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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silverstone Sprint Race Podium (Full Results Here)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silverstone MotoGP Podium (Full Results Here)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moto2 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moto3 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

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

The post MotoGP Reports: All The Action From Silverstone appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

FP1
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) came back from a crash to top FP1, just pipping fellow Ducati rider Bagnaia, who also suffered a crash and also made quick amends.

Championship leader Quartararo, meanwhile, suffered a technical problem briefly, and the Frenchman tested out the Long Lap penalty loop that awaits him in the race no less than four times in FP1. He finished the session in fourth, half a second off the top, with former Silverstone winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) slotting in between the number 20 and the Ducati duo at the top.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was fifth quickest ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and teammate Viñales, the two Aprilias split by only a tenth and a half, with Mir, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top ten in FP1.

FP2
The afternoon saw fortunes change. First, after a pair of Ducatis occupied P1 and P2 in FP1, it was soon a couple of Aprilias that were sitting top of the tree in FP2 as Aleix Espargaro and Viñales got down to a 1:59.681 and 1:59.737 respectively. Quartararo and Rins ventured into the 1:59 bracket too in the early stages.

Rins was then the first rider to slot in the soft, soft Michelin tyre combination. The 2019 British GP race winner’s opening lap saw him climb to P1 by 0.330s, and his second lap was a 1:59.246 – the gap to Aleix Espargaro extend to 0.435s. But with five minutes to go, things got busy.

Mir shot up to P2 before Aleix Espargaro reduced Rins’ gap to 0.180s. Mir, on his second soft tyre flying lap, then leapt to P1 to make it a Suzuki 1-2 with two minutes left on the clock. But soon after, Quartararo took over as the pacesetter after setting the first 1:58 lap time of the weekend.

That’s how it stayed in terms of the top two, with Quartararo leading Mir. Viñales then pocketed P3 on his last flying lap, and another improver on their final push was FP1 pacesetter Zarco. The Frenchman – who crashed at Turn 7 in the morning – finished fourth, 0.188s away from his compatriot Quartararo, while Aleix Espargaro had to settle for a solid P5 on Friday.

MotoGP Silverstone Friday Top 3 (Full Results Here)

1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – Yamaha – 1’58.946
2 Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – Suzuki – +0.154
3 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.177

Saturday
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) came out on top after a serious assault on the lap record in Q2 at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with the Frenchman putting in a 1:57.767 to just beat Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by 0.098. Zarco extends his record as the rider with most premier class poles without a win and Viñales takes his first front row with Aprilia, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing that front row just another 0.066 back. The front two rows all went under the 1:57 barrier and eight riders beat the 2019 lap record.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) will start from Row 2 after a 1:57 and a stunning salvage job. The Aprilia rider suffered a huge highside  in FP4 at Turn 12 and was sent skywards, given the all clear to continue by the Medical Centre with no fractures but definitely left with a pain barrier to ride through in qualifying and on Sunday.

Q1
Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) headed through on top, the Italian not really threatened by the rest in Q1 but the battle behind proving close. It was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) holding onto second until later in the session, but a late lunge from Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) saw him usurp the South African to move through. Some early drama unfolded for Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) in the session as the Spaniard crashed down at the Vale chicane, rider ok but still lead Honda down in P17.

Q2
After his huge highside at Turn 12 in FP4, a bruised Aleix Espargaro was back out on track, meanwhile Martin laid down a quality early banker to edge teammate Zarco by less than a tenth after the first flying laps – meaning a 1:58.377 was the time to beat. Quartararo did then better that by 0.118s as Miller rose to P2, 0.001s off the Frenchman. Espargaro’s first effort was 1.6s away from Quartararo’s pace, but that was just an exploratory run to see how he was feeling. New tyres were fitted and the number 41 was back out to see how far up the grid he could get.

It was Espargaro’s teammate Viñales who occupied provisional P3 heading into the final five minutes of the session though, with Martin and Zarco shuffled down to P4 and P5, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) P6 ahead of seventh placed Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).

Attention then turned to Aleix Espargaro. Three red sectors resulted in a 1:57.966 – amazingly, a new all-time lap record and a phenomenal attempt. It wasn’t going to be enough for pole position, however, as a flurry of rapid times were about to come in. Quartararo briefly returned to P1 before Miller then bettered the Yamaha rider, but then came Zarco. He took over and the lap held firm as it wasn’t beaten by Bagnaia, who slotted into P4.

The last rider to cross the line on a flying lap was Viñales and it was a belter. Top Gun’s 1:57.865 was enough to shoot him up to second, earning the Spaniard his best qualifying result with Aprilia and his first front row since claiming pole at the 2021 Dutch TT.

MotoGP Silverstone Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati –  1’57.767
2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.098
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.164

Sunday
For two Championship titans at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, eight was the key number. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held off Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by just under half a second to become the eighth different winner at Silverstone in eight events, and Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was only able to take P8 despite emerging from his Long Lap penalty within the fight for the podium.

For Bagnaia that’s a 17 point gain in the standings, and with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo) completing the podium it was a good day for the Borgo Panigale factory all round – with a Ducati now having been on the podium 18 races in a row too, the longest streak ever. 

Off the line, polesitter Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) got the holeshot as he headed Quartararo early on, with the factory Ducati duo of Miller and Bagnaia taking up third and fourth respectively. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was fifth on his Suzuki before he overtook Bagnaia on Lap 3 at The Loop, but both moved up on Lap 4 when Quartararo – who was sanctioned for his run-in with Aleix Espargaro at Assen – took his Long Lap Penalty at the last possible opportunity.

‘El Diablo’ was still second as he entered the penalty loop and resumed in fifth, behind Zarco, Miller, Rins, and Bagnaia. By then, Maverick Viñales was sixth and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) seventh, as a bruised Aleix Espargaro struggled to keep pace after his huge FP4 highside.

Zarco seemingly had a great shot at finally clinching a maiden MotoGP race win, but disaster struck when he folded the front and crashed at Vale on Lap 5. Miller then inherited the lead and while Rins went underneath the Australian at The Loop later that same lap, the Spaniard could not get the move done. He tried another pass at Vale on Lap 6 and was successful that time, putting the #42 GSX-RR at the head of the field.

Miller ceded second position to teammate Bagnaia exactly a lap later again at Vale, by which time Martin had charged up to fourth after blazing past Quartararo as they ran up the Hangar Straight moments earlier. The Spaniard went down the inside of Miller at Copse at the start of Lap 8 but ran wide on exit and had to get back into file behind the Ducati Lenovo Team rider. Viñales, though, was now well on the move, into the top five asmhe overtook Quartararo on the Hangar Straight on Lap 9.

Up ahead, Rins continued to lead but looked increasingly like the cork in the bottle. Bagnaia then struck to get past on Lap 12 at Stowe and Miller made it a factory Ducati one-two when he got underneath Rins at Village on Lap 14. Meanwhile, Viñales and Martin had been chopping and changing in the battle for fourth position until the former completed a decisive move on Lap 16 at Village. He wasted no time dealing with Rins, however, overtaking the Suzuki for third place exactly a lap later.

Village was proving a popular location for ‘Top Gun’, who passed Miller for second there on Lap 18, at which point he faced a 0.6-second deficit to Bagnaia. On Lap 19, he made yet another attempt at an overtake at Village, but this time could not make the move stick. Still, just 0.3 seconds separated first and second at the start of the 20th and final lap. Could Viñales win on a third different bike?

Not quite. The number 12 was wide through Stowe and Vale, ensuring Bagnaia just had the breathing space he needed to clinch the win – 0.426 clear over the line. Miller completed the podium, homing in on Viñales but not quite able to make it either.

The battle for fourth position raged all the way until the end. Martin was back into fourth when he overtook Rins on Lap 17, but then another threat emerged in the form of Enea Bastianini. The Gresini Racing rider qualified eighth and, despite losing a winglet in first-corner contact with Martin, was tucked in just behind him on Lap 19 after leapfrogging Rins. And the ‘Beast’ got it done, stealing the position from ‘The Martinator’ – his rival for the factory team seat in 2023 – on the final lap at Brooklands. Martin therefore finished fifth and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came from Row 5 on the grid to claim sixth at the chequered flag, while Rins faded to seventh in the end.

Behind them came the top two in the World Championship, Quartararo and Espargaro, who found themselves in direct combat for eighth on the final lap. Espargaro outbraked Quartararo at Brooklands and while he could not pull up in time to complete the pass, ninth was still a heroic effort for the Aprilia rider who feared he might not even be able to race after his practice highside. Losing just a point to Quartararo was probably his wildest dream on Saturday evening.

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rounded out the top 10 in another impressive ride, with the rest of the points finishers being Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Joining Zarco as a retirement was Suzuki’s Joan Mir, who crashed out of eighth on Lap 15 at Stowe.

In the Championship standings, Quartararo is now 22 points up on Aleix Espargaro, but Bagnaia has closed to 49 points off top spot, and he’s third overall and top Ducati… guess where we head to next Ducati turf: the Styrian hills and the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Catch the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich from August 19-21!

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo): “It wasn’t easy, because for the whole weekend, we were in trouble with the rear grip. The biggest step was this morning, using the hard rear. I tried the hard rear and I found a better feeling, but I was still missing something that we found for the race. I have to say thanks to my team, who have done an incredible job today. I put this win as my best one; I think this is the best win I have ever had because it wasn’t easy. It’s never easy, but today we were suffering more. I want to say thanks also to my trainer Carlo, to Vale, and to Casey, because we are writing messages these days. Vale is the one that has helped me the most in terms of support, so thank you all. It’s incredible, I’m very happy.”

MotoGP Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 40’10.260
2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.426
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.614

Moto2
Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) vs Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) proved a Moto2 battle for the ages at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. It came down to the final lap as Fernandez snatched victory from Lopez’s grasp in a spectacular encounter, while home hero Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) claimed a dream podium at Silverstone.

Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) grabbed the holeshot from the middle of the front row but Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was the rider to lead over the line at the end of Lap 1. However, Lopez took the lead at the beginning of Lap 2 after making fantastic progress from 8th.

World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) didn’t get the start he would have wanted from the second row and was outside the top six. Taking his Long Lap penalty, Vietti had to produce a front-end save on the exit as the Italian came out in P11, over four seconds down on the race lead.

A top four of Lopez, Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40), Ogura and Fernandez then broke clear, with Dixon chasing them in fifth a second away. After a couple of laps, Dixon bridged the gap to Fernandez’s rear wheel and the lead group became a quintet, with sixth place Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team) under a second away from his teammate.

With nine to go, Lopez’s lead was up to 0.8s. That was up to a second by the end of the lap as Fernandez moved up to P2 ahead of Canet, as Arenas then crashed at Turn 4. Thankfully, Arenas and his stricken bike were avoided by the oncoming traffic. With seven to go, both Canet and Ogura had a scare heading into Turn 13 and half a lap later, Dixon was past the pair of them.

Fernandez set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 13 and was hunting down Lopez. With four to go, the gap was nothing as Dixon, Ogura and Canet battled away for the final podium spot behind them. It was as you were with two laps to go, but it was getting feisty. Canet and Dixon exchanged P3, Ogura made slight contact with Canet’s rear wheel and it was as close as it gets between Lopez and Fernandez at the front, too.

Lopez was defending like a lion and it was all coming down to Brooklands – the final part of the lap. And it was right there, Turn 16, where Fernandez pounced. Late on the brakes, up the inside, Lopez tried to protect his lead but his compatriot forced his way through. Lopez tried to bite back but the last-ditch move handed Fernandez a second straight win, and one that sees him take a 13-point lead in the Championship after winning by just 0.070. Lopez’s debut Moto2 World Championship podium was sensational and coming out on top in the battle for the final podium spot was home hero Dixon, who finished just 0.6s away from victory in the end.

Ogura’s P4 ahead of Canet could be two vital points come the end of the season, as Vietti rescues a P6 after his Long Lap penalty. Roberts slipped to P7 after showing great pace in Free Practice and qualifying, the American finishing ahead of Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Filip Salač (Gresini Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG).

Moto2 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’07.133
2 Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) – Boscoscuro – +0.070
3 Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) – Kalex – +0.592

Moto3
After a dramatic few laps of Silverstone there has been a serious shift in the lightweight class standings, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) emerging victorious from the drama as both Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and closest challenger and teammate Izan Guevara crashed, separately, through no fault of their own. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) likewise capitalised and stormed through from outside the top 20 on the grid to take second, with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) completing the podium for his first rostrum finish of 2022 – extending his streak as the only rider to score in every race so far.

The opening lap was fast and frantic as several riders took turns in leading. Guevara, Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), polesitter Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and Öncü started strong and briefly led, but it was Guevara who pounced at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to reclaim P1.

Home hero John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) made great early progress to get up to P4 from 10th on the grid, with 8th on the grid Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) also powering up to the front of the freight train. Meanwhile, World Championship leader Garcia was battling away in the lower ends of the top 10.

It was a proper barnstormer. You could throw a blanket over the top 20 riders and the lead was changing lap after lap. Foggia, with eight to go, boasted the biggest lead we’d seen all race – 0.6s over the line, with teammate Suzuki acting as the stopping block in second place. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) was back up into the top five after taking his Long Lap penalty too, as Guevara and McPhee found themselves down in 10th and 11th, and Garcia 8th.

With four laps to go, it was still anyone’s race to win. Garcia was P6, crucially ahead of teammate and title rival Guevara who had lost out down to P9, but less than two seconds still split the top 16. With three laps to go, Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA) led for the first time and tried ti pull clear, but he was immediately swallowed up down the Hangar Straight.

Then came the drama. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) tagged the rear of Garcia at Turn 13 and both riders crashed out, with Sasaki stretchered away and taken to the medical centre, the Japanese rider conscious, and Garcia back on his bike but he was unable to continue.

Heading onto the final lap, Öncü was the leader followed by Muñoz and Ortola, with Guevara 7th. Masia took the lead, and then lost it to Foggia, more drama unravelled as Guevara was taken out by Ortola at Stowe. After the latter clipped Öncü, Suzuki highsided on the exit to crash out too. Foggia, the man third in the title race, emerged leading from Masia, Muñoz and Öncü, and round the final section Foggia was able to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, with Muñoz crashing on his own and losing out.

On the run to the line, Foggia was able to hold on for a crucial victory and gain 25 points as Masia beat Öncü by 0.045s to finish in P2, with the Turkish rider claiming third and that first podium of the season.

After that drama, the huge group fight for the podium saw Kaito Toba (CIP – Green Power) made amazing late progress to move up and take fourth, ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) completing the top five in his best result yet. Moreira made his way back through to sixth, with McPhee getting shuffled back late on to finish seventh. Front row starter Yamanaka finished eighth ahead of Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), with Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) just beating teammate Xavier Artigas to the final place in the top ten.

Moto3 Silverstone Podium (Full Results Here) 

1 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – 37’30.120
2 Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – KTM – +0.252
3 Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) – KTM – +0.297

The post MotoGP Silverstone: Bagnaia Back On Track After British Grand Prix appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....