comeback ride to pick off Canet on the run to the line – handing MarcVDS their first 1-2 since 2017. Canet was disappointed with P3 as technical gremlins halted his final push, but it’s a fourth podium of the season for the Spaniard.

Rookie Vietti rode brilliantly on home soil to bag his best result of the season, and fifth place went the way of Navarro. Manzi had a quiet but impressive ride to P6 at his home track, and the Italian finished nine seconds up the road from Championship leader Gardner. It was a tough afternoon at the office for Gardner, but after Raul Fernandez’ crash, the Aussie extends his lead in the title race to 18 points with just two races to go.

Sporting a special Gresini livery, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) claimed P8 ahead of rookie Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and 10th place Marcos Ramirez (American Racing). Reigning Moto3 World Champion Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) was 0.6s away from a top 10 result in P11, Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) takes home a P12 as Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) rescues some points after his Long Lap Penalty. Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) picked up P14 and P15 at Misano.

Moto2 podium (Full Results Here)

1 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – 40’25.180
2 Augusto Fernandez – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +1.233
3 Aron Canet – Aspar Team Moto2 – Boscocuro – +1.400

Moto3
The heat was on for Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) in the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, with the Italian starting 14th on the grid as he aimed to stop key rival Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking the title from fifth. But the Italian seared through after a tougher start to home in on the front group and then take the lead, thereafter pitching it to perfection to hold off an impressive race from Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

The fight for third went down to the wire, but Acosta did some damage limitation as he got back on the podium for the first time since the Styrian GP, keeping a healthy 21 points of advantage heading to the Algarve. In addition, the 2-3 wrapped up the Teams’ title for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) took the holeshot from pole, the veteran getting the perfect launch as Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) shot up into second and Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) dispatched teammate Riccardo Rossi. Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) lost out a little to drop from the top three, but by the end of the lap the bigger surprise was Foggia losing a few positions too. 

As the race settled a little, Antonelli had Masia for company, with Salač back into third ahead of Nepa, Acosta and Guevara. Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) , Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the first breakaway group, with Foggia in the second group around a second and a half off the front freight train.

But Foggia was on a charge. What had been 1.7 seconds back to the second group was soon eight tenths, and only Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) was able to go with him. By 15 to go the number 7 had arrived on the scene, immediately slicing past Salač and setting his sights on Artigas, his teammate. He got through on him too, but with 12 to go Acosta hit the lead. Could this be the break? 

Ultimately not, and after a strange moment that saw Antonelli swamped between turns 7 and 8, Foggia was suddenly right in the mix at the front. By 9 to go, the Italian was in the race lead and Acosta back in fifth, with a gap to the front four as well. The front four became three with 6 to go as Guevara crashed, but the trio of Foggia, Masia and Binder had breathing space and experience on their side as Acosta duelled Nepa for fourth behind.

With three to go, the fight for the win was a duel. Foggia led, with Masia absolutely glued to the back of his teammate’s Championship rival. The gap back to Binder had shot out to 1.8 seconds, but the South African also had the same in hand over Nepa, who was back ahead of Acosta.

On the last lap, Foggia remained in the driving seat but Masia was stalking. The Red Bull KTM Ajo machine was as close as ever, but just behind them it was even closer. Binder had seriously faded, and both Acosta and Nepa sliced past the South African to add another twist to the standings. For Foggia though, nerves of steel prevailed. The Italian stayed pitch perfect on the final lap to take another win: just this season his second at Misano, third on home turf and fifth overall, keeping the Championship fight alive.

As Foggia crossed the line and Masia too, the fight to join them on the podium was still hot. But Acosta stayed cool and ahead of both Nepa and Binder, doing some impressive damage limitation despite not quite securing the crown. The gap is now 21 points ahead of the Algarve GP…

Binder took fourth and a solid result as only he and Foggia repped Honda in the top eight, with Nepa taking fifth and his best Grand Prix result so far. Antonelli took sixth and some solid points but couldn’t come back from his earlier moment, with compatriot Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) just behind him. Fenati taking P7 doesn’t sound like the normal heights of the Italian’s season, but considering a tough Saturday and a mountain to climb, the veteran clawed back an incredible distance on race day.

Sasaki took good points in eight, ahead of a good P9 for rookie Artigas. Salač completed the top ten, ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) in some space. Next up was Guevara despite the earlier crash for the Austin winner, the rookie taking P12, with Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) completing the points.

And so it rolls on. Next up we return to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, where last time Foggia vs Acosta was already staging a show. Now the two will be fighting over the title, and it’s 21 points in the Spaniard’s favour – but the Italian far from throwing in the towel. Tune in for that in just under two weeks!

Moto3 podium (Full Results Here)

1 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – 39’33.170
2 Jaume Masia – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – +0.292
3 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – +4.686

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After a damp morning at the 2021 Misano Official MotoGP Test, conditions improved and a busy and intriguing afternoon of action got underway. San Marino GP winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished fastest!

At Ducati, both Bagnaia and teammate Jack Miller were testing some new aero on the front of their machinery. ‘Pecco’ suffered a crash at Turn 10 while sporting the new aero, but the Italian was perfectly uninjured and came back out, very much proven by then setting the fastest time of the opening day. Miller was eighth, half a second back.

Stay up to date with MotoGP news here…

Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) also completed some laps with the new aero package, with Ducati in fact having two new aero designs – the second of which divides one part into two elements. Martin’s Pramac teammate Johann Zarco had a new chassis to test, and then the Frenchman headed home and will be replaced by test rider Michele Pirro on Wednesday, as Zarco undergoes arm pump surgery.

After a crash early at Turn 6 in the afternoon session, San Marino GP podium finisher Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) ended his day early having completed just 11 laps. Teammate Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) managed to set a 1:31.998 to grab P7, and that time is a couple of tenths quicker than the Italian set in Q1 last weekend.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) described the Misano Test as “very important” for Honda, and test rider Stefan Bradl headed on track with a new RC213V. Eight-time World Champion Marquez – like a lot of riders – understandably waited until the afternoon to get some laps in, with the number 93 making the most of the better conditions to get some laps on the new bike on the board. The differences that can be seen on the new Honda range from the new aero and new air intake at the front, to the seat, tail unit and exhaust.

Marc Marquez completed 46 laps in the afternoon and finished P15. Pol Espargaro was second, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) just behind in fourth. They set their fastest laps of the day on their 63rd and 57th laps, respectively. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) got 55 laps in and tried the chassis recently raced by Pol Espargaro.

Over at Team Suzuki Ecstar, both Joan Mir and Alex Rins had the 2022-spec engine to test again – like we saw at the pre-season Qatar Tests. In addition, the Spaniards were testing some set-up and electronic improvements that are meant to go hand in hand with the new engine, with Mir and Rins also doing some work to gear up for the second race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this season.

The big news over in the Aprilia garage was the 2022 aero that test rider Lorenzo Savadori was seen testing. It’s a smaller, thinner package than the one being used this year. Meanwhile, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was continuing his adaptation to the RS-GP, but a crash at Turn 15 while on a personal best lap hampered his afternoon running. Aleix Espargaro finished P3 on the opening day after accomplishing 51 laps in the dry afternoon session.

After a bit of early morning operating in the damp conditions to get some weather wet time in, World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was lapping on a 2022 prototype in the afternoon. A new chassis was visible and the Frenchman also had a new tail unit to try, with teammate Franco Morbidelli mainly focussing on working his way back to full fitness and getting to grips with the 2021 machine as he returns following knee surgery.

Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was another rider who was able to go faster than he did in qualifying at the San Marino GP. The Doctor finished 11th with a 1:32.170. New teammate Andrea Dovizioso continued to get to grips with the YZR-M1 after his debut weekend at Misano, the experienced Italian ended the day 19th, 1.1s shy of Bagnaia. An important and – from the outside – successful day for Dovizioso, who needs as much track time as possible to get back up to speed on very different machinery.

Test rider Dani Pedrosa was on track for KTM, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Mike Leitner explaining that the MotoGP Legend was testing some future ideas. Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Miguel Oliveira and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona were working on the current bikes.

Tomorrow, meanwhile, is a big day for the Austrian factory and their new 2022 recruits. Moto2 World Championship leader Remy Gardner and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Raul Fernandez will be getting their first taste of a MotoGP machine, a “treat” from the factory ahead of their full-time debuts.

The post Honda debut new machinery on Day 1 of MotoGP Testing at Misano appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Just over a week ago, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was still patiently waiting for that first MotoGP win. He was second in the standings and a consistent podium threat, but that box remained unticked. So he had the momentum, but could he do it again on home turf?

After another all-time lap record set on Saturday for pole, the signs looked good and the Italian bolted away immediately to make a solid bit of breathing space at the front on race day. But lap by lap, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) brought the Jaws music and the Frenchman was glued to his exhaust by the final lap. Pecco remained impervious under pressure however, and the Italian pulled the pin to cross the line for his second win in a week – in some style on home turf.

Quartararo was forced to settle for second but takes a valuable 20 points, with the podium completed by another incredible ride: rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) blasted through from P12 on the grid to third, making his first visit to the rostrum in the premier class and at the venue that saw him take his first ever Grand Prix win back in Moto3.

Stay up to date with all the MotoGP news here…

As the lights went out there was nervy moment as the number 63 Ducati moved right on the limit, but not forward, and Bagnaia kept calm thereafter to take the holeshot from pole. The Italian put the pedal to the metal immediately too as teammate Jack Miller stayed second and the two gained some early breathing space. Quartararo duelled Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) for third just behind, before the Spaniard then fell early at Turn 14, although he was able to get back in it initially.

Bagnaia, Miller, Quartararo remained in an evenly-spaced top three, with Marc Marquez fighting Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) just behind. But Bastianini had something to say about that, the Italian rookie blasting through to pass first the Aprilia and then home in on the Honda. And he made it stick on first time of asking, taking fourth but as the podium fight pulled away into the distance… for now.

As Bagnaia pushed on at the front, Quartararo was homing in on Miller, aided a little as the Aussie headed slightly wide at Turn 13. By 14 to go the Frenchman was on the scene and sliced past, with the gap to Bagnaia up to 2.7 and Miller remaining on his rear wheel. It didn’t take long for the Yamaha to pull away and Bastianini to close down the number 43 though, the rookie gaining over two and a half seconds to take over in third.

Lap by lap, Quartararo was able to home in on Bagnaia as Bastianini was able to pull away from Miller. Marc Marquez had Aleix Espargaro and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company in the fight for fifth too, but Miller held firm in fourth for the moment.

As the laps ticked down, the gap between Bagnaia and Quartararo did too and there was a frisson of tension for the race leader on the horizon: by four to go, El Diablo got within eight tenths and then half a second, making it game on.

The Yamaha kept pushing and pushing, gaining here and there and really tagging onto the back of the Ducati as the final few kilometres dawned. It was just over a tenth as the two crossed the line to start the last lap, with Quartararo setting his sights on victory. But he couldn’t make the move early and Pecco was impeccable through Curvone, stretching the gap back out and laying down the gauntlet with one final push. Could Quartararo go for a lunge? Not in the end, Bagnaia once again proving impervious under pressure, painting Misano red and taking his second win in a week.

Behind that duel, it was beauty from the ‘Beast’. Bastianini kept his stunning pace to the end, taking a comfortable third place. Comfortable is an understatement, however, as the rookie put together a truly stunning race on best lap record pace to take his first premier class podium, and on home turf to boot.

The fight for fourth became Miller vs Marquez vs Mir and it was a last gasp thriller. The reigning Champion attacked the number 93 first to move through onto the back of Miller, and the Suzuki then punched his way through on the Ducati at Turn 14. But both went wide and Marquez swept through into fourth. They stayed glued together but out the penultimate corner, Marquez just kept it in but Mir touched the green. So the eight-time World Champion keeps fourth, and Mir crossed the line fifth but is classified as sixth as Miller gains back that P5.

Behind that shuffle, Aleix Espargaro lost some ground and also lost out to brother Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) after a tougher last few laps for the former, with the 44 in seventh and the 41 in eighth. Ninth was another Sunday charge from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African shot through from P17 on the grid, only four tenths off the Aprilia ahead by the flag.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) completed the top ten ahead of Michele Pirro wildcarding for Ducati in P11, and he had Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) close behind after the Frenchman also did a Long Lap for having shortcutted Turns 1 and 2. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) scored some points in P13 and close behind the number 5, with HRC test rider Stefan Bradl and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) completing those points. Martin retired in the end despite rejoining, and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) crashed out with 10 to go. 

Francesco Bagnaia: “I knew with the soft rear maybe I would struggle a bit but I tried to push like hell in the first two or three laps to open the gap, then on the last laps when I saw Fabio was recovering it was very difficult but I tried to push, in the last part the pace was quite constant. With the medium he was a bit better in the last part but we were incredible today, the team worked so perfectly and two victories in a row is incredible for me. I was struggling to win my first race, missing something, and now already two!”

MotoGP podium (Full Results Here)

1 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 41:48.305
2 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.364
3 Enea Bastianini* – Avintia Esponsorama – Ducati – +4.789

Moto2
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) put in another stunner at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, taking his sixth win of the season and securing Rookie of the Year. But it was a pretty close run affair, with teammate and Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking second and four tenths off, hindered by a moment on a last lap charge for victory.

Any hopes Raul Fernandez had of an instant breakaway win after taking the holeshot were quickly dashed, going wide at Turn 9 as he tried to fight off a challenge from Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), but the Brit nudged ahead and led at the end of the first lap. There were also strong starts from Canet, Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) as they occupied the top five spots, with Gardner and front row starter Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) dropping a little further down the field.  

After four laps, the race lost Simone Corsi (MV Augusta Forward Racing) after an incident with Jorge Navarro, which earned the +Ego Speed Up rider a Long Lap penalty. But back at the front, Canet got the gloves off as he moved ahead of Raul Fernandez and set a race lap record in the process, while he soon had Lowes’ number to boot. A mistake from the Brit then let the number 44 through for the lead and Lowes dropped to third, with Gardner working his way back into the top four.

As the laps were chalked off, the front four formed a breakaway group and the Red Bull KTM Ajos began to find some pace, with Raul Fernandez eating away at Canet’s advantage until he eventually made what would prove the race winning overtake on Lap 15 at Turn 1. That prompted Championship leader Gardner to take action, the Aussie making his move on the outside of Lowes at the same corner.

Some small specks of rain threatened but it didn’t affect the on-track action, with Raul Fernandez soon responding to pressure from Canet with the first ever 1:36 lap around Misano. Despite his impressive speed, he couldn’t shake off the close attention of the men in P2 and P3 though.

In the closing laps, the number 25 looked like he’d finally pulled the pin and he extended his lead to nearly a second, but Gardner wasn’t done. Disposing of Canet on the penultimate lap, the Australian then began taking huge chunks out of his teammate’s time and we were set for a grandstand finish. The gap was down to less than half a second, and with a track limits warning not helping matters for Raul Fernandez it was game on.

Gardner was pushing to the absolute limit and setting up a move, but the decisive moment came at Turn 11. A wobble – at the scene of a crash last year – forced him from attack to defence, but he clung onto P2 and 20 crucial Championship points. Canet was forced to settle for third but took another podium, with Lowes fading slightly to fourth as Raul Fernandez took his incredible sixth win of the season.

Home hero Bezzecchi, on his fabulous pink-liveried machine, headed what had been a hard-fought group, the Italian holding off front row starter Augusto Fernandez as the number 37 was forced to settle for sixth. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) got right in that mix fighting for fifth and ultimately took seventh.

Vierge was a little further back in P8, but had some seriously close company from Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as the two crossed the line split by less than a tenth. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) made some good progress up to tenth on Sunday. Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Navarro, who served that Long Lap, Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completed the points.

Moto2 podium (Full Results Here)

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 40’40.563
2 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +0.402
3 Aron Canet – Inde Aspar Team – Boscoscuro – +0.569

Moto3
Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) remains the man with the momentum in Moto3 as the Italian took another home win, this time in the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini as he made up yet more ground in the Championship fight.

Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46) took another impressive second place, with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) completing an all-Italian podium on the Riviera di Rimini. It was nearly an Italian 1-2-3-4 too as Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) had looked on for victory as the Italian disappeared in the lead, but a heartbreaker of a crash ended his chances of a near-certain win.

Fenati took the holeshot from pole, off like a shot with Antonelli in second and Migno duelling Foggia just behind, a reshuffled Italian armada at the front with Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) shadowing early on.

Fenati had the hammer down at the front though, setting a new best race lap with a few ticked off, and Antonelli was the rider on the chase as the two kept some clean air between themselves and the chasing group. But the number 55 was stretching his legs and his lead, with fellow Championship players Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Foggia all stuck in the second group.

Bit by bit though, Acosta was losing some ground and by 15 to go, the Spaniard was in the fringes of the top ten as Migno, Foggia, Masia, Garcia and Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) bolted on the chase behind Fenati and Antonelli. The latter then headed wide soon after though, slotting back into the group and leaving Fenati with a sizeable – by Moto3 standards – gap at the front. 

With 10 to go though, heartbreak struck. Fenati suddenly went down out the lead, the Italian sliding off into the gravel and rider ok, but a near-certain win gone from his grasp. That left Foggia at the front of what was now a fight for victory, and the Leopard rider took over in the task of trying to break away.

Six riders were fighting for three places on the podium, and for two it was also chance to gain huge ground on Acosta as the Spaniard fought it out for seventh in the second group. By a handful to go, Foggia had got it done and pulled out a small gap back to Migno, Antonelli, Garcia and Masia, with Binder having dropped off the back into a ride for sixth.

Onto the final lap, Foggia was in free air and just needed to keep it clean to take another victory, and a very different one to Aragon. Antonelli had got past Migno and only had to keep the hammer down and the door closed there too, and that they all did. Foggia crossed the line half a second clear for his fourth win of the season, taking back more ground in the title fight and tasting the top step on home turf once again. The tricolore delight continued as Antonelli held off Migno but both were back on the podium, making it an Italian 1-2-3.

The fight for fourth had some elbows further out, with Garcia and Masia nearly side-by-side over the line to start the final lap and the number 11 heading through. As Masia tried to hang in there there was a touch of contact, leaving him back in fifth and with no time left to get back on terms with Garcia. So the GASGAS rider took P4, Masia completed the top five, and Binder took P6.

Acosta managed to take seventh and limit the damage, with Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completing the top ten in a big group fight, Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) in touch with them in P11. Just behind, another group of Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the points.

Moto3 podium (Full Results Here)

1 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – 39’17.002
2 Niccolo Antonelli – Avtina VR46 Academy – KTM – +0.565
3 Andrea Migno – Rivacold Snipers Team – Honda – +0.817

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