MotoGP: Marc Marquez takes pole position at MotorLand Aragon – Roadracing World Magazine

Marquez took pole to pull away from Acosta and Bagnaia as Martin crashed in Q2.

What is eight tenths between competitors? The Gresini driver pulled off an impressive gap at Motorland to open the biggest gap in a dry qualifying session since 2011.

Saturday, August 31, 2024

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) stormed to pole position at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon on Saturday morning, setting an impressive 1:46.766 to finish 0.840s clear of the pack. It is the biggest pole margin in the dry since the 2011 Valencia Grand Prix, when it was 1.014s for Casey Stoner at the front. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) will start second ahead of rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after battling through Q1 and pinching P2 on the last lap in Q2. The reigning champion will start the Aragon GP from third on the grid, ahead of his main title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). #89 dropped to fourth place after a crash on the first run forced him into recovery mode on his second outing.

Q1

2022 Motorland winner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was provisionally in position in Q2 until the end, when Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took over the ‘Beast’ ahead of Acosta. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) got the better of him on the last dash, with Bastianini dropping to third in Q1. Binder and Acosta moved on, but Beth revealed the beast to P13.

Q2

When the stick fight began, the first drama came from Martin and Marc Marquez’s first measure of victory. #89 slipped in turn 5 and found himself running back into the box and for the restart #93 at the top of the timesheets just kept turning up the volume on the Jaws music.

The #93 clocks in until the closing minutes, proving not only a benchmark but a ballpark that no other rider can come close to. Then it suddenly hit, but… Marc Marquez was able to get down to 1:46.

The front row battle was far from over with Martin returning to the track and setting strong times before Bagnaia and Acosta both improved in their final laps. The rookie and reigning champion relegated Martin to fourth, but a solid starting position given the championship contender’s strong start to the Q2 session.

Grid
Behind the eight-time world champion, rookie and reigning champion, it is Martin who leads the opposition on row 2, but he also has company: Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing). Fifth and sixth.

Binder Acosta didn’t contribute as much as he could have in Q2, but the South African is in a strong position to attack as he leads the row in seventh. The Austrian champion turned the tables somewhat on the Aprilia in different track conditions following overnight rain, with Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) in the P8 leading RS-GP. Team-mate Raul Fernandez was ninth, while the Aprilia Racing duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales dropped to P11 and 12.

Johannes Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) continued to shine on Saturday after Friday saw him become the first Honda to secure an automatic spot in Q2 of 2024. It ranks tenth among the Aprilia Armada.

Qualifying on the pole is one thing, winning the race is another. Or the Tissot Sprint. Marquez’s qualifying form looks to be on the brink of glory to bring one chapter of his career full circle, but if the sport is a time trial, we can’t promise the best is yet to come, but we’re sure. can

Tune in for the first ever Sprint at Motorland Aragon and come back for more Sunday as the #93 takes Grand Prix glory 1043 days after it last tasted it.

MotoGP Comb Qual