MotoGP Thunder Stateside for Round 3 After four wins on the bounce for Bezecchi, we arrive at the real Marquez territory. So can #72 beat the King of COTA?
Two down, 20 to go and we head north from Brazil to America to tackle the COTA rollercoaster. From the shortest circuit on the calendar to the longest, from South America to North America, the contradictions bring new challenges and perhaps a new system. With last year’s dramatic Grand Prix in the history books and another on the horizon, the showdown in Texas awaits the most exciting sport on earth. MotoGP: wired differently. Austin: Waiting for something weird. A combination that brings us shocks, surprises and more at this year’s Grand Prix.
BEZZECCHI VS MARC MARQUEZ: Is the battle we’ve been waiting for set for COTA?
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) has had a dominant start to the year, leading the championship after the opening two Grands Prix and looking to lay down the law at COTA after winning two last year. Marc Marquez’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) track record of seven wins speaks for itself, but a mistake in the rain last year means revenge is in store. Those two stories add up to another showdown between the championship leader and the reigning world champion this weekend, fifth in the standings? Misano, Balaton Park, Bruno and the Red Bull Ring and Asen, went toe to toe. Will this be the last lap?
April Above: A historic start for the Knoll factory
Aprilia Racing is 1-2 in 2024 after the Goiania double podium and first Grand Prix rostrum. Considering he didn’t race there last year, he should hit the ground running at COTA. Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is 14 points clear of ‘Bez’ from pre-Brazil to P3 overall and took valuable points aboard the Smart Grand Prix at Goiania – and showed good pace at COTA. Meanwhile, the first podium of 2026 after taking on Marc Marquez last weekend saw Fabio Di Gianntonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) as the top Ducati and the Italian now heads to COTA where he finished third 12 months ago – and competes with the impressive new livery unveiled in New York on Tuesday.
Early revelations: Ogura sits sixth to lead established names
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) finished every Grand Prix or Sprint in the top five and made the home round for the team. Teammate Raul Fernandez and he had big highs and low lows, P3 in Thailand but P10 last week in Brazil. Next up is the 2025 COTA podium finish and world championship runner-up Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who is still finding his feet with GP26, while both Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) aim to beat the Brazilian state’s treacherous team. Another revelation, especially in qualifying at Goiana, was 2021 World Champion Fabio Quattararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) starting fourth – will he repeat this weekend and fight for sixth in the V4-powered Yamaha’s Grand Prix at the Goiana Sprint?
Chasing the Top 10: Aim to hit the COTA
In Goiania, top Honda honors went to Yohan Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and he is also the top Honda in the standings, one point ahead of Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) in 12th, while team-mate Joan Mir is in 19th, with bad luck and crashes leaving the 2020 world champion unfulfilled. After Marini, double MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who did not enjoy his start to the season as expected after testing. Yet to finish a Grand Prix or Sprint in the top 7, last year’s COTA winner hopes to provide a turning point this weekend. Two points back is Fermin Aldeguerre (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who returned last weekend and is straight into the top ten.
Individual aspirations: points on the agenda and progress
Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) put on a show for his huge home crowd in Goiania to take home points for the second Grand Prix in a row but now sees a top ten finish on Sunday, with the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 pairing of Enya Bastianini and Maverick Vinales looking for improvement as the latter hopes for his first points of 2026. Also the three V4 Yamahas of Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and rookie teammate Torak Razgatlioglu, all showed flashes in Brazil. Reigns brought home the points for the second time in 2026, as Razgatlioglu chases down his first in MotoGP.
It’s time to ride the rodeo in Texas and after the 2025 thriller, who will be the only star in the Lone Star State in 2026? Bezecic vs Marquez could be on…
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 dominant start to the year seeing him take the Championship lead after the opening two Grands Prix, and after){kind=link}