#EmiliaromagnaGP – MOTOGP, SPRINT & RACE

MOTOGP – SPRINT: Four points in it: Bagnaia reels in Martin after tense Sprint

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a statement Saturday at the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, stalking Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), pouncing on a mistake and then withstanding his own pressure to the flag to cut the gap to just four points at the top of the table.

Martin did keep that pressure on, however, coming home second, as Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) chased the two home – and prepares to try and do more than that on Sunday.

Martin made a dream take off at the start of the Sprint, with the #89 launching his attack on the run to Turn 1. He then pulled the pin at the beginning, pushing hard on the opening laps and as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) leapfrogged the reigning World Champion too, pushing Bagnaia down to third.

Binder was then elbowed down to fourth at Turn 8 as Bagnaia and then Bastianini shot through, and next it was Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) making moves. On the comeback from his P7 starting position after a crash in qualifying, Marquez got past the South African early on, and soon so did Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

All eyes then returned to the front as Bagnaia reeled in the Championship leader, closing the gap to under half a second. They started to pull away from Bastianini too, creating a duel for glory and with plenty more on the line than 12 points.

By Lap 8, Bagnaia was glued to the Pramac ahead, having reeled him in, lost a few metres, saved a front end moment and then gathered it back up. And Martin then suffered his own small drama, heading wide and that leaving the door far enough ajar to allow Bagnaia through. The hammer then went down from the #1.

Initially, the gap shot up and it looked more likely Bastianini would catch Martin, but in the final few laps the #89 was locked in to try and take it to the line. From sixth tenths up the road to Bagnaia on the penultimate lap, Martin edged closer and closer until the lap count ran out, forced to cede defeat by less than three tenths. Bagnaia strikes back after a tougher run, cutting his deficit in the title fight to just four points – so if it’s a duel on Sunday, the winner decides the Championship lead.

Bastianini remained close too and will be one to watch on Sunday when he has Grand Prix distance to go at, so far enjoying a 100% podium record at Misano in the premier class. The last time he started a GP race from the front row, he won it.

Behind that trio, Marc Marquez couldn’t make too much progress from fourth and was also hampered by a mistake at Turn 13 – the #93 soon had Acosta glued to his tailpipes. Less than one second separated the pair throughout as the #93 attempted to stretch a gap, and the rookie denied him. By the flag however, the veteran pulled away to ensure those valuable few extra points for P4. Acosta, nevertheless, came home top KTM/GASGAS in fifth, with Binder looking to hit back on Sunday as he was forced to settle for P6.

Further back, there was an intense battle for the final point-scoring positions in the Sprint, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team) putting in another sublime weekend at Misano so far, taking back to back Q2s and more Sprint points this time out. He held off Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Prima Pramac Racing’s Franco Morbidelli, who completed the Saturday scorers and will both be looking for some revenge on Sunday.


MOTOGP – RACE: Bastianini triumphs after last lap clash with Martin as Bagnaia blunders

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) is victorious at the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna after a showstopping and controversial move on the final lap. ‘The Beast’ crossed the line to take a historic win after running a red-hot pace throughout the GP. It was an important day for Ducati, with the Bologna factory claiming the Constructors’ World Championship and their 100th win in the premier class.

The Italian defeated Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in Misano as the #89 extended his title advantage after Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out on Lap 21. Martin’s advantage is now 24 points as the momentum swings as we leave the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) earned another podium, with the #93 finishing less than three seconds behind Martin at the line. It was a strong day for the eight-time World Champion, who sits fourth in the Championship after Bastianini took 25 points.

At the start, Martin performed the perfect launch on the run to Turn 1. The #89 led briefly before Bagnaia set up a crucial move on the opening lap – launching into the lead. The title-leading duo remained in position throughout Lap 1, with Bastianini sitting in a strong third.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out on Lap 2, losing the front at the tricky Turn 4. The South African rejoined the Grand Prix down in 21st with a lot of work to do for the remaining laps.

Bagnaia made a small error at the end of Lap 2, closing his advantage and allowing Martin to have his first overtake attempt at Turn 8 next time around. The #89 was on his tailpipe, with Bastianini waiting for an opportunity to get involved in third. Martin tried an identical move on Lap 4, this time making it stick. The reigning World Champion soon dropped back to P3, with Bastianini finding a gap in Bagnaia’s armour.

The fastest lap changed hands in the early stages, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) setting a strong pace before Martin entered the low 1:31 bracket. This pace allowed Martin to extend his margin to over half a second. However, ‘The Beast’ was working hard, hunting down Martin – edging closer every lap.

Acosta’s Emilia-Romagna GP then came to an early end after the #31 suffered a crash at Turn 15 with 19 laps remaining. This brought an end to Acosta’s podium hopes, promoting Marc Marquez to fourth and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) into the top five.

As Bastianini shadowed Martin at the front, Bagnaia started putting in the fast laps. Leaving the #93 and #72 behind, he was cutting three or four tenths off the leading duo’s advantage. Then it was Martin only as Bastianini got his own hammer down to glue back onto the Pramac… but then the #1’s dream was over in some seismic Championship drama.

After getting the gap to the front down below two seconds and then struggling to cut any more into it, there was suddenly a cloud of dust streaking into the air – and a reigning Champion in the gravel. Rider ok, but Emilia-Romagna GP over, Bagnaia was forced to watch the duel for Ducati’s 100th win from the sidelines, wondering if his deficit was going to be 24 points or 29 by the end of play.

At the front, the chess match raged on. Martin in the lead, Bastianini his shadow. With five to go, the #89 then lost every last inch of advantage as he headed slightly wide and Bastianini was almost alongside. A grandstand finish was in the making.

They stayed like that through another lap, and another, and another, and at times it looked like Martin had just been able to stretch out enough tenths to ensure he’d reach the flag without coming under attack. But Bastianini managed to find an answer every time, and onto the last lap it was almost nothing in it. But where would the move come?

The answer was Turn 4, and it was brutal. The Beast sent it, Martin had to sit up, and the #89 was sent well wide, hand in the air as Bastianini sailed away into a nice cushion of time in the lead. Controversial as it may be for some, it wasn’t so for the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards, who declined to investigate. The #23 takes a brutally-fought home win – extending his 100% MotoGP™ podium record at Misano, cutting his deficit in the title fight, and ensuring his teammate lost five less to Martin. As well as, of course, securing Ducati’s 100th MotoGP™ win and sealing that incredible sixth Constructors’ crown.

Martin was left to seethe at the move but celebrate the new 24-point advantage at the top, and Marc Marquez was bumped up to the podium after Bagnaia’s crash, another shift that has a say in those top echelons of the Championship. Just behind that, Bezzecchi took fourth, not quite able to stay with the #93 but putting in another solid weekend.

Fifth place, until the very last sector of the race, looked set to go to another stunning ride from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). But a late issue, reportedly running out of fuel, saw the Frenchman trying to hold on round the final corner and then forced to watch Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) pip him to the line. Quartararo nevertheless equals his and Yamaha’s best of the season so far: P7.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) completed the top ten. Next up, an impressive P11 for Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) equal’s the factory’s best so far this season, and teammate Luca Marini was in touch behind him too. They both beat Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) and a sore Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who also had a Long Lap due to track limits, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) completing the points scorers.

“”This victory is a great achievement, because we built up to a crescendo this weekend. Yesterday we were missing something to battle for the win, but we worked until late in order to put all the pieces together and to find a solution ahead of today’s race, and it worked. Jorge (Martín) was extremely fast throughout the race and there was a moment in which I wasn’t sure if I could have stayed with him, as I started experiencing a bit of vibration at the rear-end. As the laps went by, however, I tried to understand how to minimise the issue. In the final laps, something extra obviously comes out that enables you to battle for the win. In the end, I made my move: when I dove in, Jorge tried to close the door and that forced me to lean a bit, which led to the front-end locking. I tried to rely on the rear as much as I could, while making sure I could make the turn, and it worked.”
Enea Bastianini – P1

Augusto Fernández

“I made a good start and I was fighting hard in a position where we could take out our pace, which I thought was better but then the vibration started again and it was difficult to ride. It limited me with my riding. Let’s work and see if we can improve for Indonesia.”
Augusto Fernández P18


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