2020 MotoGP Round Two – Jerez
Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía

MotoGP Race Report

For the first time since Phillip Island 2014, Yamaha locked out the podium in a 1-2-3, but it was Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who once again scorched to victory on Sunday at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia. Maverick Viñales and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team-mate Valentino Rossi had a memorable fight for the rostrum in which the number 12 came out on top for second – but nevertheless it was The Doctor’s first podium since the 2019 Americas GP as he took P3.

Quartararo got the best launch and from pole, with Rossi also getting away well from P4, but drama unfolded behind as fifth place Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) crashed in a Turn 1 melee that also then involved Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). The Portuguese rider was down and out of the race, with Binder running off circuit and dropping to the back and Smith’s race compromised too.

There was a three-way Yamaha scrap at the front though, and it was Quartararo leading Viñales and Rossi, who had a slight gap to the two Pramac Racing riders of the quick starting Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia just behind. Quartararo was getting down to business quickly though with the hammer well and truly down, and Viñales went wide at the final corner trying to pounce. Instead, that let The Doctor through into second, with Quartararo starting to escape and Viñales having lost out some significant ground. Just behind, Bagnaia went for P4 underneath Miller as well but was also wide, before making a miraculous save to keep his GP20 upright.

Quartararo’s lead on Lap 4 was up to 1.5 seconds, and Viñales couldn’t find a way through on Rossi to try and give chase. The Pramac Racing duo were also breathing down the YZR-M1 rider’s neck as the number 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT started to clear off into the distance, and Rossi couldn’t do anything about Quartararo’s pace either. By Lap 6 the Frenchman’s lead was nearly three seconds.

With 10 laps down that lead was looking unassailable, with Bagnaia making progress to get through on Miller and Viñales, as the Italian locked his radar onto the boss’ rear wheel. The race in Jerez was quickly starting to become a race of attrition in the blistering Andalusian heat, however – with some parts of the track over 63 degrees. Then Miller slid out of contention at Turn 9 having made his way through on Viñales at the beginning of the lap, and teammate Bagnaia pounced Rossi for second place.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had made steady progress and was the fastest man on track as he got in the hunt for that illustrious first MotoGP podium, but drama was just around the corner in a cruel end to the Italian’s race as he encountered engine troubles with nine laps to go. Heartbreak for Morbidelli, and there would be more incoming for his compatriot Pecco Bagnaia. Safely in P2 ahead of Rossi, smoke started to stream out of his GP20 and onto the back straight, just six laps away from spraying the Prosecco, Bagnaia was out of contention.

This saw Rossi back up into second, with Viñales back in the podium places just behind. El Diablo’s lead was up to nearly nine seconds and the win – barring any mistakes or reliability issues – was surely his. Viñales was clambering all over the back of the number 46, but Rossi was a demon on the brakes and it was really looking like Viñales just wouldn’t be able to find a way through. Then though, after not having put a wheel wrong the whole race, Rossi was slightly wide at Turn 9 – and Top Gun pounced. Viñales was up to second and was able to immediately get some bike lengths on the veteran Italian, although the Doctor couldn’t relax with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) just eight tenths down the road…

At the front though it was all about one man. Quartararo made no mistakes in the brutal conditions to take his second consecutive victory, cementing his lead in the Championship over second place Viñales. The Spaniard salvaged 20 points which could be crucial in the long run, but he had no answer for his 2021 teammate in Jerez. Rossi’s return to the rostrum was more than welcomed for the 41-year-old, the number 46 putting in a mesmerising ride to notch up his 199th MotoGP podium, and his 235th across all classes.

Nakagami’s P4 was the Japanese rider’s best ride in the premier class as he finished just 6.113 off the win and half a second from the podium, putting the Japanese rider 4th in the Championship heading to Brno. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) banished the demons from the Spanish GP to finish 5th seven days later too – his equal-best in MotoGP. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), meanwhile, recovered from a P14 starting slot to take sixth in Jerez after a third place finish last weekend, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in P7 the only KTM to finish in a tough day for the Austrian factory with Oliveira, Binder and Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) all crashing out.

Just 1.8 seconds behind Pol Espargaro was Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez, the reigning Moto2 World Champion producing an impressive ride in just his second MotoGP race, in the toughest of conditions, to take the chequered flag in P8. The lone Repsol Honda managed to beat Johann Zarco (Hublot Reale Avintia) as the Frenchman took P9, with the remarkable Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) defying the odds to complete the race and take 10th. An unbelievable and super-human effort from the Spaniard after suffering a dislocation-fracture to his shoulder eight days ago. Tito Rabat (Hublot Reale Avintia), Smith and the second injured rider on the grid, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), were the final finishers – a sterling effort from the latter to complete the laps.

Binder once again showed his cracking pace after dropping back in the Turn 1 incident, but the South African rookie then sadly crashed out unhurt at Turn 13. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) also crashed – riders ok.

50 from 50: Quartararo has had a perfect couple of weekends in Jerez and will head to Brno as the points leader, with Viñales taking home two second places – far from a disaster – and looking to build on a successful weekend. Also expected in Czechia is the return of reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to the MotoGP arena… and we can’t wait for more.

MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

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Moto2 Race Report

Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini is back on top of a Grand Prix podium for the first time in two years after the Italian clinched a debut Moto2 victory at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia. ‘The Beast’ had some familiar company on the podium in the form of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, with Marini’s sophomore teammate Marco Bezzecchi taking his first Moto2 rostrum finish in third. That made it an all-Italian top three in the intermediate class, for the first time since Imola 1998.

Bezzecchi took the holeshot from pole position but the only held the lead for half a lap, with Bastianini making a brave dive up the inside at Turn 6 to steal it. Bezzecchi then soon also lost out on second after teammate Marini squeezed through just three turns later, the veteran seeming eager to try and stop Bastianini escaping early on. The Italtrans Racing Team man had eked out a comfortable advantage of about three or four tenths already, and the clock was ticking…

Further back, Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) lunged up the inside of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at Turn 6 for fifth place, but the Spaniard ran wide and allowed last week’s podium finisher back through. Thanks to the Spaniards squabbling over fifth place, second, third and fourth in the running, Marini, Bezzecchi and EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes, were then able to open out a second and could focus on cementing a podium place.

Navarro then got through on Martin, again at Turn 6, but yellow flags were waving due to an earlier crash for Kasma Daniel (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team). As a result, the Speed Up man was forced to hand a place back but did so in a pretty smooth manner, running wide at Turn 13 on purpose before then squeezing back in behind Aron Canet (Openbank Aspar Team Moto2), who had battled his way through to fifth.

Back at the front, Bastianini’s gap was at 0.8 with 17 to go, but last week’s race winner Marini had found his groove, halving that advantage in just a lap. The Sky Racing Team VR46 rider then sat in behind his compatriot with 15 laps remaining, looking like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. In that battle for a top five finish, Navarro then suddenly crashed out at Turn 9.

As the laps ticked away, the pressure built on Bastianini and it looked like he’d cracked after running ever so slightly wide at Turn 8, with Marini suddenly glued to his rear wheel. With 12 to go Marini had his biggest look up the inside of the number 33, showing his front wheel, but not managing to squeeze through.

At seven to go, Bastianini pulled the pin. Suddenly moving a second clear, and then 1.5 a lap later, he eventually came across the line 2.1 seconds ahead of Marini to take his first win in the intermediate class. And for the first time since 1998, in a race won by Valentino Rossi, Italy had a podium lock-out as Bezzecchi held off Lowes to joined his compatriots on the box.

The Brit was less than a second in further arrears as they came across the line and again took fourth place, as he did seven days ago. The final place inside the top five went to rookie Canet, again impressing many with his performance, ahead of Martin in sixth. Liqui Moly Intact GP’s Tom Lüthi took seventh.

The fight for eighth went right down to the wire, with Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) the man to lose out at the final corner after running wide. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) emerged out of that gaggle of riders at the front, before Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) clinched the final top ten spots. Nagahima’s 11th place finish moved him onto 50 points in the World Championship though, and it’s enough to hold onto the lead heading into Brno.

Enea Bastianini – P1

“I’m really happy because also this morning I was fast, and this afternoon in the race, I thought inside me I could win because I’m fast and after pushing from the first laps, the last ten laps I kept a bit of a gap to Marini and it’s a brilliant race. The bike was really incredible, thanks to my team! I dedicate this victory to Livio, my great friend, who is no longer here with us.”

Remy Gardner – P14

“It was another tough Friday. We still weren’t quite there with the bike set-up. We could see the problem on the telemetry, but we just couldn’t seem to get around it. We kept thinking for solutions for Saturday and qualifying but remained fully focused on Sunday which is where you get the points. We made a good step forward on Saturday morning but then went the wrong way in qualifying, especially when you factor the heat. I was giving 100% but there was nothing more I could, so we qualified on row five. Racing is always different to finding a fast lap, so I was confident of moving forward when the lights went out and making something out of what had been a challenging start to the weekend. As it happens, I had a bike with no grip, just like last week. I had four or five massive saves and unfortunately it ended a pretty bad weekend. We will come back stronger in Brno.”

Moto2 Race Results

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

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Moto3 Race Report

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) is the first man to convert pole position in the Moto3 class at Jerez into a win, taking victory in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia as he held off John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) in another fabulous final corner decider. There was drama in the World Championship standings too, with points leader Albert Arenas (Soliunion Aspar Team Moto3) and previously second-placed Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) crashing out.

Suzuki got the launch he would have been looking for from pole position as the Japanese rider grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Ogura exchanging P2 and P3 at Turn 1 and Turn 2 as the riders safely negotiated Lap 1 in Andalucia. A rider who was negotiating the pack efficiently was Darryn Binder on the CIP Green Power KTM, too, as the South African was up to the point-scoring positions on Lap 2 – from 25th on the grid and setting two fastest laps in a row to boot…

Suzuki was eager to stay at the forefront of the fight, and the Japanese rider kept himself in or near the lead throughout. Rodrigo and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a look at the 24 on a few occasions and despite getting by, Suzuki would then simply bite straight back at the first opportunity. The came the first Championship contender drama as Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) took out Ogura at Turn 9, tucking the front.

At the front of the race though, it remained a lead group of 10 with 10 laps left. Suzuki remained at the head of the train, with Rodrigo having another pop, but the Japanese rider was again back at the front a few corners later. McPhee had slowly picked off his rivals too and was up to third and then second at Turn 5 with nine laps to go, but it seemed it was set to be another classic scrap for the win and podium places between the top 10.

The second big bout of drama for the Championship then hit. With eight laps to go, Arenas had been looking comfortable in the lead group but the Spaniard was suddenly down at the fast Turn 11 right-hander, taking a heavy tumble and heading to the medical centre for a check-up – rider ok. With the previous top two riders in the title race out, it was suddenly a big opportunity for the likes of McPhee and Suzuki to capitalise…

Ultimately, it would end up as a six-way scrap for victory in the latter laps as Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) dropped off the pace, as did Fernandez, with birthday boy Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also then crashing from the group at Turn 5.

Could anyone get the better of Suzuki? Ultimately not, with the shuffle at the final corner free of drama this time around and the Japanese rider able to keep ahead to the line. McPhee avoided the bad luck of his Spanish GP and was only half a tenth off in the end, with Vietti a similarly tiny gap back in third.

Binder completed the fairtyale comeback this weekend as he took an amazing fourth place – up 21 positions from where he started – with Rodrigo completing the top five. Fernandez took sixth, ahead of a P7 for Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) after the rookie was awarded a three-second penalty for not complying with a Long Lap penalty. He crossed the line fourth.

Eighth went to Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) as he took some solid points, ahead of an impressive first top ten finish for his teammate, rookie Ryusei Yamanaka. Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the top ten.

Tatsuki Suzuki – P1

“I’m very happy, more than let’s say Misano, because in this race I was always in front, leading the group, and I didn’t care when I got pushed behind, I was aggressive and tried to stay at the front. This makes a huge difference! Last weekend I was very disappointed with my race, but today I’m the happiest!”

Moto3 Race Results

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

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MotoE

Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) picked up his first FIM Enel MotoE World Cup victory after a dramatic race at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia, escaping the chaos to unleash some serious pace at the front as reigning Cup holder Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) collided with Spanish GP winner Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) with two laps to go. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) made it a rookie 1-2 as he came home second and avoided the clash, with Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing the podium and back on the box for the first time since Misano last year.

It was a frantic start for the MotoE riders as the opening lap saw plenty of swapping and changing. Aegerter got the holeshot from pole position but Ferrari dived under the inside at Turn 5, although it wouldn’t last long as the Italian ran wide and Aegerter was back in the lead. The scrap for first was hotly contested, with home hero Alejandro Medina (Openbank Aspar Team) the next rider making their way to the front from P6 on the grid.

After running deep Turn 6 – taking Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) wide with him – Granado had work to do if he was to pick up his second victory in seven days. Aegerter had slipped to third behind Ferrari and Medina, but the Swiss rider got back up to P2, before Medina crashed out at the beginning of Lap 4 – handing P3 to Granado. The Brazilian then made a slick move underneath Casadei for second, setting the fastest lap along the way to sit a second behind race leader Aegerter with two laps to go…

Huge drama was about to unfold at Turn 6, however. Down the back straight, Ferrari was late on the brakes, but it really was too late as the inaugural MotoE™ Cup winner couldn’t get his Energica Ego Corsa stopped at all. Granado was in the wrong place at the wrong time as Ferrari careened through and clipped him, both hitting the deck. That left Aegerter with a comfortable cushion over second, and the Swiss rider made no mistakes on his final lap to win his first MotoE™ race by an impressive 2.6 seconds. Torres kept hold of P2, with Casadei managing to recover from running wide after Ferrari and Granado’s crash and the Italian picking up his second MotoE podium.

Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) pipped Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) by 0.053 to grab P4 in Jerez, with Canepa completing the top five. Tulovic took home P6 after getting pushed wide early on, with Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE), Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) and Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) completing the top 10. Granado managed to limp home to P13 in the end, taking what could end up being a valuable three points…

At the end of a breathless race, Aegerter leads the overall standings by 11 points from Torres, with Granado third – 13 adrift of the top.

Dominique Aegerter – P1

“I’m very happy about taking my first MotoE victory, we were working very hard all week, we tried to take the data from last weekend and check the small details because it’s very important to try to improve and we were able to improve in every session. The conditions were the same as last weekend so it was good to compare some different settings, The team worked very well in the hot conditions in the tent, thanks to them. The race was quite hard, it’s just six laps but we were battling hard in the first two laps and I knew that I had to stay in front. I knew that I had the pace to go away a little, and I could do it and take my first win. Thank you very much for everything, and I hope the fans at home enjoyed the race!”

Josh Hook – P8

“Wasn’t the start I wanted, I couldn’t make the overtaking i was hoping for in the first corner, but today my race pace was good and i’m happy. We still have work to do, but overall I think we are going in the right direction.”

MotoE Race Results

MotoE Championship Points Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au