DATES CONFIRMED: Bautista to test Ducati MotoGP™ bike at Misano in June
The reigning World Superbike Champion will have a test on a MotoGP™ bike in Italy on the 20th and 21st June
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will take advantage of the break in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to complete a two-day test at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with the Ducati MotoGP™ bike. The test will take place on June 20th and 21st at the venue where Bautista claimed a hat-trick of wins in WorldSBK as he enjoys an outing on the Desmosedici GP machine.
Bautista has been talking about completing a test with the MotoGP™ machine after winning the WorldSBK title last year and he is currently on top of the standings in 2023 with 14 wins in the first 15 races this year. However, with a three-weekend break between the Emilia-Romagna and UK Rounds, Bautista will swap his Panigale V4 R machine for the Desmosedici GP bike across a two-day test at Misano, running as part of the Aruba.it Racing team that competed at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello last weekend with Michele Pirro.
Misano has been a happy hunting ground for Bautista in WorldSBK on Ducati machinery with three wins in 2023 and two more in 2022. He also claimed a podium finish there in 2019 in Race 1 on his first race with Ducati at Misano in WorldSBK, as well as winning the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday morning. With so much knowledge of the track already, both from WorldSBK and MotoGP™, as well as a lot of success there in recent times, Bautista will be able enjoy the test to the fullest.
While the test will take place in June, there has been speculation about a potential wildcard for Bautista as part of the programme although nothing has been confirmed by the team, manufacturer or the rider. Discussing a potential wildcard in MotoGP™, Bautista said in a feature interview: “After I won the World Championship in WorldSBK, I asked Ducati to have a test with the MotoGP™ bike because, from the outside, it seems like a really fun bike. We will do the test very soon. I don’t do the test with an intention to do a wildcard. I’d like to do the test and let’s see what happens. I don’t think there’s a lot of chance to repeat what Troy Bayliss did in 2006. It was another time and it was different. At the moment, in my mind, it’s only the World Superbike Championship. I just take the test like a prize and don’t think about Troy Bayliss.”
With the dates now confirmed for the test, plans are in place to cover Bautista’s return to MotoGP™ machinery. There will be a team on the ground at Misano to produce footage of Bautista on track and in the box across both days, while there will also be interviews conducted at Misano to get instant thoughts about the test and much more from Bautista’s test. There will also be pictures of the test for you to see incredible images of Bautista back in MotoGP™ machinery.
Follow the two-day test on WorldSBK.com and follow more action from WorldSBK in 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Dumas conquers crash-filled race two in mixed conditions at Grand Bend
Grand Bend, ON – Just as the gap began to close atop the GP Bikes Pro Superbike series, Alex Dumas made sure to blow the doors right off it.
The championship leader again mastered a damp track on Sunday, winning in dominant fashion to close out the second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Goderich Toyota.
While it was a full-wet showing in round one for Dumas, this time he conquered the feature class in mixed conditions, avoiding the chaos in a crash-filled race two that forced many stars into costly errors – including reigning champion and title rival Ben Young.
Attempting to navigate a tricky surface on his ‘B’ rain bike, Young didn’t even make the start after crashing on the warmup lap, remounting to enter the pits and hop onto his dry ‘A’ bike.
As for the on-track action, it initially looked as though Dumas could come under threat from another Suzuki as Trevor Daley got a rocket launch, closing quickly on the 2021 title winner as he eyed his first career Pro Superbike victory.
However, Daley’s charge appeared to be over after a fast crash in the final turn, the last time anyone would even be close to Dumas as he began to stretch out a massive lead – at one point as large as 27 seconds – scoring a decisive third victory in four races.
As for Young, the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider would rejoin three laps down and salvage a lonely eleventh-place finish (thanks in large part to retirements ahead of him), watching as Dumas’ title advantage ballooned to a staggering 36 points.
“I actually felt really good out there. I knew someone was with me at the start, but I was able to put my head down and manage the gap to the end,” Dumas said. “It sucks for Ben, but it’s huge points for the championship.”
The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider will still have work to do with seven races remaining on the calendar, though he has put Young on the backfoot in thus far the most emphatic fashion during their rivalry, albeit helped by bad luck for the two-time feature class champion.
As for the chaos behind Dumas, absolutely no order looked set in stone during the 20-lap battle, with eight different riders running in podium places at some point in the race.
In the end, though, it was local star Chris Pletsch who managed to outlast the drama, picking up his first career pro national Superbike podium in just his second start and making his Stratford Cycle Centre machine the first Honda on the rostrum since 2015.
One of the top riders in the SOAR regional series at Grand Bend, Pletsch couldn’t commit to a return in round three on the east coast, though he certainly demanded enough attention with his performance on Sunday.
“I’m so happy. All weekend I was looking forward to the rain, even though it’s my first time in the rain on a Superbike,” Pletsch said. “It’s quite the hike out east, so we’ll see about the future, but for now it’s awesome to represent all the SOAR guys on the podium.”
Pletsch’s runner-up spot rapidly came under fire in the final moments, however, as Trevor Dion began to reel in his SOAR friend and rival – followed closely by an amazingly hard-charging Daley.
Dion would hold onto the final podium spot, his first aboard the LDS Consultants Kawasaki, as the rookie finally managed to put some of his own luck behind him.
“I knew someone was coming on strong behind me, but I didn’t know who, I was just so focused on catching Chris,” Dion said. “The gap was getting smaller and I was in a bit of a rhythm, but I was happy to just bring home the podium for the team, especially after the injuries in round one.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race Two podium (from left): Second-place finisher Chris Pletsch, race winner Alex Dumas, and Trevor Dion in third. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
While he just missed out on the podium by 0.073 seconds at the line, Daley was unquestionably the story of the race, mounting one of the greatest single-race comebacks in CSBK history.
The OneSpeed Suzuki rider was seemingly out of it after crashing chasing Dumas, but remounted and quickly carved his way through the pack, recovering a crucial fourth-place result for both himself and Suzuki as he climbs to within a single point of third overall and helps his brand to a 28-point lead atop the Constructors Championship.
The misfortune continued for BMW, as the trio of Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki on the podium means the Motorrad brand will miss the rostrum for the first time since Calgary in 2010 – a streak of 88 consecutive races.
Sam Guerin would be the top BMW in fifth, briefly running in third before fading back mid-race in the tricky conditions, though he escapes with a one-point advantage over Daley in the fight for third in the championship aboard his EFC Group machine.
Jordan Royds did his best to help limit the damage for BMW as well by finishing sixth on his IBEW machine, at one point fighting for his first career pro national podium before ceding position to Daley and Guerin.
John Fraser would complete the top-seven aboard his RLS Contracting Suzuki, moving to within a single point of the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year lead behind Acme Motorsports Yamaha’s Paul Macdonell, who finished ninth (SCM/Tanians BMW rider Phillip Leckie would split them in eighth).
Amongst the notable retirements were Tomas Casas, who looked set for a career-best second place finish aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha before crashing and remounting to take tenth, and LDS Consultants Kawasaki veteran Jordan Szoke, who was forced out with a shifting failure after running in the podium fight on lap one.
The GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will now get a month to recover before returning to the east coast at Atlantic Motorsport Park for round three, July 20-23, where Young swept both halves of the doubleheader in 2022 – something he will now need to do again as he hunts down Dumas.
Full results from the feature category can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won the MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at Mugello, in Italy. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici, the Italian racer won the 23-lap race by 1.067 seconds.
Prima Pramac Ducati teammates Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco finished second and third, respectively, very close behind Bagnaia.
Impeccable! Bagnaia holds off Martin to make it a home turf full house
In front of a packed Mugello, it’s advantage Bagnaia as Martin gains and Binder banks a top five – but Bezzecchi falters in eighth
Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (1) held off Jorge Martin (89) ton win the MotoGP race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 11 June 2023
Sunday at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley is a day that Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) will keep fondly in his memory, as the Italian completed the double in Mugello – from pole – and extended his Championship advantage from one single point to a very healthy 21. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) kept the Italian honest from start to finish but didn’t quite have enough to topple the number 1 as he was forced to settle for second, although only a second back. The battle for third raged on all race long, finally seeing Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) fly through the field to take P3 and deny Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) a home podium.
Tensions were high on the grid as the sun shone over Mugello for one of the most iconic Grands Prix on the calendar, and it was Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who took the holeshot into Turn 1 but Bagnaia came out of the gates determined to deliver on home soil, the Italian pushing his way back to the front at the next apex. He then began to stretch a lead as the chasing pack was swapping paintwork on the opening lap.
Bagnaia crossed the line for the first line 0.4s ahead of the special liveried Prima Pramac machine of Martin, who had made his way past Miller, and the Australian was under attack from a queue of riders led by Marini and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
The front two began to break away as Bagnaia attempted to stretch out the field, with Martin clinging onto the coattails of Pecco as chaos started to unfold behind in the battle for third.
With 21 laps to go, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a wild rush into Turn 1, seemingly unable to drop anchor and threading through the group. Both he and Miller were sent wide, allowing Marini and Marquez to bully their way through into third and fourth, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was right in the mix too.
The race settled down as the laps began to tick away and it was Bagnaia leading with a consistent 0.4s gap over Martin, who nevertheless was keeping himself in victory contention. 1.5s back, a battle for the podium was brewing nicely with Marini sat in P3 with the Marquez brothers glued to his rear wheel.
As ever, Marc Marquez was on the absolute limit of his Honda machine. But it wasn’t quite enough at Mugello as the Spaniard ran wide at the final turn and crashed out on the dirty part of the tarmac with 17 laps remaining, ending his hopes of some points on Sunday.
That spread the field out a little bit as Marini had a bit of breathing space over Alex Marquez in fourth, with Zarco starting to threaten the podium fight in fifth. The podium fight was well and truly on with 11 laps to go as Alex Marquez rode up alongside Marini into Turn 1, pulling off the perfect block pass to demote the Italian down to P4 – with Zarco also waiting to pounce.
Marini continued to pile the pressure on Alex Marquez in front though, and then the slightest of mistakes saw the Spaniard crash out of the Italian Grand Prix. The only rider who’d put in a lap to match Bagnaia was out of the running.
Six laps to go and Zarco made Marini well aware of his presence as he made a beautiful move at the final corner to lead Marini onto the front straight. The Italian got straight back into the Frenchman’s slipstream and retook 3rd place as they barrelled into Turn 1, but Zarco wasn’t having any of it. The Prima Pramac rider snapped straight back at the VR46 rider, putting the hammer down in an attempt to break away from his fellow Ducati.
The Frenchman went on to do exactly that, and with some incredible late-race pace sailed away from Marini to consolidate a double Pramac podium at the team’s home circuit.
Ahead of that charge though was Pecco’s own as Bagnaia kept it pitch perfect to manage the gap ahead of Martin. It was down to only a second on the final lap, however, as the number 89 pushed on and Zarco homed in on him in turn, but Bagnaia kept it calm and took that well-earned home win, consolidating that points lead in style.
Binder set the new all-time MotoGP™ top speed record on Saturday and was the first non-Ducati in P5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was next up as the Aprilia rider managed to catch and pass Miller, but not by much as the two staged a near photo-finish drag race to the flag.
A tough start to the race for Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) saw him stuck down in P8 with 15 laps to go, and the Italian couldn’t make progress as the laps ticked down. He gives up a few points to Binder in taking that eighth, and even more ground to Martin as the Spaniard finished second.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished his first race back from injury in P9, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) rounding out the top 10 ahead of his teammate Fabio Quartararo as the tougher run continued for the Frenchman.
It was a big weekend for Bagnaia’s 2023 title hopes as the Italian support fuelled his Championship defence. With a 21-point lead over Bezzecchi, the number 1 has gotten the triple header off to a perfect start… just as the paddock heads to the very venue where it all went a little wrong for Bagnaia in 2021. The Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland awaits the grid next weekend, with action in Assen just one week later. Make sure to come back for more and see if Bagnaia can keep the roll going in 2023!
QUOTE
PECCO BAGNAIA: “I’m happy for sure it’s the best weekend so far. Pole position, winning the Sprint, winning the Grand Prix, so for me it’s the best way possible to do a race weekend in Italy. I want to say thank you to all the fans because looking at the grandstands and looking around the track was incredible today. It was like how we saw Mugello in the past, and I really want to say thanks to all the people that have come yesterday and today. It’s been unbelievable I’ve really enjoyed the weekend I’ve really enjoyed the work we did to arrive at this performance, and today the race was quite tough really but sincerely I’m really happy to finish in this way.”
On the pressure from Martin:
“Yeah when I saw Miller was already overtaking me at the start I just said to myself no I have to be at the front and to push because I knew that many riders were starting with a soft rear tyre and I didn’t want to be with anyone in the first part of the race. I just wanted to have an advantage in the last part so I was just trying to push. Then in the last part of the race it was tricky for everybody but sincerely I’m quite happy with my choice because I think that for me that was the best option.”
The celebration:
“Yeah, like I said the barbecue I didn’t know anything about it, but my fan club is always putting a big smile on my face every time! They arrived here with a mascot going around with the sound bar around the paddock with loud music, and I really enjoyed everything. Sincerely, you can be criticized for everything on social media, but then when you see something like what we saw today, it’s the most important thing for us as a rider and as a person so today was a really emotional day for me.”
Pedro Acosta (37) left the Moto2 field far behind at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Acosta hits back with Mugello masterclass
Arbolino brings it home in second for some damage limitation as Dixon returns to the rostrum in third
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) put on a dominant display to reel in the points on Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, taking an impressive victory at the Italian’s home circuit. Arbolino finished the race at some distance in second, but the number 14 put in some good damage limitation after a tougher weekend before the lights went out. Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) snatched the final podium place on the final lap from polesitter Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Lons40).
It was a good start from Canet from pole, but the Spaniard lost out into Turn 1, dropping down the order to P4. Acosta led the pack on the first lap with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) right on his rear wheel, and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) shooting up into third. There was a big crash at Turn 1 just behind involving Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp), Jeremy Alcoba (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™), and Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), that ruling the trio out of the Grand Prix but riders all ok.
There was even more drama on Lap 1 as Lopez shoved his Boscocuro machine up the inside of Lowes, making contact with the Brit and sending him into the Mugello gravel. Lowes wasn’t best pleased and Lopez was immediately handed a Long Lap penalty just as he was glued to the rear wheel of Acosta. So two laps in it was Acosta leading from Lopez, who still had his penalty to serve, and at 0.7s back Arbolino had fought his way into P3 past Canet.
One lap later and the time came for Lopez to take his penalty, but the Spaniard was far from perfecting the loop as he found himself riding through the gravel on the outside of the Long Lap, dropping him to P13. As the Spaniard failed to correctly serve the penalty, that meant he was still due a trip through the long lap loop.
That left a two-second lead for Acosta, with Championship leader Arbolino sat in P2. Meanwhile Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) had found his way to the front as he slotted into P3, pushing Canet back to P4. Whilst that race settled at the front, Lopez successfully retook his penalty on take two, rejoining the race in P10.
Back at the front, Salač had broken away from Canet, leaving the Spaniard heading into the clutches of Dixon as the Czech rider flew his way onto the rear wheel of Arbolino up ahead. Arbolino then put the hammer down though and stretched out some breathing space, keeping himself in a lonely but valuable second place with Acosta 2.5s up the road.
Salač himself then began to drop back, first fading back to Canet and then behind Dixon, who demoted the Czech rider to P5 with five laps remaining. Dixon didn’t want to stop at P4, however, as he edged closer and closer to Canet. As Acosta took that impressive win and Arbolino followed him home, Dixon struck against Canet on the final lap at Turn 1, getting the job done and stayed ahead to get back on the podium.
Canet took fourth and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) sliced up to fifth, with Lopez putting in an impressive recovery to move through to sixth following his early transgressions.
Salač ultimately crossed the line in seventh, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and rookie Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegwow Los40).
The Championship story continues to run its rollercoaster course in the 2023 Moto2™ season. There are still plenty of points available as the attention now turns to the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in just one week’s time!
Daniel Holgado (96) came out on top of a five-way fight in the Moto3 race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Holgado doubles down and defeats Öncü in a close finish at Mugello
A five-rider fight at the front proved an instant classic, with the Championship leader just deposing Öncü and Sasaki completing the podium
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) has done it again! The Championship leader came out on top in an intense five-rider fight at Mugello, just defeating polesitter and pacesetter Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at the line. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) completed the podium, fighting off rookie David Alonso (Valresa GASGAS Aspar) and veteran Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing).
Öncü took the holeshot from pole, with Holgado slotting into second and Sasaki third as all made good starts. A key mover was Masia as he got up into fourth by the end of Lap 1, on the chase behind the leading trio, and soon enough it was a leading quartet. Alonso was also able to join the party, and the five then started to pull away from the chasing pack.
With positions chopping and changing as the long main straight brought slipstream into effect, it was a serious showdown all the way to the flag. There had even been a conduct warning for every rider in the front five, but no harm done despite a couple of moments.
Heading into San Donato for the last time, Sasaki was ahead and just kept it, but Holgado then pounced and Öncü was next past the Husqvarna. The Turk then struck for the lead and set about pushing to the limit to try and make a gap, conscious of the slipstream on the way to the line… and he needed to be.
Öncü exited ahead but it just wasn’t quite enough as Holgado kept it pinned to the line and just pipped the Turkish rider, taking the victory and extending his lead once again. öncü was able to just stay ahead of Sasaki, however, as the Japanese rider was forced to settle for third. Alonso likewise kept Masia at bay.
A massive group battle for sixth saw rookie Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) come out on top, just pipping Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI). But the Brazilian should be satisfied enough with his comeback ride from the back of the grid and a Long Lap penalty, putting in some excellent damage limitation. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took eighth, with Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) next up, the latter also from the back and via a Long Lap. Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) pipped another with a penalty, Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), to the final place in the top ten.
Now it’s off to the very different Sachsenring, and Holgado has a whopping 35 points in hand over Masia at the top. Will we see a twist in the next Grand Prix? Join us next weekend to find out!
Quiles conquers all-comers in Rookies 2 at Mugello
Màximo Quiles fought for every incredible corner of the 13-lap Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Mugello. The 15-year-old Spaniard had crashed out of the lead in the soaking wet on Saturday but mastered a cold track and avoided the damp patches on a beautiful Sunday morning to take his second victory of the season.
Crucially, Cup points leader and fellow countryman Angel Piqueras rode another perfect race to take 2nd ahead of local hero Guido Pini. Just 0.749 seconds covered Quiles to the 10th placed KTM of Jakob Rosenthaler at the flag.
Cup leader Piqueras has more points than the following 2 riders put together but there are still 150 to be won in the remaining 6 races.
Màximo Quiles did the work, takes the win
“I pushed hard all race. For the first half I saw that there were a lot of people, I thought that I should try and break the group because I was confident I was fast. Then I saw it was just 8 or so, much better.”
“In the last 3 or 4 laps I was 1st most of the time, I was comfortable in the lead. In the last lap, others were overtaking. I was 3rd and I didn’t want to be there because it is a bit complicated, you can be overtaken while you are finding a place to overtake.”
“Then in the Arrabbiata I overtook Piqueras, then I went for the lead and through the last sector just closed all the gaps, gave no one the chance to get past me. I’m happy.”
Angel Piqueras perfectly judged 2nd
“At the beginning of the race I was careful, the track was cold, there were damp patches, it was difficult to manage,” explained the 16-year-old points leader.
“In the last five laps, the track was better and I was more confident I could push a bit more. It was still a big group and when it is like that you cannot really plan your last lap, you just do what you can at every corner, if you are 5th you might finish 2nd or you might finish 10th.
Guido Pini takes 3rd on the line
“I am happy for another podium after Le Mans,” stated the 15-year-old Italian. “The bike was very good, but in the beginning, we had to be careful, the track was cold, there were some damp patches. After about 5 laps we started to go faster.”
“I tried always to stay in the lead positions but it was very difficult, it was a big group, all pushing very hard and a lot of slipstreaming.”
“At the end of the race I was behind a bit and I tried to pass a lot of riders in the Arrabbiata but Carpe tried to pass me and in the Correntaio I lost the front and Danish passed me. In the last corner I just went for it, I said, ‘OK’ and opened the throttle.”
Rico Salmela travel limited to 4th
“It was pretty difficult at the start of the race,” stated the 15-year-old Finn. “I tried to stay in the front, I was being careful with the wet patches but I could manage it.”
“Late in the race, I dropped back because I was having trouble with my front setup. After Qualifying we stiffened the front suspension but we weren’t using the travel and I couldn’t get the bike turned.”
“So I just relaxed, thought about it, didn’t take any big risks I just wanted to finish the race. Then in the final straight, I was well placed and could see I had the chance to make some good passes with the slipstream. So I was quite happy to finish P4. I was expecting a bit more but it was difficult with this setting and I will try for more in Assen.”
Alberto Ferrandez 5th after 1st
“I felt very good at the start of the race on the new tyres, so I pushed hard to get in front,” explained Saturday’s winner, the 15-year-old Spaniard. “After laps 6 or 7 I felt the tyre performance dropped a bit and I didn’t feel so confident.”
“In the last laps, I pushed a lot, I passed a lot of people but could only make it 5th at the finish. Still, I am happy with the weekend, my first win and 5th today.”
Marcos Ruda leading but unlucky
“It was an amazing race and I am so happy to be able to battle at the front and lead,” explained the 18-year-old Spaniard who finished 7th. “On the last lap, I was in front but into the last corner Piqueras passed me and touched and bumped me offline so I lost everything on the run to the flag.”
“Still it was a much better race than yesterday, I did not enjoy it in the wet. In the dry, I know I can battle for the win and I will do it again in Assen.”
Álvaro Carpe faster than 8th
“I am happy with the race but not the result,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard who started the day 2nd in the points table but slipped to 4th. “I don’t know where I am in the championship right now but I am going to continue fighting at every race.”
“Today I was in the lead group for most of the race, Everyone was pushing hard, aggressive. Ok so I finished 8th today but I will do better in Assen.”
Spaniard Pedro Acosta took a convincing victory in the FIM Moto2 World Championship race at Mugello. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo Kalex, Acosta won the 19-lap race by 6.194 seconds. It was his third win of the season.
Americans Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly finished 12th and 19th, respectively.
Spaniard Daniel Holgado won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at the Mugello Circuit, in Italy. Holgado rode his Red Bull KTM Tech3 machine to a 0.051-second margin of victory in the 17-lap race. It was Holgado’s second consecutive win, extending his Championship point lead.
Young cruises to decisive race one victory at Grand Bend
Grand Bend, ON – The tides began to turn at the top of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship on Saturday, as Ben Young controlled race one in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Goderich Toyota.
Building upon a dominant showing in qualifying on Friday, Young took the first major step in erasing his title deficit to Alex Dumas in round two, comfortably pacing the championship leader aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
It didn’t initially look like that would be the case after Dumas grabbed the holeshot on lap one, but his lead would last all of about one kilometre before Young stormed to the front off the end of the back straightaway and never looked back.
The early move was revealed to be by design, as Young – needing every point he can get after entering with a 23-point deficit – wanted to avoid handing Dumas the two-point bonus for leading a lap, a tactic that reduced his gap to only 14 points entering Sunday.
“Alex got the holeshot on us again, but I wanted to make the pass early so he couldn’t get the two points, because we need every point we can right now,” Young said.
His performance wasn’t without any drama, however, as his brake reservoir came loose around the halfway point, causing a few unwanted memories to resurface after a loose tail-section cost him a sure podium in round one.
“Thankfully I knew I could manage it and it would settle in after a while, but at first I thought ‘oh here we go again’” Young joked.
Young’s progress forward in the championship was limited by Dumas in second, but it was hardly the usual one-two finish many fans have been used to seeing, as Sam Guerin pressured Dumas closely for almost the entire 22-lap race.
The 2021 champion defended beautifully though, managing to put just enough distance between himself and third at the line to keep his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki in the next best spot of second – even despite needing his ‘B’ bike after a morning engine failure popped up.
“Grabbing the holeshot felt good, but the bike still isn’t where we want it,” Dumas admitted. “We had engine issues in practice, so I guess the ‘B’ bike held up well, but we’ll need to make some changes to hopefully catch Ben tomorrow.”
Guerin appeared to be sizing up a move on Dumas into the turn one bus-stop, but the EFC Group BMW rider got caught up in traffic with five laps to go which prevented a late battle between the two, though he smartly held on to a crucial third to jump into the same spot in the championship.
“I was planning a pass but the traffic cost me, and then when I was pushing to catch back up I actually lost a knee slider,” Guerin said. “From there Alex kind of took off, so I just tried to save it and bring it home in third.”
The double-podium also moves BMW to within eleven points of leaders Suzuki in the Constructors Championship, a result helped by Trevor Daley only managing fifth for the GSX-R brand.
Daley was running as high as fourth on the final lap before veteran Jordan Szoke made an excellent move in the penultimate corner, putting his LDS Consultants Kawasaki just off the podium in fourth and up to sixth in the overall championship.
The late pass ultimately wouldn’t have mattered to Daley, who was carrying a five-second jump start penalty that would have put him behind Szoke regardless, though he had built up enough of a gap to keep his OneSpeed Suzuki in fifth.
Daley was unfortunately involved in an incident with Chris Pletsch, attempting a late-breaking move into turn one and colliding with the home favourite, who couldn’t finish the race due to brake line damage.
It was a heartbreaking end to Pletsch’s national Pro Superbike debut, as he overcame an awful start to move his way back into the top-five just before the incident. The Stratford Cycle Centre Honda rider will hope to get a shot at redemption on Sunday, as he lines up second on the grid again in race two.
Just behind the chaos was Tomas Casas, who would have been in the battle for fourth himself if not for a self-inflicted mistake on lap eleven. The Parts Canada Yamaha rider had just passed Pletsch and was reeling in Szoke when he ran wide onto the back straightaway, forcing him into a lonely sixth on-track that would later become fifth.
The rest of the top-ten was at one point featured in an epic four-rider battle for seventh, though the late stages began to spread the group out as Jordan Royds held off the other trio aboard his IBEW BMW to claim sixth in the final classification.
Just behind was rookie John Fraser, who proved to be a critical performer for Suzuki in the wake of the Daley disqualification. The 17-year-old star also put his RSL Contracting machine back in the mix for the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year title, only three points behind ninth-place finisher Paul Macdonell on the Acme Motorsports Yamaha.
Between Fraser and Macdonell was Phillip Leckie, who attempted a trio of late passes on the east-coast youngster but came up just short to finish a solid eighth on his SCM/Tanians BMW.
Macdonell and Casas would also help push Yamaha further clear of Kawasaki for third in the Constructors table, aided by rookie Trevor Dion retiring early amidst mechanical blips on his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
The feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will now turn their focus to race two on Sunday at Grand Bend, with multiple championship leads on the line to finish off the second round.
Full results from all the national action can be found on the series’ official website.
After taking the victory in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two June 4 at Road America, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin celebrated on the cool down lap. On live TV, Herrin stood on the footpegs of his Panigale V4 R and raised both middle fingers.
The fingers were meant for all the critics who doubted his abilities, Herrin later said, but MotoAmerica did not like the gestures and fined the veteran rider $2,500.
Now, Herrin has decided to turn the situation into something good by using it as fuel to start a fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping prevent injuries at racetracks by advocating and facilitating the use of soft barriers from companies like Airfence and Alpina.
Herrin set a goal of $2,500, equal to his fine, and in less than 24 hours over $4,000 has been raised.
The Roadracing World Action Fund is currently raising funds to replace the 16 sections of Airfence Bike that were destroyed in a fire during a recent WERA race at Road Atlanta. The cost to replace those units is $41,600 plus shipping.
To make a tax-deductible donation directly to the Roadracing World Action Fund, click on the Action Fund tab at the top of the Roadracingworld.com home page or go to https://www.roadracingworld.com/actionfund/
Donations can also be made via PayPal at [email protected]. Put “RA fire replacements” in the comments/notes if you want the funds to go toward replacing the soft barriers lost at Road Atlanta.
Ferrandez out of sight in wet Mugello Rookies Cup win
Alberto Ferrandez totally dominated a soaking wet Race 1 at Mugello. The 15-year-old Spaniard won by over 30 seconds while a string of pursuers fell off while nowhere near able to match his pace.
Local hero Guido Pini fell from 2nd place at the first corner of the last lap leaving Jakob Rosenthaler no chance of avoiding his sliding KTM, gifting 2nd to Casey O’Gorman. Marco Morelli took a well deserved 3rd ahead of points leader Angel Piqueras.
Alberto Ferrandez in a class of his own
“I can’t believe it, what an incredible feeling,” he beamed. “The whole race was all about concentration, almost from the start I was just thinking, don’t crash, don’t crash, at every corner. It was a long and hard race for the mind.”
“I do enjoy riding in the rain so I was confident going into the race but of course also nervous about what might happen. I am so happy.”
“I am also getting a better and better feeling with the KTM every time I ride it so for tomorrow I hope we have a dry race, I want to be able to do the same thing on a dry track.”
Casey O’Gorman finally on the right side of fortune
“It’s certainly a bit better than last year and I’m happy with that,” enthused the 15-year-old Irishman referring to the fact that he fell while leading 12 months ago. “I had a lot of luck in the race with people falling off in front of me but that’s the first bit of luck I’ve had all year so I’ll take it.”
“I didn’t want a repeat of last year, I was OK as long as I could see the podium places because that was where I wanted to be. Every time I saw someone in front of me in a podium place they crashed out so…
“Finally, on the last lap I was 4th, I was planning how I was going to overtake Pini and Rosenthaler and then they both crashed on the first corner. So the rest of the lap was the slowest I did all race,” he chuckled.
Marco Morelli continues to show his class
“It’s incredible, my first podium in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, that’s fantastic.” stated the 15-year-old Argentine. “The race was so so difficult because the rain made it very tricky conditions.”
“In the first laps I did not feel so good, I couldn’t get a good feeling with the tyres but lap by lap I got some confidence and started to go a bit faster and I could gain positions.”
“I need to thank everyone supporting me. For tomorrow if the result would be the same as today that another wet race will be good but really I need to succeed in the dry to be competitive. So I look forward to doing just as well in a dry race.”
Angel Piqueras turned caution into success
“The track was so slippery, a lot of water and a bit dangerous,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard who went backwards from pole on lap 1. “At the start of the race I just didn’t have any good feeling from the track and the tyres, I had to go slow. Then after a few laps I warmed the tyres a little and I started to feel what they were doing.”
“That gave me a bit of confidence and I could push a little more but I still wasn’t fast. I was feeling better and better as the race went on and I could get some points. I’m happy because the gap to the second in the championship has increased..”
Jakob Rosenthaler robbed of a brilliant podium
“I already felt in the sighting laps that I could run at the front and battle with the fastest riders,” explained the 17-year-old Austrian. “I knew from last year more-or-less who is fast and I could go with them and overtake a lot of guys.”
“I was really feeling confident and all the way I could gain places and get to the front. I think that from about lap 4 or 5 I was fighting for the podium and then battling, swapping, 2nd and 3rd place.”
“In the last lap I tried to get into 2nd because I knew that there were 3 riders fighting for 2 podium positions so it is always better to be in front,” he laughed.
“Then Pini overtook me going into Turn 1 and had a small highside. I couldn’t avoid him, just bad luck. I picked the bike up but the engine had stopped and I couldn’t restart it.”
“I am looking forward to tomorrow, wet or dry, I know from qualifying in the dry that I did a good lap more or less alone and I have a good feeling. So I think I have good possibilities to fight in the front group also in the dry.”
Guido Pini makes last lap mistake
“The race, before that last lap….. was good,” admitted the 15-year-old Italian ruefully. I was in 2nd position. “Ferrandez was too far in front, I tried to stay in 2nd, with another 2 riders. On the last lap, in the 1st corner I lost the rear and I crashed.”
“I’m not happy for the crash but I think the race was good. A dry race for me is better tomorrow but as we saw today I can also be fast in the wet.”
Max Quiles crashes out of an early lead
“It was a great race and in the first laps I was quite fast,” enthused the 15-year-old Spaniard. “I made an error on the first lap going for my long lap penalty, I was nervous and forgot that you can’t do it on the first lap. I did another on the second lap and would have done a third, I was still fast and in front. I was comfortable but in water, one little movement and you crash. I was quite unlucky.”
“Next time I will try to be more calm.”
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 2 is on Sunday at 8:50, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
Granado back on top after glorious wet weather masterclass at Mugello
The Brazilian shines in the rain as Manfredi takes a first podium in second and Ferrari makes key gains with another podium
Eric Granado (51) won wet MotoE Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
It’s been a tough month for Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) as the Brazilian was forced onto the sidelines due to injury, but his return at Mugello has put him right back in play for the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship. Some solid points in Race 1 started Saturday off well, but as torrential conditions hit just ahead of the second electric showdown of the day, it was a whole new challenge. Still, the Brazilian sliced through through after a tougher start to take the lead late on and then really put the hammer down, making a gap before the Red Flag came out on the very last lap.
Behind him, there was an absolute charge from home hero Kevin Manfredi (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) as he fought at the front and came home second, with Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) completing the podium and with that, moving to within just two points of leader Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) in the standings.
There was drama even before lights out as Prettl Pramac riders Tito Rabat and Luca Salvadori both didn’t make it round to pitlane in time to head back through for a second sighting lap, forcing them to start from pitlane. When the lights went out on the grid though it was spray down into Turn 1 but no drama at all, with everyone finding their braking points and setting off around Mugello for a shortened six-lap dash.
Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) got the holeshot, with Ferrari into second and Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) into third, but Manfredi was soon on the move up, as was Granado too. Ferrari then struck at the front to lead and pulled out quite a gap out of the final corner, with Casadei fighting with Granado and Manfredi.
And so, Ferrari led Granado led Manfredi, with the trio pulling clear to make it a private fight for the win as Casadei tried to regroup. As Manfredi battled Granado for second though, Casadei was able to regroup and start to pull then back in.
Alas, it wasn’t to be for the number 40. Granado took the lead at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, and the Brazilian was pulling clear as Casadei then crashed out of that chasing group. Rider ok, but bike very much not, beached in the gravel near the air fence and bringing the Red Flag out.
With that, Granado’s gap at the front was more than enough to secure the win, and a move Manfredi had just made on Ferrari ensured the number 34 took that second place. Ferrari, forced to settle for third, still made it a positive day at the office, now within a two points of the top.
Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) took fourth after a late charge, with Torres completing the top five just ahead of Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ duo Hector Garzo and Krummenacher. Race 1 winner Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™ Team) crashed out, as did Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team).
Mika Perez (RNF MotoE™ Team), Alessandro Zaccone (Tech 3 E-Racing) and Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the top ten.
That’s a wrap on Mugello! Torres is now top by two points from Ferrari, with Garzo back into third by another two points. And Granado? He’s now seventh, with 35 points to Torres’ 63. Bring on Germany!
2022 Superbike World Champion Alvaro Bautista (right) in his garage at Misano with Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi "Gigi" Dall'Igna (left). Photo courtesy Ducati.
DATES CONFIRMED: Bautista to test Ducati MotoGP™ bike at Misano in June
The reigning World Superbike Champion will have a test on a MotoGP™ bike in Italy on the 20th and 21st June
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will take advantage of the break in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to complete a two-day test at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with the Ducati MotoGP™ bike. The test will take place on June 20th and 21st at the venue where Bautista claimed a hat-trick of wins in WorldSBK as he enjoys an outing on the Desmosedici GP machine.
Bautista has been talking about completing a test with the MotoGP™ machine after winning the WorldSBK title last year and he is currently on top of the standings in 2023 with 14 wins in the first 15 races this year. However, with a three-weekend break between the Emilia-Romagna and UK Rounds, Bautista will swap his Panigale V4 R machine for the Desmosedici GP bike across a two-day test at Misano, running as part of the Aruba.it Racing team that competed at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello last weekend with Michele Pirro.
Misano has been a happy hunting ground for Bautista in WorldSBK on Ducati machinery with three wins in 2023 and two more in 2022. He also claimed a podium finish there in 2019 in Race 1 on his first race with Ducati at Misano in WorldSBK, as well as winning the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday morning. With so much knowledge of the track already, both from WorldSBK and MotoGP™, as well as a lot of success there in recent times, Bautista will be able enjoy the test to the fullest.
While the test will take place in June, there has been speculation about a potential wildcard for Bautista as part of the programme although nothing has been confirmed by the team, manufacturer or the rider. Discussing a potential wildcard in MotoGP™, Bautista said in a feature interview: “After I won the World Championship in WorldSBK, I asked Ducati to have a test with the MotoGP™ bike because, from the outside, it seems like a really fun bike. We will do the test very soon. I don’t do the test with an intention to do a wildcard. I’d like to do the test and let’s see what happens. I don’t think there’s a lot of chance to repeat what Troy Bayliss did in 2006. It was another time and it was different. At the moment, in my mind, it’s only the World Superbike Championship. I just take the test like a prize and don’t think about Troy Bayliss.”
With the dates now confirmed for the test, plans are in place to cover Bautista’s return to MotoGP™ machinery. There will be a team on the ground at Misano to produce footage of Bautista on track and in the box across both days, while there will also be interviews conducted at Misano to get instant thoughts about the test and much more from Bautista’s test. There will also be pictures of the test for you to see incredible images of Bautista back in MotoGP™ machinery.
Follow the two-day test on WorldSBK.com and follow more action from WorldSBK in 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Championship leader Alex Dumas (23) endured the wet conditions Sunday at Grand Bend to take the win. Trevor Daley (9) and Tomas Casas (hidden behind Szoke) both crashed and remounted to finish fourth and 10th, respectively, while Jordan Szoke's (101) race ended early due to a mechanical problem. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Dumas conquers crash-filled race two in mixed conditions at Grand Bend
Grand Bend, ON – Just as the gap began to close atop the GP Bikes Pro Superbike series, Alex Dumas made sure to blow the doors right off it.
The championship leader again mastered a damp track on Sunday, winning in dominant fashion to close out the second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Goderich Toyota.
While it was a full-wet showing in round one for Dumas, this time he conquered the feature class in mixed conditions, avoiding the chaos in a crash-filled race two that forced many stars into costly errors – including reigning champion and title rival Ben Young.
Attempting to navigate a tricky surface on his ‘B’ rain bike, Young didn’t even make the start after crashing on the warmup lap, remounting to enter the pits and hop onto his dry ‘A’ bike.
As for the on-track action, it initially looked as though Dumas could come under threat from another Suzuki as Trevor Daley got a rocket launch, closing quickly on the 2021 title winner as he eyed his first career Pro Superbike victory.
However, Daley’s charge appeared to be over after a fast crash in the final turn, the last time anyone would even be close to Dumas as he began to stretch out a massive lead – at one point as large as 27 seconds – scoring a decisive third victory in four races.
As for Young, the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider would rejoin three laps down and salvage a lonely eleventh-place finish (thanks in large part to retirements ahead of him), watching as Dumas’ title advantage ballooned to a staggering 36 points.
“I actually felt really good out there. I knew someone was with me at the start, but I was able to put my head down and manage the gap to the end,” Dumas said. “It sucks for Ben, but it’s huge points for the championship.”
The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider will still have work to do with seven races remaining on the calendar, though he has put Young on the backfoot in thus far the most emphatic fashion during their rivalry, albeit helped by bad luck for the two-time feature class champion.
As for the chaos behind Dumas, absolutely no order looked set in stone during the 20-lap battle, with eight different riders running in podium places at some point in the race.
In the end, though, it was local star Chris Pletsch who managed to outlast the drama, picking up his first career pro national Superbike podium in just his second start and making his Stratford Cycle Centre machine the first Honda on the rostrum since 2015.
One of the top riders in the SOAR regional series at Grand Bend, Pletsch couldn’t commit to a return in round three on the east coast, though he certainly demanded enough attention with his performance on Sunday.
“I’m so happy. All weekend I was looking forward to the rain, even though it’s my first time in the rain on a Superbike,” Pletsch said. “It’s quite the hike out east, so we’ll see about the future, but for now it’s awesome to represent all the SOAR guys on the podium.”
Pletsch’s runner-up spot rapidly came under fire in the final moments, however, as Trevor Dion began to reel in his SOAR friend and rival – followed closely by an amazingly hard-charging Daley.
Dion would hold onto the final podium spot, his first aboard the LDS Consultants Kawasaki, as the rookie finally managed to put some of his own luck behind him.
“I knew someone was coming on strong behind me, but I didn’t know who, I was just so focused on catching Chris,” Dion said. “The gap was getting smaller and I was in a bit of a rhythm, but I was happy to just bring home the podium for the team, especially after the injuries in round one.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race Two podium (from left): Second-place finisher Chris Pletsch, race winner Alex Dumas, and Trevor Dion in third. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
While he just missed out on the podium by 0.073 seconds at the line, Daley was unquestionably the story of the race, mounting one of the greatest single-race comebacks in CSBK history.
The OneSpeed Suzuki rider was seemingly out of it after crashing chasing Dumas, but remounted and quickly carved his way through the pack, recovering a crucial fourth-place result for both himself and Suzuki as he climbs to within a single point of third overall and helps his brand to a 28-point lead atop the Constructors Championship.
The misfortune continued for BMW, as the trio of Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki on the podium means the Motorrad brand will miss the rostrum for the first time since Calgary in 2010 – a streak of 88 consecutive races.
Sam Guerin would be the top BMW in fifth, briefly running in third before fading back mid-race in the tricky conditions, though he escapes with a one-point advantage over Daley in the fight for third in the championship aboard his EFC Group machine.
Jordan Royds did his best to help limit the damage for BMW as well by finishing sixth on his IBEW machine, at one point fighting for his first career pro national podium before ceding position to Daley and Guerin.
John Fraser would complete the top-seven aboard his RLS Contracting Suzuki, moving to within a single point of the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year lead behind Acme Motorsports Yamaha’s Paul Macdonell, who finished ninth (SCM/Tanians BMW rider Phillip Leckie would split them in eighth).
Amongst the notable retirements were Tomas Casas, who looked set for a career-best second place finish aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha before crashing and remounting to take tenth, and LDS Consultants Kawasaki veteran Jordan Szoke, who was forced out with a shifting failure after running in the podium fight on lap one.
The GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will now get a month to recover before returning to the east coast at Atlantic Motorsport Park for round three, July 20-23, where Young swept both halves of the doubleheader in 2022 – something he will now need to do again as he hunts down Dumas.
Full results from the feature category can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
The Mugello Circuit in Italy. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won the MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at Mugello, in Italy. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici, the Italian racer won the 23-lap race by 1.067 seconds.
Prima Pramac Ducati teammates Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco finished second and third, respectively, very close behind Bagnaia.
Impeccable! Bagnaia holds off Martin to make it a home turf full house
In front of a packed Mugello, it’s advantage Bagnaia as Martin gains and Binder banks a top five – but Bezzecchi falters in eighth
Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (1) held off Jorge Martin (89) ton win the MotoGP race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 11 June 2023
Sunday at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley is a day that Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) will keep fondly in his memory, as the Italian completed the double in Mugello – from pole – and extended his Championship advantage from one single point to a very healthy 21. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) kept the Italian honest from start to finish but didn’t quite have enough to topple the number 1 as he was forced to settle for second, although only a second back. The battle for third raged on all race long, finally seeing Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) fly through the field to take P3 and deny Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) a home podium.
Tensions were high on the grid as the sun shone over Mugello for one of the most iconic Grands Prix on the calendar, and it was Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who took the holeshot into Turn 1 but Bagnaia came out of the gates determined to deliver on home soil, the Italian pushing his way back to the front at the next apex. He then began to stretch a lead as the chasing pack was swapping paintwork on the opening lap.
Bagnaia crossed the line for the first line 0.4s ahead of the special liveried Prima Pramac machine of Martin, who had made his way past Miller, and the Australian was under attack from a queue of riders led by Marini and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
The front two began to break away as Bagnaia attempted to stretch out the field, with Martin clinging onto the coattails of Pecco as chaos started to unfold behind in the battle for third.
With 21 laps to go, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a wild rush into Turn 1, seemingly unable to drop anchor and threading through the group. Both he and Miller were sent wide, allowing Marini and Marquez to bully their way through into third and fourth, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was right in the mix too.
The race settled down as the laps began to tick away and it was Bagnaia leading with a consistent 0.4s gap over Martin, who nevertheless was keeping himself in victory contention. 1.5s back, a battle for the podium was brewing nicely with Marini sat in P3 with the Marquez brothers glued to his rear wheel.
As ever, Marc Marquez was on the absolute limit of his Honda machine. But it wasn’t quite enough at Mugello as the Spaniard ran wide at the final turn and crashed out on the dirty part of the tarmac with 17 laps remaining, ending his hopes of some points on Sunday.
That spread the field out a little bit as Marini had a bit of breathing space over Alex Marquez in fourth, with Zarco starting to threaten the podium fight in fifth. The podium fight was well and truly on with 11 laps to go as Alex Marquez rode up alongside Marini into Turn 1, pulling off the perfect block pass to demote the Italian down to P4 – with Zarco also waiting to pounce.
Marini continued to pile the pressure on Alex Marquez in front though, and then the slightest of mistakes saw the Spaniard crash out of the Italian Grand Prix. The only rider who’d put in a lap to match Bagnaia was out of the running.
Six laps to go and Zarco made Marini well aware of his presence as he made a beautiful move at the final corner to lead Marini onto the front straight. The Italian got straight back into the Frenchman’s slipstream and retook 3rd place as they barrelled into Turn 1, but Zarco wasn’t having any of it. The Prima Pramac rider snapped straight back at the VR46 rider, putting the hammer down in an attempt to break away from his fellow Ducati.
The Frenchman went on to do exactly that, and with some incredible late-race pace sailed away from Marini to consolidate a double Pramac podium at the team’s home circuit.
Ahead of that charge though was Pecco’s own as Bagnaia kept it pitch perfect to manage the gap ahead of Martin. It was down to only a second on the final lap, however, as the number 89 pushed on and Zarco homed in on him in turn, but Bagnaia kept it calm and took that well-earned home win, consolidating that points lead in style.
Binder set the new all-time MotoGP™ top speed record on Saturday and was the first non-Ducati in P5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was next up as the Aprilia rider managed to catch and pass Miller, but not by much as the two staged a near photo-finish drag race to the flag.
A tough start to the race for Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) saw him stuck down in P8 with 15 laps to go, and the Italian couldn’t make progress as the laps ticked down. He gives up a few points to Binder in taking that eighth, and even more ground to Martin as the Spaniard finished second.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished his first race back from injury in P9, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) rounding out the top 10 ahead of his teammate Fabio Quartararo as the tougher run continued for the Frenchman.
It was a big weekend for Bagnaia’s 2023 title hopes as the Italian support fuelled his Championship defence. With a 21-point lead over Bezzecchi, the number 1 has gotten the triple header off to a perfect start… just as the paddock heads to the very venue where it all went a little wrong for Bagnaia in 2021. The Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland awaits the grid next weekend, with action in Assen just one week later. Make sure to come back for more and see if Bagnaia can keep the roll going in 2023!
QUOTE
PECCO BAGNAIA: “I’m happy for sure it’s the best weekend so far. Pole position, winning the Sprint, winning the Grand Prix, so for me it’s the best way possible to do a race weekend in Italy. I want to say thank you to all the fans because looking at the grandstands and looking around the track was incredible today. It was like how we saw Mugello in the past, and I really want to say thanks to all the people that have come yesterday and today. It’s been unbelievable I’ve really enjoyed the weekend I’ve really enjoyed the work we did to arrive at this performance, and today the race was quite tough really but sincerely I’m really happy to finish in this way.”
On the pressure from Martin:
“Yeah when I saw Miller was already overtaking me at the start I just said to myself no I have to be at the front and to push because I knew that many riders were starting with a soft rear tyre and I didn’t want to be with anyone in the first part of the race. I just wanted to have an advantage in the last part so I was just trying to push. Then in the last part of the race it was tricky for everybody but sincerely I’m quite happy with my choice because I think that for me that was the best option.”
The celebration:
“Yeah, like I said the barbecue I didn’t know anything about it, but my fan club is always putting a big smile on my face every time! They arrived here with a mascot going around with the sound bar around the paddock with loud music, and I really enjoyed everything. Sincerely, you can be criticized for everything on social media, but then when you see something like what we saw today, it’s the most important thing for us as a rider and as a person so today was a really emotional day for me.”
Pedro Acosta (37) left the Moto2 field far behind at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Acosta hits back with Mugello masterclass
Arbolino brings it home in second for some damage limitation as Dixon returns to the rostrum in third
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) put on a dominant display to reel in the points on Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, taking an impressive victory at the Italian’s home circuit. Arbolino finished the race at some distance in second, but the number 14 put in some good damage limitation after a tougher weekend before the lights went out. Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) snatched the final podium place on the final lap from polesitter Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Lons40).
It was a good start from Canet from pole, but the Spaniard lost out into Turn 1, dropping down the order to P4. Acosta led the pack on the first lap with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) right on his rear wheel, and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) shooting up into third. There was a big crash at Turn 1 just behind involving Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp), Jeremy Alcoba (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™), and Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), that ruling the trio out of the Grand Prix but riders all ok.
There was even more drama on Lap 1 as Lopez shoved his Boscocuro machine up the inside of Lowes, making contact with the Brit and sending him into the Mugello gravel. Lowes wasn’t best pleased and Lopez was immediately handed a Long Lap penalty just as he was glued to the rear wheel of Acosta. So two laps in it was Acosta leading from Lopez, who still had his penalty to serve, and at 0.7s back Arbolino had fought his way into P3 past Canet.
One lap later and the time came for Lopez to take his penalty, but the Spaniard was far from perfecting the loop as he found himself riding through the gravel on the outside of the Long Lap, dropping him to P13. As the Spaniard failed to correctly serve the penalty, that meant he was still due a trip through the long lap loop.
That left a two-second lead for Acosta, with Championship leader Arbolino sat in P2. Meanwhile Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) had found his way to the front as he slotted into P3, pushing Canet back to P4. Whilst that race settled at the front, Lopez successfully retook his penalty on take two, rejoining the race in P10.
Back at the front, Salač had broken away from Canet, leaving the Spaniard heading into the clutches of Dixon as the Czech rider flew his way onto the rear wheel of Arbolino up ahead. Arbolino then put the hammer down though and stretched out some breathing space, keeping himself in a lonely but valuable second place with Acosta 2.5s up the road.
Salač himself then began to drop back, first fading back to Canet and then behind Dixon, who demoted the Czech rider to P5 with five laps remaining. Dixon didn’t want to stop at P4, however, as he edged closer and closer to Canet. As Acosta took that impressive win and Arbolino followed him home, Dixon struck against Canet on the final lap at Turn 1, getting the job done and stayed ahead to get back on the podium.
Canet took fourth and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) sliced up to fifth, with Lopez putting in an impressive recovery to move through to sixth following his early transgressions.
Salač ultimately crossed the line in seventh, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and rookie Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegwow Los40).
The Championship story continues to run its rollercoaster course in the 2023 Moto2™ season. There are still plenty of points available as the attention now turns to the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in just one week’s time!
Daniel Holgado (96) came out on top of a five-way fight in the Moto3 race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Holgado doubles down and defeats Öncü in a close finish at Mugello
A five-rider fight at the front proved an instant classic, with the Championship leader just deposing Öncü and Sasaki completing the podium
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) has done it again! The Championship leader came out on top in an intense five-rider fight at Mugello, just defeating polesitter and pacesetter Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at the line. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) completed the podium, fighting off rookie David Alonso (Valresa GASGAS Aspar) and veteran Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing).
Öncü took the holeshot from pole, with Holgado slotting into second and Sasaki third as all made good starts. A key mover was Masia as he got up into fourth by the end of Lap 1, on the chase behind the leading trio, and soon enough it was a leading quartet. Alonso was also able to join the party, and the five then started to pull away from the chasing pack.
With positions chopping and changing as the long main straight brought slipstream into effect, it was a serious showdown all the way to the flag. There had even been a conduct warning for every rider in the front five, but no harm done despite a couple of moments.
Heading into San Donato for the last time, Sasaki was ahead and just kept it, but Holgado then pounced and Öncü was next past the Husqvarna. The Turk then struck for the lead and set about pushing to the limit to try and make a gap, conscious of the slipstream on the way to the line… and he needed to be.
Öncü exited ahead but it just wasn’t quite enough as Holgado kept it pinned to the line and just pipped the Turkish rider, taking the victory and extending his lead once again. öncü was able to just stay ahead of Sasaki, however, as the Japanese rider was forced to settle for third. Alonso likewise kept Masia at bay.
A massive group battle for sixth saw rookie Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) come out on top, just pipping Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI). But the Brazilian should be satisfied enough with his comeback ride from the back of the grid and a Long Lap penalty, putting in some excellent damage limitation. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took eighth, with Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) next up, the latter also from the back and via a Long Lap. Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) pipped another with a penalty, Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), to the final place in the top ten.
Now it’s off to the very different Sachsenring, and Holgado has a whopping 35 points in hand over Masia at the top. Will we see a twist in the next Grand Prix? Join us next weekend to find out!
Quiles conquers all-comers in Rookies 2 at Mugello
Màximo Quiles fought for every incredible corner of the 13-lap Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Mugello. The 15-year-old Spaniard had crashed out of the lead in the soaking wet on Saturday but mastered a cold track and avoided the damp patches on a beautiful Sunday morning to take his second victory of the season.
Crucially, Cup points leader and fellow countryman Angel Piqueras rode another perfect race to take 2nd ahead of local hero Guido Pini. Just 0.749 seconds covered Quiles to the 10th placed KTM of Jakob Rosenthaler at the flag.
Cup leader Piqueras has more points than the following 2 riders put together but there are still 150 to be won in the remaining 6 races.
Màximo Quiles did the work, takes the win
“I pushed hard all race. For the first half I saw that there were a lot of people, I thought that I should try and break the group because I was confident I was fast. Then I saw it was just 8 or so, much better.”
“In the last 3 or 4 laps I was 1st most of the time, I was comfortable in the lead. In the last lap, others were overtaking. I was 3rd and I didn’t want to be there because it is a bit complicated, you can be overtaken while you are finding a place to overtake.”
“Then in the Arrabbiata I overtook Piqueras, then I went for the lead and through the last sector just closed all the gaps, gave no one the chance to get past me. I’m happy.”
Angel Piqueras perfectly judged 2nd
“At the beginning of the race I was careful, the track was cold, there were damp patches, it was difficult to manage,” explained the 16-year-old points leader.
“In the last five laps, the track was better and I was more confident I could push a bit more. It was still a big group and when it is like that you cannot really plan your last lap, you just do what you can at every corner, if you are 5th you might finish 2nd or you might finish 10th.
Guido Pini takes 3rd on the line
“I am happy for another podium after Le Mans,” stated the 15-year-old Italian. “The bike was very good, but in the beginning, we had to be careful, the track was cold, there were some damp patches. After about 5 laps we started to go faster.”
“I tried always to stay in the lead positions but it was very difficult, it was a big group, all pushing very hard and a lot of slipstreaming.”
“At the end of the race I was behind a bit and I tried to pass a lot of riders in the Arrabbiata but Carpe tried to pass me and in the Correntaio I lost the front and Danish passed me. In the last corner I just went for it, I said, ‘OK’ and opened the throttle.”
Rico Salmela travel limited to 4th
“It was pretty difficult at the start of the race,” stated the 15-year-old Finn. “I tried to stay in the front, I was being careful with the wet patches but I could manage it.”
“Late in the race, I dropped back because I was having trouble with my front setup. After Qualifying we stiffened the front suspension but we weren’t using the travel and I couldn’t get the bike turned.”
“So I just relaxed, thought about it, didn’t take any big risks I just wanted to finish the race. Then in the final straight, I was well placed and could see I had the chance to make some good passes with the slipstream. So I was quite happy to finish P4. I was expecting a bit more but it was difficult with this setting and I will try for more in Assen.”
Alberto Ferrandez 5th after 1st
“I felt very good at the start of the race on the new tyres, so I pushed hard to get in front,” explained Saturday’s winner, the 15-year-old Spaniard. “After laps 6 or 7 I felt the tyre performance dropped a bit and I didn’t feel so confident.”
“In the last laps, I pushed a lot, I passed a lot of people but could only make it 5th at the finish. Still, I am happy with the weekend, my first win and 5th today.”
Marcos Ruda leading but unlucky
“It was an amazing race and I am so happy to be able to battle at the front and lead,” explained the 18-year-old Spaniard who finished 7th. “On the last lap, I was in front but into the last corner Piqueras passed me and touched and bumped me offline so I lost everything on the run to the flag.”
“Still it was a much better race than yesterday, I did not enjoy it in the wet. In the dry, I know I can battle for the win and I will do it again in Assen.”
Álvaro Carpe faster than 8th
“I am happy with the race but not the result,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard who started the day 2nd in the points table but slipped to 4th. “I don’t know where I am in the championship right now but I am going to continue fighting at every race.”
“Today I was in the lead group for most of the race, Everyone was pushing hard, aggressive. Ok so I finished 8th today but I will do better in Assen.”
The Mugello Circuit in Italy. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Spaniard Pedro Acosta took a convincing victory in the FIM Moto2 World Championship race at Mugello. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo Kalex, Acosta won the 19-lap race by 6.194 seconds. It was his third win of the season.
Americans Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly finished 12th and 19th, respectively.
The Mugello Circuit in Italy. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Spaniard Daniel Holgado won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at the Mugello Circuit, in Italy. Holgado rode his Red Bull KTM Tech3 machine to a 0.051-second margin of victory in the 17-lap race. It was Holgado’s second consecutive win, extending his Championship point lead.
Ben Young (1) leads the opening lap of Saturday's Superbike race at Grand Bend. The defending CSBK champion would go on to win ahead of Alex Dumas (23) in second and Samuel Guerin (hidden behind Dumas) third. 14-time Canadian Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke (101) was fourth. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young cruises to decisive race one victory at Grand Bend
Grand Bend, ON – The tides began to turn at the top of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship on Saturday, as Ben Young controlled race one in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Goderich Toyota.
Building upon a dominant showing in qualifying on Friday, Young took the first major step in erasing his title deficit to Alex Dumas in round two, comfortably pacing the championship leader aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
It didn’t initially look like that would be the case after Dumas grabbed the holeshot on lap one, but his lead would last all of about one kilometre before Young stormed to the front off the end of the back straightaway and never looked back.
The early move was revealed to be by design, as Young – needing every point he can get after entering with a 23-point deficit – wanted to avoid handing Dumas the two-point bonus for leading a lap, a tactic that reduced his gap to only 14 points entering Sunday.
“Alex got the holeshot on us again, but I wanted to make the pass early so he couldn’t get the two points, because we need every point we can right now,” Young said.
His performance wasn’t without any drama, however, as his brake reservoir came loose around the halfway point, causing a few unwanted memories to resurface after a loose tail-section cost him a sure podium in round one.
“Thankfully I knew I could manage it and it would settle in after a while, but at first I thought ‘oh here we go again’” Young joked.
Young’s progress forward in the championship was limited by Dumas in second, but it was hardly the usual one-two finish many fans have been used to seeing, as Sam Guerin pressured Dumas closely for almost the entire 22-lap race.
The 2021 champion defended beautifully though, managing to put just enough distance between himself and third at the line to keep his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki in the next best spot of second – even despite needing his ‘B’ bike after a morning engine failure popped up.
“Grabbing the holeshot felt good, but the bike still isn’t where we want it,” Dumas admitted. “We had engine issues in practice, so I guess the ‘B’ bike held up well, but we’ll need to make some changes to hopefully catch Ben tomorrow.”
Guerin appeared to be sizing up a move on Dumas into the turn one bus-stop, but the EFC Group BMW rider got caught up in traffic with five laps to go which prevented a late battle between the two, though he smartly held on to a crucial third to jump into the same spot in the championship.
“I was planning a pass but the traffic cost me, and then when I was pushing to catch back up I actually lost a knee slider,” Guerin said. “From there Alex kind of took off, so I just tried to save it and bring it home in third.”
The double-podium also moves BMW to within eleven points of leaders Suzuki in the Constructors Championship, a result helped by Trevor Daley only managing fifth for the GSX-R brand.
Daley was running as high as fourth on the final lap before veteran Jordan Szoke made an excellent move in the penultimate corner, putting his LDS Consultants Kawasaki just off the podium in fourth and up to sixth in the overall championship.
The late pass ultimately wouldn’t have mattered to Daley, who was carrying a five-second jump start penalty that would have put him behind Szoke regardless, though he had built up enough of a gap to keep his OneSpeed Suzuki in fifth.
Daley was unfortunately involved in an incident with Chris Pletsch, attempting a late-breaking move into turn one and colliding with the home favourite, who couldn’t finish the race due to brake line damage.
It was a heartbreaking end to Pletsch’s national Pro Superbike debut, as he overcame an awful start to move his way back into the top-five just before the incident. The Stratford Cycle Centre Honda rider will hope to get a shot at redemption on Sunday, as he lines up second on the grid again in race two.
Just behind the chaos was Tomas Casas, who would have been in the battle for fourth himself if not for a self-inflicted mistake on lap eleven. The Parts Canada Yamaha rider had just passed Pletsch and was reeling in Szoke when he ran wide onto the back straightaway, forcing him into a lonely sixth on-track that would later become fifth.
The rest of the top-ten was at one point featured in an epic four-rider battle for seventh, though the late stages began to spread the group out as Jordan Royds held off the other trio aboard his IBEW BMW to claim sixth in the final classification.
Just behind was rookie John Fraser, who proved to be a critical performer for Suzuki in the wake of the Daley disqualification. The 17-year-old star also put his RSL Contracting machine back in the mix for the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year title, only three points behind ninth-place finisher Paul Macdonell on the Acme Motorsports Yamaha.
Between Fraser and Macdonell was Phillip Leckie, who attempted a trio of late passes on the east-coast youngster but came up just short to finish a solid eighth on his SCM/Tanians BMW.
Macdonell and Casas would also help push Yamaha further clear of Kawasaki for third in the Constructors table, aided by rookie Trevor Dion retiring early amidst mechanical blips on his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
The feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will now turn their focus to race two on Sunday at Grand Bend, with multiple championship leads on the line to finish off the second round.
Full results from all the national action can be found on the series’ official website.
Josh Herrin (2), after winning MotoAmerica Superbike Race Two June 4 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
After taking the victory in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two June 4 at Road America, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin celebrated on the cool down lap. On live TV, Herrin stood on the footpegs of his Panigale V4 R and raised both middle fingers.
The fingers were meant for all the critics who doubted his abilities, Herrin later said, but MotoAmerica did not like the gestures and fined the veteran rider $2,500.
Now, Herrin has decided to turn the situation into something good by using it as fuel to start a fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping prevent injuries at racetracks by advocating and facilitating the use of soft barriers from companies like Airfence and Alpina.
Herrin set a goal of $2,500, equal to his fine, and in less than 24 hours over $4,000 has been raised.
The Roadracing World Action Fund is currently raising funds to replace the 16 sections of Airfence Bike that were destroyed in a fire during a recent WERA race at Road Atlanta. The cost to replace those units is $41,600 plus shipping.
To make a tax-deductible donation directly to the Roadracing World Action Fund, click on the Action Fund tab at the top of the Roadracingworld.com home page or go to https://www.roadracingworld.com/actionfund/
Donations can also be made via PayPal at [email protected]. Put “RA fire replacements” in the comments/notes if you want the funds to go toward replacing the soft barriers lost at Road Atlanta.
Ferrandez out of sight in wet Mugello Rookies Cup win
Alberto Ferrandez totally dominated a soaking wet Race 1 at Mugello. The 15-year-old Spaniard won by over 30 seconds while a string of pursuers fell off while nowhere near able to match his pace.
Local hero Guido Pini fell from 2nd place at the first corner of the last lap leaving Jakob Rosenthaler no chance of avoiding his sliding KTM, gifting 2nd to Casey O’Gorman. Marco Morelli took a well deserved 3rd ahead of points leader Angel Piqueras.
Alberto Ferrandez in a class of his own
“I can’t believe it, what an incredible feeling,” he beamed. “The whole race was all about concentration, almost from the start I was just thinking, don’t crash, don’t crash, at every corner. It was a long and hard race for the mind.”
“I do enjoy riding in the rain so I was confident going into the race but of course also nervous about what might happen. I am so happy.”
“I am also getting a better and better feeling with the KTM every time I ride it so for tomorrow I hope we have a dry race, I want to be able to do the same thing on a dry track.”
Casey O’Gorman finally on the right side of fortune
“It’s certainly a bit better than last year and I’m happy with that,” enthused the 15-year-old Irishman referring to the fact that he fell while leading 12 months ago. “I had a lot of luck in the race with people falling off in front of me but that’s the first bit of luck I’ve had all year so I’ll take it.”
“I didn’t want a repeat of last year, I was OK as long as I could see the podium places because that was where I wanted to be. Every time I saw someone in front of me in a podium place they crashed out so…
“Finally, on the last lap I was 4th, I was planning how I was going to overtake Pini and Rosenthaler and then they both crashed on the first corner. So the rest of the lap was the slowest I did all race,” he chuckled.
Marco Morelli continues to show his class
“It’s incredible, my first podium in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, that’s fantastic.” stated the 15-year-old Argentine. “The race was so so difficult because the rain made it very tricky conditions.”
“In the first laps I did not feel so good, I couldn’t get a good feeling with the tyres but lap by lap I got some confidence and started to go a bit faster and I could gain positions.”
“I need to thank everyone supporting me. For tomorrow if the result would be the same as today that another wet race will be good but really I need to succeed in the dry to be competitive. So I look forward to doing just as well in a dry race.”
Angel Piqueras turned caution into success
“The track was so slippery, a lot of water and a bit dangerous,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard who went backwards from pole on lap 1. “At the start of the race I just didn’t have any good feeling from the track and the tyres, I had to go slow. Then after a few laps I warmed the tyres a little and I started to feel what they were doing.”
“That gave me a bit of confidence and I could push a little more but I still wasn’t fast. I was feeling better and better as the race went on and I could get some points. I’m happy because the gap to the second in the championship has increased..”
Jakob Rosenthaler robbed of a brilliant podium
“I already felt in the sighting laps that I could run at the front and battle with the fastest riders,” explained the 17-year-old Austrian. “I knew from last year more-or-less who is fast and I could go with them and overtake a lot of guys.”
“I was really feeling confident and all the way I could gain places and get to the front. I think that from about lap 4 or 5 I was fighting for the podium and then battling, swapping, 2nd and 3rd place.”
“In the last lap I tried to get into 2nd because I knew that there were 3 riders fighting for 2 podium positions so it is always better to be in front,” he laughed.
“Then Pini overtook me going into Turn 1 and had a small highside. I couldn’t avoid him, just bad luck. I picked the bike up but the engine had stopped and I couldn’t restart it.”
“I am looking forward to tomorrow, wet or dry, I know from qualifying in the dry that I did a good lap more or less alone and I have a good feeling. So I think I have good possibilities to fight in the front group also in the dry.”
Guido Pini makes last lap mistake
“The race, before that last lap….. was good,” admitted the 15-year-old Italian ruefully. I was in 2nd position. “Ferrandez was too far in front, I tried to stay in 2nd, with another 2 riders. On the last lap, in the 1st corner I lost the rear and I crashed.”
“I’m not happy for the crash but I think the race was good. A dry race for me is better tomorrow but as we saw today I can also be fast in the wet.”
Max Quiles crashes out of an early lead
“It was a great race and in the first laps I was quite fast,” enthused the 15-year-old Spaniard. “I made an error on the first lap going for my long lap penalty, I was nervous and forgot that you can’t do it on the first lap. I did another on the second lap and would have done a third, I was still fast and in front. I was comfortable but in water, one little movement and you crash. I was quite unlucky.”
“Next time I will try to be more calm.”
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 2 is on Sunday at 8:50, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
Granado back on top after glorious wet weather masterclass at Mugello
The Brazilian shines in the rain as Manfredi takes a first podium in second and Ferrari makes key gains with another podium
Eric Granado (51) won wet MotoE Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
It’s been a tough month for Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) as the Brazilian was forced onto the sidelines due to injury, but his return at Mugello has put him right back in play for the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship. Some solid points in Race 1 started Saturday off well, but as torrential conditions hit just ahead of the second electric showdown of the day, it was a whole new challenge. Still, the Brazilian sliced through through after a tougher start to take the lead late on and then really put the hammer down, making a gap before the Red Flag came out on the very last lap.
Behind him, there was an absolute charge from home hero Kevin Manfredi (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) as he fought at the front and came home second, with Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) completing the podium and with that, moving to within just two points of leader Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) in the standings.
There was drama even before lights out as Prettl Pramac riders Tito Rabat and Luca Salvadori both didn’t make it round to pitlane in time to head back through for a second sighting lap, forcing them to start from pitlane. When the lights went out on the grid though it was spray down into Turn 1 but no drama at all, with everyone finding their braking points and setting off around Mugello for a shortened six-lap dash.
Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) got the holeshot, with Ferrari into second and Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) into third, but Manfredi was soon on the move up, as was Granado too. Ferrari then struck at the front to lead and pulled out quite a gap out of the final corner, with Casadei fighting with Granado and Manfredi.
And so, Ferrari led Granado led Manfredi, with the trio pulling clear to make it a private fight for the win as Casadei tried to regroup. As Manfredi battled Granado for second though, Casadei was able to regroup and start to pull then back in.
Alas, it wasn’t to be for the number 40. Granado took the lead at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, and the Brazilian was pulling clear as Casadei then crashed out of that chasing group. Rider ok, but bike very much not, beached in the gravel near the air fence and bringing the Red Flag out.
With that, Granado’s gap at the front was more than enough to secure the win, and a move Manfredi had just made on Ferrari ensured the number 34 took that second place. Ferrari, forced to settle for third, still made it a positive day at the office, now within a two points of the top.
Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) took fourth after a late charge, with Torres completing the top five just ahead of Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ duo Hector Garzo and Krummenacher. Race 1 winner Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™ Team) crashed out, as did Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team).
Mika Perez (RNF MotoE™ Team), Alessandro Zaccone (Tech 3 E-Racing) and Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the top ten.
That’s a wrap on Mugello! Torres is now top by two points from Ferrari, with Garzo back into third by another two points. And Granado? He’s now seventh, with 35 points to Torres’ 63. Bring on Germany!
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as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
