Aleix Espargaro won the MotoGP World Championship Sprint Race Saturday afternoon at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain. Riding his factory Aprilia RS-GP, Espargaro won the 12-lap race by 1.989 seconds.

Defending World Champion and current World Championship point leader Francesco Bagnaia was the runner-up on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici.

Espargaro’s teammate Maverick Vinales finished a close third.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Aleix Espargaro storms past Bagnaia to take Sprint win in Barcelona

Aprilia make it double podium delight as “the Captain” becomes the sixth different Sprint winner, with Bagnaia forced to defend hard against Viñales

Saturday, 02 September 2023

How’s that for the statement? Local hero Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) sealed victory in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya Tissot Sprint with a storming ride at the front, becoming the sixth different Saturday winner of the season so far. The “Captain” got the better of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the World Championship leader had no answer for the flying Aprilia ahead, instead forced to defend against the next one: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). The number one plated Ducati was the meat in the Aprilia sandwich but just held on to deny Aprilia a 1-2 as Viñales looked for a way through on the final lap.

The Captain vs The Champion 

Tensions were rocketing as the grid got off onto their warm lap with spots of rain beginning to threaten the Catalan GP Tissot Sprint. Wet bikes were being prepared but the time had come for lights out and there was no looking back now. The weather, luckily, held firm.

As the lights went out, it was a clean start for Bagnaia and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), and Bagnaia defended the lead from pole as, nevertheless, the two Aprilias fended off the fast-starting Pramac machine. Viñales almost immediately shot through into second past Martin, and Bagnaia, Viñales, Espargaro was the order as they crossed the line for the first time. Espargaro then took over from his teammate at Turn 1 though, the Captain beginning his charge.

Bagnaia powered on though, the odd drop of rain not affecting the track conditions. But the number 41 Aprilia was soon locked on and the duo began to pull away from the rest of the field.

Viñales was initially left to defend 3rd place as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) were snapping at the Spaniard’s heels.

With six laps to go, it was game on in Barcelona as Aleix Espargaro attacked for the lead. And he took it, immediately putting the hammer down in an attempt to break away from the Ducati. Bagnaia had no answer as the Aprilia stretched out half a second in one lap, doing a Bagnaia – of late – on Bagnaia.

Espargaro proved to be untouchable at the front as he went on to take the Sprint victory by just under two seconds, putting down a pace that not even the reigning World Champion could match. He had his hands full elsewhere.

Viñales was catching the Championship leader as the laps ticked down, and he was bringing Binder with him. Sure enough, Bagnaia fell into the clutches of the chasing Viñales with two laps remaining as it became a Ducati vs Aprillia scrap for 2nd place.

As the last lap arrived, Viñales was riding pillion to Bagnaia as he desperately looked for a way through. Bagnaia put in an incredible defensive performance, however, and was simply too strong on the brakes to allow the Aprilia a chance. He did consider it at the final corner, but no dice.

Binder did all he could to stay in the fight but found himself eight-tenths back from the top three by the time the chequered flag dropped.

Battles all the way through the field

Slightly further back, Martin bagged P5 after an eventful Sprint. The Spaniard pushed his way past Oliveira after dropping down the field early on following a run off round Turn 2. Oliveira took sixth, and will be gunning for more on Sunday.

Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), meanwhile, was almost two seconds back from Oliveira in P7, but he nabbed that late as he pulled a VR46 on Mooney VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi at the final corner.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) picked up the final Sprint point in P9, as the Italian made some more steps back towards his brilliant best.

One early moment saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) come together in a mid-pack sandwich at Turn 1, with MM93 winning out and the latter duo sent wide. Alex Marquez came back to P10, just ahead of Marc.

Check out the full results and then get ready for the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2), with more history on the cards. Aprilia have never had two bikes on the premier class Grand Prix podium… can they achieve the feat on Sunday? Can Aleix do the double, or Viñales take that third win with a third different MotoGP™ machine? Or is Bagnaia ready to ride for some revenge? Make sure to come back on Sunday for a MONSTER Catalan Grand Prix!

Jake Dixon took pole position during Moto2 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain. Riding his Asterius GASGAS Aspar Kalex, the Brit covered the 2.9-mile (4.7 km) course in 1:44.089 to lead the field of 30 riders.

Aron Canet was second-fastest with a 1:44.184 on his Pons Wegow Los40 Kalex, and Ai Ogura claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:44.214 on his Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex.

American Joe Roberts qualified 14th with a 1:44.682 on his Italtrans Racing Team Kalex.

American Sean Dylan Kelly has split with American Racing Team and is not riding at Catalunya.

Ivan Ortola captured pole position during Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain. Riding his Angeluss MTA Team KTM, the Spaniard lapped the 2.9-mile (4.7 km) course in 1:48.205 to top the field of 30 riders.

Deniz Oncu was second-best with a time of 1:48.509 on his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, and Joel Kelso earned the third and final spot on the front row with a lap of 1:48.563 on his CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP racebike.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Bagnaia vs Aleix decides pole as an Aprilia armada comes out swinging in Barcelona

Aleix Espargaro, Oliveira and Viñales queue up behind the reigning Champion on the grid as the stage is set for some fireworks

Saturday, 02 September 2023

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) grabbed another sensational pole position at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, setting a new lap record to just pip home hero Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) to the honours. The battle went down to the wire as the number 41 had one last shot at overhauling the reigning Champion, but just lost out by a tenth at the flag. In third it’s a first front row with Aprilia for Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team), with the Portuguese rider turning a crash earlier in FP2 into going fastest in that session, fastest in Q1 and then taking third on the grid overall… just 0.005 off second.

The stage is most definitely set for some stunning action in Barcelona as Aprilia come out gunning for Bagnaia and Ducati this weekend!

Q1

After topping FP2 despite a crash, Oliveira stormed to the top of Q1 with the only 1:38 of the session. The race to join him in Q2 was tense but it was decided earlier than we’ve often seen as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) judged the perfect wheel to tag onto: that of Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

To the Australian’s likely frustration, the number 93 pipped him over the line by enough margin to hold onto the end of the session, with Miller’s last attack also not able to challenge as he faded in the final couple of sectors. The same was true for Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as the Italian’s tougher weekend continued.

The tougher weekend also continued for 2022 winner Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) as he suffered a run off that became a tip off as he toppled over in the gravel, interrupting his session. By the end of it he was left seventh in Q1.

Oliveira and Marc Marquez headed through.

Q2

After the first runs it was Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) on provisional pole ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory) and Aleix Espargaro, but the huge shuffle was about to begin.

Heading out on take two it became a flurry of fast laps as red sectors lit up the timing screens, with Marc Marquez tucked in behind Bagnaia. The first big move was Aleix Espargaro into provisional pole before Bagnaia hit back. Oliveira then leapt up to second, leaving the factory Noale machine of Aleix Espargaro down in third.

Bagnaia was the next rider setting the timing screens alight, and so was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), but the #1 had a clean run to the line whereas Martin came across Marc Marquez – also pushing and very much allowed to take his own line – and that lap went away. It was all coming down to the Aprilias to try and deny Bagnaia.

Viñales crossed the line but didn’t move up from fourth, leaving Aleix Espargaro as the last rider pushing. Alone on track, the number 41 made it a red first sector and a red second sector, but then lost a few hundredths in the third. Could he pull it back? As he shot over the line it wasn’t quite the fairytale pole position as the deficit was ultimately a tenth – but that puts him second on the grid behind Bagnaia, and a few thousandths ahead of Oliveira.

THE GRID

Behind the Bagnaia-Aleix-Oliveira front row, Viñales starts fourth as the Aprilia armada continues. Martin launches from the middle of the second row, with Prima Pramac teammate Johann Zarco alongside in P6.

The third row is headed by Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who qualifies seventh with a lap one single thousandth faster than teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio in P8. Binder ultimately got shuffled down to P9, but is also just three thousandths off the Gresini ahead!

The tougher weekend continued for Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as he lines up in P10, ahead of Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) for the Tissot Sprint at least. Bastianini has a 3-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix race.

In P12 comes Marc Marquez, whose 1:39.701 was seven tenths off the lap he set in Q1. What can he do once the lights go out?

The stage is set for another stunner this afternoon and on Sunday, so make sure to tune in for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya!