Category: MotoGP

Categories
MotoGP

MotoGP 2024: MotoGP back at Misano for exciting weekend

MotoGP 2024: MotoGP back at Misano for exciting weekend
Marquez and Bagnaia duelling at Misano. Credits: MotoGP

MotoGP once again returns to Misano for the second time this season. The original race was scheduled to be in India, then in Kazakhstan and finally in Misano. Join us as DRC previews an exciting weekend ahead of the 2024 Emilia Romagna Motorcycle Grand Prix. Read the last race review here.

Three-way MotoGP title fight brewing

At the start of the year, it looked like it would be either Jorge Martin or Francesco Bagnaia who would be the title protagonists. It looked like it was the case even in Silverstone. But with his recent return to form, Marc Marquez has also made his claim as a potential title challenger. With back-to-back wins, the last one on the same circuit in Misano, he is one of the favorites to win. Right now the Gresini rider sits 3rd in the championship, 53 points behind leader Jorge Martin. With a bit of luck and a lot of victories, Marquez surely has a chance at his ninth title.

Marquez celebrates his win in Misano. Credits: Cycle News MotoGP blog.

While Marquez needs some luck, the two at the front don’t. Both Martin and Bagnaia are 50 points ahead of the opposition and have dominated this year with all but 3 wins going to them. 7 points separate them with martin leading the championship by 7 points. A lot of pressure will be on him to outscore Bagnaia for some crucial points. Another big talking point will be how well can Martin handle pressure. Pecco has been very good at putting Martin under loads of pressure, which often culminates in him making a mistake or crashing out. Martin in the past has been vocal about how he needs to be better in the psychological battle against Bagnaia.

Francesco Bagnaia will come into this weekend as confident as ever after topping the Misano test right after the San Marino GP. He is the home-crowd favourite and has more wins than anybody else this season. Misano historically has not been his best track, with him winning twice in 8 starts since his debut.

Francesco Bagnaia topped the charts in the Misano test. Credits: Motorsport Images MotoGP blog.

Yamaha aim improvements

The last race at Misano was an excellent stride in improvement for Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo put his factory Yamaha in the top seven. And this was not just the rain mixing things up. Fabio was 6th and 9th in the practice sessions, got a straight entry into Q2 and qualified ahead of every single Aprilia. Alex Rins had a fantastic ride as well and was at one point fighting for tenth place when the rain came.

This is the first time in nearly a year that a Japanese bike has cracked a top-10 finish. Further, Fabio finished fifth in the Misano test earlier on and showed great improvement with the new tire compounds being tested. This was received by the community as a huge leap forward for Japanese motorcycle racing, and Yamaha has said with recent improvements they aim to be fighting at the top end by the end of the 2025 season. With Prima Pramac also switching to Yamaha 2025 onwards, the team will also benefit from having European expertise involved in the development process.

Honda on the other hand, are facing blow after blow. Both Repsol Honda riders sat out the San Marino Grand Prix due to sickness. Repsol also parted ways with Honda after a very successful partnership that saw them win 15 titles and score more than 450 podiums in MotoGP.

The LCR Honda team scored some points for the Japanese powerhouse, but the outstanding problems with the bike are still fixed. Zarco was the lead Honda in the Misano test in 18th place 1.3 seconds off the lead. Johann Zarco even went on to say that there were some problems whose cause have not even been identified as of now, and a “total postmortem” of the bike is necessary to make it competitive. He also went on to say that it is not that Yamaha and Honda are bad, just the fact that Aprilia, KTM and Ducati are way better.

KTM look to impress again, Aprilia try to bounce back

KTM were the team that took the challenge to Ducati here two weeks ago. Three KTMs were in the top three with Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro finishing ahead of every single Aprilia. The wonder rookie Pedro Acosta was also on point fighting for a potential 4th place but crashed out while duelling with Morbidelli and had to finish a lap down in 17th.

Acosta was once again the lead KTM in the Misano test, finishing a strong 4th by the end of the day. He was the leader of the pack until the final hour when Bagnaia, Morbidelli and Bastianini put in very quick laps to overtake him. Binder, Miller and Dani Pedrosa also impressed with the consistent pace.

Brad Binder was on pace in the Misano Test. Credits: KTM MotoGP Press Centre.

Aprilia have traditionally not fared well at Misano and it showed in both the San Marino GP and the test. The only Aprilia to score points last time out was that of Miguel Oliviera for Trackhouse. They were outpaced and outraced by the KTMs and hence dropped valuable points to them in the Constructer’s championship. KTM will once again try to jump on this opportunity to score more points than Aprilia. It is rumored that they may bring in Pedrosa as a wildcard in-order to score more points, just like they did with Espargaro last time out.

Weekend Schedule and weather report

This is how the weather looks like for the Emilia Romagna GP

This is the weekend schedule. All times are in IST. Races can be watched live on Eurosport and on Jio Cinema.

Follow Desi Racing Co. to latest updates on the world of motorsports, with a desi twist!

Categories
MotoGP Uncategorized

MotoGP 2024: Marquez wins back-to-back in Magical Misano

Marquez and Bagnaia duelling at Misano. Credits: MotoGP

The 2024 MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix was a race of treacherous conditions, insane rides and vicious gambles. With uncertain weather conditions, this flag-to-flag race is already amongst the greats. Join us as DRC reviews a fantastic San Marino Grand Prix weekend. Read more MotoGP news, reviews and previews here.

What is a flag-to-flag race?

Before we get into the review, lets talk about what a flag-to-flag race in MotoGP is. Unlike Formula One or other forms of car racing, MotoGP or any Motorcycle Grand Prix racing employs other forms of pitstops. MotoGP pitstops work in the sense that there are different bikes with different sets of tires on them, so if you want to pit, you just ride into your box and hop onto another bike.

Marc Marquez pits to change bikes. Credits: Repsol Honda MotoGP team website.

In MotoGP, a rider can freely enter the pits during qualifying and practice, but only at certain times during the sprint and the race. This is during times where the weather conditions have drastically changed and it would be unsafe for riders to continue on the same tires. This is signaled to the riders in the form of a white flag, allowing them to enter the pits. This type of race with changeable weather conditions wherein a rider can use multiple bikes in the same race is called a Flag-to-Flag race.

A marshal waving a white flag during the 2017 Dutch TT at Assen. Credits: MotoGP on X.

Some famous flag-to-flag races in MotoGP include the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, the 2016 German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring and the 2015 San Marino Grand Prix at Misano.

Brad Binder wins a flag-to-flag Austrian GP in 2021. Credits: KTM Press Centre.

Marquez reigns in the chaos

Marc Marquez did not have a good saturday at all. After his comeback win in Motorland Aragon last week, the Spaniard looked quick from the get go. But his chances at pole slipped when he crashed out from a pole worthy lap in Q2. He would then start and finish the sprint in a lackluster ninth place.

He was in ninth for a little while when the race started, but quickly picked off places from Fabio Quartararo, Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzechi before capitalizing on Pedro Acosta and Franky Morbidelli’s crash to move up into fourth. This was when the chaos started. A white flag was waved in leu of rainfall at the track. Jorge Martin was the first to enter the pits to swap bikes and Marquez moved upto third behind Jack Miller and Bagnaia. He would then pass both of them the next lap and win comfortably with a huge margin of 3.1 seconds.

Martin on the other hand, changed bikes too early and was racing with wets on a relatively dry track. He had to pit again and had to go a lap down, ultimately finishing 15th. Francesco Bagnaia followed his guts and managed to finish second ahead of team mate Enea Bastianini who once again, sliced through the field on a late charge to the podium.

This in Marc’s own words, was a ‘special win’ as he led Gresini to their first home win. He also dedicated his win to the late Fausto Gresini, in whose honor the team was running a special livery.

KTM and Jack Miller Impress, while Aprilia struggle

KTM was the main contender of Ducati in Misano instead of the Aprilias. Pedro Acosta was the lead KTM as he qualified fifth ahead of another KTM of Brad Binder, both the Gresini Ducatis and the factory Ducati of Bastianini. Binder would then show why he is called the ‘sunday-man’ after losing out in the start to utimately finish in fourth. Acosta the rookie was also impressive, dueling with the Prima Pramac Ducati of Morbidelli until he crashed from fourth place. Thankfully he was able to get back up but finished a lap down in seventeenth.

Another talking point for the weekend was Jack Miller. The Australian finished 8th, but there is more to that story. He was running as high as second, and even dueled with Bagnaia and Bastianini, but would then be passed after his tires ran out of grip. This is a much needed result for Miller, as he is without a ride next season and this race showcased just how great his racing skills are. Wildcard Pol Espargaro finished tenth, making it three KTMs in the top ten, ahead of every single Aprilia.

The Aprilias struggled for pace all weekend. Maverick Vineales was the lead Aprilia in Qualifying in 11th, while Miguel Oliviera was the only Aprilia to score points in the weekend when he finished eleventh in the race. Top Gun finished sixteenth, a lap down while Raul Fernandes finished eighteenth a lap down. Aleix Espargaro retired from the race in a pretty dismal weekend for Aprilia.

Fabio and Yamaha blitz out, while Honda No-Show

Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha have clearly taken their recent lump very seriously, and are hard at work trying to fix the bike’s problems. This weekend at Misano was a very good one for them. Fabio locked in his world title here back in 2021, and now he puts Yamaha in the top 7 this year. Quarataro finished 6th and 9th in the practice sessions, guaranteeing himself a spot in Q2. He would then outqualify the Aprilia of Maverick Vineales and then go onto to finish an impressive seventh in the race. Alex Rins was also running in the top 12, but finished 19th at the flag due to the downpour.

Honda on the other hand, had a mixed weekend. The LCR Honda team, who were running Stefan Bradl as a wildcard this weekend, finished 9 points at the hands of Johann Zarco, Taka Nakagami and Stefan Bradl respectively in 12th through 14th. The factory Repsol Honda team on the other hand was a no show. Both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were sick from friday and decided not to participate in the race saturday itself, with Mir set to miss the Misano test as well. This comes as a salt on wounds type situation for Honda, after Repsol ended thier partnership with them earlier this weekend.

Championship Standings and the next races

Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the championship looks like this:

Championship standings after Misano. Credits: MotoGP

The next race is also at Misano with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix taking place September 20-22.

Follow DRC to get latest motorsport news, with a desi twist!

Categories
MotoGP

Moto GP 2024: Showdown of the Titans at Motorland Aragón

The last time we were in Motorland Aragón, the year was still 2022 and Francescco Bagnaia was yet to win a Moto GP championship. Fast forward to 2024 and Bagnaia is the rider to beat this weekend as he leads Championship. All you need to know about the race weekend and what news has dropped since the last race, read it all in the weekend preview report from DRC.

5 points in it: The Title battle

Last time out at Austrian GP, it was a blockbuster show by the World Champion.

Francesco Bagnaia won both Race and Sprint at the Austrian GP; credits: Moto GP

After entering the weekend just behind Martin and a point to prove, Pecco put on a masterclass and won both the Sprint and Race. Now leading the Champion, Bagnaia still can’t rest as his nearest rival is just five points away. Bagnaia is also en-route to shatter his own record of most wins in a season. He is currently sitting at 7 wins which is equal to his record. Hence a win here will be one for the history books.

However, Bagnaia will not be the only one gathering eyes this weekend.

Jorge Martin; credits: Moto GP

Jorge Martin has proved time and again this season that he’s a force to be reckoned with. We have seen a number of times this season how the Championship leader gets changed after every other Race weekend. And with Martin just trailing to Bagnaia by 5 points, it is very likely to happen again.

The other protagonist in the title fight is Enea Bastianini. The last time around the Motorland Aragón circuit, Bastianini tasted the winner’s champagne as he just pipped Bagnaia at the last lap. (0.042s). A similar show by Bastianini would stregthen his hold at the title fight.

Marquez in desperate need of a come-back at Aragón

Marc Marquez is not having the best of form lately. After crashing out at the Silverstone Sprint, Marquez entered Austria with determination to do himself one better.

Marc Marquez; credits: Moto GP

However, his Silverstone form was yet to leave him. He was running in P2 in Sprint after Martin had to serve his Long Lap penalty but he fell off his bike, throwing away a well points paying position. In the race, Marquez fell down the owing to a crash with Franco Morbidelli, but eventually did well enough damage limitation and finished fourth.

Marquez currently sits 4th in the championship, 83 points away from the table-topper Bagnaia. This gap is not impossible to claw back, however, Marquez will need to improve his Qualifying pace and rectify his mistakes in races to still have a chance at the Championship.

Driver signings, Private tests and more

The most recent signing in the Moto GP paddock is of Fermin Aldeguer to Gresini Racing.

Fermin Aldeguer; credits: Moto GP

He was signed by Ducati back in March and now gets the seat of the outgoing Marc Marquez. Currently sitting in P5 in the Moto 2 Championship, the Spaniard impressed the Ducati squad after finishing P3 in Moto2 in 2023 season. He has been signed for a period of 2 years.

In other news, Yamaha are coming into this weekend after conducting a private test last week at Misano. For the same, Andrea Dovizioso stepped up as a replacement for the recovering Cal Crutchlow.

credits:Moto GP

The tests seem to have brought some positivity into Japanese team. Fabio Quartaro exclaimed-

“We had the opportunity to try some new things at the private Misano test. At the test we noticed that the new items give us a small improvement. This weekend we’ll have another chance to try these items, but this time in a race-weekend setting.“

With continued push by the Japanese team, Yamaha riders look in a better place to finally aim for better positions at the Motorland Aragón.

When and Where to watch

All the sessions from Motorland Aragón will be streamed on Eurosport (TV) and JioCinema (Web Broadcast).

The Schedule is as follows:

Friday

14:15-15:00 – Free Practice Nr. 1

18:30-19:30 – Practice

Saturday

13:40-14:10 – Free Practice Nr. 2

14:20-15:00 – Qualifying

18:30 – Sprint

Sunday

17:30 – Race

Make sure to follow DesiRacingCo to keep up with Moto GP at Motorland Aragón.

Categories
MotoGP

MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix Review: Bagnaia shines in Spielberg

The Red Bull Ring in the Austrian mountains was the stage to the 11th Round of the 2024 FIM MotoGP world championship. Read about it all in DRC’s weekend Review for the 2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix. Read the weekend preview here .

Bagnaia completes the Double

The Ducati domination continues. After missing out last time in Silverstone, Francesco Bagnaia was on top form as he scooped up both the Sprint and the Race victory at the Red Bull Ring. The Italian qualified second behind title-fight rival Jorge Martin, missing on pole by just one and a half tenths.

Pecco produced a fantastic hole-shot lights out on Saturday. He and Jorge Martin were then scrapping for the lead, after which Martin had to serve a Long Lap Penalty and settle for second in the sprint, Pecco finishing with a very comfortable margin.

Going into Sunday, both Bagnaia and Martin were tied on 250 points, with Pecco becoming the leader by the virtue of more race wins.

On Sunday, Bagnaia got a good start, and converted it into the lead at the end of Lap 1, completing the move and becoming the leader officially as He and Martin barreled into Turn 1 on the second lap. After which, he went on to inflate his lead eventually finishing a whopping 3.2 seconds ahead of Jorge. Bagnaia would go on to put in the fastest lap of the race. The speedy 1:29:519 also breaking the lap record in the process. This show of performance puts the reigning champion 5 points ahead of his nearest rival Martin.

Marquez has a topsy turvy weekend

Difficult, draining and rocky were the words to describe Marquez’s weekend in Austria. The Spaniard qualified third, half a second off pole. Although he was happy about the front row start, he was also dissatisfied with his lack of pace.

Come Saturday, he would maintain that third place, but as Jorge Martin served his long lap penalty, Marquez pounced and took second place. He had the pace to secure a silver medal in the sprint, but crashed out at turn 3.

Sunday didn’t bear much luck for the Spaniard either, as he collided with the Prima Pramac Ducati of Franko Morbidelli. The pair, who also collided in Sachsenring, saw Marquez coming off worse once again and dropping deep into the field. Marquez would then go on to make his way through the field, picking off places one after the other, to finally finish fourth.

One positive from his weekend was the great race pace he showed. He was able to keep up with Jorge Martin and even pull a gap on him. Qualifying pace needs to improve, however, as he tries to prove why he is the right choice for the Ducati ride next year.

Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha fail to deliver

Aprilia for the second weekend in a row, fail to deliver the goods after a promising start. Friday was frustrating for Aleix Espargaro, but he recovered to a third place finish in the sprint after Marquez crashed out. On the other factory Aprilia was Maveric Viñales, disappointed by a low P6 in Qualifying. The Trackhouse Aprilias were also disappointing, finishing 13th and 20th in Qualifying.

Aleix Espargaro scored another Sprint Podium. Credits: MotoGP

Things would only get difficult for Sunday. Both the factory Aprilias went backwards from the start, finishing P7 and P9. Oliveira on the Trackhouse Aprilia could only muster 12th. A growing concern for the Aprilia bikes is that they are loosing a lot of pace as the race goes on. After a decent start, every single Aprilia was overtaken as they sunk to the lower points paying positions.

Meanwhile, the Japanese manufacturers were once again starved for pickings. Honda and Yamaha combined managed to score only two points at the hands of Nakagami. Honda and Yamaha seem to be deep in the lower-midfield slump, and still have miles to return to the top competition.

Lukewarm home race for KTM

Celebrating the Austrian GP as their home grand prix, KTM had a weekend with very high peaks and the lowest of lows.

Jack Miller; credits-@KTM_Racing on X

Pedro Acosta, who is the lead KTM rider in the championship, started with three different crashes on Friday. That, however would be the least of his troubles. The wonderkid was unable to recreate his magic that got him multiple podiums earlier in the year. He finished the race in 13th, scoring 3 points in a tumultuous weekend. His teammate Augusto Fernandes also struggled over the weekend, finishing with a single point.

The factory KTM team had a much better weekend though. The KTM hero Brad Binder made it to Q2, albeit in 12th place. His team-mate Jack Miller produced a blistering lap to start fifth come race-day, the Aussie still looking for a ride for next season. However, the talking point in qualifying was the Wildcard.

Pol Espargaro; credits-@KTM_Racing on X

Pol Espargaro impressed and not only managed to get into Q2, but also out qualified Binder and started 10th. He would then finish 11th, in the points for KTM on Sunday.

Come raceday, Jack Miller went backwards, but still just. He was only overtaken by Marquez as he charged. However, that would all change as Miller crashed out of sixth at the turn two chicane. This was his first major points paying position since the last year, and will surely hamper his chances of getting a seat next season.

The Sunday man Brad Binder delivered a brilliant home race for KTM on the other side of the garage. He managed to climb up all the way from P12 to P5, and was set for a P4 finish had Marquez not charged past him. This now puts him 6th in the bigger scheme of things and he overtakes Pedro Acosta as the lead KTM in the championship.

Rider Market and Injury Updates

The MotoGP grid will be getting a new rookie next season. Trackhouse Racing have signed Moto2 rider Ai Ogura for two years starting 2025.

Congratulations are also in order for Frank Morbidelli, who joins Pertamina Enduro VR46 for the 2025 season and beyond. VR46 have also extended Fabio Di Gianntonio’s contract for another two years.

In other news, Diggia suffered a pretty heavy crash this weekend, which left him with a dislocated shoulder. He was not able to start either race and qualifying, and it is uncertain if he will recover for the next round.

Championship Standings

This is how the championship looks like after the Austrian Grand Prix:

Championship Standings after Austria. Credits: MotoGP

The next round of the world championship will take place from Aug 30-Sep 1 at the Aragon circuit in Spain.

Follow DRC for more updates related to the world of motorsports.

Categories
MotoGP

Moto GP 2024: Paddock arrives at Redbull Ring for the Austrian GP

Moto GP has shown time and again the closest racing action. And this time around for the Austrian GP, we fans are expecting nothing less. What are the news since the last time we went racing and who are the favourites for this week, read it all in the weekend preview from DRC.

Title fight: Bagnaia’s turn to fight

At the start of the British GP last time around, Bagnaia was leading the championship by 10 points over Martin. However, as we came out of Britain, Martin was back at the top of the leaderboard.

Francesco Bagnaia after crashing in the British GP Sprint; credits- Moto GP

Overall, Martin looked like the better rider of the two that weekend. However, Bagnaia is no slouch. With Martin having only a marginal difference of 3 points to Bagnaia, the championship is highly volatile. Bagnaia has had massive success at this track. From winning both Sprint and the Race last year, this track is considered strong for the World Champion. A double win at the Ring could very well mean we could be watching a different championship leader yet again, come the end of the weekend.

The other protagonist in the Championship has also changed after British GP. Enea Bastianini has had an absolute spectacular run of performance at the British GP.

Enea Bastianini after winning at the British GP; credits-Moto GP

After trailing Marquez for P3 by 11 points, Bastianini put up a fight and now sits 13 points ahead of Marc. This makes him just 49 points afar from the table-topper Martin. This difference might look huge but when a total of 37 points are on offer every race weekend, Bastianini is very well into the title contention.

KTM, Honda and Aprilia debut a ‘Wildcard’ entry

In a bid to gather more data, the teams of KTM, Honda and Aprilia have decided to debut their test riders this weekend.

Brad Binder; credits: @KTM_Racing on X

KTM have won twice around this venue. Hence, coming into this weekend, they have a lot to do to put up a show for their home fans. Following this, they have decided to debut Pol Espargaro as a wildcard entry for Redbull KTM Factory Racing. The team has had a fantastic roster of drivers, as we saw at the last race when Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta had a close battle.

Click here to read the review from the last round.

Hence, KTM Factory racing will be looking to gather more data to put together the final pieces for their development.

Aprilia Racing are debuting Lorenzo Savadori, their test rider, this weekend with a lab bike.

Maverick Vinales; credits: aprilia.com

After getting pole, Aprilia Racing rider Aleix Espargaro had to settle for a Sprint podium and P6 in race. And he was the better of the two riders. Aprilia hasn’t had a good result in Spielberg as of yet. The best result the Noale outfit has managed here is a P6. Hence, a good haul of points or a pole position will be huge.

The Honda team is another outfit that is deploying a wildcard this weekend. Their test rider Stefan Bradl will be out with the HRC test team bike.

Luca Marini; credits: @HRC_MotoGP on X

With Luca Marini and Joan Mir confirmed as riders of the factory team, their pairing remains unchanged. It’s their satellite team that is expected to drop the news this weekend. In an interview to DAZN, LCR Honda’s Team Principal, Lucio Cecchinello has revealed that Moto2’s Ai Ogura,  Somkiat Chantra and their current rider Takaaki Nakagami are the names that are being looked at. He even went as far as confirming that an announcement could be made by this weekend.

Read the full report here.

Track Information

The track in use this weekend will be the famous Redbull Ring. This track consists of 10 turns, with a stop-go style, different to the usual fast and flowing tracks of Moto GP.

When and Where to watch

All the sessions will be streamed on JioCinema (Web Broadcast) and Eurosport (TV coverage).

The schedule is as follows:

Make sure to follow DesiRacingCo. to never miss a motorsport update.

Categories
MotoGP

Moto GP 2024: Bastianini wins the weekend

The 3 day action at the Silverstone GP gave us fans plenty to talk about. From 110% performance from Bastianini to heartbreaks for others, we had everything. Read it all in DRC’s review of the weekend.

Bastianini delivers double victory for Ducati

Enea Bastianini; credits-Moto GP

We are quite familiar with Ducati bikes dominating entire weekends in Moto GP this year. However, this time at the British GP, it was not Jorge Martin or Francesco Bagnaia that achieved this feat. But it was Enea Bastianini. He showed exceptional pace on Saturday and Sunday causing his fellow riders to play the catching game.

He started his British weekend slow. Finishing FP1 in 6th position, he was nearly 4 tenths back on the table topper Martin. However, he still was the lead Factory Ducati. In the second competetive session, Enea placed 5th, that saw him safely sail through to Q2.

The final qualifying session was curtailed as Maverick Vinales dropped his bike in Turn 2. Bastianini, however, posted a time well enough for P3 while his rivals Pecco and Martin started in P2 and P4 respectively.

The next session of Sprint, however, was where the points would be awarded. And Bastianini let all his pace out of the bag. As the dust settled and some laps passed, it was Bastianini fast on the tail of Martin for the lead. Another bomb that dropped in this sprint was Pecco crashing at Lap 5, turn 4. This meant that if Martin wins, he would be leading the championship. However, he still had Bastianini to contend with. In an ongoing scrap, Bastianini shot into the lead at Lap 6 and started opening up the gap. And with the final lap remaining, Bastianini extended his lead to a second, and secured his first trip to the Sprint podium in style.

Enea Bastianini; credits-Moto GP

The Race

With a spectacular performance on Saturday, Bastianini was looked upon by many as the top contender for the win. As the race started, Bagnaia got the best start out of the front runners. Overall, the top trio of Bagnaia, Bastianini and Martin, all passed Espargaro at the start. Martin was determined to do one better than Sprint and soon passed Bastianini for 2nd. He was passed by Espargaro too. As the race progressed, however, Bastianini passed Aleix to get back into the podium places and back on the attack.

‘The Beast’ wasn’t done here. He soon pounced on a mistake by Bagnaia and began applying pressure on Martin. With six laps to go, Bastianini closed the gap tenth by tenth. Finally with just 2 laps left, Enea was right at the tail of Martin. The #23 bike surely looked intimidating for Jorge as he slid wide twice, with Enea passing him at the second time.

Just within the final lap, Bastianini pulled out a gap of nearly 2 seconds on Martin. Just another way to flex on your opponents.

Enea Bastianini; credits-Moto GP

This superb weekend has resulted in Enea replacing Marquez from the P3 spot in championship. He now leads over Marquez by 13 points.

The Championship table changes once again

Throughout the first part of the weekend, Jorge Martin looked determined to take his championship lead back. He capitalized on every mistake that his rivals made.

Jorge Martin; credits-Moto GP

When we entered into this weekend, Jorge Martin trailed the world champion by 10 points. However, as the weekend progressed we saw how determined he was to get back into the lead. Out of the top 2, Martin looked more dialed in this weekend. Going into the sprint, he was the most probable winner on everyone’s cards. Even as Francesco Bagnaia fell off his bike in sprint, Martin kept his cool and eventually finished in 2nd. This made him just one point short of the lead in Championship.

Francesco Bagnaia fell off in Sprint; credits-Moto GP

Even in the race, Martin was the better of the two as he finished nearly 4 seconds ahead of Bagnaia. Bagnaia even exclaimed that he risked crashing in the race if he tried catching up to Martin.

Another change in the championship is Marc Marquez being replaced by Enea Bastianini for P3. Marquez had a subpar weekend by his own standards. He qualified in 7th for the sprint and the race. In the closing stages of the sprint, he lost his bike which didn’t help his case either.

Marquez crashed in the Sprint on Saturday; credits-Moto GP

In the race, Marquez was part of the top 5 that broke away from the rest of the field. Come the end, he was on track to catch Pecco for third but ultimately ran out of laps. He finished P4 on track. But with Bastianini finishing first, Marquez conceded his championship position to Bastianini.

Aprilias unable to deliver

The bikes of Aprilia Racing were looking quite fast as the weekend started. Both the factory Aprilias were fast in FP1, scoring a P2,P3. In the practice session, Aleix Espargaro posted a time for P2, missing P1 by 0.045 seconds. This difference was vanished, however, in the qualifying session.

Aleix Espargaro secured pole position; credits-Moto GP

Aleix Espargaro secured pole position over Francesco Bagnaia by 2 tenths. However, a large part of that difference is down to the qualifying session being interrupted. Maverick Vinales in the other Aprilia crashed at Turn 2, which brought out the yellow flags. Hence his performance was not on full display. He qualified P8 on the grid.

This was as good Aprilia’s weekend would get however. Aleix Espargaro was unfortunately unable to capitalize on his pole position in both Sprint and the Race. In the Sprint, he scored a P3 but was far from the leading 2. Vinales was at the tail-end of points scoring postions as he came home in P8.

On the Race day, Espargaro was again unable to get a good start as he dropped to P4. However, he was able to keep up with the top riders, and even had some fights himself. But ultimately, he crossed the finish line in 6th. He was passed by VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio who had a superb comeback drive from 10th to 5th. Vinales, meanwhile, finshed the race down in P13.

Miguel Oliveira (#88) and Raul Fernandes (#25); credits-Moto GP

It was not a smooth Sunday for their satellite team as well. Raul Fernandes had recieved RS-GP 24 from this weekend. But he wasn’t able to put it to full use as both Trackhouse bikes retired on first lap. This mishap happened as Raul lost his bike at Turn 6 on the first lap and took out Miguel as well.

KTM – GASGAS battle

Perhaps the biggest battle of the weekend apart from the top riders was between the bikes of Brad Binder(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). Both the KTM riders and future teammates were fighting tooth and nail in sprint for 5th place at the moment.

https://desiracingco.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Untitled-video-Made-with-Clipchamp.mp4
credits-Moto GP

In a fiery scrap that ensued, Acosta and Binder came too close for comfort, even shattering their winglets. Marquez was able to get past both of them, but Acosta swept back past the spaniard.

With these two soon to be team-mates at KTM, such fights might be the new normal from 2026.

Championship standings

After the British GP, here is how the championship looks like:

Here we wrap up our review from the weekend. Moto GP will return after a week’s break. The next round will hosted at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, from 16-18 Aug.
Make sure to follow DesiRacingCo. on X to never miss a motorsport update.

Categories
MotoGP

Eurosport India and MotoGP renew partnership through 2026

Following the new contract between MotoGP & Uttar Pradesh, Indian fans still have more joy coming their way. As MotoGP and Eurosport announce a contract extension through 2026. The agreement not only covers India but also ensures the coverage in Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Moto2, and Moto3 races are also covered in this agreement.

This comes after a recent online briefing wherein, Mr. Arjun Nohwar, General Manager for India and South Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, and Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of Dorna Sports, highlighted the strategic significance of their partnership in promoting motorsports culture in India.

“Our collaboration with Dorna has brought thrilling MotoGP™ action closer to Indian audiences and captivated a new generation of motorsports fans. This success story highlights the effectiveness of our joint approach in delivering high-quality sports entertainment to a growing and passionate audience. MotoGP™ has a dedicated fan base in India, and we are committed to offering the best coverage and content.”

Arjun Nohwar, Managing Director, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery

“India is a key market and fanbase for MotoGP. There are millions of motorcycles on the roads, making it vital for the MotoGP manufacturers and many of our partners, and we have a strong established audience that also offers huge opportunities for exponential growth.  We are excited to continue our partnership with Eurosport India and work together to maximise our potential in the world’s most populous country. Their dedication to delivering top-quality content and understanding of the Indian audience make them the ideal partner, and we are confident this extended partnership will further enhance the MotoGP™ experience for fans across India.”

Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of Dorna Sports

This renewal also represents the commitment of Eurosports to the development of Motorsports in India. Following this idea, Eurosport India has also taken the help from Shikhar Dhawan, star cricketer, to further expand the fan base in India.

With Moto GP recently signing with Invest UP for conducting the Indian Grand Prix, this is a fantastic news for us Indian fans longing for International motorsports in the country!

Make sure to follow DesiRacingCo. on all social platforms to never miss a update related to Motorsports!

Categories
MotoGP

MotoGP signs new deal for Indian Grand Prix in Uttar Pradesh

Some of the best racing action (and wheelies) in motorsports is returning to India. MotoGP has entered into a new contract with Invest UP, part of the Uttar Pradesh Goverment. This agreement ensures that the Indian Grand Prix will be part of the calendar from 2025 to 2027. Buddh International Circuit will be hosting the race.

Credits: The free press journal

A breath of relief from last year’s scare

The news brings great relief to the fans in India and across the world. After the financial row with previous contract holder ‘Fairstreet Sports’, the Indian GP was in danger of being scrapped completely. Post the inaugural race at BIC, the preparation of which had it’s fair share of logistical and organisational issues, Fairstreet sports missed deadlines given by Dorna Sports (the organiser of MotoGP) to pay dues from the race. Since the deadlines weren’t met, Donna terminated the contract and immediately started looking for new potential partners for the race.

“Bringing MotoGP to Uttar Pradesh not only elevates our state on the global sports stage but also catalyzes substantial economic growth across tourism, hospitality, and associated sectors. This event will magnetize visitors worldwide, spotlighting Uttar Pradesh’s prowess in hosting world-class sporting extravaganzas.”

Mr. Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary-cum-Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner, Government of UP

Credits: Hindustan Times

MotoGP’s growing popularity to benefit Dorna & India

MotoGP’s popularity has been on the rise in India. Certainly with last year’s race proving a success with fans & given India’s passion for bikes and growing love for all things motorsport, the new agreement couldn’t have come at a better time for MotoGP and BIC.

“India is an essential market for MotoGP™, with a healthy, established audience for the racing, and one we know we can increase exponentially. There are also hundreds of millions of two-wheeled vehicles used across the country every day, making it vital for our manufacturers and for the sport itself thanks to MotoGP™’s position as the pinnacle of two wheels.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports

With Moto GP set to return to India, we fans will once again be able to experience International Motorsports in our own country. This development will also lead to revenue generation and awareness about Motorsports in India.

Make sure to follow DesiRacingCo. to keep yourself up to date on latest happenings in the world of Motorsports.

Categories
MotoGP

Moto GP: Bikes back in action at the British GP

The Moto GP paddock returns to us fans after a break of nearly 4 weeks. What has happened within this time frame and what new storylines to look forward to? Read it all in DRC’s preview for the weekend.

Championship fight: Predator becomes the Prey

For most of the season this year, Jorge Martin has been leading the Rider’s Championship. However in the last race before the summer break, the Championship flipped on it’s head.

Francesco Bagnaia won in the German GP; credits-Moto GP

Going into the weekend in Germany, Martin was 10 points ahead of his rival Pecco. However, as we left Germany, Pecco had gained a total of 20 points over Martin and now he leads the Championship. The rivalry between these two is expected to continue this weekend as well.

Silverstone has been tagged as one of the stronger circuits of Francesco Bagnaia. With such high expectations, Pecco will be looking for a strong result to extend his lead.

The other protagonist of this fight, Marc Marquez has started to trail from the top 2. He’s sitting in P3, 56 adrift the top position.

Marc Marquez scored a P2 in the German GP; credits-Moto GP

Although Maruez’ season has been one to witness, he still hasn’t won a race atop a Ducati. His only win on this track has come back in 2014, on a Honda. A win this weekend could very well mean he will be back in the fight with the top 2. Marquez will also need to keep his eyes peeled for Enea Bastianini, who sitting in P4, is just 11 points behind him. A mistake form the Spaniard could mean he would slip back in P4.

All eyes on Aprilia

Apart from the top teams, Aprilia Racing are the one team that are looked upon for a strong result. Their rider roster has had previous success at this track, with Aliex Espargaro winning last time around.

Aleix Espargaro won at the British GP in 2023; credits-TheRace

Aliex Espargaro will be retuurning to Moto GP after missing the last round to recover from his injury in Assen GP. A podium or a win would make his weekend the ultimate comeback story.

On the other side of the garage, Maverick Vinales, also boasts a good resume of results at Silverstone. He’s had a win and two P2s thus far. He sits in P5 in the riders championship, 30 points away from fourth place Bastianini.

Yamaha: Rins back as Gardner enters as a wildcard

After missing the last round in Germany due to injury, Alex Rins will be back on his bike for the British GP. Yamaha have continued to work on their bike with private testing going on. This trend is continuing this weekend as well, as Remy Gardner will be entering as a wildcard from Yamaha.

Yamaha’s lineup is still incomplete for 2025. Alex Rins is yet to be signed by the Japanese marque for next year but he is positive that it will soon happen. With Yamaha’s future satellite team Prima Pramac Racing’s seats still empty, this wildcard entry of Remy Gardner could also possibly mean he would be looked upon by the Yamaha bosses as a contender.

The Rider market puzzle comes together

Another domino has fallen in the Rider Market during the summer break. Honda has has extended Joan Mir’s contract for two more seasons.

Joan Mir; credits-Moto GP

This signing has meant that Repsol Honda’s lineup remains unchanged for 2025 season. Another massive news related to Honda is Aleix Espargaro joing them as a test driver from 2025. In their satellite team, Johann Zarco is too signed up for next season while Takaki Nakagami still awaits confirmation about his future.

In other news, Aprilia’s satellite team, Trackhouse Racing has confirmed Raul Fernandes as their driver for 2025 and 2026 seasons. His performances have been massive, with a front row start in Germany. This means that Trackhouse’s other seat is still in the air as Miguel Olivera is still unconfirmed for 2025.

Miguel Olivera; credits-Moto GP

Trackhouse racing are also set to recieve the 2024 spec Aprilias from Silverstone onwards. With these top spec bikes, Trackhouse will be hoping for even better results and consistency from its riders.

When and Where to watch

Moto GP teams are set to run one-off retro style liveries on Sunday. The reveal by the teams will be done on youtube at 6:30 pm on 1st August.

Jiocinema and Eurosport will stream all the sessions.

Schedule is as follows:

02/08/2024 – Friday

  • 15:15-16:00 – Free Practice 1
  • 19:30-20:30 – Practice

03/08/2024 – Saturday

  • 14:40-15:10 – Free Practice 2
  • 15:20-15:35 – Qualifying Nr. 1
  • 15:45-16:00 – Qualifying Nr. 2
  • 19:30 – Sprint

04/08/2024 – Sunday

  • 14:10-14:20 – Warm up
  • 17:30 – Race
Categories
MotoGP

The title fight flips on it’s head in Germany: DRC’s MotoGP German Grand Prix Review

The 2024 MotoGP World Championship added another exiting chapter in it’s thrilling story. Join us as DRC reviews a modern era masterpiece that took place in Sachsenring. This is the 2024 MotoGP German Grand Prix review.

Bagnaia stands tall after Martin’s Crash and Burn

Over the weekend, Francesco Bagnaia looked a shadow to Jorge Martin, the Martinator topping practice and then eventually securing pole. In contrast, Pecco qualified fourth behind the Trackhouse Aprilias of Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez.

The hopes for a win looked slim as Martin pulled a breathtaking recovery to win the sprint, even after losing positions at the start. To put salt on the wounds, Pecco was unable to pass the Trackhouse Aprilia of Miguel Oliveira and finished third.

That did not stop Bagnaia however, as he snatched the lead of the German Grand Prix from Martin at the start. But soon enough, in an attempt to manage his tires, he fell back down to fourth. After the first fifteen laps though, Pecco pulled the trigger.

Lapping in the 1:20s Pecco picked off those ahead, eventually being just 0.8 seconds behind Martin in the race lead with 3 laps to go. It was looking like Martin would win, but the pressure of keeping Bagnaia behind got to him. With just two laps to go, Jorge Martin crashed out at turn 1, gifting Pecco the lead of the race and the championship.

With this win, Bagnaia surpassed Casey Stoner as the rider with most wins atop a Ducati desmosedici. His 24th win with Ducati also comes with his 200th start, and is Ducati’s 95th win overall.

Marquez brothers finish on the Podium as Marc climbs to second.

Marc Marquez, dubbed the “King of the Ring” was in poor shape on friday. After a heavy crash on friday, he suffered a broken index finger on his left hand, and a bruised ribcage. His situation worsened when he was impeded by Stefan Bradl on his flying lap in Q1, meaning he qualified P13 for the sprint. He eventually finish 6th only 0.003 seconds ahead of Maverick Vineales in a photo finish.

It was looking like Alex Marquez was going to be the lead Gresini and the lead Marquez overall. Alex qualified fifth and had strong pace in practice. He fell down to ninth in the sprint, but was still optimistic about Sunday.

As the lights went out, Marc Marquez picked up 8 places in the first seven laps to slot in 5th behind his brother, who passed Franky Morbidelli three laps after. Marc then caught up with Morbidelli and nearly passed him into turn 1, but the two collided, popping off Marquez’s airbag.

That incident forced Marc Marquez to pull the trigger, overtaking Morbidelli for fourth place which became third after Martin’s crash. He then passed Alex in the final lap to secure a 2-3 for Gresini Racing, and two brothers shared a podium in MotoGP for the first time since 1997.

Alex Marquez had a great weekend too, his pace in the sprint the only roadblock he faced to a P3 finish. His brother’s comeback may have overshadowed his performance, but his racing showed why Gresini trusted him for another two years.

Aprilia start off strong but suffer due to lack of Race Pace

Aprilia faced a challenge even before the weekend started. Aleix Espargaro withdrew to aid his recovery after a scary crash in the Sprint race at Assen. With test rider Lorenzo Savadori unavailable to stand in, Aprilia was forced to run only one rider in Maverick Vineales who qualified 7th. Things were better for the customer Trackhouse team though, with their riders qualifying 2nd and 3rd and Miguel Oliveira finishing second in the sprint come Saturday.

That was as good the things were going to get though. Maverick lost 6th place to Marc Marquez by 0.003 seconds, and Raul Fernandes slipped down to 14th in the sprint. Come sunday, all three Aprilias suffered from the lack of race pace against the Ducatis and even the KTMs. Miguel’s impressive sprint podium went to wain as Oliveira was the lead Aprilia in 6th, followed by Fernandes in 10th and Vineales in 12th as the chequred flag fell.

Morbidelli experiences a Renaissance but looses out due to poor tyre management.

Franky Morbidelli was having a decent weekend. The Prima Pramac rider qualifying sixth and gaining a place in the sprint. He even challenged Pecco and passed him in the opening stages of the main race. He briefly was on the tail-end of a Prima Pramac 1-2 as Martin hammered on.

But poor tyre management came back to haunt him, as he lost places left and right, to Bagnaia and then to the Marquez brothers later on. A better tyre management plan would have ensured atleast a top 4 finish for him, instead he limped home in fifth, getting passed by Bastianini on the final lap to add to the pain. As promising this weekend was for Franky, he will surely feel motivated to go for it in the races after the summer break.

Title Standings

The championship has a new leader as the German GP shakes up the order.

The new MotoGP world Championship standings. Credit: MotoGP

With the German GP done and dusted, MotoGP heads to Silverstone next after a three week long summer break. The British Motorcycle Grand Prix weekend takes place August 2-4 at the famous Silverstone Circuit, which just hosted an amazing Formula One Grand Prix.

Make sure to follow DRC to keep up with the fast world of Motorsports.

Exit mobile version