Gus Rodio used a last-lap move to overtake his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate Rocco Landers and win MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace).
Defending Champion Blake Davis, riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, exchanged the lead with Landers throughout the race. On the ninth and final lap, Landers was leading Davis, when Davis overshot Turn Seven, allowing Rodio to move up to second.
Rodio then drove past Landers and his ailing Aprilia RS 600 on the run to the checkered flag to secure his third win of the season and takeover the Championship point lead.
Defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. It was Gagne’s eighth win of the season on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, extending his Championship point lead to where he can possibly clinch the 2023 title in Race Three later Sunday afternoon.
PJ Jacobsen was a very close runner-up, just 0.264 second behind Gagne on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Josh Herrin finished third on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
The race was red flagged seven laps into the original start for a crash involving five-time Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier had run off track early in the race and was running ninth right behind Ashton Yates when Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW lost power momentarily coming out of the chicane. Beaubier ran into the back of Yates’ BMW, and as Beaubier was coming off his bike he was struck by Hayden Gillim and his Disrupt Racing Suzuki.
Beaubier suffered a bloody facial laceration but was seen awake and alert on video feeds after the incident.
The race was then restarted for an eight-lap final segment.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia took a dominant victory in Sunday’s MotoGP World Championship race at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. It was the Italian rider’s fifth full-distance race win of the season, extending his Championship point lead.
South African Brad Binder challenged Bagnaia in the early going bet slipped back to a lonely second-place finish on his Red Bull KTM RC16.
Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from a disappointing crash in Saturday’s Sprint race to score third on his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati.
Unstoppable: Bagnaia escapes Binder as the podium battle lights up in Spielberg
The #1 was in a league of his own on Sunday as Binder and Bezzecchi complete the Red Bull Ring podium
Francesco Bagnaia (1) pulled away from Brad Binder (33) and the rest of the MotoGP field Sunday at Red Bull Ring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 August 2023
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) capped off a perfect weekend at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich with an unbeatable performance in Sunday’s MotoGP™ race to bring it up to a half-century of Grand Prix podiums for the reigning World Champion. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hung in there early on as he chased KTM home glory but was forced to settle for second – still, plenty to cheer about for the Mattighofen factory. After bad luck on Saturday, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rebounded from Tissot Sprint disappointment to climb onto the rostrum in third.
Simply unstoppable
Just like he did in the Tissot Sprint, Bagnaia launched incredibly to grab the holeshot ahead of Binder. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was away well as well – and as usual – to propel himself up to P3, as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) went backwards again. It wasn’t a terrible getaway from ‘Top Gun’ but Viñales then got swarmed at Turn 1, as Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) gained places.
Bagnaia and Binder quickly pulled a second clear of the chasers, with the #33 shadowing the World Champion. It got close. Lap 4 saw Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) take his Long Lap penalty, which dropped the title hopeful to P13, as Binder hounded Pecco at the front. Alex Marquez then passed Miller for P3 at the end of Lap 4 but faced a 1.7s gap to Pecco and Binder, with Bezzecchi and Mooney VR46 teammate Marini quickly dispatching the Australian too.
As the race settled, Binder dropped to half a second adrift of Bagnaia’s rear wheel as ‘Mapping 2’ popped up on the South African’s dashboard. In the fight for P3, meanwhile, Alex Marquez was holding off Bezzecchi as we entered Lap 11, with the double World Champions still 1.7s shy of Binder in P2.
With 15 laps to go, Pecco’s lead crept up to a second for the first time. That went up to 1.2s on Lap 17 of 28, as Bezzecchi continued to pursue Alex Marquez. Marini was a safe P5 with Viñales two seconds down the road in P6, while Martin’s recovery found him in a commendable P7 with 12 laps to go.
Could Binder get the gap down? Two crucial laps were slammed in by the race-leading #1 to give us our answer. With 10 laps left, Pecco’s advantage was up to 2.5s. A battle was raging for the final podium spot though as Bezzecchi attempted to make a pass stick at Turn 1, however the Spaniard was able to get back past on the cutback. Meanwhile, Marini had reeled the Ducati duo in to join the rostrum battle.
Bezzecchi made a move stick at Turn 9 with seven laps to go, and the Italian immediately began to open up a gap to make his podium chase a lot more comfortable. Marini made his way past Alex Marquez with three laps to go, but by that point, Bezzecchi had 1.7s in his back pocket.
At the front, Bagnaia was in a league of his own. The #1 proving just why he wears that special number on the front of his red Bologna bullet, as Bagnaia claimed victory to make it a pole, Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix race triple at the Red Bull Ring. That’s 50 career podiums for the Italian, as Binder brings his KTM home in P2 to cap off a very strong weekend on the Austrian manufacturer’s home turf. Bezzecchi bounced back very well to stand on the rostrum after his Saturday disappointment.
The points scorers
Marini’s late race pace was superb as the Italian crossed the line in P4 after getting the better of Alex Marquez, who rounded out the top five. Viñales ended P6 after a disappointing start and Martin made up ground but will leave Styria disappointed with P7.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) made a late attack to get past Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) for eighth, and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the top 10.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) eventually got the better of Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) for P11, and the latter took P12 but takes points and finishes a GP race for the first time in 301 days. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was next up after a tough weekend but one with some headlines, with Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Miller, after dropping back throughout, taking home the final points. Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) was also in contention but got a late Long Lap for track limits.
Next stop: Barcelona
After a perfect weekend in Austria, Bagnaia’s Championship lead sits at a healthy 62 points over Martin heading to the Catalan GP. Can the chasing pack stop the World Champion’s charge in Barcelona? We’ll find out in two weeks!
Celestino Vietti (13) won the Moto2 race over Pedro Acosta (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Vietti defeats Acosta in tense Moto2™ contest in Austria
The Italian arrives and conquers for his first win in more than a year as Acosta is forced to settle for second and Ogura completes the rostrum
The CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich delivered blockbuster action as Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) picked off rider by rider in a superb chargeto victory. The Italian wasn’t settling for anything other than the top step as he denied Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and KTM the victory in Austria. The Spaniard put in a clever ride, however, to strengthen his Championship position as Ai Ogura (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) continued his podium form in P3.
It was Acosta who took the holeshot down into turn 1 as Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) shot up into P2, with Ogura keeping himself in the mix. Acosta got into his groove and began to pull away from the rest of the field, meanwhile, Dixon was coming under pressure from Ogura who eventually got the better of the Brit to put himself into P2.
Dixon then fell into the clutches of Vietti, who was on an absolute charge. The Italian pushed his way past the GASGAS man and then had Ogura locked in his sights. Acosta led the way by a second and a half at the front, but Vietti was the man on the move as he pounced on Ogura with eleven laps to go.
The Japanese rider had no response for the Italian as he proceeded to put down a scintillating pace and started to reel in the race leader. With six laps remaining Vietti was all over the rear wheel of Acosta and wasted no time at all in pushing his way past the Championship leader, arriving and immediately making a move. Acosta tried all he could to cling onto Vietti but had no answer for Italian who put in an inch-perfect performance to take the victory by 1.435s.
Acosta took a crucial 20 points towards his title tilt with Ogura taking a second podium in three races. Jake Dixon missed out on the podium one second back from the Japanese rider, with Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) rounding out the top five.
Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) took sixth place and lost some key points to his title rival Acosta.
Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) was one of the crashers as well as Alonso Lopez (CAG SpeedUp) and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team). Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) crashed out early on as they fell victim to the Turn 2a-2b chicane, Binder crashing and Lowes collecting the South African. Binder was declared unfit due to fractured vertebrae.
He’ll need to rest up as attention now turns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain where Acosta will be looking to further extend his Championship lead. Can he get the job done on home turf? Find out in two weeks!
Deniz Öncü beat Daniel Holgado in a photo finish in the Moto3 race in Austria. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Photo finish! Öncü pulls a fast one at the final corner
Just 0.005 sees the Turkish rider take his second Grand Prix win, slicing past a Holgado-Sasaki duel at the final corner
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a stunning win at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand PRix von Österreich, just coming out on top in a photo finish against Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna IntactGP) completed the podium, losing out in a spectacular final corner shuffle that saw Öncü play his cards to perfection.
Holgado took the early lead ahead of Öncü, but polesitter Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) didn’t take long to take back over in second. He stuck in with the lead group, comprising that trio plus Silverstone winner David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) looking for some redemption, 2022 Austria winner Sasaki and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse).
With 17 laps still on the clock, drama hit for Masia. A technical problem saw the Spaniard forced to pull over and out of the fight, leaving him with an increased deficit in the title fight once again, this time through no fault of his own.
That left a small gap between Holgado, Öncü and Veijer in the lead and the chasing trio of Sasaki, Alonso and Rossi. By 10 to go though, it was a leading quintet: Holgado, Öncü, Alonso, Veijer and Sasaki. But then came some more drama for a frontrunner as Alonso, having made his way into the lead, then suddenly slid out at the chicane – leaving four riders fighting for three places on the podium.
Onto the last lap, Holgado led Sasaki but the Japanese rider took over at Turn 1. At Turn 3, Holgado launched it – and Öncü capitalised to attack as well. But Sasaki once again hit back, and it all went down to that final corner. Holgado went for it on Sasaki, and both headed a little wide… leaving Öncü just enough room to slice through on both. That became a drag to the line between the Turkish rider and the Championship leader, with Sasaki left dragging it out against teammate Veijer.
It was one of the closest finishes ever, and Öncü took it, winning his second ever Grand Prix on Red Bull KTM home turf – and gaining a valuable five points on Holgado. Sasaki just pipped his rookie teammate to complete the podium, continuing his best ever run of rostrum finishes but just missing out on the top step once more.
Veijer takes fourth, his best finish yet, ahead of Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) as he caught and passed Rossi for fifth. Ryusei Yamanaka (GASGAS Aspar Team) headed the second bigger group in seventh, ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), who pipped Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to the final place in the top ten.
As we head back west to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it’s now a 26-point lead for Holgado ahead of Sasaki, but Öncu is now within 37 of the top and in third. Join us for more twists and turns in Barcelona!
Celestino Vietti rode his Fantic Racing Kalex to victory in Sunday’s 23-lap FIM Moto2 World Championship race at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Not only was it the Italian rider’s first win of the season it was his first podium finish of 2023.
Championship point leader Pedro Acosta finished a close second, 1.435 seconds behind Vietti, on his Red Bull KTM Ajo Kalex.
Japanese star Ai Ogura took third on his Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex.
American Joe Roberts crashed his Italtrans Racing Kalex near the halfway point of the race and did not finish (DNF).
American Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) did not participate in the event in Austria because he is still recovering from arm surgery, according to a press release issued by his American Racing Team.
Deniz Oncu won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, the Turkish racer won the 20-lap race by a scant 0.005 second over Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Daniel Holgado.
Ayumu Sasaki was third, just 0.119 second behind Oncu, on his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna.
8th Rookies Cup win of the year for Piqueras in Spielberg
Angel Piqueras was back to his winning ways on Sunday morning in Spielberg picking up his 10th Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup career win in superb style. The 16-year-old Spaniard stole 1st from Saturday’s victor Álvaro Carpe with Rico Salmela flashing across the line just behind for a double 3rd.
Even more intense than yesterday it was an 8 KTM battle for the lead. Max Quiles ran off track from the lead group early and went for a trip through the gravel that left him battling back from last to 8th.
Cormac Buchanan had his 2nd very competitive ride of the weekend, led briefly but slid off when the front end tucked at the chicane on lap 14.
Piqueras perfect
“I’m happy to equal the wins total, in Misano I will try to be the best,” laughed the Cup winner after his 8th win of the season that matches Bo Bendsneyder’s score from 2015. Piqueras won 2 races last year so has now matched Karel Hanika’s total of 10 from 2012 & 13.
“This race was so fast, Salmela and Carpe were pushing a lot, I had to push hard also. We went for the taller gearing today, that helped when I had the slipstream, I needed that.”
“On the last lap, I pushed, coming to the end I knew I really only had one chance, the last corner is not the place, I went for it the corner before and it worked.”
Carpe leading again
“The race was difficult, more difficult than yesterday,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard. “All the riders were pushing more and our group at the front was bigger.”
“I am really happy with the podium, the points for 2nd are so important for the championship. I’m the 2nd right now in the Rookies Cup and in a good position to hold that. It’s really important for me, for my mentality and for all my family.”
“The feeling with the bike was good, not quite as good as yesterday, in Race 1 I was more comfortable and I think I was riding better. I like the bike though very much and I know that it meant nothing to change, I look forward to riding it again in Misano.”
“On the last lap I knew that Angel would try to overtake me, he had said he wants to be the best Rookie ever. I thought he would try it at the last corner but he did it a corner before and there was nothing I could do,” he grinned.
Salmela smooth again
“It was a pretty good race, I had a good battle in the front group,” explained the 15-year-old Finn. “I don’t know why but I felt it was still a bit slippery on the rear tyre but I think it was more or less the same for everyone.”
“I tried to push every lap, then with about 4 laps to go I made a small mistake. So then I had to gain a few positions. I was P4 on the last lap, I couldn’t find a way to make any clean overtakes on Ruda so I just decided to try to pass on the straight before the 2nd to last corner but he defended well.”
“So I just had to get a good exit from the corner and I passed him in the last corner.”
“It was a great weekend, pole and two podiums, of course, I’m happy with that even though I wanted the win.”
Marcos Ruda 4th after the 2nd great ride of the weekend
“Yes I’m happy with both races,” enthused the 18-year-old Spaniard. “I felt really good battling at the front, I am sorry that I didn’t make the podium because I really thought it was possible, especially today. The bike was great.”
“Carpe and Piqueras were very fast but I did manage to get in front, even for a short time. On the last lap, I was there, going for the podium but Rico passed me right at the end.”
Ruche Moodley a strong ride to 5th
“It was a really fast race, the pace was very high,” explained the 16-year-old South African. “I was on the limit a lot so even to overtake was hard when the pace was faster than I was really comfortable with.”
“It was a very good race for me though, I was understanding the front group a lot better, I’m starting to be more confident, racing at the front of the Rookies Cup. I’m a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium but I’ll try again in Misano.”
Cormac Buchanan hit the front
“It was great to lead my first Rookies Cup race in the dry,” enthused the 16-year-old New Zealander. “I made probably the best start of my career and that was a big help.”
“It was weird because in the warm-up lap, the bike didn’t feel that great but I knew it was just because everything was cold, my body was cold and as the race went on I just kind of settled into a really fast rhythm and I was getting ready for the last 2 or 3 laps to try and get back to the front which I felt really comfortable doing. But unfortunately, just one mistake meant that I was down.”
Bowmanville, ON – The gap atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship shrunk considerably on Saturday, as Ben Young blitzed the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class in race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The pole-sitter was briefly displaced by rival and championship leader Alex Dumas off the line but needed just one turn to get him back, passing Dumas into turn two and leading the rest of the way in the 20-lap feature.
As Young continued to stretch his early lead, the battle behind him began to take shape as Dumas was quickly hunted down by Sam Guerin and Tomas Casas, igniting a three-rider clash that would continue right to the finish.
Both Guerin and Dumas would take turns in second while Casas – crucially down in horsepower – stayed in tow in fourth, though Dumas seemingly had the final edge with five laps to go.
Instead, Guerin launched a spectacular pass off the long Andretti Straight into turn eight with just three laps remaining, before Casas immediately began to pressure Dumas for third. Dumas would retaliate and attempt a last-corner pass on Guerin, but it proved to be unsuccessful as he was relegated to the final podium spot.
That turned a great day into an even better one for Young and the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad, as he trimmed his 36-point championship deficit to 25 with five races to go.
“It wasn’t easy at all out there, but I’ve never seen that kind of gap in a Superbike race at this track,” Young said about the circuit which is notoriously tough to breakaway at. “The team’s working so hard and this BMW is phenomenal, so I feel like we could have done this all year without some of our bad luck.”
The win also moves Young into the top-five for career Superbike class victories, entering a tie with Don Munroe and Michel Mercier for third in history with 12 all-time.
“It feels great. There’s a lot of legends around in our sport, so I’m really happy to be a part of that,” Young added.
Despite his early-season misfortune, Young has clawed himself back into the title mix in part thanks to Guerin’s efforts to disrupt Dumas on Saturday, keeping his EFC Group BMW ahead of both the title leader and Casas at the line.
“That was a crazy one, battling with Alex and Tomas right from the start was so much fun,” Guerin said. “I was trying to fight my way through both of them, but they made it hard on me right to the end!”
The result added insult to injury for Dumas, who admitted on the podium he has been under the weather this week and felt the effects more than he thought he would as he tried to keep his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki as close to Young as possible.
“I’m fighting a really bad cold, and it was affecting me pretty bad out there,” a frustrated Dumas said. “I still have a good lead in the championship, but hopefully we can be a couple steps higher on the podium tomorrow.”
The BMW one-two finish also came at an inconvenient time for Constructors Championship leaders Suzuki, who watched their title advantage fall from 28 points to just five entering races two and three on Sunday.
As for Casas, the Parts Canada Yamaha rider endured a bittersweet performance, as he looked noticeably faster than Dumas and Guerin in sectors one and three before losing all progress to a lack of straight-line speed down the Andretti straight.
The hometown favourite ultimately turned in a much-needed performance for Yamaha, who negated the LDS Consultants Kawasaki duo of Jordan Szoke and Trevor Dion in fifth and sixth, as Kawasaki tries to hunt down Yamaha for third overall.
That finishing result for Szoke hardly tells the story of his effort, though, as the 14-time champion was knocked off the grid by a mechanical fire on the warmup lap, forcing him to hop onto his secondary ‘B’ bike and start from the pit lane.
The 20-time CTMP winner needed just a trio of laps to work his way back into the top-ten, before gradually working his way into fifth by lap eight – passing his teammate in the process – as Szoke salvaged a spectacular finish amidst the circumstances.
Wildcard entry Eli Daccache impressed aboard his Milwaukee Yamaha machine, briefly running in the fight for second early on before settling into a comfortable sixth behind Dion, ultimately getting shunted back one place by the charging Szoke as he played a crucial role for Yamaha in the Constructors standings.
Jordan Royds would outlast a late-race duel with Phillip Leckie for eighth, putting his IBEW BMW just a quarter-second clear of the SCM/Tanians BMW rider at the line, while rookie John Fraser managed a solid tenth on his RLS Contracting Suzuki machine to take over the lead of the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year battle.
The feature class will now continue on with two more decisive races on Sunday, beginning at roughly 1 pm ET at the circuit just north of Bowmanville, ON.
Full results from Saturday’s races can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, 19-year-old Moore fended off a strong challenge from Sonya Lloyd to win the six-lap race by 2.204 seconds.
It was Moore’s sixth win in six starts so far in 2023, allowing her to clinch the 2023 Championship with one race remaining on Sunday.
Lloyd was the runner-up, and defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck finished third.
The MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup Presented by Motul series held three rounds of racing Saturday on the kart track at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Saturday’s race winners included: Nathan Bettencourt (Stock 125 Race Two, Three, and Four), Ryan Clark (Stock 110 Race Four), Jacob Davis (Stock 110 Race Three), Ryder Davis (190 Ohvale Race Four), Nathan Gouker (160 Ohvale Race Two, Three, and Four), Joshua Raymond (190 Ohvale Race Two), Mahdi Salem (190 Ohvale Race Three), Cruise Texter (Stock 50 Race Two, Three, and Four), and Cole Varnes (Stock 110 Race Two).
Rocco Landers won MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Landers took control near the halfway point of the 11-lap race and rode his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 to a 3.444-second margin of victory. It was Landers’ sixth win of the season.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis held off Landers’ teammate Gus Rodio to finish second, which in turn moved Davis into the Championship point lead.
Rodio made a big push to pass Davis on the run to the finish line but came 0.042 second short in third place.
Rodio is now second in the Championship standings, one point behind Davis and nine points ahead of Landers in third.
Gus Rodio used a last-lap move to overtake his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate Rocco Landers and win MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace).
Defending Champion Blake Davis, riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, exchanged the lead with Landers throughout the race. On the ninth and final lap, Landers was leading Davis, when Davis overshot Turn Seven, allowing Rodio to move up to second.
Rodio then drove past Landers and his ailing Aprilia RS 600 on the run to the checkered flag to secure his third win of the season and takeover the Championship point lead.
Defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. It was Gagne’s eighth win of the season on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, extending his Championship point lead to where he can possibly clinch the 2023 title in Race Three later Sunday afternoon.
PJ Jacobsen was a very close runner-up, just 0.264 second behind Gagne on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Josh Herrin finished third on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
The race was red flagged seven laps into the original start for a crash involving five-time Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier had run off track early in the race and was running ninth right behind Ashton Yates when Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW lost power momentarily coming out of the chicane. Beaubier ran into the back of Yates’ BMW, and as Beaubier was coming off his bike he was struck by Hayden Gillim and his Disrupt Racing Suzuki.
Beaubier suffered a bloody facial laceration but was seen awake and alert on video feeds after the incident.
The race was then restarted for an eight-lap final segment.
The Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia took a dominant victory in Sunday’s MotoGP World Championship race at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. It was the Italian rider’s fifth full-distance race win of the season, extending his Championship point lead.
South African Brad Binder challenged Bagnaia in the early going bet slipped back to a lonely second-place finish on his Red Bull KTM RC16.
Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from a disappointing crash in Saturday’s Sprint race to score third on his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati.
Unstoppable: Bagnaia escapes Binder as the podium battle lights up in Spielberg
The #1 was in a league of his own on Sunday as Binder and Bezzecchi complete the Red Bull Ring podium
Francesco Bagnaia (1) pulled away from Brad Binder (33) and the rest of the MotoGP field Sunday at Red Bull Ring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 August 2023
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) capped off a perfect weekend at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich with an unbeatable performance in Sunday’s MotoGP™ race to bring it up to a half-century of Grand Prix podiums for the reigning World Champion. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hung in there early on as he chased KTM home glory but was forced to settle for second – still, plenty to cheer about for the Mattighofen factory. After bad luck on Saturday, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rebounded from Tissot Sprint disappointment to climb onto the rostrum in third.
Simply unstoppable
Just like he did in the Tissot Sprint, Bagnaia launched incredibly to grab the holeshot ahead of Binder. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was away well as well – and as usual – to propel himself up to P3, as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) went backwards again. It wasn’t a terrible getaway from ‘Top Gun’ but Viñales then got swarmed at Turn 1, as Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) gained places.
Bagnaia and Binder quickly pulled a second clear of the chasers, with the #33 shadowing the World Champion. It got close. Lap 4 saw Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) take his Long Lap penalty, which dropped the title hopeful to P13, as Binder hounded Pecco at the front. Alex Marquez then passed Miller for P3 at the end of Lap 4 but faced a 1.7s gap to Pecco and Binder, with Bezzecchi and Mooney VR46 teammate Marini quickly dispatching the Australian too.
As the race settled, Binder dropped to half a second adrift of Bagnaia’s rear wheel as ‘Mapping 2’ popped up on the South African’s dashboard. In the fight for P3, meanwhile, Alex Marquez was holding off Bezzecchi as we entered Lap 11, with the double World Champions still 1.7s shy of Binder in P2.
With 15 laps to go, Pecco’s lead crept up to a second for the first time. That went up to 1.2s on Lap 17 of 28, as Bezzecchi continued to pursue Alex Marquez. Marini was a safe P5 with Viñales two seconds down the road in P6, while Martin’s recovery found him in a commendable P7 with 12 laps to go.
Could Binder get the gap down? Two crucial laps were slammed in by the race-leading #1 to give us our answer. With 10 laps left, Pecco’s advantage was up to 2.5s. A battle was raging for the final podium spot though as Bezzecchi attempted to make a pass stick at Turn 1, however the Spaniard was able to get back past on the cutback. Meanwhile, Marini had reeled the Ducati duo in to join the rostrum battle.
Bezzecchi made a move stick at Turn 9 with seven laps to go, and the Italian immediately began to open up a gap to make his podium chase a lot more comfortable. Marini made his way past Alex Marquez with three laps to go, but by that point, Bezzecchi had 1.7s in his back pocket.
At the front, Bagnaia was in a league of his own. The #1 proving just why he wears that special number on the front of his red Bologna bullet, as Bagnaia claimed victory to make it a pole, Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix race triple at the Red Bull Ring. That’s 50 career podiums for the Italian, as Binder brings his KTM home in P2 to cap off a very strong weekend on the Austrian manufacturer’s home turf. Bezzecchi bounced back very well to stand on the rostrum after his Saturday disappointment.
The points scorers
Marini’s late race pace was superb as the Italian crossed the line in P4 after getting the better of Alex Marquez, who rounded out the top five. Viñales ended P6 after a disappointing start and Martin made up ground but will leave Styria disappointed with P7.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) made a late attack to get past Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) for eighth, and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the top 10.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) eventually got the better of Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) for P11, and the latter took P12 but takes points and finishes a GP race for the first time in 301 days. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was next up after a tough weekend but one with some headlines, with Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Miller, after dropping back throughout, taking home the final points. Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) was also in contention but got a late Long Lap for track limits.
Next stop: Barcelona
After a perfect weekend in Austria, Bagnaia’s Championship lead sits at a healthy 62 points over Martin heading to the Catalan GP. Can the chasing pack stop the World Champion’s charge in Barcelona? We’ll find out in two weeks!
Celestino Vietti (13) won the Moto2 race over Pedro Acosta (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Vietti defeats Acosta in tense Moto2™ contest in Austria
The Italian arrives and conquers for his first win in more than a year as Acosta is forced to settle for second and Ogura completes the rostrum
The CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich delivered blockbuster action as Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) picked off rider by rider in a superb chargeto victory. The Italian wasn’t settling for anything other than the top step as he denied Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and KTM the victory in Austria. The Spaniard put in a clever ride, however, to strengthen his Championship position as Ai Ogura (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) continued his podium form in P3.
It was Acosta who took the holeshot down into turn 1 as Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) shot up into P2, with Ogura keeping himself in the mix. Acosta got into his groove and began to pull away from the rest of the field, meanwhile, Dixon was coming under pressure from Ogura who eventually got the better of the Brit to put himself into P2.
Dixon then fell into the clutches of Vietti, who was on an absolute charge. The Italian pushed his way past the GASGAS man and then had Ogura locked in his sights. Acosta led the way by a second and a half at the front, but Vietti was the man on the move as he pounced on Ogura with eleven laps to go.
The Japanese rider had no response for the Italian as he proceeded to put down a scintillating pace and started to reel in the race leader. With six laps remaining Vietti was all over the rear wheel of Acosta and wasted no time at all in pushing his way past the Championship leader, arriving and immediately making a move. Acosta tried all he could to cling onto Vietti but had no answer for Italian who put in an inch-perfect performance to take the victory by 1.435s.
Acosta took a crucial 20 points towards his title tilt with Ogura taking a second podium in three races. Jake Dixon missed out on the podium one second back from the Japanese rider, with Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) rounding out the top five.
Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) took sixth place and lost some key points to his title rival Acosta.
Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) was one of the crashers as well as Alonso Lopez (CAG SpeedUp) and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team). Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) crashed out early on as they fell victim to the Turn 2a-2b chicane, Binder crashing and Lowes collecting the South African. Binder was declared unfit due to fractured vertebrae.
He’ll need to rest up as attention now turns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain where Acosta will be looking to further extend his Championship lead. Can he get the job done on home turf? Find out in two weeks!
Deniz Öncü beat Daniel Holgado in a photo finish in the Moto3 race in Austria. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Photo finish! Öncü pulls a fast one at the final corner
Just 0.005 sees the Turkish rider take his second Grand Prix win, slicing past a Holgado-Sasaki duel at the final corner
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a stunning win at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand PRix von Österreich, just coming out on top in a photo finish against Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna IntactGP) completed the podium, losing out in a spectacular final corner shuffle that saw Öncü play his cards to perfection.
Holgado took the early lead ahead of Öncü, but polesitter Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) didn’t take long to take back over in second. He stuck in with the lead group, comprising that trio plus Silverstone winner David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) looking for some redemption, 2022 Austria winner Sasaki and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse).
With 17 laps still on the clock, drama hit for Masia. A technical problem saw the Spaniard forced to pull over and out of the fight, leaving him with an increased deficit in the title fight once again, this time through no fault of his own.
That left a small gap between Holgado, Öncü and Veijer in the lead and the chasing trio of Sasaki, Alonso and Rossi. By 10 to go though, it was a leading quintet: Holgado, Öncü, Alonso, Veijer and Sasaki. But then came some more drama for a frontrunner as Alonso, having made his way into the lead, then suddenly slid out at the chicane – leaving four riders fighting for three places on the podium.
Onto the last lap, Holgado led Sasaki but the Japanese rider took over at Turn 1. At Turn 3, Holgado launched it – and Öncü capitalised to attack as well. But Sasaki once again hit back, and it all went down to that final corner. Holgado went for it on Sasaki, and both headed a little wide… leaving Öncü just enough room to slice through on both. That became a drag to the line between the Turkish rider and the Championship leader, with Sasaki left dragging it out against teammate Veijer.
It was one of the closest finishes ever, and Öncü took it, winning his second ever Grand Prix on Red Bull KTM home turf – and gaining a valuable five points on Holgado. Sasaki just pipped his rookie teammate to complete the podium, continuing his best ever run of rostrum finishes but just missing out on the top step once more.
Veijer takes fourth, his best finish yet, ahead of Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) as he caught and passed Rossi for fifth. Ryusei Yamanaka (GASGAS Aspar Team) headed the second bigger group in seventh, ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), who pipped Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to the final place in the top ten.
As we head back west to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it’s now a 26-point lead for Holgado ahead of Sasaki, but Öncu is now within 37 of the top and in third. Join us for more twists and turns in Barcelona!
The Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Celestino Vietti rode his Fantic Racing Kalex to victory in Sunday’s 23-lap FIM Moto2 World Championship race at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Not only was it the Italian rider’s first win of the season it was his first podium finish of 2023.
Championship point leader Pedro Acosta finished a close second, 1.435 seconds behind Vietti, on his Red Bull KTM Ajo Kalex.
Japanese star Ai Ogura took third on his Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex.
American Joe Roberts crashed his Italtrans Racing Kalex near the halfway point of the race and did not finish (DNF).
American Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) did not participate in the event in Austria because he is still recovering from arm surgery, according to a press release issued by his American Racing Team.
The Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Deniz Oncu won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, the Turkish racer won the 20-lap race by a scant 0.005 second over Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Daniel Holgado.
Ayumu Sasaki was third, just 0.119 second behind Oncu, on his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna.
8th Rookies Cup win of the year for Piqueras in Spielberg
Angel Piqueras was back to his winning ways on Sunday morning in Spielberg picking up his 10th Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup career win in superb style. The 16-year-old Spaniard stole 1st from Saturday’s victor Álvaro Carpe with Rico Salmela flashing across the line just behind for a double 3rd.
Even more intense than yesterday it was an 8 KTM battle for the lead. Max Quiles ran off track from the lead group early and went for a trip through the gravel that left him battling back from last to 8th.
Cormac Buchanan had his 2nd very competitive ride of the weekend, led briefly but slid off when the front end tucked at the chicane on lap 14.
Piqueras perfect
“I’m happy to equal the wins total, in Misano I will try to be the best,” laughed the Cup winner after his 8th win of the season that matches Bo Bendsneyder’s score from 2015. Piqueras won 2 races last year so has now matched Karel Hanika’s total of 10 from 2012 & 13.
“This race was so fast, Salmela and Carpe were pushing a lot, I had to push hard also. We went for the taller gearing today, that helped when I had the slipstream, I needed that.”
“On the last lap, I pushed, coming to the end I knew I really only had one chance, the last corner is not the place, I went for it the corner before and it worked.”
Carpe leading again
“The race was difficult, more difficult than yesterday,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard. “All the riders were pushing more and our group at the front was bigger.”
“I am really happy with the podium, the points for 2nd are so important for the championship. I’m the 2nd right now in the Rookies Cup and in a good position to hold that. It’s really important for me, for my mentality and for all my family.”
“The feeling with the bike was good, not quite as good as yesterday, in Race 1 I was more comfortable and I think I was riding better. I like the bike though very much and I know that it meant nothing to change, I look forward to riding it again in Misano.”
“On the last lap I knew that Angel would try to overtake me, he had said he wants to be the best Rookie ever. I thought he would try it at the last corner but he did it a corner before and there was nothing I could do,” he grinned.
Salmela smooth again
“It was a pretty good race, I had a good battle in the front group,” explained the 15-year-old Finn. “I don’t know why but I felt it was still a bit slippery on the rear tyre but I think it was more or less the same for everyone.”
“I tried to push every lap, then with about 4 laps to go I made a small mistake. So then I had to gain a few positions. I was P4 on the last lap, I couldn’t find a way to make any clean overtakes on Ruda so I just decided to try to pass on the straight before the 2nd to last corner but he defended well.”
“So I just had to get a good exit from the corner and I passed him in the last corner.”
“It was a great weekend, pole and two podiums, of course, I’m happy with that even though I wanted the win.”
Marcos Ruda 4th after the 2nd great ride of the weekend
“Yes I’m happy with both races,” enthused the 18-year-old Spaniard. “I felt really good battling at the front, I am sorry that I didn’t make the podium because I really thought it was possible, especially today. The bike was great.”
“Carpe and Piqueras were very fast but I did manage to get in front, even for a short time. On the last lap, I was there, going for the podium but Rico passed me right at the end.”
Ruche Moodley a strong ride to 5th
“It was a really fast race, the pace was very high,” explained the 16-year-old South African. “I was on the limit a lot so even to overtake was hard when the pace was faster than I was really comfortable with.”
“It was a very good race for me though, I was understanding the front group a lot better, I’m starting to be more confident, racing at the front of the Rookies Cup. I’m a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium but I’ll try again in Misano.”
Cormac Buchanan hit the front
“It was great to lead my first Rookies Cup race in the dry,” enthused the 16-year-old New Zealander. “I made probably the best start of my career and that was a big help.”
“It was weird because in the warm-up lap, the bike didn’t feel that great but I knew it was just because everything was cold, my body was cold and as the race went on I just kind of settled into a really fast rhythm and I was getting ready for the last 2 or 3 laps to try and get back to the front which I felt really comfortable doing. But unfortunately, just one mistake meant that I was down.”
Ben Young (1) leads Saturday's Superbike race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with Sam Guerin (2), Alex Dumas (23), and Tomas Casas (18) in pursuit.
Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Bowmanville, ON – The gap atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship shrunk considerably on Saturday, as Ben Young blitzed the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class in race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The pole-sitter was briefly displaced by rival and championship leader Alex Dumas off the line but needed just one turn to get him back, passing Dumas into turn two and leading the rest of the way in the 20-lap feature.
As Young continued to stretch his early lead, the battle behind him began to take shape as Dumas was quickly hunted down by Sam Guerin and Tomas Casas, igniting a three-rider clash that would continue right to the finish.
Both Guerin and Dumas would take turns in second while Casas – crucially down in horsepower – stayed in tow in fourth, though Dumas seemingly had the final edge with five laps to go.
Instead, Guerin launched a spectacular pass off the long Andretti Straight into turn eight with just three laps remaining, before Casas immediately began to pressure Dumas for third. Dumas would retaliate and attempt a last-corner pass on Guerin, but it proved to be unsuccessful as he was relegated to the final podium spot.
That turned a great day into an even better one for Young and the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad, as he trimmed his 36-point championship deficit to 25 with five races to go.
“It wasn’t easy at all out there, but I’ve never seen that kind of gap in a Superbike race at this track,” Young said about the circuit which is notoriously tough to breakaway at. “The team’s working so hard and this BMW is phenomenal, so I feel like we could have done this all year without some of our bad luck.”
The win also moves Young into the top-five for career Superbike class victories, entering a tie with Don Munroe and Michel Mercier for third in history with 12 all-time.
“It feels great. There’s a lot of legends around in our sport, so I’m really happy to be a part of that,” Young added.
Despite his early-season misfortune, Young has clawed himself back into the title mix in part thanks to Guerin’s efforts to disrupt Dumas on Saturday, keeping his EFC Group BMW ahead of both the title leader and Casas at the line.
“That was a crazy one, battling with Alex and Tomas right from the start was so much fun,” Guerin said. “I was trying to fight my way through both of them, but they made it hard on me right to the end!”
The result added insult to injury for Dumas, who admitted on the podium he has been under the weather this week and felt the effects more than he thought he would as he tried to keep his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki as close to Young as possible.
“I’m fighting a really bad cold, and it was affecting me pretty bad out there,” a frustrated Dumas said. “I still have a good lead in the championship, but hopefully we can be a couple steps higher on the podium tomorrow.”
The BMW one-two finish also came at an inconvenient time for Constructors Championship leaders Suzuki, who watched their title advantage fall from 28 points to just five entering races two and three on Sunday.
As for Casas, the Parts Canada Yamaha rider endured a bittersweet performance, as he looked noticeably faster than Dumas and Guerin in sectors one and three before losing all progress to a lack of straight-line speed down the Andretti straight.
The hometown favourite ultimately turned in a much-needed performance for Yamaha, who negated the LDS Consultants Kawasaki duo of Jordan Szoke and Trevor Dion in fifth and sixth, as Kawasaki tries to hunt down Yamaha for third overall.
That finishing result for Szoke hardly tells the story of his effort, though, as the 14-time champion was knocked off the grid by a mechanical fire on the warmup lap, forcing him to hop onto his secondary ‘B’ bike and start from the pit lane.
The 20-time CTMP winner needed just a trio of laps to work his way back into the top-ten, before gradually working his way into fifth by lap eight – passing his teammate in the process – as Szoke salvaged a spectacular finish amidst the circumstances.
Wildcard entry Eli Daccache impressed aboard his Milwaukee Yamaha machine, briefly running in the fight for second early on before settling into a comfortable sixth behind Dion, ultimately getting shunted back one place by the charging Szoke as he played a crucial role for Yamaha in the Constructors standings.
Jordan Royds would outlast a late-race duel with Phillip Leckie for eighth, putting his IBEW BMW just a quarter-second clear of the SCM/Tanians BMW rider at the line, while rookie John Fraser managed a solid tenth on his RLS Contracting Suzuki machine to take over the lead of the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year battle.
The feature class will now continue on with two more decisive races on Sunday, beginning at roughly 1 pm ET at the circuit just north of Bowmanville, ON.
Full results from Saturday’s races can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, 19-year-old Moore fended off a strong challenge from Sonya Lloyd to win the six-lap race by 2.204 seconds.
It was Moore’s sixth win in six starts so far in 2023, allowing her to clinch the 2023 Championship with one race remaining on Sunday.
Lloyd was the runner-up, and defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck finished third.
Jacob Davis (46), Blake Sorrentino (111), Cole Varnes (24), and Joel Laub (89) prepare to start a Stock 110 race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex's kart track. Photo courtesy MotoAmerica.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
The MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup Presented by Motul series held three rounds of racing Saturday on the kart track at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Saturday’s race winners included: Nathan Bettencourt (Stock 125 Race Two, Three, and Four), Ryan Clark (Stock 110 Race Four), Jacob Davis (Stock 110 Race Three), Ryder Davis (190 Ohvale Race Four), Nathan Gouker (160 Ohvale Race Two, Three, and Four), Joshua Raymond (190 Ohvale Race Two), Mahdi Salem (190 Ohvale Race Three), Cruise Texter (Stock 50 Race Two, Three, and Four), and Cole Varnes (Stock 110 Race Two).
Rocco Landers won MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Landers took control near the halfway point of the 11-lap race and rode his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 to a 3.444-second margin of victory. It was Landers’ sixth win of the season.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis held off Landers’ teammate Gus Rodio to finish second, which in turn moved Davis into the Championship point lead.
Rodio made a big push to pass Davis on the run to the finish line but came 0.042 second short in third place.
Rodio is now second in the Championship standings, one point behind Davis and nine points ahead of Landers in third.
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