MotoGP 2021 – Round 11 – Red Bull Ring
Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Spielberg

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Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) has done it again! The rookie sensation has taken his third pole of the season and second in two Sundays as he heads the grid for the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, setting another new all-time lap record around the Red Bull Ring to do it. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) misses out by just 0.034 and held said record for about a minute before getting pipped to the post, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the front row.

With his third pole position in MotoGP, Martin became the first rookie to take three pole positions over his first seven MotoGP races since Jorge Lorenzo, who did it over his first three races in the class in 2008.

This is Ducati’s third pole position in MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring along with Andrea Iannone in 2016 and Jorge Martin last weekend, who both went on to win the race.

In addition, Martin became the first Ducati rider to take two successive pole positions since Jorge Lorenzo in 2018, who did it three times in a row from Silverstone (although the race was cancelled) to Aragon.

Ducati riders have won six of the seven MotoGP races at the Red Bull Ring since the Austrian track was introduced to the calendar in 2016, with four riders: Andrea Dovizioso (3 wins), Andrea Iannone (1), Jorge Lorenzo (1) and Jorge Martin (1)

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MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Martín – P1

“I am ecstatic. The morning did not start in the best possible manner, but in the end, together with the team, we were able to work very well, and the results came through. To start in front tomorrow will be fundamental. Johann helped me; I would like to thank him.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It’s a bit of a shame that I’m second on the grid. To take pole position at this track would have been even better. But there were riders behind me waiting to get a tow at the end. At this track, that’s not the best. I already struggle on acceleration. I did the best I could do on my first stint, and on the second one I couldn’t do a lap. Let’s say I’m happy to be on the front row. Jorge Martin is super fast, and I’m happy for him, but it’s still a shame to miss out on pole. I’m a little bit disappointed, but second is a good place to start the race from tomorrow.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I’m pretty happy with the result in qualifying: our objective was to get on the front row, and we did it. Unfortunately, this afternoon I wasn’t able to improve on my best lap time from FP3. Compared to this morning’s session, I didn’t have a great grip today, and I struggled a lot. In FP4, we were quite fast with used tyres, and my pace was good. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve again, but in general, we did a good job”.

Johann Zarco – P4

“Congratulations to Jorge, he is a great talent. I am happy because we keep improving. I have an improved feeling with the bike compared to last week; we have progressed a lot. I feel I can fight for a great position tomorrow.”

Marc Marquez – P5

“In Free Practice 3 we kept trying things, sometimes when you try big things they help a lot and this is what happened. The target today was to be on the second row, I knew a front row was a little too far and we will start fifth finally. It’s a good position to try and avoid problems in the first corner and lose as little time as possible in the first laps. The feeling was a bit better than last weekend but I don’t think we quite have the pace to battle for victory. Tomorrow will be different, today was very warm and I think this helps us. I asked for more from HRC and they have had a good reaction, they’ve brought many new things and we need to try them.”

Jack Miller – P6

“I expected to be able to do more today in qualifying, but this afternoon I didn’t feel completely comfortable on the bike: it was sliding a lot, and that didn’t allow me to improve. Starting from the second row, from the sixth position, isn’t bad, so I’m optimistic and confident for tomorrow’s race”.

Joan Mir – P7

“It was a difficult qualifying, I struggled a bit more than normal, and more than I expected. I think the high temperatures on track made everything more difficult, and I struggled with stopping the bike. But racing is like this, it changes every day, and I generally feel happy with my pace. It’s not a big drama, but for sure I would’ve liked more for tomorrow, second row was more my aim. We’ll continue working, and I’ll give my best, so let’s hope we can achieve a good result tomorrow.”

Aleix Espargaro – P8

“I am truly very happy with the way we worked this weekend. Based on the data collected yesterday, the guys at Aprilia made some more changes to the RS-GP’s setup and I must admit that today I had a bike that was practically perfect. The second row was possible, but on my good lap, I unfortunately made some mistakes and that will complicate our race a bit. We know that we have some difficulties overtaking – that’s our Achilles’ heel – but I’m confident that after the mid-race point when grip drops, we’ll be able to play our hand.”

Miguel Oliveira – P9

“At the end of the day, we made a good improvement from the morning to the afternoon. I felt faster but we are struggling a little bit. I felt I could not get the maximum out of the tire in Q2 but still to secure the third row is better than last weekend. My hand is not yet 100%, and we still need to improve how we use the ride-height device and reduce our braking time and accelerating as fast as possible. So, I’m looking forward to analyzing more things with the team later and then tomorrow’s race.”

Brad Binder – P10

“I’d like to say I had a second in the pocket but the reality is that I could have done two-three tenths better but more than that would have been really tough. I think we need to look at where we were last week; we are much stronger [now] over one lap and also our pace in general is faster too. So to make it through to Q2 was a great start for sure. In Q2 I didn’t feel like I put the perfect lap together but at the end of the day I’m quite happy starting in 10th place. It is two rows better than last week. Six people that I don’t need to try and pass. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a good start and just try to push on and see how we get on in the race. I feel much more ready than I was last week and ready to go out and have a really strong race.”

Pol Espargaro – P11

“I made a mistake in Qualifying to use the hard front, this was not the right choice and I think we could have had a better position. For the race, it’s another story and I think we need to consider this tyre for the race. Overall our race pace in FP4 was good, it was not amazing but I think we can have an enjoyable race. It’s much different to last weekend, this weekend I don’t think we’re too bad and we can have an interesting day tomorrow. I’m enjoying riding the bike more.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P12

“This afternoon’s qualifying session was not our best performance and I had a few mistakes. P12 is not a good result for us, but we have good pace for tomorrow. Our race pace in FP4 was quite interesting, but we still need to improve a few areas for race distance. I’ll try my best and try to make a good start, be consistent and get a great result.”

Alex Rins – P13

“My qualifying day wasn’t so good, today started off well and I was fast but then when we got to Q1 it went badly. The strange thing is that my lap time in Q1 wasn’t enough to get through to Q2, but when you look at those final Q2 times I would’ve actually placed ninth. Anyway, it’s a shame to miss out, but I feel OK with the bike and I have potential to do a good race. We managed to fix some of the issues I had last weekend and that has helped me, and I hope that will also help me in the race tomorrow. My main goal is to get a good start and obviously I’ll give my all to get the highest place possible.”

Álex Márquez – P14

“Unfortunately, in the morning during the time attack (in FP3), I made some mistakes so we didn’t go directly into Q2 which was a shame because we had good pace and good performance overall this weekend. Anyway, in the afternoon we did a good job in FP4 and in Q1 I gave 100 % and the lap time was coming despite the hot conditions which was important, so I’m happy about that. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and we’ll be ready if it’s dry or wet. We need to make a really good start and be aggressive right from the beginning, try to overtake and be there in the top 10 as that’s a result I think we can achieve. So, we’ll try to find the feeling quickly and then push without making any mistakes.”

Enea Bastianini – P15

“It was a bad day and I think we could have had a better result. In FP4 we were very fast and unfortunately this morning I couldn’t set a good lap because I crashed. Then we had some tyre problems which didn’t allow me to set a good lap either. I’m sure we had the speed to be much higher and to be in Q2. Tomorrow we will start 15th, which is better than last week, although it’s not the result we deserve”.

Iker Lecuona – P16

“I’m happy about today because we improved the race pace a lot compared to last week. In my time attack I managed to improve also. In FP3 the gap was also very small, I didn’t miss out on the top 10 by much. In Qualifying we had a technical issue on my number one bike, so I had to change. Then I made some small mistakes because I was a bit nervous, so I couldn’t ride as good as I know I can. But we are there, and just wait how the weather will be tomorrow. In any case, I’m ready.”

Luca Marini – P17

“I’m a bit angry about the grid position, we could have done better and got into Q2. We knew it was going to be difficult, I was going very fast on my last attempt, but other riders disturbed me. I had to stop accelerating and abort the lap. It’s a pity, because now MotoGP qualifying is also decided in fights like Moto3.”

Valentino Rossi – P18

“I’m not happy with the position today because I think I can do better, especially as the pace in FP4 was not too bad. I was able to do this pace with all of the different tyres, which is good for tomorrow. We will need to make the right decision for the race depending on the weather and the temperature. In Qualifying the first run was not too bad, but I didn’t feel like I had the same rear grip in the second one. I was not able to improve my time and it meant that I lost some positions. I will start 18th, but I think that my potential is a bit better. I’m hoping for a dry race, as our pace is good on the used tyre, plus I’m hoping that I can fight in a group and try to get some points.”

Danilo Petrucci – P19

“When I always try to improve in braking, I make some mistakes and this is exactly what happened today. I was happy about my feeling in FP4, the pace was pretty good, but when I try to make up some time with the new tires, we lose on the straight and I can’t stop the bike properly. I’m definitely not happy with my lap time in Qualifying. Regarding our race pace, I still think we can stick with our target to bring home some points tomorrow.”

Cal Crutchlow – P20

“We’ve definitely made some improvements with the bike and I understand more about the package now, especially with the electronics. I’m feeling positive this weekend and more comfortable. We are struggling with engine braking at the moment, which is why I didn’t have the best Qualifying session and I know I could have been faster. We need to look at this ahead of the race but FP4 was quite good, I’m feeling more confident and I’m faster than last week. The thing is everyone is so strong and they’re all getting faster and faster. I’m looking forward to tomorrow though and let’s see how the race pans out.”

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Q1 Notes

Q1 saw plenty of fast faces looking for a way through, including Martin, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Martin was fastest from the off in the session, with a few tenths in hand after the first runs and Rins in P2.

The final push for a place in the top 12 and the chance to fight further up saw everyone come out swinging, but Martin moved the benchmark by another few hundredths first. Then red sectors started to appear across the board, but no one could keep it going throughout the lap except the rookie number 89. He improved his laptime to move through on top, joined by Oliveira as the Portuguese rider just pipped Rins to P2.

Q2 Notes

Martin got down to a 1:23.037 as the first real benchmark, but not long after that there was a new lap record. Quartararo was four tenths up and heading round the final corner, the Frenchman kept it nice and tidy to set a scorching 1:22.677 – the new fastest lap ever of the Red Bull Ring, knocking a couple of tenths off Zarco’s Friday fastest.

Bagnaia then started lighting up the timing screens, the Italian not yet having registered a valid lap either, but losing out in the final sectors saw him slot into third, just behind Martin. But the Italian wasn’t done and went for another shot at it, again up in the early stages but then losing out. He improved, but stayed third.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was up early and then lost over a second, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) set a red first sector, and Bagnaia was on a roll too. But it came down to two…

Together on track, Zarco was ahead of Martin and the duo was pushing. But the Frenchman was losing bit by bit as Martin’s timing showed he was a tenth and a half up on the new lap record from Quartararo. Could be keep it going?

Zarco crossed the line with another good lap, enough for fourth, but behind him his teammate smashed it on Saturday once again. Another new lap record, and just 0.034 up on Quartararo’s, sees Martin regain his crown as fastest ever MotoGP rider around the Red Bull Ring with a 1:22.643. With that, the Spaniard takes his third pole of his rookie season.

Quartararo is forced to settle for second, although that’s one better than last weekend as he pips Bagnaia this time around. The number 63 completes the front row, however, and only missed out on a 1:22 by an apt 0.063.

The Grid

The same front row in a slightly different order heads the grid. Martin remains the poleman, with Quartararo second and Bagnaia third. Zarco heads up Row 2, with Marc Marquez putting in a solid Q2 to take fifth. Jack Miller completes the second row as he looks for some redemption after a crash last weekend.

Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is a little further back than the Styrian GP but takes a solid P7, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Miguel Oliveira alongside on the third row.

Brad Binder completes the top ten after the South African had a run off on his final attempt, but that is six places further forward than where he started in Styria… and then, he charged up to fourth place. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) had a muted qualifying and lines up 11th, similarly Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in 12th.

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MotoGP Assen Combined Qualifying

MotoGP Championship Standings

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Moto2

Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) reigned the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, the Brit taking pole for the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich by just 0.068 from Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo). On the front row last weekend and setting the fastest lap in the race, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) takes third to start from the front once again.

Moto2 Combined Times

Moto2 Championship Points

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Moto3

Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) backed up his podium in the Styrian GP with pole position for the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, the Italian fastest in qualifying for the first time since Silverstone 2017 and setting his lap alone, too. He just beat Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) to it by 0.071, with Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) completing the front row after a late lunge up the order.

Moto3 Combined Times

Moto3 Championship Points

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MotoE

AFermin Aldeguer (OpenBank Aspar Team) is the rider to beat in MotoE after the rookie Spaniard took a maiden E-Pole at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix of Austria, putting in a a 1:35.306 to beat Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) by just 0.047. Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian Gresini E-Racing MotoE) continued his step forward in speed to get back on the front row in third… and as some other key players in the standings faltered on a Saturday with some surprises.

Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) was the first rider to break the 1:36 barrier in E-Pole, taking over on top and managing to hold off a number of challengers, including current Cup leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) by just 0.005. And try as they might, it took until Ferrari, Tulovic and Aldeguer to leapfrog the Japanese rider, so he starts fourth.

Zaccone lines up fifth, and the furthest forward of the top four in the points. Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama) completes that second row alongside the points leader, with Zaccone’s closest challenger in the standings heading Row 3 in seventh: Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40). He’s just ahead of Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), with both struggling to make their mark on Saturday. Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) completes that third row, and Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) the top ten.

So where is the man on E-Pole until now in 2021? Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing) was chasing five in a row, but his hopes of extending that streak were over early as the Brazilian had a huge moment early in his lap. He was able to salvage something, but he’ll start from the fifth row in P13 and be looking to make some very quick progress through the field… which he has done before.

MotoE EPole

MotoE Championship Points

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Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Schedule (AEST)

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP 2021 – Round Ten
Styria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg

Jorge Martin – P1

“I can’t believe it, for sure I think I still don’t believe it so I’m still not so excited! What I did today was amazing, I kept a really constant pace throughout the race, in the same tenth, and I was super focused. Even if I made some mistakes, my target was to win the race. Joan was impressive today too, he was behind me almost all the race but in the last laps I tried a bit more to brake a bit harder even if the front tyre was destroyed, and I could take a gap for the lead. On the last laps I was thinking a lot of things, about everything and everyone who helped me to arrive here and that’s why I was a bit worse in the last laps! But I had the gap to manage. Thanks to all my family, this is one big step towards my dream of being World Champion. Today is one big step, we’re a bit closer and I want to dedicate it to all the people who’ve helped me and also to my grandfather who is still fighting, this is for you. I hope to keep this line for next weekend, it’ll be more difficult but I think we still have some margin to work and we’ll try for the win again.”

Joan Mir – P2

“It was a tough race, it wasn’t easy trying to follow Jorge and towards the end of the race I made a mistake when trying to catch him and I went wide. Jorge was impressive today and very consistent with his lap times, so I want to congratulate him. In the end I’m satisfied and I feel very proud of the team and the factory who have made a great job over the summer. I’m happy to know that the new device is working, we have more acceleration and it puts us on a more level playing field – this gives me hope for the next races. Starting the second part of the season with a podium is a nice feeling and I feel confident for next weekend.”

Fabio Quartararo – P3

“It feels so good, because when there is a red flag it‘s tough, even if it‘s not a big crash. I made an impressive overtake in Race 1, Turn 6. I was a little bit on the limit and to repeat this was so difficult. I knew that Jack Miller was so fast. I was extremely good on braking in Turn 3. I knew that that was a good point to overtake if I was given that possibility. The goal was to finish on the podium, and we did it! I am so happy for Jorge Martin, and as a bonus he took some points from Joan Mir. Let‘s see what happens next week, but this leaves a good taste.”

Brad Binder – P4

“Today was a bit of chaos for the first race back! I almost crashed on the Sighting Lap of the first race actually. I don’t know why but it felt like the front tyre had no temperature and for the first flying lap it was like it was wet. We need to look and see what happened. I went down to 25th at one point because I almost ran off the track. I passed four-five guys in the next laps until the red flag. The restart was much better and I had more confidence even if we really need a harder front tyre. It is way-too weak for us. I was riding on the tyre limit the whole race but managed to make a couple of moves to take 4th, which I was really happy with.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P5

“I’m really happy with P5, it’s a great result and up to the last corner of the race we were fighting for P4. We had good pace and it was good battle throughout the race and to start from P10 and finish in P5 is quite good. I’m happy about my feeling on the bike and we were able to improve the bike from yesterday. We finished as the top Honda which is the most important thing and I’m really looking forward to the next race here in Austria and we can definitely fight for the top places”.

Johann Zarco – P6

“First of all congratulations to Jorge, what a fantastic race, I am very happy for him and for the team, they deserved it. I’m pretty satisfied, I picked up some important points and understood a lot of things. Next week we’ll start again with even more energy.”

Alex Rins – P7

“Today was a mixture of good and bad for me, I struggled a lot with the front brake and I didn’t feel comfortable on the hard braking zones. Lap by lap I tried to adapt to this and manage it, and I was able to gain some places. In the end I finished seventh, but for sure the bike was capable of finishing closer to the front so we need to adjust it and resolve the issue for next weekend. I’m pleased that we can race again in just a few days at this same track because it gives me another chance to improve and bring a better result. The ride height device felt good, it gave me a step forward in acceleration and I’m happy to keep working with it from Friday.”

Marc Marquez – P8

“I am happy with the weekend; our pace was good and I was riding well. But I am not happy with the race. In the first race I was feeling really good and I thought ‘this is my race’. In the second race we changed tyres and already on the out lap I could feel something strange. There was a lot of spinning and I couldn’t find any grip. I tried to cool the tyre a bit and then push again but I was one second slower than during practice. All we could do was finish the race and try to show our true performance next weekend. In the first race I was optimistic when I passed Aleix and touching was more my mistake, in the second race I had a better start and was inside and in front but then he released the brakes and turned in so I had no space and made contact, losing time. This is racing, it happens.”

Álex Márquez – P9

“Today was another good day for us. We have to be happy and proud as we had a really difficult first half of the season. Ninth position in the end, but honestly, I made too many mistakes during the race although I was giving 100 percent. We need to improve and keep going, but I’m very satisfied at how the team worked this weekend, now we have a few days here in Austria before the second race. So, I’m happy with the performance, we still have things to improve, but we are heading in the right direction.”

Dani Pedrosa – P10

“I think it is a good result and we are happy with the outcome and from what we have learned this weekend. I was riding well in the first race and I don’t know why but in the slow Turn 3 I lost the front. It was so slow that I stayed in the middle of the track and Savadori hit the bike. We created quite a big mess there. I hope he is OK. It was a bit tricky then because our second bike was set up for the wet but we could make the changes and for the restart I thought ‘OK, let’s try to finish the race’. I was more calm, more cautious and I didn’t push too much at the beginning which meant I lost a lot of ground. Once I had the feeling of the track and the bike I could push more and gained some positions as riders around me made mistakes. I was closing up to the group and it was interesting to feel how the tyres were working; it is different to testing but also what I felt in practice during the weekend. The top ten is good. Thank you to KTM and all my mechanics. They did a great job because we had a few moments when they had to work really hard. Thanks also to the fans, I hope they enjoyed the race.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P11

“I’m really disappointed with how the race went today. The first start was perfect, even though I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the front tyre. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same feeling with the rear of the bike at the restart, which prevented me from riding the same way as before. Moreover, I received a three-second penalty for not taking the long lap penalty, but I was never told in the race to do so. It’s a shame because today we really had a great chance to fight for the win. We’ll try again next week”.

Enea Bastianini – P12

“It was a very difficult race. We had a good pace and tried to recover positions, but unfortunately we suffered a penalty for exceeding the limits of the track. We have taken a good step forward and the qualifying was a shame because we deserved to be further ahead, but fortunately next week we have another race and we will have a new opportunity.”

Valentino Rossi – P13

“It hasn’t been a bad day today because we managed to score some points after starting from 17th. In both starts I lost positions at the beginning. I felt good after the first start; I might have been behind the other riders but I had a good rhythm. Then after the second start we suffered with the rear grip a little bit more than in the first. In the end the race wasn’t too bad, I didn’t make any mistakes, my pace was good and we finished in the Top15. I was able to fight with those around me for position and I think we had a similar pace to what we had yesterday. For sure I want to do better, but today was not bad. We have some things to work on to try to be stronger next week.”

Luca Marini – P14

“In the first start, the feelings with the tyres and the bike have been very positive, but in the second, with the change of tyres, I started to have no grip on the rear. In the first few laps it was hard for me, then as the tyre wore out, the times were similar to those of the others. I have tried to be consistent, to do my best and to not make mistakes. Next week we will do another race here and work again on the details, which will be useful for future weekends.”

Iker Lecuona – P15

“It was a difficult day. In the wet conditions this morning, I felt very strong. I expected the race to be wet but finally it was dry. After 10 laps, I didn’t feel any grip anymore and had a lot of spinning. I struggled a lot and on top of that I got a long lap penalty. I didn’t understand why. With one point, I’m not very happy, as I knew we could have been finishing a lot closer to the front with the potential we have. But it’s just the first weekend and in a few days we have the opportunity to recover, so it’s time to restart.”

Pol Espargaro – P16

“Obviously it has been tough and honestly speaking a little embarrassing being this close to last. I think everything started in Qualifying because we were not that strong and also we tried the medium rear and ran out of rear tyres when the red flag made us restart. We went out with a rear with four laps already on it and I think with it going from cold to hot, to cold to hot with the warmers and the track condition I think we destroyed the tyre already before the race. There was a lot of spinning on the straight and in fourth gear I wasn’t accelerating. I wasn’t stopping. I don’t think there were any positives, it was just surviving. In the first start I think we could have done something more interesting.”

Cal Crutchlow – P17

“It was good to be back racing again. Physically I felt quite good and I’m happy to finish the race. I had an issue at the first start, which then affected my opening laps and I lost an important gap. Then on the re-start, we fixed the previous issue and I got into a good rhythm, so I’m happy with my race. I had a problem with the rear traction but it was good to complete the race distance. I’ve been able to gather some data for us to look through and the rear grip issue is something for us to try to understand. It was enjoyable to be back out there and I’m looking forward to doing it again next week.”

Danilo Petrucci – P18

“We knew it would be a difficult race for me in terms of acceleration and in fact, I struggled a lot to stay in the group. I managed to stay quite close to the others but at the end I tried to pass Iker, went wide and lost many positions. I’m very sorry for this mistake! All the race I fought to recover the time lost on the straight. We will try again next week.”

Maverick Vinales – P19

“We changed the clutch. I made a normal start on the grid for the warm-up lap, but the bike stopped. I’m happy that in the first race I was able to start well. I was fighting at the front, but in the second race the feeling was not the same. We changed the tyres, and I don’t know why but the bike was spinning so much, even on the main straight. I tried to go up the order, but then I had problems with the bike, and I stopped.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“I’m pretty dirty on myself with that one. I had a podium finish in my pocket with 10 laps left, but I asked too much of my front tyre and completely threw it away. Instead of getting another trophy here in Austria, I end the race on the floor and giving away a whole heap of points. First and second place were out of the question but third, that was there. And then you all saw what happened.

“The first race before the red flag hadn’t gone so well because I had a bit of a moment coming out of the first corner and got mugged on the way up to Turn 3 at the top of the hill, so I was buried in around ninth or 10th or something before it got stopped. So I was a bit lucky to get a second shot at a start, and I made that one work – I led into the first corner and even after I dropped a couple of spots on lap four, I felt good as I came back to Fabio (Quartararo) pretty easily in third, so I was pretty confident I could get back on the podium here again. 

“I made a change with the front tyre choice for the second race and ran with the hard instead of the medium, and while I was struggling with grip on the right-hand side edge at the beginning, I was able to manage it and able to still push basically as I wanted to. I could see Fabio’s pace starting to drop as he was coming back to me, so that’s why this one stung so much. I’m disappointed in myself more than anything, and sorry for the team of course. I need to see the data and see where it went wrong because I didn’t feel I asked that much of the front, but clearly I did something wrong. 

“Qualifying fourth on Saturday was a good day for us, because I felt we had to do quite a bit this weekend to get up to speed. Five weeks off the bike was one thing, but we had a few items the team brought to the weekend to test and whatnot, so maybe I was a bit preoccupied. Anyway, I was able to get some pace together to pull out a lap in my first run – maybe there was some time to gain in the second run but I kept making stupid little mistakes by pushing too hard. Sometimes you have to hold your hand up … as it was, it probably didn’t cost me a grid position because I was about three-tenths (of a second) off the front three anyway, but I could have been a bit closer. The nature of this track – it’s basically three long straights with some big stops at the end of them – means you can get sucked in to braking that little bit later, and the margins are pretty fine. A little more would have been nice, but we had a good position for the start. I thought we were in with a good shout of a result, and we were until my mistake. 

“There’s not too many positives to take out of today, but one small one is that I stayed in fifth in the championship because the two guys closest to me, Maverick (Vinales) and Miguel (Oliveira), both didn’t score points as well. It’s not much, but it is something …

“Austria was good to me finally last year – I had two podiums here and was in with a chance to win both races, especially the second one – so that’s why this one stings even more. The Ducati always goes well here and there’s a lot of guys who have won on it here, so I needed to make the best of that on these two weekends before we go to some tracks that maybe don’t suit our bike quite as much. So, I’ve thrown one away and have to make up for it next week. 

“On those Ducati winners, big congrats to Jorge Martin for his first win today, as a rookie too. The guy is a star so I’m happy for him. And for (Pramac Ducati team principal) Paulo Campinoti and my old team for their first win, it was cool to see those guys so happy. In between my sulking, I went next door to their garage and congratulated them. A lot of Jorge’s mechanics there are my old mechanics from last year so I’m stoked for those guys.”

Miguel Oliveira – DNF

“I’m disappointed not to finish the race. I felt that the ‘second’ race was going a bit better for me, I could find better lines and make some positions. Behind Brad I was managing the tyres and keeping cool but then I started to have a lot of vibration and had to retire because of a tyre problem. It’s disappointing because you feel like all the effort has been for nothing. It wouldn’t have been our best result this weekend, but we could have taken a nice top ten from all that we have been through here. The wrist is getting better day-by-day and all the things we are doing to take care of it are working. Hopefully through the week we can arrive to the best shape possible for the second race here in Spielberg.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“Unfortunately, in both races, I started extremely well, but I was pushed wide twice and lost positions. In any case, I was recovering and I had the pace to finish in the top six, but the bike had a problem. It’s a pity because we lost important points, but also because of Lorenzo’s accident, once again on this track. I hope he will be able to recover quickly and be back on the track. Now we’ll just be thinking about next week’s race.”

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Team Managers

Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki  Project Leader and Team Director

“This weekend in Styria has been special for us as a team because we have been waiting a long time to try our new ride height device and finally we could use it for the first time in a race. Despite being a new system, it’s already working quite well and it seemed to help our riders with acceleration today, this also helped Joan to reach the podium. I cannot thank the engineers in Japan enough, they have done such an amazing job. I’d also like to congratulate Joan, who was very close to a win today. Alex had very consistent lap times today and I believe that next week he can finish even higher. Overall, we’re feeling very satisfied.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“Today was a good day and Joan did a very good job. We missed a little something to get the win, but second place and the podium is still a really nice result. I have to thank the engineers who managed to prepare the new device in such a short time and to such a high standard. Alex had more potential than seventh place today, so it’s a bit of a pity for him, but we’re happy to have both riders collecting useful points and we hope next week at this track we can get even more.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“First of all, we are relieved that no riders were injured during the incident involving Dani Pedrosa and Lorenzo Savadori. Fabio did well not to let the red flag interruption faze him. He ’ended‘ Race 1 in third position, replicated his good start from earlier at the restart, and once again took hold of third place. On the other hand, the re-start kicked off a very unfortunate turn of events for Maverick. He had such a good start from ninth in Race 1 and was in the mix at the front when the race was halted. To have the bike stall at the re-start and having to start from pit lane was a very bitter pill for him to swallow. So, today‘s results are met with some mixed feelings from our team. But the most important thing we take away from this is that both our riders can challenge for the podium here in the dry. Spielberg is not traditionally a ’Yamaha circuit‘, so this shows the improvement we‘ve made, and we are eager for the rematch at this track next weekend.”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“We are very happy on one side of the garage because Brad rode really well to get to 4th place, especially in the second half of the race. On the other side we’re really disappointed for Miguel and for what happened to his front tyre. We had five bikes on the grid and four finished, including Dani in 10th which was pretty incredible. Iker scored a point and it was very difficult to manage the situation with the red flag and the front tyres. We’re happy with the results we made and also that there were no repercussions for anybody in the incident at Turn 3. We’ll now look ahead to perhaps an even better weekend to come. We are working well and working hard. It was great to see the KTM fans and the staff here. This racing project is the result of many people giving a lot of effort at the circuits and in the factory so we’re happy they can see the show and the results on track.”

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

“The MotoGP race weekend began with the announcement of Valentino Rossi’s retirement so we consider it to be a great honour to have him in our team in what will be his final year. We wish him all the best and we will support him all we can for these final races. We just want him to have fun and to celebrate his career in this second half of the season. He had a decent opening few laps and he had good pace, finishing 13th which was positive today. We didn’t set any specific race targets for Cal and he did a good job to finish 17th, especially having had time away from riding.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“We were quite disappointed when we saw the red flag, because Iker got a really great start in race one, but he did the same again in race two. I think Iker is good to start and to push hard during the first lap. I believe he did a good race, steady, always in the points. He went up to P11 even, took his space and we were quite safe in P12 until he unfortunately got the long lap penalty, which ruined our race. I think this is a tough track for that and we saw that we were not the only ones. But eventually he dropped to 16th and passed Danilo on the last lap. So we got a point. It’s a small reward, but I think Iker did a strong weekend, both, in dry and wet conditions and I’d like to thank him for that. It’s still a bit of a bitter feeling to have lost that P12, that was ours three laps to go.”

“On the other side of the garage, I think Danilo was never in a position to score points until the last laps when Iker got his long lap penalty. He was not far in terms of lap times, he has been fighting with Rossi, Marini and Bastianini at some stage of the race. He ended up the race with interesting feedback. There’s not much more to say than thanks guys, to have pushed the whole weekend. Let’s try to maximise on the data and the knowledge we have now on that track in order to be better next weekend.”

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

2021 MotoGP Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP 2021 – Round Ten
Styria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg

From injury to pole position to top step of the podium, comeback stories don’t get much better than Jorge Martin’s (Pramac Racing) first weekend back from the summer break. The Spaniard broke the lap record for pole on Saturday and then put in an impressive performance to outpace reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on Sunday, taking his first premier class win and becoming the first Independent Team rider on a Ducati to win a MotoGP race. And for Pramac Racing, the wait is over as that victory with Ducati finally comes their way.

Mir took second and his best result of the season so far, with Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completing the rostrum to do some impressive damage control in the standings at a tougher venue for Yamaha.

Race Report

The first race start of two saw Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) take the holeshot as Mir and Martin slotted in behind, but it wasn’t long before a huge moment of drama would interrupt proceedings. A couple of laps later, MotoGP Legend and wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slid off out of Turn 3 – and his bike was then struck by Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). Both riders were up and ok after the crash, but the bikes burst into flames and the Red Flag came out immediately – leaving a clean-up job to do.

Savadori headed for a check up and was found to have fractured his right malleolis, therefore out of the restart – but Pedrosa was able to get back out. After a considerable wait for the track to get cleaned and race ready, a new distance of 27 laps was set and the grid lined up again.

But again, more drama hit – this time for Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the number 12 couldn’t get away on the Warm Up lap and was forced into pitlane. That left a gap on the grid, and the lights then finally went out for the second time.

Let’s go again!

This time around, Martin took the holeshot but Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) struck at Turn 3, with Mir slotted into third and a gap back behind the trio already. Quartararo was on the chase, with another – after the same in the first start – moment between Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) slightly shuffling the pack just behind as El Diablo took the inside line and the room ran out.

At the front though, Miller led Martin led Mir, but Quartararo was homing in – and closest Championship challenger Zarco was the last man going with the front group. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had dropped behind both LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez and LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami. Another rider of note was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as the South African started to ignite his Sunday charge, up into ninth and looking like little would stop further progress.

Up ahead, by the braking zone for Turn 3, Martin was into the lead and past Miller though, and Quartararo and Zarco switched and switched back. Mir then got past Miller to get on the chase for victory, and a gap started to open up behind the leading duo. By 21 to go, Quartararo moved past the Australian too, and Miller responded at Turn 4 before El Diablo elbowed his way back through. With that, the gap to the lead duo only grew…

Quartararo managed to hold on in third, but then more drama hit behind him to assure it. Martin and Mir had disappeared in the distance and Miller was starting to put the pressure on the number 20 in the fight for the podium, but disaster hit for the Australian with 10 laps to go. Suddenly sliding out at Turn 7, his rostrum hopes were over and the Yamaha ahead was released into some solid breathing space.

From there on out, the key question became: Martin or Mir? But as the laps ticked down, the answer became clearer. The number 89 was edging away, and then a mistake from Mir at Turn 3 just took the gap over a second… and that was that. If Martin could keep it clean, his first premier class win was there for the taking.

Keep it clean he did. Mir did too from there on out, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Pramac Racing rider in the lead just pounded on. Over the line, the comeback fairytale was complete and Martin took the flag with a second and a half in hand, making some incredible history with an emotional victory, from a pole position lap record no less. Mir was forced to settle for second but was right back in the hunt – and moved up to third in the standings – with Quartararo a distant but valuable third as Ducati territory didn’t play out that way for his closest challengers in the points.

Fourth place, meanwhile, looked set for much of the race. But Brad Binder had other ideas, and the South African absolutely smashed the final lap. Beginning it behind both Nakagami and Zarco, the KTM rider wanted more than sixth and that’s exactly what he got. Dispatching the Japanese rider AND the Frenchman in just one lap, the number 33 took fourth and the honour of top KTM on home turf. Sunday rider can also be a compliment!

Nakagami then snatched fifth and Zarco was forced to settle for sixth, losing out some ground to Quartararo. Alex Rins slotted into seventh, with Marc Marquez able to salvage eighth after some dramas for the number 93 on Sunday. Alex Marquez faded in the latter stages to ninth but still took a valuable top ten… as did Pedrosa, in the end. Bagnaia was given a time penalty for not taking a Long Lap – he exceeded track limits – and that puts the number 26 back into the top ten in Grand Prix racing. An impressive achievement for any rider, but especially more than two years after retirement.

Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) took P12 and managed to stay ahead of Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), who in turn held off Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia). Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing), after a stronger start, completed the points in P15.

Jorge Martin – P1

“I can’t believe it, for sure I think I still don’t believe it so I’m still not so excited! What I did today was amazing, I kept a really constant pace throughout the race, in the same tenth, and I was super focused. Even if I made some mistakes, my target was to win the race. Joan was impressive today too, he was behind me almost all the race but in the last laps I tried a bit more to brake a bit harder even if the front tyre was destroyed, and I could take a gap for the lead. On the last laps I was thinking a lot of things, about everything and everyone who helped me to arrive here and that’s why I was a bit worse in the last laps! But I had the gap to manage. Thanks to all my family, this is one big step towards my dream of being World Champion. Today is one big step, we’re a bit closer and I want to dedicate it to all the people who’ve helped me and also to my grandfather who is still fighting, this is for you. I hope to keep this line for next weekend, it’ll be more difficult but I think we still have some margin to work and we’ll try for the win again.”

So that’s all she wrote for Styria… but not for the Red Bull Ring. The stunning venue welcomes MotoGP back for more next weekend for the Austrian Grand Prix, and there’ll be a new premier class winner lining up: Jorge Martin. Will the deck shuffle again or can he go back to back? We’ll start to see some answers on Friday!

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

2021 MotoGP Standings

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Moto2

Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) was back on the top step in style at the Red Bull Ring, the Italian hunting down his rivals and keeping just enough in reserve to secure his first win of the year. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) was the rider he just held at bay after an impressive charge from the number 44, with Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) back on the podium in P3 to pick up where he left off in Assen.

Initially Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) got the best launch from pole, but Bezzecchi nabbed the holeshot and Gardner then overcooked it at Turn 3 trying to fight back. So the Italian blasted away, with Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) up into second as Gardner was forced to slot back into third, just ahead of Canet.

Turn 3 treated Gardner better with the next move he tried, the Australian getting past his teammate to slot in behind Bezzecchi once again. Canet was the next mover as he took Raul Fernandez at the final corner, with the top four enjoying a reasonable gap back to Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) on the chase. He, in turn, had Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Sam Lowes and teammate Augusto Fernandez close on his tail.

With 19 to go, there was a big shuffle. Bezzecchi headed wide at Turn 1 and both Canet and Gardner swopped round the Italian on each side, the number 44 taking the lead. At the end of the lap Gardner then sliced through on the Boscoscuro to lead… just as Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) headed wide as well. That left Gardner-Canet-Bezzecchi in a close trio at the front, allowing Ogura into fourth and Lowes and Augusto Fernandez past too.

As the laps ticked on though, Gardner was edging away from Canet, who in turn was edging away from Bezzecchi… and it was Ogura with the momentum as the Japanese rookie slammed in the fastest lap to home in. Augusto Fernandez was a couple of seconds back and had made it through on Lowes, with Raul Fernandez dropped by the frontrunners to head up a freight train stretching back to 12th.

At the front, it looked like Gardner was on for glory, but Canet and Bezzecchi were digging in and fighting back… as was Ogura, the fastest man on track. But Bezzecchi was the first to make try a move as he homed in on Canet, and with 11 to go at Turn 1 the Italian struck and made sure it stuck. Next there was a shuffle as Ogura took Canet and then had the favour returned, but the next move would come at the front…

Bezzechi had Gardner in the crosshairs and the Italian got closer and closer to the leader before putting in another impressive move at Turn 1 with 7 to go. The Australian slipped back past at Turn 3 though as the Italian headed slightly wide, but Bezzechi wasn’t done and closed the door through Turn 4, making it stick this time around… and drama hit for Gardner soon after.

Overcooking it at Turn 4 next time around, the Championship leader had to sit it up to avoid Bezzecchi and headed into the gravel. Although upright and rejoining, that left Bezzecchi leading Ogura leading Augusto Fernandez… and then there was even more drama.

After a track limits warning earlier in the race, the message came throughas Ogura was given a Long Lap penalty. That dropped him out of contention for his first podium in some late heartbreak, promoting Canet back into second and Augusto Fernandez, waiting in the wings, into third for another podium.

Bezzecchi held up under some late pressure from Canet, crossing the line for his first win of the season and, fittingly, the 46th Italian win in Moto2. Canet in turn got back on the rostrum after another impressive race, with Augusto Fernandez showing more solid speed to take another podium, picking up where he left off in Assen.

Gardner managed to hold off Ogura to take fourth, and the Japanese rider was also given another 3-second penalty after not completing his Long Lap within the white lines. And next up, the fight for sixth went down to the wire…

From 19th on the grid, Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) put on an impressive charge and right at the end of the race, the Italian was able to slice past Raul Fernandez for an impressive best Moto2™ result so far: sixth.

Eighth was another best intermediate class result yet for Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) as the Thai rider concluded a quick weekend with quite a nice haul of points, fighting off Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and a good charge up to a better postcode from Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) took 12th just behind that fight, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) just a tenth further back. Sam Lowes slipped to 14th after a run off for the Brit, with Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) completing the points.

Marco Bezzecchi – P1

“It was a tricky race but amazing to fight with the guys, at the beginning I started well and my rhythm was constant but not enough, Remy passed me but then I understood more and I started to push, getting closer and closer and I thought maybe today was my day. Aron was very fast at the end but I kept something in my pocket!”

2021 Assen Moto2 Race Results

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

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Moto3

Four in a row last year in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, a win from the year before that and now, a Moto3 victory at the Red Bull Ring on first time of asking? Sounds about right for history maker Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), but it didn’t come easy. A truly epic duel for the ages saw the Spaniard take on compatriot and closest Championship challenger Sergio Garcia (Santander Consumer Bank GASGAS Aspar Team) in a half-wet half-dry Styrian showdown, with Acosta making a move at the final corner to take the win – and the number 11 just sliding out on a damp patch on the outside. But such was their domination, Garcia remounted and still made it over the line in second.

Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Racing Team) continued his good form of late to complete the podium as he struck late against Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), moving up to third in the standings with the move to boot.

There was drama before lights out as polesitter Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was pulled off the grid before the warm up lap, the Turkish rider’s bike having been worked on within the 3 minute board and that sending him to the back of the grid for the race start. But what had they been doing? Changing to slicks, with a dry line fast appearing around the Red Bull Ring but the majority of the field on wets. The majority didn’t include Öncü after the change, and Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), his teammate John McPhee, Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) and Rivacold Snipers teammates Andrea Migno and David Salvador all lined up on slicks too.

Once the start was underway, Fenati took the holeshot from the outside of the front row, the Italian away well to just slip ahead of second place starter – and second in the standings – Garcia, but the Spaniard didn’t take long to hit back and hit the front. Before long, he, Acosta and Fenati already had a couple of seconds in hand over the chasing pack a lap later, with Masia and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) leading that chase.

Lap by lap though, the top two were pulling away. Garcia and Acosta, the two at the top of the standings, remained the fastest two riders on track even as the dry line got more pronounced, with time starting to run out for those on slicks hoping for a change of fortune. Binder was by far the furthest forward of those trying the gamble, down in P16 but over five seconds ahead of teammate McPhee, the next rider on slicks.

11 to go was when Acosta, who’d been stalking Garcia for over ten laps, made his move. The two were nearly ten seconds clear of the rest, but Garcia hit back quickly and next time over the line, found his fastest lap not beaten straight away by the man just behind him. And so the laps rolled on, and six to go was the next attack from Acosta, again at Turn 3. But again, Garcia hit back and it was as you were.

Five to go marked the first time the fastest lap came from a rider on slicks, and it was Binder. The South African was on a charge and was already well inside the top ten even before that tipping point, leaving the rest of his fellow tyre gamblers far behind. But with time running out for it to make a big difference, it was more a mission of damage limitation.

By two to go, Acosta was ready to try it again, and the points leader pulled the same move at Turn 3. And Garcia, once again, sliced back past. And so the highspeed Moto3 chess headed onto the final lap, and this time it was Turn 1. Acosta struck, Garcia tucked in and this time round at Turn 3 the roles were reversed – and the elbows out. The number 11 whacked it up the inside and just about made it work, some contact between the two and Acosta running wide but both soon back on track into what had become formation.

And so it rolled on to the final corner, and this time it was Acosta slicing up the inside… and this time there was no contact, but there was drama. Garcia lost it on the wider line, just touching the damp patch and sliding out into the gravel as Acosta gunned it towards the line for another impressive victory, increasing his Championship lead once again.

It wasn’t quite the disaster it seemed for Garcia, however. The domination of the two was such that the Spaniard, quick to his feet in the gravel, had enough time to get back on his bike, back on track and make it to the line in second place for a valuable and hard-earned 20 points.

A duel to the end decided the final place on the podium too as Fenati struck late against Masia, the Italian just taking it by a tenth, up the inside at the final corner for another rostrum finish. Masia was forced to settle for fourth but gets some solid points after a tougher run of it before summer, with Sasaki next up as he made a great return to racing in fifth place following his injury and time on the sidelines.

Sixth place, in the end, was Binder’s limit. The South African somehow did an entire race on completely different tyres to those anywhere around him at the flag, putting in an impressive day’s work. He got past a close fight that saw Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) beat Yuki Kunii (Honda Team Asia) and Max Kofler (CIP Green Power).

Another close fight completed the points: Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Filip Salac (CarXpert PruestelGP), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power, John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Izan Guevara (SANTANDER Consumer Bank GASGAS Aspar Team) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in 15th.

Pedro Acosta – P1

“Sergio was strong like always! I’m super happy after 24 laps, super long race. We have to still fully focused by in the end in the battle I could overtake him. It was a bit on the limit but to win here in Red Bull and KTM house is amazing, and I have to say thanks to all the team. We trained so hard this summer to come here prepared to fight. This is for Hugo Millan, for him, his brother and his family.”

2021 Assen Moto3 Race Results

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

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2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)

Source: MCNews.com.au