Editorial Note: The second MotoGP event was planned at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli after the Grand Prix of Kazakhstan was canceled due to flooding and related problems around the new venue.
Reload for Emilia-Romagna: Can the home heroes take back their territory?
There’s a lot on the line when the paddock returns to the spectacular Misano World Circuit for Marco Simoncelli – from the constructors’ crown to some Ducati milestones.
Monday, September 16, 2024
Tune in for more MotoGP™ as we prepare for the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, with the season’s silverware already on the line and plenty more bragging rights up for grabs. It’s the biggest constructors’ crown, and Ducati can wrap that up after their impressive form on Sunday. They are 229 points ahead of KTM and 239 ahead of Aprilia, 222 being the golden number to wrap up the checkered flag on Sunday. Their next win will be their 100th MotoGP™ win, so they can win it in style. With the top two in the title race – Jorge Martin (Primac Prac Racing) and champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) separated by just seven points, and close at the line between them and their rivals, everything on offer promises to be a tough show. .
The show continues
Martin wants to secure a tough point for himself after that flag-to-flag gamble, and the points to widen that gap at the top. And when it comes to the constructors’ crown in the future and that’s a 100th MotoGP™ victory. If that isn’t enough motivation, beating the Italian riders on their home turf will take the glory to the Italian team and the sponsors of the event. A swing won’t cover it, and he’ll still know he won in 2023 when the weather doesn’t throw any curveballs.
Bagnaia, on the other hand, now come with a huge goal difference to play for. But he’s also getting ready for his own milestone: his 100th MotoGP™ start and at home for him and the Ducati Lenovo team. As a doubles and world champion, those milestones should speak to him as well. Ducati’s 100th MotoGP™ win at the 100th MotoGP™ race and the constructors’ crown confirmed on the field? If Bagnaia can do that, the stars are aligned. This time, he will also be close to full fitness – something he hasn’t had at Misano since 2022.
To Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Now confirmed in the factory team next season with Bagnaia, he will be looking to launch some Ducati milestones before the switch. Force that region to be shared. He’s also eager to stop Bagnayan from doing it on #1’s home turf as the two prepare to share a garage. Now two in a row, Márquez’s third is the first time he has won three or more consecutive MotoGP™ GPs since 2019. He extends his record as a Misano rider on the current grid. … and close that championship gap to the top two.
And then there is Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). He achieved a 100% podium record at the start of the MotoGP™ race at Misano, which is nothing short of remarkable. It shares some of the motivations of its rivals – home turf, for one – and for Ducati a 100th MotoGP™ win might be the sweetest. He is still well in the title race, and is just nine points behind Marc Marquez. Qualifying for more will strengthen Jaws’ music for those who have been chasing them in the past.
In pursuit
At the San Marino GP on Saturday in the championship though, he reconfirmed the presence of top four contenders. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) has been showing full speed in 2024, and secured his first Saturday rostrum finish in the Tissot Sprint last time out. It was also fast before crashing on Sunday. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) also took the lead and fifth in the GP race, and a better start off the line could improve those odds even further. Back on track, teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio will have a longer recovery time and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was strong in San Marino on Sunday. Can you move forward?
KTM and GAASGAS had good pace on Sunday, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) coming home fourth after he and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GAASGAS Tech3) had a strong sprint. Acosta will look to cut down on those mistakes, and it will be interesting to see him run at the same position for the second time in his rookie season. Good luck with the 2021 Doha GP. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has had a great weekend in recent times, leading Sunday’s finish in the Sprint since Portimao. A further one of these would be the minimum goal for the Aussie, and more points would be a tough target for Augusto Fernandes (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) on our first visit to Misano.
Hat!
Meanwhile, Yamaha’s Fabio Quatararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) should be in the discussion for last time’s rider this weekend. He equaled his best Sunday finish in 2024 and scored in the Sprint to make it his best weekend ever. Points. The Iwata factory and their 2021 world champions will want to compete higher than seventh, but both their previous world-winning form has been built – or rebuilt – over time. Quattararo and teammate Alex Rins tested at Misano a couple of weeks ago, did the San Marino GP, and now pocketed some extra track time in Monday’s test, in which Quattararo was fifth fastest. So this time they can take another step forward?
Back to the saddle
The Noale factory is in dire straits, so future moves are aimed at the Apria. Neither Maverick Viñales nor his Aprilia Racing team-mate Aleix Espargaro took any points at the San Marino GP, so that’s the obvious target this time. They hope working on Monday’s challenge — focused on the here and now — will help change those odds. Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing), on the other hand, scored DID – five points on Sunday to come home to Noale’s machine. He wants more, the factory wants more, the factory riders want to beat him, and his teammate Raul Fernandez also wants to come back.
Finally, it’s the first full weekend at Misano for Repsol Honda team Joan Mir and Luca Marini at Honda. Both are back for Monday’s test after being sidelined last time out suffering from illness so they will be hoping that will put them back in the mix at the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, there were some strong points for Takaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco in the IDEMITSU and CASTROL Honda LCR. Notably, they are now on par this season – and Nakagami leads the standings thanks to his P11 finish at Aragon. They want to beat each other and beat the Repsol Honda duo and keep adding information and kilometers to the Honda mission to move forward. What can you do with a full line and more track time after the Misano challenge?
We’ll see another 37 points come into play this weekend – and plenty more.
SHOWTIME
Saturday
Tissot Sprint: 15:00 (UTC +2)
Sunday
Grand Prix: 13:00 (UTC +2)
What’s happening in the #EmiliaRomagnaGP?
Festivities for the Gran Premio Pramac del Emilia-Romagna begin on Wednesday. To bring MotoGP™ to our favorite fan base in Italy, an event will be held in Rimini city center on Wednesday evening by Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), Innea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marco Bezecchi (Fans). Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) – including a Q&A for fans in attendance.
On Thursday afternoon, the MotoGP™ podcast Last On The Brakes welcomes Prama Pramac Racing’s Franco Morbidelli.
We then went into the press conferences, the first set being Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Inea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Then Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Quattararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) join him for second.
Moto2™: Can Ogura double take two?
Thanks to his third win of 2024, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) confirmed his position as the new championship leader heading into the 14th round of the year. Following a difficult trio of races at Silverstone, Austria – where he picked up a fractured right arm – and Aragon, the Japanese star is back in the box for the first time since German GP P3.
Ogura Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) won by 0.6s to take a nine-point lead over his team-mate Sergio Garcia, a weekend to forget about the Spaniard in a commendable return to P12 after Friday and Saturday. The title race pendulum has definitely swung from one side of the garage to the other at MT Helmets – MSI, now we’ll see how Garcia bounces back.
Ogura and Kanet were joined on the podium by Tony Arbolino (Elf Mark VDS Racing Team) and took their second podium in a row. The Italian looks to be on the mend after a difficult mid-season opener, and another home race rostrum will go down well before the start of the season.
Elsewhere, Manuel Gonzalez’s P4 (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) was a strong effort from the Spaniard, as Jake Dixon’s (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) P5 “felt like a win” as the Briton admitted after coming back from P14 on the grid. Got some good points for his title effort. Also home hero Celestino Vitetti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will be looking for redemption after a P4 crash, and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speedup) too after the Spaniard slipped. Out of contention on lap 1.
The ever-changing landscape of the Moto2™ title race is fascinating to keep tabs on. What will happen when we return to Misano?
Moto3™: Can the chasers keep up the pressure?
Last time we saw a comeback for the ages in Moto3™, Angel Piquerras (Tiger Racing) took not one but two long-lap penalties to take a stunning victory. The rookie’s first win was excellent, so can the #36 bounce back when he lands in the same spot this weekend?
Piqueras certainly hopes so. And it makes his life a lot easier if there aren’t long rounds to fight – but as we know, it won’t be that easy. One rider who could stop the countryman from doubling is Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). #96 has bounced back with two podiums in his last three outings to climb to P2 in the overall standings.
Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) responded to a disappointing Aragon exit with his seventh podium of the year, beating Spaniard Taio Furusato (Honda Team Asia) by less than a tenth. The Japanese star and fifth-placed Colin Vejer (Licky Molly Husqvarna Intact GP) both opted to pass a frustrated David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) on the final lap, with the Colombian dropping one place to finish P7 with a penalty for exceeding track restrictions on the final lap. That moved Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) up to P6, while Alonso finished off the podium for the first time in consecutive races this season.
That said, the #80 still leads the command 70-points in the pursuit of the championship, but it will be a hunt for revenge in Emilia-Romagna. Can it go back?
