Cycle News Staff | April 28, 2024
Sunday Grand Prix
There was one very angry rider on the grid for Sunday’s race, that of Francesco Bagnaia. The World Champion knew he needed to score and score big, but it’s doubtful even he could imagine how much he’d profit after the 25 lap race.
At the green light, Marc Marquez made up for the Sprint Race tardy start by jetting into the lead at turn one, Martin barging past Bezzecchi for second.
Bagnaia was fourth but at the end of the back straight on lap one, he pulled one of the moves of the year so far when he went around the outside of both Bez and Martin to snatch second place.
Then began his charge to the front and through he went to lead at the exit of the final corner after starting seventh.
Marquez fought straight back at turn one but ran wide, allowing Martin to slice through into second behind Bagnaia.
At the final corner on lap two, Bagnaia blew the entry big time, running way wide and allowing Martin and Marquez back through, although Bagnaia was back past by turn one.
The dry conditions of the Sunday GP meant it was nowhere near as frantic as the Sprint Race in terms of retirements, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t oodles of drama.
The biggest plot twist came on lap 11 as leader Martin braked for the Dani Pedrosa corner at the end of the back straight. The diminutive Spaniard got it all wrong, losing the front and not only crashing out, but seeing a possible 47 point lead in the title go up in smoke.
Bagnaia now took control but Marquez wasn’t done yet, slicing through on Bezzecchi at the Pedrosa corner and setting off after Bagnaia, who was by now 1.1 seconds up the road.
Gradually the number 93 of Marquez closed down the number one of Bagnaia, the move for the lead coming, as expected, at the stadium section right hander on lap 21.
Bagnaia, however, was having none of it. He pulled an aggressive undercut on Marquez and put the red Ducati’s front wheel right under the blue Ducati, the two rider clashing hard and leaving Marquez with Bagnaia’s tire stain all down the right side of his leathers.
Bagnaia was back in the lead and the battle was on. A lap later, Marquez tried again at the turn 10 stadium corner and again he ran wide, Bagnaia retaking the lead.
The World Champion then produced a stunning new race lap record on 23 lap old tires of 1:37.449 to break the charge of Marquez with two laps left. Marquez was beaten fair and square, settling for second, 0.3s adrift of Bagnaia who took one of his finest ever GP wins and his third in a row at Jerez.
“It was simply fantastic,” Bagnaia enthused. “We needed such a win, not only for myself but also for the team and everybody working with me. It was a very intense race, and it was crucial to make it to the lead on lap one. The overtake on the outside was really a nice one, I enjoyed it a lot. The race was decided in the last five laps: when Marc closed the gap I only tried to wait and fend off his attacks straight away and after his second attempt I decided to push as hard as I could in order to create a safety margin up to the finish line. I managed to set the fastest lap at the end, and everything went perfectly. I’m really happy: this is my third consecutive win in the full race here and that makes everything even more special.”
Bezzecchi climbed back onto the podium for the first time this year in third ahead of Alex Marquez with Bastianini, Binder, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati), Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing Aprilia), Vinales and Acosta, who fought back from 18th on the first lap, rounding out the top 10.
Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) failed to finish, as did Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out early at high speed. Aprilia wildcard, Lorenzo Savadori also failed to get to the line.
There was more race drama as Aleix Espargaro clattered into the side of Johann Zarco (LCR Honda), taking both riders out, while Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Ducati) did the same to Jack Miller, sending both riders into the gravel and ending a nightmare weekend for 2021 Jerez GP winner Miller.
After all that, Martin still leads but what should have been a possible 47 point lead was reduced to 17 ahead of Bagnaia on 75 and Bastianini third on 70.
2024 Spanish MotoGP Results—Sunday GP
1 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
|
2 |
Marc Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+0.372 |
3 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) |
+3.903 |
4 |
Alex Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+07.205 |
5 |
Enea Bastianini |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
+7.253 |
6 |
Brad Binder |
(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) |
+7.801 |
7 |
Fabio Di Giannantonio |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) |
+10.063 |
8 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(Trackhouse Racing) |
+10.979 |
9 |
Maverick Viñales |
(Aprilia Racing) |
+11.217 |
10 |
Pedro Acosta |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+20.762 |
Moto2
Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) was pre-season favorite coming into the 2024 season, and came into the year with a 2025 Ducati contract in his pocket to boot. But the first three races were a mixture of bad luck and trouble, a run he put to an end at Jerez on home turf, and in some style.
After dueling with Manuel Gonzalez (QJMotor Gresini Moto2) in the early stages, Aldeguer was able to put the hammer down at the front and take a relatively comfortable 1.2s win. Behind, a charge from America’s Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) saw the Californian slice up the order to duel Gonzalez over the final laps, coming out on top to take second and those 20 points put him in the championship lead as the 18 of Gonzalez was forced to settle for third.
Rounding out the top five was Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Gonzalez’s teammate Albert Arenas.
In the championship, Roberts leads for the first time in his career on 69 points, five up on Garcia and 15 up on Aledguer.
2024 Spanish Moto2 Results—Race
1 |
Fermin Aldeguer |
(Beta Tools Speedup) |
|
2 |
Joe Roberts |
(OnlyFans American Racing Team) |
+1.287 |
3 |
Manuel Gonzalez |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) |
+1.568 |
4 |
Sergio Garcia |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+6.226 |
5 |
Albert Arenas |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) |
+8.059 |
6 |
Ai Ogura |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+12.490 |
7 |
Tony Arbolino |
(Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) |
+13.346 |
8 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) |
+13.489 |
9 |
Celestino Vietti |
Red Bull KTM Ajo) |
+14.508 |
10 |
Somkiat Chantra |
(IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) |
+19.693 |
Moto3
Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Huqsvarna Intact GP) put in a masterclass of controlled pace at Jerez, taking his second career Moto3 victory ahead of two frothing Spaniards, David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI).
Pre-race favorite and polesitter David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) crashed out of the lead at the end of the first lap. From there, a lead group that consisted of Veijer, Muñoz, Ortola, Joel Esteban (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team), Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) formed in the early stages as Dani Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) tried to move his way through the second group on his fight back from 18th on the grid.
That group became three as Veijer, Muñoz, and Ortola broke clear of Yamanaka and Kelso, and Veijer produced one of the best laps of his young career on the final circuit to break the challenge of Muñoz and deny the Spaniard, who grew up in neighboring Seville, a first career win and a home one at that.
Muñoz beat Ortola to the line to take second and head a Spanish 2-3, fourth was Yamanaka and fifth went to Kelso, who is finally showing some consistency in his Moto3 career.
In the championship, Holgado, seventh today, leads on 74 points from Alonso on 68 and Veijer on 46.
2024 Spanish Moto3 Results—Race
1 |
Collin Veijer |
(Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact Gp) |
|
2 |
David Muñoz |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+0.045 |
3 |
Ivan Ortola |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+0.871 |
4 |
Ryusei Yamanaka |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+4.849 |
5 |
Joel Kelso |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+10.178 |
6 |
Adrian Fernandez |
(Leopard Racing) |
+10.353 |
7 |
Daniel Holgado |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+10.400 |
8 |
Nicola Carraro |
(LEVELUP – MTA) |
+10.647 |
9 |
Stefano Nepa |
(LEVELUP – MTA) |
+11.400 |
10 |
Angel Piqueras |
(Leopard Racing) |
+14.885 |
2024 Spanish MotoGP News—Saturday
Sprint Race chaos
It’s not an exaggeration to say Saturday’s Sprint was the most chaotic to date. Nine riders failed to finish, and 15 crashed overall—a ludicrous number for a 12-lap race.
The reason was the track hadn’t dried out completely come the race start, with wet patches repeatedly catching riders out at Turn 5, as well as 8 and 9. “If it’s dry it’s ok, if it’s wet it’s ok. but if it’s mixed, it’s a piece of shit,” were Pedro Acosta’s sentiments. “In Turn 8 and 9 you were able to see the patches but in Turn 5, which is uphill, and has the sun, you don’t really know where the patches are.”
Luca Marini also felt the high and unpredictable wind was a cause of the carnage. “The wind was a lot so it was easy to make a mistake,” he said. “Then the Sprint race is the type of race where everybody is pushing a lot, overtaking a lot and there is a little bit of chaos every time.”
Should the race have started?
After so much incident, talk turned to whether the race should have been red flagged after the triple crash at Turn 5 including Alex Marquez, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini. And there were even riders asking whether it should have started at 15.00 local time with so many damp patches present.
“Race Direction should understand that if we are 25 riders, and 15 crash, it’s because of something,” said Maverick Viñales. “Put a red flag and check the conditions.”
Teammate Aleix Espargaro disagreed, arguing the track wasn’t getting worse as the race progressed. But he stated, “for sure it was not safe to start the race. The example is the 15 crashes. There is no doubt about it.”
Bagnaia-Binder controversy
One fall that had nothing to do with wet patches was that of the reigning World Champion. Pecco Bagnaia failed to score points after he was collected by Brad Binder at Turn 1 on lap three. The Italian was clearly riled by Race Direction’s decision to not punish the South African soon after.
“Racing incident,” he said, heavy with irony. “This is the decision by the Race Direction. It’s their job and it’s like this.” Pressed further he offered, “to overtake two riders on the (inside) kerb, you’re out of the current line.”
Binder argued his corner. “It looked like the bike on the inside was coming straight to me and to be honest I thought both were going straight, so I turned-in on my normal line and it looked like to me he just got sandwiched between the two bikes.” Another costly Saturday for Bagnaia.
Saturday MotoGP Sprint Race
For Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), it was a smooth Tissot Sprint at the office at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0. But behind the #89, who extended his Championship lead, chaos reigned in Spain. 15 riders crashed, all ok. Most or many remounted. Rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) took second and made his first visit to the Sprint rostrum in front of a rapturous crowd. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) initially celebrated there too, gaining an unreal amount of positions, before a tyre pressure penalty demoted him to fifth. And that promoted MotoGP™ Legend and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing wildcard Dani Pedrosa to third.
Polesitter Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) crashed out the lead but remounted and then went on a charge, taking no prisoners. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) slid out in three separate incidents but in perfect sync. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), meanwhile, got the short end of a sandwich between Binder and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), deemed a racing incident but with the other two continuing. COTA winner Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) also went down, and the list didn’t end there as a largely dry track, but not perfectly just yet, caught out some big big names. But let’s rewind to the start of a dramatic and chaotic Sprint.
As the lights went out, Marc Marquez bolted left to cover Bezzecchi and Martin, but Binder nailed it from P4 and nabbed the holeshot instead. The KTM put the hammer down immediately too, gaining some breathing space ahead of Martin, Marc Marquez and a storming start from Gresini teammate Alex Marquez. By Lap 2 Martin was back on the tail of Binder, however, attacking for the lead immediately.
Marc Marquez was next to strike, seeing the Prima Pramac machine starting to pull the pin and elbowing Binder out the way to give chase. But it wasn’t job done quite yet, with Binder replying at the final corner, pushing the #93 wide and then having his own moment on the exit, allowing both Gresini machines back through.
The drama then started really heating up. Three into one doesn’t go, and as Bezzecchi divebombed Bagnaia at Turn 1, in fairness getting it stopped pretty well, the reigning Champion was pushed a little wide. So Binder went for the gap, but Bezzecchi had gathered it up, leaving Bagnaia sandwiched as the #1 got punted out of action, rider ok but left on the sidelines. It seemed like the big drama of the day at the time, but it was only the half of it.
The next was Binder, Alex Marquez and Bastianini as they all slid out, leaving Acosta in third after he’d caught the group following his own misadventures in the early stages. Up ahead though, there was some distance to #MM93 and even more to Martin, with those two looking set to duel it out.
The gap from #89 to #93 had been coming down, and fast. Marc Marquez was on a charge and one small error from Martin had seen him lose the momentum with six laps to go, giving the Gresini a chance to strike. And it didn’t go begging, with the eight-time World Champion taking over in front. Martin would try to respond, but not long after that, he needed to no longer as the number 93 in the lead suddenly slid off, leaving Martin in free air in the lead on home turf. Acosta was at a distance, and now the race was on for the #89 to hold on. For Marc Marquez, the race was on to recover as many positions as possible.
Viñales then slid off, adding another key contender to the list, before the spotlight went back to Marquez as his charge started elbowing riders behind out the way, including a nudge of former Repsol Honda teammate Joan Mir, for which the #93 was then given a drop position penalty, quickly served. Meanwhile Quartararo was on his own march, gaining 14 positions in the first two laps and now in podium contention as he’d kept the hammer down, but he had close company from Pedrosa.
As Martin crossed the line up ahead, Acosta followed him home at around three seconds back in a Spanish 1-2 on home turf, and it’s a first for both – Jerez win for Martin, and Sprint podium for Acosta. But behind, the battle for third went to the wire as Pedrosa homed in on Quartararo, after Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) proved another faller, forced to forfeit that battle. The #26 shadowed the Yamaha ahead round the final lap but couldn’t find a gap, forced to settle for fourth before that post-race penalty for Quartararo. Then, it was that historic P3 as the Frenchman’s 8s penalty demoted him to fifth.
Amongst the chaos, Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) kept it together to take his equal best Sprint result in P4, ahead of Quartararo’s ultimate position. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) crossed the line in P6 but also got the automatic +8s tyre pressure penalty, dropping him out the points. Marc Marquez took that sixth by the flag after his charge, ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing); also sent wide by Marquez on his comeback, and Mir, who recovered from that incident to take the final Sprint point in P9. Bezzecchi and Diggia ultimately crashed out, riders ok. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) didn’t make it round Lap 1, and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed early on too. Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) both also crashed out.
In the aftermath of such high drama, Martin remains supreme at the top… but Acosta is now second in the standings and 29 points down.
2024 Spanish MotoGP Results—MotoGP Sprint Race
1 |
Jorge Martin |
(Prima Pramac Racing) |
|
2 |
Pedro Acosta |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+2.970 |
3 |
Daniel Pedrosa |
(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) |
+7.102 |
4 |
Franco Morbidelli |
(Prima Pramac Racing) |
+8.481 |
5 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) |
+15.052 |
6 |
Marc Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+18.131 |
7 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+18.278 |
8 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(Trackhouse Racing) |
+18.418 |
9 |
Joan Mir |
(Repsol Honda Team) |
+18.553 |
10 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(IDEMITSU Honda LCR) |
+21.136 |
MotoGP Qualifying
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) raised the roof on home turf at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, taking his first pole on a Ducati and the 93rd pole of his career. It was pure vintage Marquez too – moving the benchmark in the damp followed immediately by an almighty save round Turn 1. But no one could overhaul his lap, and the #93 heads the grid ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
By the time Q1 began, the rain had eased but the track remained damp, presenting the grid with a whole new challenge. And the top spot switched lap on lap as some improved and some lost time, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammates Jack Miller and Dani Pedrosa, wildcarding this weekend, in the mix, as well as a fast one from Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing). But as the clock ticked down it was Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) who found even more time, shaving more than six tenths off the top to push Binder down to second.
Pedrosa and Miller had gone early and had no late challenge, with the final decider then coming down to a lap from Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), but the Frenchman lost out after a storming start and was forced to settle for third. Morbidelli moved through along with Binder, leaving Zarco, Oliveira, Miller and Pedrosa behind to start from P13 down.
As Q2 began, the conditions were drying but still damp. The field filed out for a recon run as soon as the light went green, and then the timing screens lit up. After a few furious minutes it was Q1 graduate Binder on top ahead of Marc Marquez, with Martin edging out rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) to complete the provisional front row.
The first red sector assault on Run 2 was coming in from Acosta too, but the rookie then slid out at Turn 13 when seven tenths up. No harm done, he picked it up and got back on, but the lap was lost. Next up, Bezzecchi was putting in similar splits, and the Italian did complete his lap, taking over on top and Martin slotting into second behind him. But then came Marquez.
Half a second up by the final sector, it looked a dead cert, but nothing ever is in MotoGP™. This time though, there was no drama and he crossed the line to take provisional pole, setting the only 1:46 so far and, as it would turn out, the only one of the session. And then it got even more Marquez as the #93 was forced into a classic Turn 1 save on his knee, leaving that one lap as the target for the rest as the final seconds ticked down. But there was no more coming and it’s a little slice of history made on home turf.
Bezzecchi starts second, 0.271 off the top, with Martin third to complete a fascinating front row of rivalries new and old. Binder takes fourth following quite a Saturday morning recovery mission after the South African found himself in Q1, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) completing Row 2.
2024 Spanish MotoGP Results—MotoGP Qualifying
1 |
Marc Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP) |
1:46.773 |
2 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) |
+0.271 |
3 |
Jorge Martin |
(Prima Pramac Racing) |
+0.608 |
4 |
Brad Binder |
(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) |
+0.957 |
5 |
Fabio Di Giannantonio |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) |
+1.005 |
6 |
Alex Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+1.067 |
7 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
+1.189 |
8 |
Franco Morbidelli |
(Prima Pramac Racing) |
+1.343 |
9 |
Enea Bastianini |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
+1.589 |
10 |
Pedro Acosta |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+1.755 |
Moto2 qualifying
Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) stormed to pole position at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, putting in a statement performance on Saturday as he continues the search for that first win of the year. Joining the #54 on the front row will be Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) who sneaked onto the front row after a great final lap – ending the session 0.438s adrift. CFMOTO Aspar Team’s Jake Dixon secured third, claiming a first front-row start of the season.
Heading the second row of the grid will be Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™), who will start from fourth after a great qualifying – ending the session ahead of Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). The #10 will start inside the top five after setting a blisteringly quick 1:41.657 in tricky conditions. Americas GP and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) starts from sixth, rounding out the second row.
2024 Spanish Moto2 Results—Moto2 Qualifying
1 |
Fermin Aldeguer |
(Beta Tools Speedup) |
1:40.673 |
2 |
Albert Arenas |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) |
+0.438 |
3 |
Jake Dixon |
(CFMOTO Aspar Team) |
+0.793 |
4 |
Manuel Gonzalez |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) |
+0.881 |
5 |
Diogo Moreira |
(Italtrans Racing Team) |
+0.984 |
6 |
Sergio Garcia |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+1.033 |
7 |
Celestino Vietti |
(Red Bull KTM Ajo) |
+1.068 |
8 |
Tony Arbolino |
(Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) |
+1.086 |
9 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) |
+1.098 |
10 |
Marcos Ramirez |
(OnlyFans American Racing Team) |
+1.115 |
Moto3 qualifying
David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) has been the fastest rider in Moto3™️ since Sunday at the Portuguese GP, and in Jerez even more so. The Colombian has been untouchably quick in most sessions so far and was so in qualifying for the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, over a second clear of the field until a late attack from David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) to cut the gap to just over two tenths. After duelling Alonso on the timesheets earlier still in the session, Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) completes the front row.
Row 2 is Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports), Rysuei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Q1’s fastest rider, rookie Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing), meanwhile Championship leader Dani Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) crashed in the session and will have to put in a comeback from P18. Can he protect that two-point lead over Alonso?
2024 Spanish Moto3 Results—Moto3 Qualifying
1 |
David Alonso |
(CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) |
1:44.954 |
2 |
David Muñoz |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+0.220 |
3 |
Collin Veijer |
(Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) |
+1.059 |
4 |
Joel Kelso |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+1.099 |
5 |
Ryusei Yamanaka |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+1.198 |
6 |
Angel Piqueras |
(Leopard Racing) |
+1.523 |
7 |
Ivan Ortola |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+1.541 |
8 |
Joel Esteban |
(CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) |
+1.646 |
9 |
Tatsuki Suzuki |
(Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) |
+1.843 |
10 |
Nicola Carraro |
(LEVELUP – MTA) |
+2.009 |
2024 Spanish MotoGP News—Friday
Honda need total rethink
Honda’s problems are worse than previously anticipated. Fresh from a two-day test in Barcelona, Joan Mir and Luca Marini believe HRC needs to totally rethink its ’24 RC213V, which has lost all front end performance in its quest to improve rear traction.
“The concept of this bike is not the right one at the moment,” said Mir. “It’s a big concept of the bike that we have to change. Probably now (the braking) is the weakest point we have at the moment. And we don’t have the grip. This advantage that we had last year in that phase of turning that Marc (Marquez) was very good at, you don’t have it with this bike.”
Yamaha to poach new satellite team?
Yamaha is determined to gain a satellite team for 2025, and is aggressively attempting to poach one of Ducati’s current satellite squads. For the past few weeks, Pramac has been touted to switch from Ducatis to Yamaha M1s for next season. Yet at Jerez, it emerged Gresini could well do so.
“It is really important,” said Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, speaking of the need to have two more M1s on the grid. “We, Yamaha, and also myself are working a lot to have a satellite team. It’s really important. Even if you check how many laps we can do in a pre-season. The number we did compared to Ducati is completely different and you can test many things and have the comments of many more riders.”
Pirelli rubber better for MotoGP
Three races has been enough for MotoGP riders to assess if the Moto2 and Moto3’s tire switch has affected performance in the premier class. MotoGP’s elite had long complained of the effect Dunlop’s rubber from the smaller classes had at the start of premier class races, with grip greatly reduced.
Yet Aleix Espargaro believes the switch to Pirelli tires for 2024 has had a positive impact for MotoGP. “They’re not like the Dunlop,” he said. “We need maybe more races to understand, more races here in Europe with more typical layouts, but it looks like it’s affecting less. The quality of the rubber looks better than the Dunlops. You don’t feel that much now. Last year it felt like ice the first two or three laps. So this is very positive, yes.”
Friday MotoGP
It was a hard battle for the top 10 in MotoGP Practice at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España as the shootout for direct entry to Q2 went down to the wire, setting the stage for a truly super Saturday. By the end of play, a top three split by only 0.143 had emerged: reigning Champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), COTA winner Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™).
For Bagnaia, it was a day to test things out on the bike following by a shiny new lap record; for Viñales, a crash early doors before a laptime that initially put him top; and for Marquez, just one sector that stood between him and the fastest lap of the day. All three were under the previous lap record too, not just Bagnaia, and that teases plenty of action on super Saturday even before the full cast of characters are brought onto the stage.
Despite a crash at turn one at the beginning of the session, Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) fought back to fourth in the final 10 minutes of the day, with he and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio both having a positive Friday and ‘Diggia’ also through to Q2 in P9.
Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is fifth on Friday, but it’s a four-tenth gap to the top he’s looking to bridge in Q2, and he’s got some company he’d likely rather escape right behind him: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). The rookie sensation was outside the top 10 heading into the final run but got the pedal to the metal and jumped up to sixth at the end of the day, after earlier running round in tandem with MotoGP™ Legend and wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) too.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was seventh as he looks to get back on a par with Viñales at a track that saw the #41 take pole last year, making it both factory Aprilias securing a spot in Q2. Second in the Championship Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) set a 1:36.480 for P8 – improving on his pace from the morning Free Practice session – but he’ll want more on Saturday.
Behind the aforementioned Diggia, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) is the final rider heading straight through. That means there are a few fast and famous faces ready to do battle in a star-studded Q1.
One of the most famous is probably Pedrosa, as he was P14 at the end of play. And the most desperate to get through is probably teammate Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who finished up P11 after a crash near the end of PR when he was setting red sectors. Barring any bad luck or trouble, the South African would seem a safe bet for moving up from Q1. Teammate Jack Miller looks to do the same, ending Friday in P13, and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) wants to ruin the party for them all. The Italian, who missed pre-season through injury, is really getting there on pace and put in a convincing Friday in Jerez, in the upper echelons of the timesheets until getting pushed down to P12 by the end of the decisive PR session.
Erstwhile master of Jerez Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was in P20 too, and will aim for a big step on Saturday after teammate Alex Rins turned the tables on Day 1, taking P15 and four tenths up the road.
2024 Spanish MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP
1 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
1:36.025 |
2 |
Maverick Viñales |
(Aprilia Racing) |
+0.100 |
3 |
Marc Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+0.143 |
4 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) |
+0.339 |
5 |
Jorge Martin |
(Prima Pramac Racing) |
+0.410 |
6 |
Pedro Acosta |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+0.414 |
7 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Aprilia Racing) |
+0.421 |
8 |
Enea Bastianini |
(Ducati Lenovo Team) |
+0.455 |
9 |
Fabio Di Giannantonio |
(Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) |
+0.511 |
10 |
Alex Marquez |
(Gresini Racing MotoGP™) |
+0.514 |
Friday Moto2
Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) rocketed to the top spot at the end of Friday action in Jerez as the American continued to show strong pace at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, setting a strong 1:40.664 to end Practice 1 ahead of pre-season favourite Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) by 0.234. Race winner at COTA and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) rounded out the top three after a brilliant session for the #3.
Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) capped off a great opening day for American Racing, finding pace late in the session to set a 1:40.964. Ramirez was ahead of Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI), who showed strong pace in the early stages of the session, rounding out the top five. Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2), Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp).
Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™), CFMOTO Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara, Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Aspar Team), Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Barry Baltus (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP ), who took the final place inside the top 14, are currently the final riders set to move through to Q2.
2024 Spanish Moto2 Results—Friday Moto2
1 |
Joe Roberts |
(OnlyFans American Racing Team) |
1:40.664 |
2 |
Fermin Aldeguer |
(Beta Tools SpeedUp) |
+0.234 |
3 |
Sergio Garcia |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+0.267 |
4 |
Marcos Ramirez |
(OnlyFans American Racing Team) |
+0.300 |
5 |
Ai Ogura |
(MT – Helmets MSI) |
+0.329 |
6 |
Manuel Gonzalez |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 |
+0.335 |
7 |
Zonta Van Den Goorbergh |
(RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) |
+0.471 |
8 |
Alonso Lopez |
(Beta Tools SpeedUp) |
+0.551 |
9 |
Albert Arenas |
(QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) |
+0.601 |
10 |
Izan Guevara |
(CFMOTO Aspar Team) |
+0.691 |
Friday Moto3
David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) dominated Day 1 at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, setting an incredible 1:43.710 to destroy a lap record which had just been set by the Colombian on Friday morning. Alonso was almost a second clear of rookie Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) only a further 0.083 adrift on a very impressive Friday for the Dutchman.
Finding time in the afternoon session was Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who jumped to fourth position, ending the session ahead of the returning David Almansa (Rivacold Snipers Team), who found time in the final sector on a final fast lap to round out the top five. Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports), last year’s race winner Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power), BOE Motorsports’ David Muñoz, Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA), Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s rookie Joel Esteban and Scott Ogden (MLav Racing) round out the top 14 currently set to move straight to Q2.
2024 Spanish Moto3 Results—Friday Moto3
1 |
David Alonso |
(CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) |
1:43.710 |
2 |
Jacob Roulstone |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+0.969 |
3 |
Collin Veijer |
(Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) |
+1.052 |
4 |
Daniel Holgado |
(Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) |
+1.182 |
5 |
David Almansa |
(Rivacold Snipers Team) |
+1.412 |
6 |
Joel Kelso |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+1.448 |
7 |
Ivan Ortola |
(MT Helmets – MSI) |
+1.453 |
8 |
Riccardo Rossi |
(CIP Green Power) |
+1.468 |
9 |
David Muñoz |
(BOE Motorsports) |
+1.487 |
10 |
Stefano Nepa |
(LEVELUP – MTA) |
+1.587 |
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