MotoGP

Bagnaia leads Quartararo with 0.001s in Algarve MotoGP FP3

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago06 mins

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia led MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo by just 0.001 seconds in an extremely tight Algarve Grand Prix FP3. Despite clear skies bathed in bright sunshine, conditions were cold for the third 45-minute session of the Algarve weekend. This meant lap time improvements on the combined order were few and far between for most of FP3. Suzuki’s Joan Mir was the first major improver on the combined order, the 2020 world champion moving up to third with a 1m39.586s – which also put him top of the individual FP3 timesheet. But this would be the most significant lap for some time, with LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami the only other rider able to improve into the top 10 with 25 minutes of the session gone. Despite the lack of combined order improvements, the field still went for fresh slicks in the closing stages for a final time attack to try and secure a direct place in Q2 for this afternoon’s qualifying. With seven minutes to go Quartararo finally bettered his Friday time with a 1m39.206s to slightly extend his advantage at the top of the combined timesheets. But it wouldn’t keep him top for long, as Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia found 0.004s to edge ahead with a 1m39.202s moments later. A flurry of late lap times would shake up the top 10 order as the session wound down, but Bagnaia would remain fastest of all. However, Yamaha’s Quartararo found a 1m39.203s on his final lap to shadow Bagnaia by 0.001s – setting up a titanic battle for pole position later today. Mir completed the top three, missing top spot by just 0.025s on his Suzuki, with Ducati’s Jack Miller jumping up to fourth late on ahead of top Honda runner Alex Marquez on the LCR-run RC213V. Franco Morbidelli had a wild ride to sixth on the second of the factory Yamahas ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins, while Pol Espargaro bagged a place in Q2 on the factory Honda ahead of Avintia rookie Luca Marini and Pramac’s Jorge Martin. Just 0.461s covered the top 10, with Nakagami denied a place in Q2 by 0.005s from Tech3’s Iker Lecuona, who was comfortably top KTM on a continuing difficult weekend for the Austrian brand. Home hero Miguel Oliveira – who said on Friday he’s “hit a wall” in terms of going faster – did manage to find nine tenths compared to his Friday best, but that was still only good enough for 15th and was still 0.859s off the pace. He’ll face Q1 later along with the likes of Petronas SRT duo Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso, and both Aprilias of Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro. ALGARVE MOTOGP, PORTIMAO – FREE PRACTICE (3) RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 ^1 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) 1’39.202s 15/18 339k 2 ˅1 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.001s 20/20 330k 3 ^1 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.025s 13/16 332k 4 ˅1 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.160s 18/19 344k 5 ^2 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.173s 19/20 336k 6 ^6 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.274s 19/19 328k 7 ^3 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.348s 19/20 336k 8 ˅3 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.350s 17/18 339k 9 ^6 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.378s 17/18 336k 10 ^1 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +0.461s 17/19 341k 11 ˅2 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.466s 18/19 338k 12 ^8 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +0.681s 18/19 335k 13 ^3 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.734s 16/18 334k 14 ˅8 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.793s 18/19 340k 15 ^4 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.859s 18/19 332k 16 ˅3 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.005s 17/17 332k 17 ^4 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.011s 18/19 335k 18 ˅1 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.011s 17/17 334k 19 ˅1 Stefan Bradl GER Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.080s 20/20 338k 20 ^2 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.162s 19/19 334k 21 ˅7 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +1.414s 13/15 332k 22 ˅14 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +1.624s 4/18 341k

Algarve MotoGP: Quartararo maintains good form as he dominates FP2 (results)

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

2021 MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo topped the second practice for the Algarve Grand Prix aboard his Yamaha, the Frenchman once again leading Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia. Suzuki’s Joan Mir set the early pace in FP2 with a 1m41.495s, with LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami edging ahead of him with a 1m40.985s just over six minutes into the session. Moments later Nakagami’s teammate Alex Marquez moved to the top of the order with a 1m40.862s, which put him ninth on the combined times which were still headed by FP1 pacesetter Quartararo. Just as they did in FP1, both Quartararo and Bagnaia traded session-best laps, with Bagnaia moving to the top of the order with a 1m40.413s with just under 10 minutes of the session gone. Six minutes later Quartararo deposed his Ducati rival with a 1m40.355s, which the Yamaha rider improved to a 1m40.304s 15 minutes later. About a minute later, Bagnaia finally toppled Quartararo’s FP1 time to take over top spot overall with a 1m40.007s. In the closing moments, a late flurry of fast laps set the timing screens ablaze, with Mir returning to the top of the pile with a 1m39.680s. This was soon bested by Ducati’s Jack Miller, who fired in a 1m39.611s – only to be denied ending Friday fastest when Quartararo took the chequered flag with a 1m39.390s. Quartararo’s day almost ended in disaster, though, when he had a moment at Turn 13, but managed to just about stay on top of his Yamaha. A final effort of 1m39.552s moved Bagnaia up to second to once again shadow Quartararo, while again Miller rounded out the top three. Mir was fourth fastest in the end ahead of Honda’s Pol Espargaro and the Pramac Ducati of Johann Zarco. Alex Marquez carried forward his early pace in FP2 to finish Friday strongly in seventh from Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, Nakagami on the sister LCR-run Honda and the second of the Suzukis of Alex Rins. Jorge Martin stood on the precipices of the top 10 in 11th, 0.003s behind Rins, with Franco Morbidelli behind in 12th on his Yamaha. Petronas SRT duo Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso occupied the final two spots on the order, while home hero Miguel Oliveira on the KTM was a mystifying 1.5s off the pace down in 19th behind Marc Marquez’s stand-in Stefan Bradl on the Honda. ALGARVE MOTOGP, PORTIMAO – FREE PRACTICE (2) RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 = Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1’39.390s 20/21 331k 2 = Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +0.132s 18/18 339k 3 = Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.221s 19/20 341k 4 ^1 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.290s 18/20 335k 5 ^2 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.402s 20/20 336k 6 ^7 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.499s 17/17 343k 7 ^4 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.652s 18/18 336k 8 ^2 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.679s 18/18 341k 9 ^3 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.732s 19/19 339k 10 ˅6 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.786s 19/19 339k 11 ^6 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +0.789s 18/18 340k 12 ˅3 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.835s 16/18 328k 13 ^3 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +0.841s 19/20 335k 14 ˅6 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.894s 18/19 336k 15 ˅9 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.933s 18/18 332k 16 ^4 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +1.077s 18/18 336k 17 ˅2 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.108s 17/18 336k 18 ^3 Stefan Bradl GER Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.310s 18/19 338k 19 ˅1 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.545s 17/18 330k 20 ˅6 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.707s 7/18 334k 21 ^1 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.784s 17/17 330k 22 ˅3 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.824s 18/20 328k

Valentino Rossi to enter endurance racing after MotoGP exit

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago08 mins

As Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career nears its conclusion, the Italian begins preparations for a four-wheel future. With the end of his MotoGP career now just ten days away, Valentino Rossi began preparations for his future as a racing car driver with a sportscar test at Misano yesterday. “Now it’s two races in a row, so it’s ten days. Imagine ten days compared to 26 years! It’s nothing,” Rossi said of his remaining time in MotoGP, consisting of back-to-back events at Portimao and Valencia. “It’s a very emotional moment, sincerely, and I want to try to stay concentrated to give the maximum to the end of the season. “This for me is very important because in Misano my race was not too bad and I want to try to give the maximum and remain concentrated, not think a lot about what happens on the Monday after Valencia.” “I’m still a rider and I want to give the maximum and try to enjoy these last two races. “Here in April, the weekend was difficult but in the race I was quite fast, I was in the top ten but unfortunately I crashed. So we need to make the maximum and try to be competitive to fight for the top ten.” Just before flying to this weekend’s penultimate round, the Italian was on track in a Kessel Ferrari alongside brother Luca Marini and VR46’s Uccio Salucci to prepare for their annual winter appearance in the Gulf 12 hours. But this time the preparations are more serious, marking the start of Rossi’s four-wheel ‘career’, with the nine-time world champion confirming he will then enter at least one of the major sportscar championships in 2022. “I tried the Ferrari yesterday in Misano because we will race in Abu Dhabi in January with Luca and Uccio,” Rossi confirmed. “This is the race that we always do in the last three years and in general it’s just for fun. “But we did a test – unfortunately the weather was not fantastic – but we enjoy a lot. I was not so bad. I feel good. And next year I become a car driver! So from now the approach [to car racing] and the effort is different. “But this [Gulf 12 Hours] race is still for fun and after we need to understand which championship and which program for next year.” “Sincerely Vale was really fast, really strong,” Marini said of the test. “In other tests I was closer to him. Yesterday he was pushing a lot in conditions with some wet spots. He was able to give one second to me. He was really fast, pushed the car at the limit. I was a bit more worried about this. I didn’t want to do any damage. “Also Uccio in wet he was strong. In dry he had less time to improve his lap time. But he had a good test also. We were close. I was one second from Vale and Uccio 1.5-2s from me. “But with the car it’s more difficult to talk about time. The balance of performance can change a lot as the tyres become worn.” Rossi added that the decision on which GT championship he enters after the Gulf 12 Hours is yet to be made, but he also seems to have one eye on the prestigious new Hypercar class for 2023. “It’s a very important moment for the GT races and Endurance races because they will do this new class that is called Hypercar and for 2023 all the big names in cars, the factories, also Ferrari, Porsche, Audi will race with these cars,” Rossi explained. “Next years I will race with GT cars. I still don’t know which championship because it can be the WEC but can be also European Le Mans series or International GT challenge. “We need to decide, also with which car, and I need to understand also my level and my speed because for sure I would like to race with LMP2 or with Hypercar [prototypes] but there the level of the drivers is very high. So I don’t know if I am fast enough. We will try to understand next year.” Petronas Yamaha rider Rossi and rookie Marini are currently locked in a battle to avoid being last of the full time riders in the MotoGP world championship standings, the pair currently separated by just two points, with Marini in front. Marini will continue to race for Rossi’s VR46 team as it graduates to a full MotoGP entry next season.

Quartararo will not be changing plate to #1 in 2022

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

New MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo has stated that he will not race with the #1 plate next year. Quartararo moved to an unassailable, 65-point championship lead with two rounds to go when he finished fourth and Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider will stick with his trademark #20 in 2022, rather than taking #1. “No, we will not see this number because I started with the #20 and I feel like I’m not number one,” he said. “So, I will keep going with the #20 until the end of my career because it’s the number that really made me want to start when I was four, and it’s a really special number.” The #1 plate is a relative rarity on the premier class grid. In the last decade, including 2021, four different riders have won the championship yet none of those opted to change from their regular number the next year. In addition to Quartararo, Marc Marquez six times chose to stick with #93, Joan Mir kept #36 this year, and Jorge Lorenzo only made the change after achieving his 2010 MotoGP title. Casey Stoner is the last person to have ridden with #1, in 2012, and Mick Doohan the last to win the championship with it, in 1998. In addition to the riders’ championship, Yamaha leads the teams’ standings and remains in contention for the manufacturers’ title, trailing Ducati by 12 points. Quartararo says there will be no problem being focused for this weekend’s Algarve Grand Prix despite it being a dead rubber for him personally. “To be honest it was just difficult the first day, on the Tuesday to go back training after Misano,” recalled the Frenchman. “But to refocus again, I think, is quite easy because it’s what I love, to be riding, to race, to fight with these guys. “So I would say it was not so difficult because it’s what I want. More than difficult, I would say I was looking forward to being back.”

Quartararo tops Algarve MotoGP FP1 ahead of Bagnaia

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Fabio Quartararo topped the opening practice session for the Algarve Grand Prix after sneaking ahead of Francesco Bagnaia at the death. The newly-crowned MotoGP world champion tussled with erstwhile title rival Bagnaia for the top spot throughout the 45-minute test, the latter eventually getting the upper hand with a 1:40.927s tour just clear of the Yamaha racer and Honda’s Pol Espargaro. Quartararo would later hit back to move back into the lead by just 0.028s as the session entered its closing stages, though Bagnaia would once again dump the Frenchman back to the runners-up place with a storming 1:40.237s, a time that looked to ensure him the plaudits in FP1. Quartararo still had a little left in the tank though as he headed out for a final three-lap push as the clock ticked down, his third lap being the charm as he took the chequered flag to snatch back the top spot by just 0.045s ahead of the Ducati pilot. Jack Miller ended up third on the second factory Ducati machine ahead of Suzuki duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir, while Luca Marini was an impressive sixth on his Avintia-run Desmosedici despite losing an even better tour after running wide on his final attempt. Espargaro ended up seventh ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, while Franco Morbidelli found himself shuffled back to ninth having run within the top three towards the end of the test on the other factory Yamaha M1, the Italian just clear of Aleix Espargaro who completed the top ten. LCR Honda duo just missed out on the top ten with Alex Marquez leading Takaaki Nakagami in 11th and 12th respectively, while KTM once again found the goings tough. Iker Lecuona ended up as the Austrian marque’s highest-placed rider in 14th on his Tech 3-prepared RC16 just ahead of factory man Brad Binder, while 2020 Portimao victor and home hero Miguel Oliveira could manage only 17th on the timesheets. Andrea Dovizioso was the quickest of the Petronas SRT Yamaha’s-albeit down in 19th-with team-mate Valentino Rossi propping up the table in 22nd and last, just behind the injured Marc Marquez’s temporary replacement Stefan Bradl in the factory Honda stable. ALGARVE MOTOGP, PORTIMAO – FREE PRACTICE (1) RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1’40.192s 21/21 334k 2 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +0.045s 16/22 339k 3 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.131s 19/19 343k 4 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.359s 18/20 342k 5 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.497s 17/19 334k 6 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.593s 16/18 339k 7 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.603s 16/19 345k 8 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.661s 20/20 340k 9 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.695s 11/17 332k 10 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.697s 20/20 342k 11 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.756s 20/22 340k 12 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.803s 19/19 338k 13 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.892s 19/20 343k 14 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.007s 22/22 338k 15 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.023s 19/19 339k 16 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.104s 18/18 334k 17 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +1.156s 19/19 342k 18 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.183s 18/19 336k 19 Andrea Divizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.200s 20/20 334k 20 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +1.364s 17/19 340k 21 Stefan Bradl GER Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.462s 20/20 338k 22 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.888s 7/19 338k

Stefan Bradl to replace Marquez for Algarve GP

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Honda MotoGP test rider Stefan Bradl will once again return to MotoGP action this weekend at the Algarve Grand Prix, stepping into the Repsol Honda team to repeat his now regular role as the replacement for the injured Marc Marquez. It was announced yesterday that the Spaniard will sit out this weekend’s race at Portimao after sustaining a concussion last Saturday while training on an off-road machine, but no substitute was confirmed when the team first released a brief statement on the eight-time world champion’s injuries. However, it’s now been made official that Bradl, who has tested extensively of late for the Japanese manufacturer, will park his microphone from his normal weekend role as a TV pundit for German broadcaster Servus and will instead replace Marquez. “First of all I hope Marc is recovering well and he can be back on track soon,” the 31-year-old said in a team press release. “I am looking forward to riding again as Portimao is an enjoyable circuit where we had a good result towards the end of 2020. It’s never easy to jump on the bike, but we have had a lot of good bike time this year between the races and testing.” Bradl’s return to the team is a familiar one considering it marks his fifth appearance of the season for Honda after first deputising for Marquez at the opening two races of the year in Qatar before going on to make two wildcard appearances in his role as test rider.

Marc Marquez ruled out of Algarve GP after training accident

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Marc Marquez’s hot run of form will be interrupted after being ruled out of the Algarve Grand Prix this weekend following a training accident. The Portuguese circuit will host the penultimate round of the MotoGP season, where Marquez would have been vying for three wins on the trot having taken victory in both the Grand Prix of the Americas and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last month. However, Honda has confirmed the 28-year-old will be sidelined as recovers from a crash last weekend. “This past Saturday Marc Marquez, while preparing for the Algarve Grand Prix with one of his standard off-road training sessions, suffered a fall that caused a slight head concussion,” read a statement from the Honda Racing Corporation. “After a few days of rest at home and seeing that he was still unwell, today Marquez has been assessed by doctors in a medical check-up to evaluate his current status. “As a precautionary measure, this coming weekend Marquez will not contest the Algarve Grand Prix.” It’s unclear whether Marquez will be replaced for this weekend. The concussion represents the latest hurdle for the six-time premier class world champion, who endured a long road back from the broken humerus he suffered in his right arm in July, 2020. Marquez has often spoken of the pain he still has to manage, although his results had improved considerably of late. Having often been relatively on the pace since returning for Round 3 of the season – ironically also at Portugal – Marquez’s first half of the campaign was littered with in-race crashes. He broke through for a grand prix victory at his German stronghold, the anti-clockwise Sachsenring – but that remained his only top five result in his first 10 races back. The last four events have been far more fruitful, with second at Aragon and fourth at San Marino preceding his back-to-back wins in October. Marquez currently holds sixth in the standings, seven points behind Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and six ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Valentino Rossi’s farewell at Misano was filled with great emotion after a stunning performance

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago06 mins

Nine-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is proud to bid farewell to his home Misano MotoGP fans with a decent race, Sunday’s ‘Grazie Vale’ tributes a ‘great surprise’. Valentino Rossi passed the last major milestone before the official end of his MotoGP career with an ’emotional’ final home race in Emilia Romagna GP at his local Misano circuit on Sunday. While tenth place couldn’t compare with his past victories at the circuit, it was a ‘decent’ result from 23rd and last on the grid. That matched Rossi’s best dry result of a difficult season as he overtook Petronas Yamaha team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, injured factory Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli, Ducati wild-card Michele Pirro before passing KTM’s Brad Binder on the final lap. Ever the racer, Rossi was proud to have put on a fighting display to the chequered flag, but his finishing position was probably immaterial for the Covid-capacity 35,000 fans, most of whom were present simply to say farewell to The Doctor. The yellow grandstands would have been left deflated had Rossi crashed out, but instead the Italian was able to soak up the applause and ‘fantastic’ atmosphere of his final Misano slow down lap. “I’m very happy about today, especially because I did a decent race and it’s the best way to say ‘ciao’,” Rossi said. “I didn’t want to make a bad race and stay behind. Starting from the back of the grid is always difficult, but I knew my potential was better in the full dry [after a damp qualifying] and I felt good with the bike and tyres. “I was able to make some overtaking and have some battles until the last lap. “So it’s the best way to say ‘ciao’ to all the crowd, because there was a fantastic atmosphere around the track and a lot of fans on Sunday. It was very emotional.” The 42-year-old showed his appreciation by throwing his final special helmet design, featuring a yellow heart, into the crowd, a gesture rarely seen during his racing career. “I tried to enjoy this moment because a lot of my close friends said ‘go out and enjoy because Sunday will be great’. Like a big hug from all the fans. But I also want to make a good race, ride at my maximum and try to have a good result,” Rossi said. “So I’m very happy especially for this and it was a great emotion after the flag, I enjoyed a lot.” Adding to the usual yellow Misano haze were special ‘Grazie Vale’ tributes, including a special bright yellow livery on the VR46 bikes of Rossi’s brother Luca Marini plus Moto2 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Celestino Vietti. “Usually I don’t like surprises, I want to know everything!” said Rossi. “But this was a great surprise. I’m very happy. I have to say thank you to Uccio all my team, and to Sky. I like a lot.” When asked on whether Misano fans will remember him as the nine-time MotoGP World Champion 30 years from now Rossi said, “Misano is my home grand prix and my home circuit. It’s 10 kilometres from my house and we are very lucky to have a circuit like this close to our house because we feel like home and it’s not normal.” “MotoGP raced in Misano from 2007, so not in all my career but I was able to win three times. Especially the last time in 2014 was great,” Rossi continued. “So I hope that all the people remember this, all the good races, all the fights and all the enjoyment. “I think a lot of fans followed MotoGP because they enjoyed a lot my races. So I hope a lot they remember these special moments, like today, because also today was good.” Just two more races, at Portimao and then Valencia, now remain before the end of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career.

Bagnaia frustrated after Emilia Romagna GP crash, says it was ‘win or gravel’

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia trailed Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo by 52 points coming into this weekend’s Misano race and only needed to be outscored by three for the championship to go to Quartararo. The Ducati rider led for the first 22 of 27 laps on Sunday from pole and was on course to keep the championship rolling to Portugal, as Quartararo’s recovery from 15th on the grid was set to end with fifth. But Bagnaia crashed at the penultimate corner on lap 23, leaving Quartararo to celebrate France’s first MotoGP world title. Bagnaia joined Ducati teammate Jack Miller in making a late change to the hard front tyre, which both admitted was a gamble in the cooler conditions but one that was working. However, it would ultimately lead to both riders crashing out of the race at the penultimate corner. “This for sure was not that because I lost concentration,” Bagnaia said of his title-ending crash. “I was pushing, today was either winning or gravel, and I tried all to achieve this win and I crashed. “The tyre choice was, I think, good because this was the only one that was helping me on the braking and the medium for me was worse than the soft. “Soft was already on the limit yesterday and this morning, so the hard was the correct choice. “The only thing was that you just needed to push every single lap like hell, to get the tyre hot, so this lap maybe I braked a little early in Turn 8 and, nothing. “What I just want to say is that we’re working a lot. It was difficult this weekend. The pace was stronger than five weeks ago [when I won the San Marino GP at Misano]. “So, we have to be happy about this. But for sure we are frustrated in this moment. “But it’s something that we have to be happy with because today we demonstrated that we were on top again.” Bagnaia was one of the first to congratulate Quartararo in pitlane after the Yamaha rider won the title and says he was “more deserving” of the championship. “I’m happy about my performance of today. For sure I’m a bit frustrated about the result because I think that we were deserving more but we just try to be always more competitive and for the next year we are for sure in a good way,” Bagnaia added. “And I told just to Fabio that he deserved this title. “For sure he was he was the one that was more deserving this title, so I’m happy for him and last year he was in my situation because was the first time he was winning like this and he committed errors in the last part of the season. “I’m in this situation now this year and for the next year I think we will come back more prepared.”

Wet Emilia Romagna GP practices helped Marc Marquez win

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez tallied up his third win of the 2021 season after inheriting victory when long-time leader Francesco Bagnaia crashed out on lap 23, ending his title hopes. Marquez had shadowed Bagnaia for most of the race, piling the pressure on him as he did at Aragon last month, but had just conceded defeat when the Ducati rider crashed. The Honda rider was left to lead the first factory Honda 1-2 since Aragon 2017, and to claim his first win on a clockwise circuit since Japan 2019. Marquez has been limited by the physical condition of his recovering right shoulder in 2021, but says the fact much of the weekend was affected by rain meant he came into Sunday’s Misano race feeling “fresh”. “This year I realised the qualifying practice is not my best point, or my strongest point, so then I started to focus a lot on the starts,” Marquez said after starting from seventh. “I started really good, really fast, from seventh to third in the first lap because I knew both Ducati riders will push from the beginning. “In fact, when I saw the laptime in the beginning was 1m32.2s, I say ‘OK, what’s going on here’ because yesterday I was struggling to do 1m33.8s. “But today the feeling was there, the bike was working good. “Especially also the last laps, the distance between me and the others was very big and it’s something also that is important because in the end to have this margin, I was able to ride in a good way because in the last laps I was struggling a bit with my physical condition. “But the fact that all weekend was in wet conditions, [this] gave me the chance to have the first Sunday where I arrived [to the race] fresh to ride with energy. “When I woke up I said ‘OK, I feel the arm is there, I have power’.”

Marc Marquez wins Emilia Romagna GP as Quartararo wins 2021 MotoGP championship

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago07 mins

Fabio Quartararo has won the 2021 MotoGP World Championship following a crash for Francesco Bagnaia while leading the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, a crash that resulted in Marc Marquez winning his third race of the year. Although Jack Miller got a better launch and was side-by-side with Bagnaia heading into turn one, the Italian was much later on the brakes and retained the lead. Miller was also passed by Miguel Oliveira, but the Ducati man regained P2 in turn four. Just behind that was Marquez who made a brilliant start from seventh to fourth. Marquez then made it third by getting ahead of Oliveira into turn eight. One man who didn’t get a great start was championship leader Quartararo as he lost two places. However, the Yamaha rider soon found his feet and picked off Alex Marquez, Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco. While the front three of Bagnaia, Miller and Marquez began to pull clear of Pol Espargaro in fourth, Quartararo was then elevated into 11th as Miller crashed out at turn 15. Miller was the third rider to go down after early contact between Joan Mir, who was given a double long-lap penalty due to jumping the start, and Danilo Petrucci made contact at turn two. Both riders were unable to rejoin. After moving up to tenth due to a mistake by Iker Lecuona, Quartararo then made that ninth after a lovely move on Jorge Martin. What was already a disappointing race for LCR Honda then got even worse as Nakagami and Marquez both retired on the same lap – Nakagami due to a crash and Marquez because of a technical problem. Tech 3 KTM joined LCR in having both riders out of the race as Lecuona crashed at turn one. At the front, Bagnaia continued to lead from Marquez but the gap was only two tenths of a second. A great move by Alex Rins saw him get ahead of Franco Mobidelli for sixth at mid-race distance, a move that began a drop of four positions for the Italian as Luca Marini, Quartararo and Zarco all got through. With eight laps to go Quartararo moved up to fifth after back-to-back overtakes on Rins and Aleix Espargaro. A few laps after Bagnaia set his personal best lap, Marquez did the same to remain within half a second of the Ducati rider. A big moment at turn 15 then followed for Marquez as he lost three tenths to Bagnaia. However, just as Bagnaia looked to be in complete control and pulling clear, the Italian crashed at the same corner as Miller. Quartararo was elevated to fourth due to Bagnaia’s crash, before that then became third as Oliveira crashed from third. Marquez went on to win from Espargaro, while Quartararo narrowly missed out on the podium after Bastianini got ahead of the Frenchman at turn 14. KTM rider Brad Binder had to start from the back of the grid after crashing on the sighting lap. After making progress through to 12th, the South African rider’s day went from bad to worse after being given a long-lap penalty. Quartararo has also become the first ever French premier class world champion. EMILIA ROMAGNA MOTOGP, MISANO – RACE RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF 1 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) 41m 52.83s 2 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +4.859s 3 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +12.013s 4 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +12.775s 5 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +16.458s 6 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +17.669s 7 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +18.468s 8 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +18.607s 9 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +25.417s 10 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +27.735s 11 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +27.879s 12 Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +28.137s 13 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +41.413s 14 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +42.830s 15 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +22.462s Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) DNF Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) DNF Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* DNF Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) DNF Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) DNF Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) DNF Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) DNF Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) DNF

FIM raises MotoGP entry age from 16 to 18 from 2023 onwards

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

The minimum age to compete in motorcycle grand prix racing will be raised from 16 to 18 for 2023 onwards following changes from the Federation of International Motorcycles (FIM). The raising of the age limit comes following a string of tragic accidents throughout 2021 across the Moto3-based categories as well as the similarly slipstream dependent World Supersport 300 series that culminated in the deaths of Jason Depasquier, Dean Berta Vinales as well Hugo Millan in a Red Bull Rookies race in July. Another frightening accident took place at the Circuit of the Americas during the Moto3 world championship contest three weeks ago, with Deniz Oncu picking up a two-race ban for dangerously cutting across Jeremy Alcoba at high speed, causing several riders to slam into the bikes strewn across the circuit. A document detailing the raft of changes across all FIM ruled series was released on Friday afternoon, revealing that from 2023 the minimum age to enter the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP world championships will be raised from 16 to 18. Exceptions will be made for riders that enter the ’23 season under the age of 18 that have already competed in ’22, while going forward the champions of the FIM Moto3 Junior world championship and Red Bull Rookies series respectively will be given special dispensation to enter the Moto3 world championship at age 17. These changes come in order to try and reduce the risk the frequency of aggressive riding resulting in incidents, with the bulk of the problems coming from riders aged 16 and under and in series that frequently see large slipstream battles due to the underpowered nature of the motorcycles. The extra time afforded to the younger riders in lower series will hopefully allow them to mature at a better pace, and ideally allowing them to make their world series debuts under much reduced pressure to what they currently have to sustain. The changes would mean that current Moto3 series leader Pedro Acosta – who only recently turned 17 – would have been ineligible to join the full championship this year had the rules already been in place, though theoretically would have been able to enter wildcard events as the reigning Red Bull Rookies champion later in the year. The same could be said for last years Junior Moto3 champion Izan Guevara, who turned 17 in June.

Jack Miller dominates damp Emilia Romagna MotoGP FP2

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

Ducati’s Jack Miller takes over at the top during another wet Friday practice session for the Emilia Romagna MotoGP, the second of this year’s events at Misano. Conditions were at least better than the morning session, with sunshine breaking through the clouds and a dry line starting to develop, prompting riders to switch from the soft to medium compound front wet tyre. Miller, fastest for most of this morning, was soon leading the timesheets this afternoon, where he remained to the chequered flag. FP1 leader Johann Zarco claimed second overall for a Ducati one-two, just 0.9s behind Miller, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro snatching a late third. World championship leader Fabio Quartararo will need to keep his fingers crossed for dry weather on Saturday morning after again struggling in the wet. The Frenchman was left down in 16th place and is currently heading for a rare Qualifying 1 appearance. Quartararo won’t be alone in hoping for a fine FP3 with Joan Mir and Marc Marquez also among those outside the top ten. Quartararo has his first chance to win the 2021 MotoGP title this weekend, providing he can keep his 52-point lead over Francesco Bagnaia to at least 50-points on Sunday. Bagnaia was eighth today. Local hero Valentino Rossi is competing in his final Italian round before retirement, but could only manage 22nd. Bagnaia won last month’s first Misano round, ahead of Quartararo and Enea Bastianini. EMILIA ROMAGNA MOTOGP, MISANO – FREE PRACTICE (2) RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 ^2 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) 1’41.305s 10/16 295k 2 ˅1 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.927s 19/19 294k 3 ^16 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.986s 17/17 290k 4 ^5 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.271s 8/22 286k 5 ^2 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.286s 16/21 288k 6 ^5 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +1.296s 16/16 290k 7 ^17 Lorenzo Salvadori ITA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* +1.310s 17/18 286k 8 ˅2 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +1.364s 5/21 293k 9 ˅1 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.470s 18/18 286k 10 ˅6 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +1.504s 19/21 295k 11 ˅1 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +1.537s 11/17 289k 12 ^8 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +1.537s 18/18 292k 13 ^1 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +1.574s 12/17 291k 14 ˅12 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.578s 6/18 290k 15 ^1 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +1.639s 18/18 290k 16 ^2 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.792s 9/19 287k 17 ^6 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.932s 20/22 286k 18 ˅5 Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +2.108s 6/13 286k 19 ˅4 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +2.165s 8/17 290k 20 ˅15 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +2.280s 18/18 284k 21 ˅4 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +2.374s 16/16 291k 22 ˅10 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +2.484s 19/19 286k 23 ˅1 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +2.770s 21/21 289k 24 ˅3 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +3.338s 10/16 286k

Johann Zarco tops wet Emilia Romagna MotoGP FP1

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco returns to the top by leading a wet opening practice session for MotoGP’s return to Misano at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, while fellow Ducati rider and title contender Francesco Bagnaia suffered a late fall. Factory Ducati’s Jack Miller led for the majority of the session ahead of factory team-mate Bagnaia, with Zarco moving to the top with seven minutes remaining. Zarco, who has struggled to repeat his early season podium run and recently underwent arm pump surgery, improved his time further to pull a big 1.4s clear of nearest rival Marc Marquez, who popped ahead of Miller on his final lap. Late improvements also moved Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli to fourth and fifth, ahead of Bagnaia, who had lowsided at the end of the back straight. World championship leader Fabio Quartararo may have stayed upright but the Frenchman’s Yamaha again looked twitchy in the wet on his way to 18th place, 3.1s behind Zarco. Quartararo has his first chance to win the MotoGP title this weekend, providing he can keep his 52-point lead over Bagnaia to at least 50-points on Sunday. There were early accidents for Alex Marquez and Brad Binder, plus a technical issue in the pits for Aleix Espargaro, who had been fastest at the Misano post-race test. Local hero Valentino Rossi is competing in his final Italian round before retirement. Bagnaia won last month’s first Misano round, ahead of Quartararo and Enea Bastianini. The tyre allocation will be the same for this weekend, but temperatures are cooler and more rain is expected throughout Friday. EMILIA ROMAGNA MOTOGP, MISANO – FREE PRACTICE (1) RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) 1’42.374s 19/19 295k 2 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.417s 20/20 291k 3 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +1.625s 6/15 292k 4 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +1.667s 19/19 293k 5 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.680s 13/13 283k 6 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +1.809s 17/17 290k 7 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.869s 20/20 289k 8 Danolo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.950s 17/17 286k 9 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +2.031s 16/18 283k 10 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +2.139s 16/18 289k 11 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +2.201s 15/17 288k 12 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +2.377s 14/14 284k 13 Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +2.514s 13/13 285k 14 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +2.637s 18/18 289k 15 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +2.830s 19/19 289k 16 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +2.847s 18/20 288k 17 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +3.071s 16/19 293k 18 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +3.103s 20/20 283k 19 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +3.282s 15/15 288k 20 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +3.479s 13/15 286k 21 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +3.507s 16/16 284k 22 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +3.672s 18/18 287k 23 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +3.778s 14/14 278k 24 Lorenzo Salvadori ITA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* +4.592s 5/12 282k

2022 MotoGP calendar revealed with Finland and Indonesia debuting

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago02 mins

MotoGP on Thursday unveiled its 2022 calendar. It will be holding 21 races with first visits being made in Kymiring circuit which is in Finland and Mandalika in Indonesia. Fabio Quartararo, Joan Mir and the rest of the riders under the MotoGP will kick off the championship battle under the floodlights of Qatar on March 6 in a 2022 season that will run through to November 6 at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit. As well as the new races, there are five non-European destinations back on the schedule after being cancelled due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions this year. Argentina, Japan, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia are all back in the fold. Finland and Indonesia had been due to return to the world circuit in 2020, but their inclusions were also victim to the global pandemic. 2022 provisional MotoGP calendar : March 6 – Qatar (Losail) March 20 – Indonesia (Mandalika) April 3 – Argentina (Termas de Rio Hondo) April 10 – Americas (Circuit of The Americas, Austin) April 24 – Portugal (Algarve circuit, Portimao) May 1 – Spain (Jerez) May 15 – France (circuit Bugatti, Le Mans) May 29 – Italy (Mugello) June 5 – Catalonia (Montmelo, Barcelona) June 19 – Germany (Sachsenring) June 26 – Netherlands (Assen) July 10 – Finland (KymiRing) Aug 7 – Britain (Silverstone) Aug 21 – Austria (Spielberg) Sep 4 – San Marino (Misano) Sep 18 – Aragon (Motorland Aragon) Sep 25 – Japan (Motegi) Oct 2 – Thailand (Chang International Circuit, Buriram) Oct 16 – Australia (Philip Island) Oct 23 – Malaysia (Sepang) Nov 6 – Valencia (circuit Ricardo Tormo)

Marc Marquez wins Grand Prix of the Americas as Quartararo closes in on maiden championship title

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago06 mins

After a thrilling Sunday performance at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez took the win making it the seventh out of the last eight races held at the circuit. The Spaniard had crashed from the lead in a MotoGP race held at the same venue back in 2019, but this time round he gave no chance to any mistakes after dominating for the whole race from Lap 1. Despite starting from third on the grid, Marquez made an incredible start which saw him lead Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo as the headed to the first turn. This was a lead that the eight-time world champion was sure of as he barely faced any pressure. However, for the first five laps Marquez was much slower as he closely led seven riders but the margin extended to a whole second from Quartararo who was following in second place. For the next 12 laps, Marquez was making laps within 2m 04s, a time that only Quartararo could manage to get within occasionally. “It was a great Sunday! Starting from the warm-up the feeling was good,” Marquez said after his seventh win at COTA after executing his plan perfectly. “Basically, my plan A was to lead the race from the first lap and I did it. It was a perfect start, especially the first corner I was braking deep and hard. I tried to control the race in the first three/four laps and then push.” “From five-zero/four-high (lap times) I went to four-low and that is where I felt very strong. I tried to open a gap and that is what I did.” “On those laps I felt very good with the bike and the last part of the race I didn’t know how my physical condition would be.” “I think everybody struggled a lot in this race, so yeah, the gap that I opened with Fabio was enough to manage and ride very constant.” Marquez’s race wins in the 2021 MotoGP season have come from left handed circuits, COTA being one and the other being Sachsenring. Although he prefers the left handed circuits, Marquez insists that his feeling towards the right and left handed circuits has changed since his injury in 2020. “Of course, in the left circuit corners; always has been one of my strong points, but now with the injuries it is even bigger the difference, the feeling in right and left corners,” said Marquez. “It is easy to explain that the left corners I can turn and I can push with the left hand and use the triceps. “But in the right corners, just I push with the left and from there I have understeer. When I try to push with the right hand at the moment I can’t, but I am able to ride well.” “It is true that riding like this is difficult, which is why I crashed many times, but we are working on it and we are trying to understand it well.” AUSTIN MOTOGP, COTA – RACE RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF 1 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) 41m 41.435s 2 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +4.679s 3 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +8.547s 4 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +11.098s 5 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +11.752s 6 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +13.269s 7 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +14.722s 8 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +13.406s 9 Brand Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +15.832s 10 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +20.265s 11 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +23.055s 12 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +24.743s 13 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +25.307s 14 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +26.853s 15 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +28.055s 16 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +30.989s 17 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +35.251s 18 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +42.239s 19 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +49.854s Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) DNF Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) DNF