2021 MotoGP – Round 18 – Valencia
Rider and Team Manager Quotes

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Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“I’m thrilled with the victory today. To win wearing Valentino Rossi’s helmet was incredible and the best way to celebrate his last race. Today’s success was incredible, and now we know we are ready to fight for the riders’ title next year. During this season, we have improved the bike’s setup race after race, and at the end of 2021, the Desmosedici GP has become very strong, as well as its riders. We have a very good base for next year, and I hope to start as we finish. We have gained a lot of experience, and we have grown a lot! The team is unbelievable, and the atmosphere inside the garage is amazing! I’m really happy, and I thank Ducati for all this”.

Jorge Martín – P2

“I couldn’t have asked for more. We finished what was a difficult race for me, with an important podium. It has been an incredible year, filled with both highs and lows, from which we have come ot stronger than ever. I would like to thank my team, Ducati, and my family.”

Jack Miller – P3

“I’m delighted, even though I would have liked to have achieved something more today. Unfortunately, I lost some time at the start and had to recover to get back in the fight for the podium. It was a good race, and I had a lot of fun. Valencia is a track I really like, and it’s nice to finish the season like this. It’s the first time three Ducatis have finished on the podium, and it’s great to be part of this important achievement. I’m sure our bike will be even better next year, so I’m looking forward to the 2022 season and trying to fight for the riders’ title. This year we finish fourth, and it is my best result ever in the MotoGP Championship, so I hope to do even better next year.”

Joan Mir – P4

“Well, I don’t know where to start; I’m really disappointed because I didn’t expect this feeling during the race; I thought today could be our day because I had strong pace all throughout the weekend, but when it came to the race it was different and I struggled with the front. In the end the most I could do was fourth. It’s not the way I wanted the race to go, I want to be fighting for the podium every time, and especially here. I’m third in the championship, which is something after a tricky season for us. Let’s look towards Jerez…”

Fabio Quartararo – P5

“To be honest, I‘m satisfied because we were in a bad situation when we started on Friday morning, but we achieved quite a great pace today. We changed the bike in Warm Up this morning and that made it a bit better. It wasn‘t easy, but we achieved something that‘s pretty great. I wanted to have fun today more than wanting a good result, and I had fun today. So, I‘m super happy, because even if it wasn‘t the perfect weekend I hoped for, we were able to get a top-5 result. I enjoyed the race, and we finished the season in a good way.”

Johann Zarco – P6

“I started off badly and lost a lot of positions. I was, however, able to race well. My race-pace was good and I made many overtakes. I am satisfied with my season and happy to have ended the year on a good note There is a lot of motivation to do well next year.”

Brad Binder – P7

“I’m happy with where we finished in the championship and the race was a lot harder than I expected. I thought I’d be stronger and, unfortunately, I was missing a little in a few places and the gap was too much to make-up in some corners. It was a tough race but I tried my absolute best from lap one to the end. I have to leave here happy because I left it all on the table. It has been my most consistent year and a level-up. I have to thank the team. Even though we had some tough times they never stopped working. 6th in the championship is good and now five to go.”

Enea Bastianini – P8

“I am happy with the race. I was able to overtake a lot, we showed a good pace and we got back to the speed we lacked yesterday. We didn’t get the rookie of the year, but it was more important for me to be fast and have a good race. Congratulations to Jorge for getting it, he did a great job but I would have liked to fight on equal terms.”

Aleix Espargaro – P9

“At the beginning, when the tyre had grip, I felt good and made up quite a few positions. However, doing that took its toll on the tyres and they paid the price in the finale. “The RS-GP gets harder to ride with low trip, so in the end I had to settle for a result which still gives me a good season finish. This is my best season with Aprilia. We finished ahead of riders who are extremely worthy adversaries and we know that we can do even better. This is our mindset as we prepare for 2022.”

Valentino Rossi – P10

“I didn’t expect that it could be a weekend like this. I was very worried for this weekend because I didn’t know how I felt and there was a lot of pressure with many things to do. It was fantastic, I received a lot of positive energy from all the people in the paddock and I had a lot of great surprises: from seeing all my bikes on Thursday, to all the VR46 Academy riders with my helmets today. I’m also happy because I was able to be strong in both Qualifying yesterday and in the race today, finishing in the top-ten. I enjoyed it a lot and it was the best way to finish. I am in the top ten best riders in the world and it means everything, because this result will never change. I also enjoyed the celebrations after the race. It was a long career and I want to say thanks to everybody.”

Franco Morbidelli – P11

“I was lucky enough to enjoy Valentino‘s last laps for the whole way as I was riding behind him. I feel really lucky for that. Before the race, I wanted to stay as far as possible from him. I didn‘t want to be involved in anything that could upset his final race, but when I found myself behind him, I just enjoyed it. I tried to push him and stay behind him. It was really, really fast, and difficult to overtake. At the end of the race, he made a step also, he accelerated his pace – it was just amazing! I feel really lucky, and it was a really nice race.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P12

“We were much closer than we have been in other races today, so I’m happy to finish the season with that speed. We also worked well to improve the bike under braking, which meant I could take different lines. It was good for me that I could follow ‘Vale’ [Rossi] and Franco [Morbidelli] to learn how they ride the Yamaha, as they are very experienced with it. I’m very happy with today and it was a good way to finish the season. To be a team-mate of Rossi was strange, as I have always been in different teams to him, but it has been enjoyable. I tried to beat him but he was very strong and he always has something more to give in a race. It has been really nice to share the box with him at his final round and I feel lucky to have been part of it.”

Álex Márquez – P13

“Starting from P19 was difficult but overall I think we did a good job today. I’m happy with the race, it’s difficult to get past and overtake here and I felt the front tyre was too soft for us today. It was unfortunate because I felt like we had the pace to be P8 today, but we need to be happy and learn for the future. I want to thank my team for all the effort they have given this year, it’s not always been easy, but in the end we got some good results and we need to keep going like this.”

Miguel Oliveira – P14

“I knew it was going to be difficult today but we made it into the points. My pace wasn’t fantastic and I struggled a bit with the front tire. Overall, it wasn’t our best race and we have to take motivation into the winter test that starts next week and keep working for the future.”

Iker Lecuona – P15

“Finally, I could finish the race, finish with one point, so I reached my goal. I struggled a lot but we finished close to the top guys. I just want to say thanks to the team for these two years! I cried a lot, I enjoyed a lot, I learned, I improved, so I want to say thanks to the team and for sure to my family, friends, the spectators, who came here to push me and to see my last race. So, thanks to everybody! It’s not the last goodbye. To be continued.”

Maverick Vinales – P16

“The race today was in line with what we have demonstrated during this final part of the season. I’m able to be fast with Aprilia, doing good lap times, but I’m lacking the right feeling to be consistent throughout an entire weekend. We still achieved our goal, which was to get ready for 2022, identifying the areas we need to work on. We have an extremely clear idea as to what they are and that is what I’m most pleased about, because during the winter, the engineers will be able to use this data and the experience accumulated to make the new RS-GP more suited to my needs.”

Danilo Petrucci – P16

“A huge thank you to everybody, everybody in KTM, everybody in Tech3 and generally everyone, who has been working with me. We tried our best. In this race, I just tried to enjoy until the last moment. I’m really thankful for everything. Now it’s time to rest a bit.”

Luca Marini – P17

“It was a difficult race. I was hoping to have a better pace, but I had a lot of difficulties with the rear grip. It was a good season where I was able to share with Valentino and where I gave my all. I tried to learn something every weekend and gain experience. I want to thank the whole team and Ducati for their support. And finally, a special thanks to Vale for everything he has done for our sport.”

Takaaki Nakagami – DNF

“Unfortunately, I had a crash during the race. I’m really sorry to all my team and sponsors, it’s been a tough season. Here in Valencia we had a good weekend, I crashed in the race, but I’m happy about our speed. Next weekend we have the Jerez test for 2022 and we’re really looking forward to developing Honda’s bike for next season. Also, I want to say congratulations to Valentino (Rossi) for his career and the best of luck for the future.”

Alex Rins – DNF

“It has been an unlucky race for us here in Valencia, for sure it’s a big shame to end the season like this. Because I had the pace and I was running well, but I made a mistake. I was very slightly off-line and that’s what caused the crash, when that moment happened I knew I might crash – in the end it can be like that, but I’m disappointed. We’ll look at the data and then I’ll start to focus on the test, we’ll go to Jerez next week to try next year’s bike and our goal is to fight again in 2022.”

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Team Managers

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“Today’s result is really an important milestone for us, and this is a historic day for Ducati. To have three of our bikes on the podium is a dream, especially because it was a race with very close gaps. Pecco, Jorge and Jack did an incredible job and to get the team title like this is great. I’m really happy, and I thank all the people at Ducati Corse for their commitment and dedication this season. Getting this far has required a huge effort from everyone! We will continue to work hard to bring the riders’ title back to Borgo Panigale next season”.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Overall, it was a difficult weekend, more than we could have expected. Fabio was able to get a good result considering his starting position. We found a setting on the bike for him that paid off. We‘re quite satisfied about that, but we finished 5 seconds behind the race winner. That will be the fuel for our motivation during the wintertime, to be stronger next year, which is already starting next week at the Jerez Test. But first there’s tonight‘s MotoGP Gala where we can celebrate Fabio’s championship win in his debut year with our team.

“Franky did a consistent race. We know his physical condition isn‘t back to his former form yet, but during this race he was able to keep a good pace from the beginning to the end. For sure he will be using the off-season to train so he can start the next season very competitively.

“We are all so happy for Valentino that he was able to finish his epic career with a top-10 result today. He did it at a track where he usually struggles a bit. But this time he had a great weekend and proved once again why he is called the ’Greatest of All Time‘. That‘s exactly what he is. We had the pleasure to work with him for many years. We will forever keep the amazing memories he gave us and wish him all the best. Ciao, Valentino!”

Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director

“Today we were close to the podium, but not quite there. I feel like this is a starting point to improve for 2022. Alex had good speed until the crash, and despite how it ended it’s a good sign – it gives us hope because the pace was strong. Joan also managed the weekend very well from the first practice onwards, but his feeling in the race wasn’t quite right. He was able to get fourth, which is OK and not a bad way to end the year. Now we’re fully focused on next season, starting with the test next week.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“Friday and Saturday went really well and our riders did a good job. We had high expectations for the race, and although we were fighting for the podium we couldn’t get it in the end. Alex had a crash and that ruled him out, and Joan started the race well but then his pace dropped off in the second half. We will work hard to improve the bike for next year. I want to say thank you to Valentino Rossi, who has changed our motorcycle world. And also thank you to our riders, the Team and the engineers for their work this season, as well as all the Suzuki fans for their support.”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“The final race in Valencia is usually a difficult and an emotional one. In our case Danilo and Iker leave the MotoGP class and we had a great time with them and were able to count on some valuable development information from both and their styles. Danilo is a great guy and Iker also, who came into our team almost as an experiment and made much progress. We wish both of them all the best. Today Brad made a great race in a competitive field and took 7th and then 6th in the championship and we’re proud of that because this was our first year without concessions and he did it through a long and tricky season. We didn’t achieve our goals with Miguel – we both were not happy with that result today – and this means we need to analyze why. We all know his skills and his talent to ride this bike and he showed it several times. We are 100% convinced we will find the road back with him. Thanks to all the hard work from the company and all the people involved in this project. We will have a short rest and then push hard in the winter for 2022.”

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

“Today was an emotional day for the team, especially as it was Rossi’s last dance after a glorious 26 years. We are truly honoured that he has ended his career with us and it will go down in the history books that the last team he rode for was Petronas Yamaha SRT. At the same time it is the team’s final race as well and it was good that Andrea could finish inside the points in 12th as well. It has been a great three years, with great highs and lows. We have made tremendous achievements in that time though.”

Johan Stigefelt – Pertronas SRT Team Director

“We end these three years in MotoGP today and it has been a very interesting journey, from starting the team to achieving what we did. We’ve been second in the World Championship and had many race wins, podiums and pole positions. It has been a privilege to work with Valentino and Andrea this year and we have to be very proud of what we have done. We were able to build up a structure this big and this professional, with the support of Petronas and the other partners that believed in this project from the beginning.  I want to thank everybody who was involved in this project from the bottom of my heart, from the crew to sponsors and partners – just everybody. I’m sad that it’s finishing, but I only have good things to say about these years. This is how it is sometimes, so just thank you again.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“It’s official, the MotoGP season 2021 is over and it’s always a tough moment to end a season, especially when you are losing a part of your crew. I would like to thank everybody who has been with us this season, every single person who helped, who is in the garage every single day and pushing to be as well performing as everybody can.

“Clearly, Danilo and Iker have been super team players. I would like to thank them one more time and one more time wish them good luck for their future. It makes me happy, they have a future, a bright future and a future they like. Danilo is staying with KTM in the family. He is going to open a new chapter of his career to race in the desert. Offroad has always been his number one passion and I’m really glad he’s got this opportunity from Mr. Stefan Pierer and hopefully this will be the start of a second great career off road in the Rallye Championship.

“Regarding Iker, he is very young and I believe he has a great future in road racing and he’s got a strong contract to race the next two seasons with a works machine in the World Superbike Championship, so I’m glad to see them with a smile on their face. Therefore, it’s less difficult to say goodbye to them.

“Today’s race was incredibly intense. There were not so many things happening apart from only two riders, who didn’t finish. But the lap times were unbelievable. Every single lap they were quicker and quicker. Iker was right behind Miguel all race long. They did the same race. Thank God we finished the race, we got a point and it is very exciting to see that KTM is very competitive, especially when you see where Brad Binder finished and the lap times he was doing.

“Danilo finally managed to finish a race. The last two races he has been so unlucky. So, I think he was very cautious, because the last thing he wanted was to not finish that race. He was really, really glad to see the chequered flag. I think him and Iker were also happy to join and follow Valentino Rossi for his very last lap in MotoGP. So, at the end of the day, we got great weather today, a record crowd here in Valencia. We end up on a positive note. 2021 is over and in a few days 2022 is going to start. So, tonight, let’s celebrate.”

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MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Standings

MotoGP Constructor Standings

MotoGP Team Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au

2021 MotoGP – Round 18 – Valencia

Che spettacolo! For the fourth time in 2021, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took victory as the Italian led home a historic Ducati 1-2-3 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, Pecco once again perfectly-poised as this time he saw the flag just ahead of Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) for a Bologna lockout.

The race will forever be remembered as Valentino Rossi’s (Petronas Yamaha SRT) last dance too, and The Doctor delivered a P10 in his farewell MotoGP appearance in front of a packed Circuit Ricardo Tormo crowd. Pecco also dedicated the win to his mentor.

Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) saw the chequered flag in P17 as the Italian premier class race winner also says goodbye to Grand Prix racing in an emotional Sunday in Valencia, and team-mate Iker Lecuona heads for WorldSBK after scoring a final point of the year.

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MotoGP Race Report

Rewinding to lights out and polesitter Martin grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1 as fourth place Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) got a great start to get the better of Bagnaia, with Miller slotting into second. Rossi made a good start and was up a place into P9, whereas World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P6. Up ahead, Miller then dived up the inside of Martin at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to take the lead, but it was short-lived. Martin and Mir cut through on Lap 2, and Miller down to third, then it was fourth, then fifth – the Australian was going backwards after briefly leading.

The Suzukis were charging though – hard. Mir was harassing Martin, before Pecco then used the GP21’s superior grunt to take P2 off the 2020 Champion. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) then snuck past Mir at Turn 6 on Lap 3, as the top four – Martin, Bagnaia, Rins and Mir – started to create a gap to now fifth-placed Quartararo. Miller was down to P6, seemingly struggling in the early stages.

The race then settled as the front runners held station, but Martin, Bagnaia and Rins were now 0.7s ahead of Mir. After a few laps of following the World Champion, Miller was back through on Quartararo and up to P5, as Rins set the fastest lap of the race. However, at Turn 6 on Lap 11 of 27, Rins then went down. The Spaniard tucked the front of his GSX-RR, handing teammate Mir third.

Rossi, meanwhile, was now 10th, 0.6s down on Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) who, as things stood, was losing out on the Rookie of the Year crown with Martin leading…

Bagnaia was swarming all over the back of the race-leading rookie though and with 12 laps to go, at Turn 14, Pecco pounced. Now, with some clear air, what could the Italian do? The fastest lap, a 1:31.042, came next and the hammer was well and truly down. His mentor Rossi was still 10th with 11 laps to go, but VR46 Academy’s first World Champion and fellow Yamaha star Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was right behind him…

Up front though, Martin was not letting Pecco pull clear. On two consecutive laps, the rookie was quicker than Bagnaia, and a second or so behind, Miller grabbed P3 off Mir at Turn 2. It was a Ducati 1-2-3 with eight laps to go, and history was on the cards for the Bologna factory. Miller wasn’t done yet either, the Australian 1.3s back when he passed Mir, but by five laps to go, he was just 0.7s off Martin.

With two laps of the season to go, Pecco was 0.8s clear of Martin and it seemed the battle would be for second. Miller was closer than ever to Martin, but the rookie was holding firm. Unable to make a move, Miller couldn’t quite make it a factory Ducati 1-2 as Bagnaia crossed the line to win for a fourth time in 2021, although Martin clinched the Rookie of the Year crown with a P2 – his fourth podium of the season. Miller, in third, helps Ducati make history with their first 1-2-3 in MotoGP with his fifth rostrum. In addition, Bagnaia’s P1 and Miller’s P3 helps Ducati take the Teams’ Championship, adding to their Constructors’ crown.

Mir held onto P4 by just 0.2s in the end as Quartararo homed in, but El Diablo takes P5 to cap off a title-winning season. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) was P6, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was P7, with Bastianini’s P8 was not quite good enough for the Rookie of the Year title – nine points split the Italian and Martin in the end. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) struggled in the latter stages and slipped to P9, finishing one place ahead of The Doctor.

Valentino Rossi took P10, where he started, to bow out in style. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the Italian’s glistening Grand Prix career, as one of the world’s biggest sporting icons bids a fond farewell to the sport he loves – and the sport that loves him. Grazie Vale, from millions of fans around the globe!

Morbidelli crossed the line less than a second away from Rossi as the Italian now aims to get fully fit for 2022, Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a good final weekend of the season to finish in P12, and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and WorldSBK-bound Lecuona take home the final points of 2021.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) joined Rins in suffering a DNF in Valencia, the Japanese rider was perfectly ok after his Turn 6 crash.

And that, as they say, is a wrap. The curtain comes down on 2021, as we say ciao to the icon that is Valentino Rossi. The number 46 will be missed immensely on and off track in 2022 and beyond, but MotoGP couldn’t be in a better place. The next generation is here, Rossi’s legacy will live on with his VR46 Academy and new MotoGP team, and Yamaha and Quartararo will be aiming to defend their title against a whole host of unbelievable bikes and riders. What a year! And #GrazieVale!

Francesco Bagnaia – Race Winner

“It’s the only possible thing today – to give a present for Vale. With this helmet, to do a race like that so I want to dedicate this race to him and say thanks to him for what’s he done for us in the academy. So it’s for him, I’m very happy because before the weekend I wasn’t sure it was possible to do a race like this but all the improvements we made this year with my riding style and the bike, finally, we arrived here and were one of the fastest. I’m very happy we won today and it’s an incredible way to end the season.”

MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Standings

MotoGP Constructor Standings

MotoGP Team Standings

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Moto2

In a tense, red-flagged race at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was crowned the 2021 Moto2 World Champion after finishing P10 on Sunday afternoon. Teammate and title rival Raul Fernandez won for an incredible eighth time to finish just four points down in the overall standings, as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) claimed podiums.

The Moto2 title decider got underway but a crash involving Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46), Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) brought out the red flags, with an oil spillage occurring between Turns 2 and 3. All riders were ok, a brief pause in proceedings happened with a clean up operation underway before the race got back in business.

There was a little more drama though. After claiming his first pole since 2012 on Saturday, Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) pulled into pitlane after the Warm Up lap and the experienced Italian was out of the race with a technical issue. Meanwhile on track, Augusto Fernandez led Raul Fernandez into Turn 1, with the latter taking the lead at Turn 6 on Lap 2. Gardner made a steady start and was ninth.

Raul Fernandez wasn’t having it all his own way at the front though. Di Giannantonio came through on the Spaniard to lead on Lap 4, with Gardner slipping backwards. Jorge Navarro (Termozeta Speed Up), Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) all passed Gardner and suddenly, the Australian was P11 – and had former teammate Tetsuta Nagashima (Italtrans Racing Team) swarming all over the back of him. Still, though, as things stood – Raul Fernandez P2, Gardner P11 – the title was heading to Gardner.

With six laps to go, the Australian found a way past Lüthi at Turn 4 into P10. The top three – Diggia, Raul Fernandez and Augusto Fernandez – were split by nothing, with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) 1.2s back on the podium scrap in P4. Then, with four to go, Raul Fernandez pounced on Diggia at Turn 2. A classic block pass from the Spaniard saw him take the lead, but with Gardner 10th, it still wasn’t enough. Gardner, in turn, was two seconds behind Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) in ninth, although only 0.6s ahead of Nagashima in 11th…

Two laps to go saw Raul Fernandez P1, Gardner P10. Diggia and Augusto Fernandez were still in touch with the race leader too, and Gardner was keeping Nagashima at bay.

By the last lap, a tense 0.3s was the advantage Raul Fernandez held over Diggia and Augusto Fernandez, and Gardner was still 10th – able to just keep his own three-tenth advantage over Nagashima on the chase. Raul Fernandez was holding up his end of the bargain and so was Gardner, but as the rookie sensation crossed the line to take a Marquez-beating, mesmerising eighth victory of the season, taking the chequered flag in P10 made Remy Gardner the the 2021 Moto2 World Champion.

Diggia and Augusto Fernandez rode superbly to finish just behind Raul Fernandez in P2 and P3, and rookie Vietti ended his campaign with an equal-best result in P4. Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) rounded out the top five, with Vierge finishing P6 despite being involved in the red-flagged crash, a great result for the Spaniard who heads off to WorldSBK in 2022.

Lowes, Navarro and Schrötter crossed the line in 7th, 8th and 9th respectively, before Gardner claimed 10th. It was a nervy race, but 10th was more than enough. Nagashima claimed P11, and Lüthi – in his final Grand Prix – notched up P12 as we bid a fond farewell to the fourth highest Grand Prix appearance maker after 318 starts. Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and WorldSBK-bound Hafizh Syahrin (NTS RW Racing GP) claimed the final points.

A simply outstanding title race between Gardner and Raul Fernandez ends with the Australian coming out on top. A staggering season by both, now we get ready to watch them move to MotoGP with Tech3 KTM Factory Racing in 2022.

Raul Fernandez – Race Winner

“It was a fantastic race, I did my job and won. I’m happy with that. We did an incredible season, in the end we didn’t win the Championship but in was the best season of my life, I enjoyed it like a kid and we won eight races. Before we started if anyone told me I’d win two or three I wouldn’t believe it. Now we have eight, it’s incredible.”

Moto2 Race Results

Remy Gardner
2021 FIM Moto2 World Champion

Heading in to the Valencia finale with a 23-point advantage, the Australian needed to take a handful of points in the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana to wrap up the crown, and that he did with a tenth place finish. After an incredible season of consistency with 12 podiums, of which five have been victories, Gardner kept his nerve to the last to become a World Champion.

Gardner started the 2021 season with three podiums in a row in Qatar, Doha and Portimão, before a fourth place from pole in Jerez. Le Mans was another podium, this time in second place, before Gardner won three in a row on an incredible run of form: Mugello, Catalunya and Germany, the latter of which was the 200th Moto2 race. Another podium at Assen saw him head into the summer break with an advantage in the title fight of 31 points. His closest rival, however, was team-mate Raul Fernandez and the rookie sensation would continue to prove the key challenger as the season rolled on.

Gardner came back from the summer break off the podium in both races at the Red Bull Ring as Raul Fernandez took another win in the second, not going down without a fight.

The Australian hit back with victory at Silverstone as his team-mate crashed out, but both Aragon and San Marino saw the number 87 forced to settle for second as Raul Fernandez began a serious comeback and strung together his own run of three wins in a row – including at the Circuit of the Americas, where Gardner made his first big mistake of the season and crashed out.

And so, as the paddock returned to Misano for the Emilia-Romagna GP, the gap between the two was just nine points… but there was another twist in the tale just around the corner. Despite the race proving a tougher once for Gardner, Raul Fernandez crashed out the lead – doubling Gardner’s advantage in one fell swoop as the gap shot back out to 18 points in favour the Australian.

That set up the first match point in the Moto2 World Championship for the Algarve GP, and despite a dramatic crash on Friday that left Gardner riding a little bruised on Sunday, the Australian dug deep and took an incredible win under intense pressure from his teammate. That added another five points of advantage, making it 23 on the way in to the season finale.

After a Red Flag and restart, Gardner kept his nerve from P8 on the grid, dropping a couple of places and duelling it out in the latter half of the top ten. Raul Fernandez had to win to keep his chances alive and that the number 25 did, but Gardner stayed calm and avoided any risks near the front to come out on top in the fight for tenth – three places higher than he needed – and take a history-making World Championship crown. Wayne and Remy join Kenny Roberts and Kenny Roberts Jr as father and son World Champions.

Remy Gardner on winning the World Championship

“It’s definitely been an intense season. Raul did an amazing job this year, as a rookie he really made me work for it for sure. It’s such an amazing season, so many podiums, great races, four wins. [Speaker: five wins]. Five wins? Five. Well that shows how much I’m keeping track. It’s been an incredible season. So many parc fermes and podiums, incredible moments with the team. There were times I’d finish second and think that was a bad day but you have to enjoy every moment. It’s been such an amazing season but intense for sure, especially the last quarter has been really intense, Raul has been so fast, I’ve made a few mistakes and he has too, but consistency was key in the end and the days when I just couldn’t win or he won, it was just about finishing and getting the points I could. Ultimately that’s what got us over the line.

“With the first race I had a pretty good first lap, after that incident at Turn 2 I got though on the inside and ended up with the front guys and I thought that would be a good opportunity to go with those guys and break up the group and have a good consistent race, then with the Red Flag everything stopped.

“I made a good start in both, the second wasn’t as good on the first lap and for the first few laps I was just hanging in there and going with the guys but it was a bit scary cause I saw there was a bit of commotion, guys were passing, Raul was going for it and I thought ‘I’m not going to put myself in the middle there, I’m going to hang back.’ Then I came under fire from the guys behind and had to pull my finger out a little bit and break up the group a bit.

“I had to push a bit harder to get away from Tetsu, he was going crazy and as my team-mate in the past, I know how he rides! Just tried to break up the group a bit and finish the race in a respectable position and safely. Managed to do that, keep my nerves and for sure it was a lot of pressure but I managed to bring it home.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet to be honest. There have been so many hard years, decent success this year and even last year, I really kind of changed my chip last year and everything started to go a bit better. I didn’t have the most podiums in the world but managed to get my mind under control, everything was falling into place and I was trying to keep positive about everything. From 2015 to even 2019 they were really, really tough years for me and like I said, there were points in my career I honestly believed that was it, there was no more and that was the end of the road. Especially after injury for sure, fighting through that was incredibly difficult.”

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Moto 2 Championship Standings

Moto2 Constructor Standings

Moto2 Team Standings

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Moto3

Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) is a Grand Prix winner! The rookie played it to perfection with a last corner lunge on Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) to take his first Moto3 win in style, with the number 11 forced to settle for second. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounds out the season on the rostrum, with drama earlier on the final lap as contact between Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and World Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) saw the latter crash out.

Off the line it was as you were for the front row, with Acosta getting a great start from pole to lead the freight train away. Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) soon struck to take second from Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) though, and drama came early just behind. Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) crashed out, and almost simultaneously Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had his own higside mid-track, forcing a few into avoiding action. Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) wasn’t able to and also went down, riders ok but the group taking a few corners to settle.

At the front, the leaders were a train of 12. Acosta, Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Artigas, Masia, Guevara, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Garcia, Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP), Foggia, Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team). As ever, the chopping and changing saw plenty of places exchanged in Moto3.

Another frisson of drama then saw Öncü and Salač both get Long Laps for track limits, which they took quickly – but they slotted back in at the back of the group. In turn, that helped the second gaggle of riders, led by Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) tag onto the group, and he brought the likes of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) – the Japanese rider from the very back after an incredible charge after a tough qualifying – into the mix. Next, Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) crashed at Turn 1 too, making one less in the group.

As the final few laps dawned, the melee turned into a 2021 Moto3 classic at the front: Acosta vs Foggia. And heading onto the final lap, the Leopard machine led the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider over the line, with Artigas, Garcia and Öncü for close company.

Acosta attacked at Turn 1, and Foggia lined him up to return the favour at Turn 2. But the Leopard rider was in too deep and there was contact between the two, with the newly-crowned World Champion then unable to hold it and skidding off into the gravel. Rider ok and Foggia continued, but the incident was under investigation by the FIM MotoGP Stewards.

Artigas picked their pockets in the melee and in turn, Garcia then attacked the number 43. The GASGAS rider took over in the lead, holding on as the corners ticked down. Masia also got past Öncü with some well-judged, clean aggression, but it all went down to the last apex.

As they headed into the final corner, Artigas attacked for the lead as Öncü attacked for third. The rookie – and wildcard Valencia podium finisher – pitched it to perfection to slot past Garcia, but Öncü headed well wide. On the drag to the line, Garcia tucked in to try and hit back but Artigas held on, the rookie taking his first win and completing the set for the three frontrunning rookies this season: Acosta, Guevara and Artigas have now all won races after an incredible season.

Garcia was forced to settle for second but returns to the podium after his injury struggles, and Masia completes the rostrum to end the year on a high. Öncü was picked off by Salač as the Czech rider took one of his best finishes in his last Moto3 race, with Öncü relegated to fifth by the flag.

Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) took sixth after an impressive Sunday, with Guevara just behind. Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama) was next up as he made good progress to take a good haul of points, with Antonelli taking ninth to sign off from Moto3 in the top ten. Completing that top ten was Sasaki after a stunning recovery ride from the number 71, coming from the very back to P10.

McPhee took P11 ahead of Fenati, another who leaves for Moto2, after the veteran Italian exceeded track limits on the final lap and was demoted a position behind McPhee. Meanwhile, the result of the Stewards’ investigation relegated Foggia to thirteenth as the Italian was given a three-second penalty for the Acosta incident.

An incredibly tight three-way fight for P14 saw Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) just take it, with Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) taking the last point to deny Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride).

Aussie teenager Joel Kelso suffered two crashes over the course of the weekend, including a crash out of the race.  Kelso had been substituting for Covid positive rider Maximilian Kofler for CIP-Green Power team but will form the backbone of the 2022 Moto3 rider line-up for the team in 2022.

Joel Kelso (DNF)

“I’m super happy with the way the weekend went. We showed that we have good pace and potential. Unfortunately, I crashed out, but I’m still happy. I’m looking forward to next year. I’m looking forward to it more and more as I ride this bike. I would like to thank the team CIP GREEN POWER for everything they have done. Let’s keep it up for the upcoming season!”

KTM also wrapped the Constructors’ crown, their fifth in the class, with a KTM needing to finish in the top nine and that more than fulfilled with one on the podium in P3 with Masia.

That’s a wrap on 2021, with pastures new for some and a recharge and reset for others. It’s been a truly remarkable season and the Champion now moves up, so join us again next year to see who succeeds Acosta and writes their own chapter in the history books!

Xavier Artigas – Race Winner

“This is amazing to be here with victory this weekend, it was important for me. This season as hard. I’m happy with the race, it was hard but I pushed a lot, did my maximum and I’m happy with the result. I need it because the first part of the season was hard. The last few races I finished in the front group but I didn’t feel great at the end of the race. In this race I felt better and I did my best.”

Moto3  Race Results

Moto3  Championship Standings

Moto3 Constructor Standings

Moto3 Team Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au