Jorge Martin has taken possibly the best win of his career, eventually coming out on top ahead of his nearest championship rider and one of the hardest racers on the grid. He celebrated like he had won the title, showing just how crucial this victory is for his championship campaign.
With the top three riders covered by less than 0.3 sections, we spent most of the race not knowing who was going to come out on top. Eventually, it was Jorge Martin who came out on top. He battled hard but it was a clean and mistake-free final lap that eventually gave him the win.
Brad Binder fought hard to cross the line in 2nd – however, he faced a post-race penalty for track limits that ultimately demoted him to 3rd. He left everything out on the track today and, in the latter stages of the race, looked like he could be on for his first win of the season.
Binder’s demotion handed 2nd place to our championship leader, Pecco Bagnaia. It wasn’t an easy race for the Italian, who started in 6th, dropped back to 7th and was forced to fight his way up through this field. It was a brilliant recovery rider that allowed him to keep the lead in the title fight, with the final 3 races of the season left.
Bagnaia now has just a 13 point lead over Martin, with his lead being cut by 14 points across this weekend. It is looking more likely than ever that this championship will continue to be fought until the final race of the season in Valencia.
Alex Marquez should have been on the podium but he crashed out on lap 14, whilst running 3rd. He was the only rider with a medium rear tire (everyone else ran a hard rear tire) which could have caused his mid-race mistake.
It was a positive day for Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez, who came home in 6th and 7th respectively – both riders seem to have found their groove again this weekend and laid down some brilliant moves that showed us why they are champions in their own right.
The top 10 was rounded out by Fabio Di Giannantonio in 9th, who is still desperately seeking a rider for 2024, and Johann Zarco in 10th, who had a difficult day after the highs of his maiden win last weekend.
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
MOMENTUM SHIFT?
Watching Jorge Martin’s celebrations during the cooldown lap and when he returned to parc ferme, you would be forgiven for thinking he had won the championship today. He ripped the windshield off his bike and his visor off his helmet as he celebrated. Instead, he just closed the gap to Pecco Bagnaia by 5 points. However, this race felt like so much more than 25 points.
After two difficult races, with a crash in Indonesia and a bad choice of tires in Australia, it was crucial for Martin to come back stronger than ever. He could have crumbled under the pressure and handed the control over to Bagnaia, but he seems to have come back stronger than ever. This was just the weekend he needed with a dominant sprint race win and today’s breathtaking performance.
Meanwhile, Bagnaia looked very subdued and quiet during the post-race celebrations today. He is still leading the championship fight but he certainly doesn’t look comfortable or confident ahead of the last 3 races of the year.
Regardless of who wins the title, this race is clearly a crucial moment in the championship battle and one we will likely look back on as pivotal in the fight.
Many people across social media and throughout the paddock have hailed this the best race of the season. Seeing the riders watching the key race action in the cool down room, before their podium celebrations, it’s clear that their reactions also matched this.
With just 0.25 seconds covering the top 3 riders as they met the chequered flag, this is the 4th closest podium in the premier class’ history. But this race was so much more than just the top 3 riders – there were battles up and down the field with aggressive, experienced and beautiful moves being made almost every lap.
At one point in the race, Pecco Bagnaia was stuck down in 7th place and seemed unable to make any moves of those ahead of him. To pull it back and salvage a 2nd place, that was almost a race win, shows how phenomenal his performance was. We also had the joy of seeing previous champions, Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez enjoying some exciting battles within the top 10.
For so many reasons, this race will clearly go down in history books, with action from start to finish and rider’s prowess shining through.
Onto the second full day of this event and the crews faced 109km’s over six stages in Germany and Austria. Could Elfyn or Thierry pass Kalle for the lead, even though the Finn had a 36.4 second lead?
First up then was SS9 Schärdinger Innviertel 1 – 15.72 km and Elfyn showed he was on the pace winning the stage from Thierry and Kalle. Meanwhile in WRC2 Nicolas was fastest from Nikolay and Erik. Emil remained in charge of the category leading Erik and Nicolas. However, Nikolay was climbing up the leader board passing Kajetan for fourth overall.
Into SS10 Mühltal 1 – 27.15 km and Thierry was fastest from Elfyn this time with Seb third. There was drama though for rally leader Kalle who slid off the road and lost 24 seconds of his lead. WRC2 leaders Emil and Reeta were fastest from Nicolas and Nikolay. The pace of Nicolas brought him ahead of Erik and into second overall in the category. Mind you there was only three tenths of a second between them, meaning the fight was still on for second place.
The final stage of the morning loop SS11 Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 1 – 11.88 km and Teemu set the early pace before Thierry came through to set the fastest time from his teammate and Seb was third. However, this stage saw the retirement of Elfyn and Scott who slid wide and hit a garage on the left-hand side of the stage. The damage was too much for them to continue. Kalle was made aware that his teammate was out, and he made the decision to just drive through safely given that his closest rival was now out. In WRC2 Nicolas was fastest from Emil and Erik and the top three remained unchanged.
Next up after the service break was SS12 Schärdinger Innviertel 2 – 15.72 km and Seb was fastest from Thierry and Ott. Kalle was controlling his pace setting and set the same time in the stage as his Japanese teammate, going equal fourth fastest. In WRC2 Gus went fastest from Nikolay and Nicolas. Emil continued to lead the category from Nicolas, with the gap between them reduced slightly to under 13 seconds.
The penultimate stage of the day, SS13 Mühltal 2 – 27.15 km and Seb was fastest again from Ott and Thierry. Kalle remained off the pace as he continued to take things easy, and Thierry now had a lead of 26.7 seconds. Emil set the pace in WRC2 going fastest from Gus and Erik. The Finn continued to lead the category with an increased lead of almost 21 seconds.
Now to the final stage then which started in semi-light and ended in darkness with the full moon shining over the landscape. Thierry set the early pace but then Kalle came through and was fastest by half a second and Takamoto was third. Emil was fastest from Gus and Erik in WRC2.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day Two
1
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
2:18:34.5
2
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+26.2
3
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+1:49.1
4
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+2:20.2
5
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+2:47.9
6
T. Suninen
M. Markkula
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+2:58.8
7
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+3:52.2
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“Another tricky day, similar to yesterday with tough conditions out there. We couldn’t expect such a turnaround in the early morning, but both Kalle and Elfyn made mistakes while we were very consistent throughout the whole day. This gave us the lead by mid-day service and then an even bigger margin this evening. I wouldn’t say the gap is comfortable, because anything can happen, but we should be able to manage it tomorrow. We are as confident as we can be we hope to have a clean run, no surprises, and that it is a bit easier than the past couple of days.”
2023 FIA World Rally Championship Round 12, Central European Rally 25 – 29 October 2023 Thierry Neuville Photographer: Austral Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Teemu Suninen
“Today in Central European Rally was another challenging one. I felt that the rally was quite different compared to yesterday; the conditions of all the roads changed. In the morning loop, we had good pace, but in the afternoon, we went for slicks. The grip level was a lot better, but I couldn’t really use it and I was a bit cautious in some sections. Generally, it has been a good one, and it is great to see Thierry leading the rally. I wish him the best of luck for tomorrow and hope to show even more improvements myself.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Kalle Rovanperä
“It was a big challenge today. I had a moment myself in the second stage: it surprised me a bit just how slippery it was under braking, and luckily there was some space to be able to save it and come back on the road. It was a real pity then when Elfyn went off; I found out just before we started the stage and then the plan changed because now it was just about finishing the rally with some decent points. In these extremely difficult conditions, we just tried to cut out the risk and be safe, so we were a bit slower on some stages. It was not so enjoyable like this, but I did have a better feeling in the last stage which hopefully we can take into tomorrow. But we just have to try and focus on bringing it home.”
Sébastien Ogier
“Today the roads were different to yesterday, but the conditions were pretty similar for us, still running in the middle of the pack. This morning it was still tricky with mud on the road, so I tried to keep it on the safe side, and we had an OK morning loop. Then in the afternoon we had better conditions, it was a bit drier, and we could finally enjoy some better grip and pace and have more fun in the car. So, there are some positives to take from today. There is too much of a gap around us now to really target anything for tomorrow and the conditions might still be tricky in the morning, but we’ll try to have a decent pace until the end.”
Elfyn Evans
“The conditions were quite difficult out there again this morning, but things seemed to be working quite well for us behind the wheel. Unfortunately, in the final stage of the loop I was just caught out by a particularly slippery right-hander. The car seemed to slow down initially quite well on the brakes, but when I turned in, the grip was much lower than I had expected, and I just locked the inside front wheel. Once that pushed us wide, the road was so narrow that there was nowhere to go really. We picked up a bit too much damage to be able to continue, but the team has managed to repair the car so we can be back out there tomorrow. I’m just disappointed for the team and for ourselves.”
Sunday
The final day then waits for the crews and perhaps Kalle and Jonne’s second championship title. With 67km’s over four stages and no service break it will be important to get through cleanly. Thierry is in a good position to take victory, whilst Elfyn’s remaining title hopes remain with taking maximum points in the power stage and with Kalle not actually finishing the rally.
Last round of the 2023 championship, will Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) be able to clinch his 2nd title, or could Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK) snatch a dramatic comeback?
The earlier Superpole saw Bautista claim top spot, followed by Domi Aegerter (GRT GYRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Sam Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Lights out for Race 1 and it was Bautista with the hole shot into turn 1, followed by the Kawasaki team mates of Lowes, and Rea in 2nd, and 3rd respectively, followed by the GRT GYRT Yamaha team mates of Aegerter, and Gardner in 4th, and 5th respectively. Rea then charged through on Lowes to take 3rd, while Toprak burst up to 4th, after only starting from 7th on the grid.
Next lap and Toprak was charging, he cut under Lowes into turn 1 to take 3rd. Positions on lap 2 were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Rea 3. Toprak 4. Lowes 5. Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK) 6. Gardner 7. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 8. Oettl (GoEleven Ducati) 9. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 10. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing). Toprak then burst through on Rea to take 2nd.
With 18 laps of 20 remaining, it was Bautista who put in the new fastest lap with a 1:40.3, and held a gap of 0.4s to Toprak behind in 2nd.
Next lap and Toprak was out to upset the rhythm of Bautista, and was piling the pressure on from behind. The pressure told and Bautista made a slight mistake which allowed Toprak to close the gap down to 0.3s.
With 17 laps to go, Gardner crashed out into turn 8 after running into the back of Bassani. The Italian managed to stay upright, while the Aussie was sent cartwheeling into the gravel, with pieces of faring flying off the bike.
Next lap and Toprak responded with a new fastest time of 1:40.351, the lap times were virtually identical between Alvaro, and Toprak. Meanwhile a bad day for GRT GYRT Yamaha got worse, with Domi Aegerter plunging down the order after starting from 2nd on the grid, he was now in 21st.
With 13 laps to go, Oettl dived up the inside of Bassani to take 6th.
Next lap of the 20 lap race and Bautista held a lead of 0.1s.
Half race distance and Bautista had pulled away from Toprak, with the gap between them now up to 0.9s. Positions were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Toprak 3. Rea 4. Lowes 5. Locatelli 6. Oettl 7. Petrucci 8. Bassani 9. Rinaldi 10. Vierge.
With 8 laps to go, Locatelli cut up the inside of Lowes to take 4th, swiftly followed by charging through on Rea into the final corner to take 3rd. Locatelli was finding great late race pace.
With 7 laps remaining the gap between Bautista, and Toprak had now increased to 2.9s.
Next lap and Bassani crashed out into turn 9, after Rinaldi seemed to clip the back of his Ducati. Bassani was not at all happy.
With only 5 laps left, both Oettl, and Petrucci had now caught a slowing Sam Lowes, who seemed to be struggling with grip. Meanwhile Rinaldi was given a long lap penalty for his contact with Bassani.
Next lap and both Oettl, and Petrucci did get through on Lowes, Lowes dropped to 7th. Meanwhile out in the lead, Bautista was showing no signs of slowing down, and had extended his lead to 3.8s. Toprak held a gap of 6.1s to Rea in 3rd.
Final 3 laps to go, and Locatelli continued his late charge getting through on Rea to take 3rd, Rea dropped to 4th.
Last lap and Alvaro Bautista crossed the line to take the win, and with it his 2nd world championship title; 2. Toprak 3. Locatelli 4. Rea 5. Petrucci 6. Oettl 7. Lowes 8. Rinaldi 9. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 10. Vierge (Honda HRC)
Jorge Martin has enjoyed a strong Saturday at the Thai GP – he took pole in the morning and followed this up with a very dominant performance in the sprint race. He flew off the line, led every lap, and eventually crossed the line 0.9 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
After a difficult race in Phillip Island, Jorge Martin has quickly bounced back today at the Chang International Circuit to take his fifth consecutive sprint race win. It was a truly dominant ride after he flew off the line and quickly put clean air between him and the rest of the field. No one could come close to him as he enjoyed a 1+ second lead for the majority of the race.
Our championship leader, Pecco Bagnaia, had a much more difficult day – he arrived in Thailand with a 27 point lead in the championship. However, after coming home in 7th, this has dropped to just 18 points. With 136 points still up for grabs, the 2023 title could go to either rider!
Martin was joined on the podium by Brad Binder, in 2nd, and Luca Marini in 3rd. It was a strong race for both of them as they looked to have good pace and enjoyed a tussle for 2nd place.
Marc Marquez came home in 4th place, after an aggressive last lap fight with Aleix Espargaro. It was a final corner move from Marquez that forced Espargaro to have to settle for 5th.
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
AS IT HAPPENED
Despite rain being forecast for today, the sprint race took place under glorious sunshine. We started with Jorge Martin on pole and championship leader, Pecco Bagnaia starting in 6th.
As the lights went out, Luca Marini, who started in 2nd, did try to take the lead of the race. He pulled up alongside Martin off the line but Martin was clearly ahead by the first corner. By the end of the first lap, Martin was already leading by 0.6 seconds.
It was a very difficult start for Bagnaia who quickly dropped down the order. There was an aggressive early move from Johann Zarco to take 8th away from Bagnaia. A few corners later, Fabio Quartararo made a similar move and pushed Bagnaia down to 10th.
As everyone settled in to the race, we had Martin leading, with Marini in 2nd, Aleix Espargaro in 3rd, Brad Binder in 4th, Marc Marquez in 5th and Marco Bezzecchi in 6th. Just behind them were Alex Marquez, Zarco, Quartararo and Bagnaia who were all battling hard 7th.
On lap 2, Binder shoved his bike up the inside of Espargaro for 3rd. Marc Marquez made a similar move a few corners later and pushed Espargaro down further to 5th.
It was on this same lap that we had our first crash of the race, with Takaaki Nakagami going down at turn 12. He was able to rejoin the race but wasn’t able to make any moves up through the field.
On the following lap, at turn 15, Bezzecchi took 6th position back from Alex Marquez who had bested him on the lap before. This now left Marquez and Zarco battling hard for 7th. After losing a place to Zarco, Marquez came back past him, pushing his way up the inside at turn 12. This move sent both Marquez and Zarco wide, gifting a lucky 7th place to Bagnaia who flew past them both as they rejoined the racing line. This battle allows Marc Marquez, in 6th, to pull out a 1.5 second gap ahead.
Just ahead, on lap 5, Binder in 3rd was now hot on the tail of Marini in 2nd. Binder finally makes a move on the following lap but he goes wide and allows Marini to instantly come back through. It was lap 7 when Binder was finally able to take, and hold, 2nd place. He came through on the final corner in a very tight and aggressive move. All this battling has allowed Espargaro, behind them in 4th, to close the gap down to 0.2 seconds. However, ahead of them all, Martin was now leading by 1.6 seconds.
On the same lap, Augusto Fernandez became the first rider to retire. He went down at the final corner, turn 12, and was unable to rejoin the race. Then, on lap 10, Fabio Di Giannantonio faced a similar fate and was forced to head to the pits and retire the bike after a technical issue.
Meanwhile, on lap 5, Marquez takes 5th place away from Bezzecchi. A few laps later, the VR46 rider ten has Bagnaia all over the back of him too.
On the final lap of the race, and with Martin simply cruising to the line, the drama was still unfolding further down the field. At turn 3, Espargaro goes wide and lets Marquez through for 4th. As Espargaro attempts to regain the position, the pair bump into each other. Espargaro is only ahead for a short while as, on the final corner of the race, Marquez makes a stunning move up the inside to stead 4th as the pair cross the line – a fantastic photo finish!
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took his 3rd pole position of the season today at the Chang International Circuit. Öncü continued his great run of form, from the win last weekend in Phillip Island.
The fight for the championship is extremely tight in Moto3. Championship leader Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) starts on row 3 tomorrow, in 7th. Title rival Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) had a great qualifying session and starts from the front row in 3rd. The top 2 in the championship separated by just 4pts coming into this weekend. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) splits Öncü and Sasaki on the front row and starts from 2nd on the grid.
Image Credit: Red Bull KTM Ajo on X
QUALIFYING 1
David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) were the surprise names taking part in the Q1 session. In hot muggy conditions, the riders filtered out onto the track to battle it out for a top 4 place.
Munoz set the first lap of the session and half way through, it seemed no rider was willing to set a time on their own. Sitting on the outside of turn’s 8 and 9, riding at a snails pace, everyone was waiting for someone to follow and get a tow. That someone.. was Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP).
Just under 7mins remained and a rain flag waved. Thailand’s weather never fails to throw something into the mix on a Grand Prix weekend. All of the riders needed to get a move on and post a fast time as Kelso led a sea of riders over the line to go quickest in the session.
Only a few minutes left and the top 4 going through at this point were Kelso, Munoz, Nepa and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing).
Out of the pits for their final attempt at getting into Q2, there was no real sign of any rain on track, just dark clouds lurking in the distance. As the Thai wildcard for this weekend Krittapat Keankum (Yamaha Thailand Racing – BOE) crashed out, all of everyone’s laps were cancelled.
Subsequently, the top 4 remained unchanged. Kelso, Munoz, Nepa and Fernandez progressed to Q2.
QUALIFYING 2
Öncü led the way and was first to take to the track for the 15min battle for pole position. The first set of flying lap times registered and Moreira took provisional pole position with a 1:42.118. The time to beat was only a couple of tenths shy of the fastest time of the weekend so far.
Öncü returned to the pits after 2 spoiled laps in a row. 1 lap ruined by Moreira barging his way by on his provisional pole lap, and the other after Öncü running wide.
6mins left of the session and Sasaki set a time just +0.001 seconds slower than Moreira, who still held provisional pole at this point. Tactics were a plenty in this session, mostly to avoid traffic and towing round rivals. In the Red Bull KTM Ajo garage, teammate Jose Antonio Rueda was tasked with giving Öncü a tow to finally set a time in the session.
Öncü out of the pits and with a bit of help from Rueda went quickest, with 3 mins left of the session remaining.
Just as Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) was chasing pole position and red in sectors 1 and 2, both Furusato and Kelso went down at turn 8. Yellow flags then waved in sector 4, as Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) crashed out at turn 12. All riders ok though and headed back to the pits.
The crashes late on stopped anyone trying to deny Öncü his third pole position of the season. If Öncü had some consistency with results this year, we could of seen him crowned Moto3 champion. Öncü is 37pts behind in the championship, and with just 100 left available, its going to take a miracle for the Turkish wonderkid to take Moto3 glory this year.
The first full day of this unique event saw the crews tackle six stages and a total of 133km’s. The first two stages were run on Thursday evening and saw Thierry hold the lead from Ott, with Seb in third.
Friday would see Kalle open the road with his championship challenger Elfyn being second into the stages.
First up was SS3 Vlachovo Březí 1 – 13.66 km and Kalle was fastest from EP and Elfyn. Both Toyota crews were on the move up the leader board the Finn moving into second overall and Elfyn into fourth. In WRC2, Emil was fastest in the stage from Andreas and Nicolas. Andreas was leading the category from Emil whose fastest time saw him jump nine positions and Nicolas also moving up into third.
Next up was SS4 Zvotoky 1 – 23.81 km and Kalle made it two in a row with EP again second and Elfyn again third. Kalle now moved into the lead deposing Thierry who could only manage a time a full 19.5 seconds slower than the Finn and suddenly the championship leader had a huge lead. EP moved up to third place, just 1.5 seconds from his teammate. In WRC2 Nikolay was fastest from Emil and Alejando. Emil moved into the lead of the category, Erik Cais into second and Nicolas third. Andreas fell from the lead after going wide and hitting some trees, damaging his suspension and the front of his Skoda.
The final stage before the tyre fitting zone, SS5 Šumavské Hoštice 1 – 23.43 km and Kalle was fastest again from Elfyn and Thierry. Kalle was building a lead, now almost 30 seconds over his teammate. Elfyn was now in second place having passed Thierry. In WRC2 Nikolay was fastest again from Gus this time and Emil third fastest. The Finn remained in the lead of the category from Erik and Kajetan who’d just moved up into third. EP crashed out of the stage, hitting a tree. There were issues with spectators along the section of the stage where the Finn crashed out.
After the break and SS6 Vlachovo Březí 2 – 13.66 km followed the tyre fitting zone. Elfyn set the pace from Thierry and Kalle. The stage was cancelled after Seb completed the stage though due to issues with spectators in unsafe places. The WRC2 crew were given notional times as they were not able to complete the stage at pace.
Into SS7 Zvotoky 2 – 23.81 km and the top three again was Kalle from Thierry and Elfyn. The Finn continued to pull away and now had a lead over Elfyn of 37 seconds. Meanwhile Thierry was just three tenths behind the Welshman. In WRC2 Nicolas was fastest from Nikolay and Erik.
The final stage then of the day, SS8 Šumavské Hoštice 2 – 23.43 km and Thierry was fastest from Kalle and Elfyn. The Belgian moved into second place pushing Elfyn down to third. Seb was also on the move, gaining two places and into sixth overall. Nikolay was fastest again in WRC2 from Emil and Erik. The Finn continued to lead the category, holding a almost 15 second lead over Erik.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day One
1
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
1:13:05.1
2
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+36.4
3
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+47.2
4
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+1:30.4
5
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+2:26.8
6
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+2:35.9
7
T. Suninen
M. Markkula
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+2:39.1
8
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+2:59.1
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Kalle Rovanperä
“The conditions today were super tough and especially in the first two stages this morning. There was a lot of rain, a lot of standing water and even though we were the first car, there was already quite a bit of dirt on the road for us. It was a big challenge, but we still did some really good times. In the afternoon, the conditions were more equal in terms of the starting place, because we also had lots of mud. We took the pace down a bit just to be safe, but still created a bit more gap to the others on the middle stage, so we can be happy. Tomorrow we’re going to be the last Rally1 car on the road and if it’s wet again, that will be a huge challenge. We just need to keep focused and avoid mistakes.”
Elfyn Evans
“There was quite a lot of rain overnight and into the morning, so we faced some pretty difficult, full wet conditions. There was quite a lot of mud being dragged out too, so it was not easy to judge the different grip levels. The second pass this afternoon was tough as well with a lot of mud and quite changeable conditions. It started to dry out a bit which almost made it more difficult with the tyres starting to move around, and then a bit of drizzle again for the last stage. Our position tonight is not what we really hoped for, but Kalle has done an incredible job today and we definitely couldn’t match his speed. The gap is pretty big, but we’ll continue to do the best we can. In a rally like this, anything can happen to anyone, so we have to keep going.”
Sébastien Ogier
“It has not been the day that we wanted. It all went wrong for us very quickly this morning. In the heat of the moment, I probably overreacted a bit and I’m sorry for blaming the tyre. In the end, the problem was that the wheel rim was broken, and this is why the air escaped from the tyre. In a very narrow section in the mud, it looks as though there was a rock that we could not see. In these conditions you just have to follow the line and I could not do anything. I think a lot of people damaged their wheels, but unfortunately for us the air escaped. That was a tough thing to take to start the day. After that we tried to keep it consistent and didn’t take maximum risk. I have not been feeling 100 per cent with some illness, and it was difficult anyway to do the best times with our road position. We just tried to bring the car back in one piece and aim to do better tomorrow.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“It was a challenging day out there. The road conditions weren’t really good for us, we were constantly losing a little bit of time to Kalle who had the advantage of the cleanest roads of the day. We kept on fighting, did what we could with the package we had, and, in the end, I think second place is not too bad. It was muddier than we were expecting and went too stiff with the set-up this morning; we went too aggressive and had to stick with it for the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be another discovery day for us – everything is completely new, and we hope the conditions will be more stable. We’re going to do some changes overnight which will hopefully benefit us well.”
2023 FIA World Rally Championship Round 12, Central European Rally 25 – 29 October 2023 Thierry Neuville Photographer: Austral Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Teemu Suninen
“I must say the day was super tricky. It rained quite a lot and got incredibly slippery in the places where we were able to cut. I haven’t driven in conditions like this with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid so there was a lot of adjusting, but I was quite happy with the car – especially this afternoon, so it is getting better. I think the roads were getting slower car by car, but that’s part of the game and now we have a big job to do tomorrow. The gap is now three seconds to Ogier so let’s see how he will drive, but I believe it is better to focus on ourselves to try to take steps forward. I expect tomorrow’s stages to be simpler with a slightly better flow, but as today showed it is going to be difficult anyway.”
Esapekka Lappi
“This is one of the biggest disappointments of the season for me. Today I felt very confident – this was the best day on tarmac with this car ever. I had new brakes which gave me a much better feeling, which really helped in these dirty conditions. I was doing good times; they were coming naturally to me; I didn’t have to force it. My gravel crew did a great job predicting exactly where we would and wouldn’t find mud, so I was able to really commit in certain places. Unfortunately, on SS5, my best guess is we were too close to the edge of the road and the right rear was on some mud, and under braking we lost the rear immediately. With the trees, there was nowhere to run wide, and it was game over.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Ott Tanak
“In the morning it was quite a big struggle and managed to improve a bit. The lever broke into two places (gear lever) which caused some problems.”
Summary
Well, what a crazy first day on the stages. The rain came and really gave Kalle a chance to grab and take the lead. He and Jonne took the opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. They deserve to hold the lead given this.
Saturday sees the crews tackle 109km’s over six stages. Can Elfyn and Thierry fight back and close the gap to the Finnish world champions? We shall see.
The championship moves to a new round held on the roads of Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. There are 18 stages run from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon. Thursday and Friday see the crews tackle the stages in the Czech Republic before heading to the stages in Austria and Germany.
Kalle and Elfyn with their co-drivers, Jonne and Scott continue to battle for this season’s world championship and with the points gap between the two crews stands at 31 points. If Elfyn and Scott are to take the champion fight to the final round in Japan, then they will need to outscore their Finnish teammates in this rally. Of course, the championship leaders will open the road throughout the opening stages. Second on the road for Elfyn and Scott will be the best possible position to be given that the roads are likely to get quite messy as the cars complete the stages.
After shakedown on Wednesday, Thursday afternoon will see two Super Special Stages: SSS1 Velká Chuchle (2.55km) and SSS2 Circuit of Klatovy (8.92km).
Friday begins in the German ‘Messepark Passau’ service park, before heading back to Czech Republic for SS3 Vlachovo Březí 1 (13.66km).
Crews head to the first German stage of the rally on Saturday morning, SS9 Schärdinger Innviertel 1, 15.72km of rural roads.
The final stage of the rally is SS18 Powerstage Passauer Land 2 (16.37km), wrapping up Sunday’s 67.24km competitive distance.
Let’s hear from the drivers ahead of this round.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Kalle Rovanperä
“The manufacturers’ championship is a great achievement for the whole team, and now we will be pushing hard to battle for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in these last events of the season. When the fight is between team-mates it’s always quite friendly and fair with the same cars, so it should be a good one. It’s nice to be back on asphalt with a rally car; in our test I was feeling comfortable in the car straight away and hopefully it will be the same in the rally. I’m quite confident that it can be a good event for us: this type of asphalt rally normally suits me best and I have had some good results on these kinds of roads.”
Elfyn Evans
“With two rounds to go, there’s still quite a big gap to Kalle in front of us in the championship but it’s not over yet, and we know how quickly things can change in this game. We’ll be trying everything we can to have two strong rallies to end the season and we’ll try to put the pressure on. This is going to be a new rally for everybody and with stages in three different countries, we need to try and have a setup that can work everywhere. With any new rally, it’s difficult to gauge from videos alone just what the stages will be like, but the weather is sure to play a massive part in how dirty the roads get and how much grip will be available.”
Sébastien Ogier
“I’m really happy that the team are manufacturers’ champions again; it’s very well deserved after a great job this season. Even though it’s hard to know what to expect for this rally, I’m always excited to go into a new challenge. It’s also close to home for me nowadays, and I’m sure there will be a lot of rally fans there watching and supporting us. I’m not sure that my starting position will be optimal, but it will probably depend on the weather: if it’s dry we can probably fight for the top places, and if it’s wet it might be more tricky for us after a few cars have been through the stages. But I always start every rally aiming as high as possible and it should be fun.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“It’s the new event on the calendar and it’s always exciting when you get the chance to discover new roads. It is a tarmac event; I always like to drive on tarmac, so I am looking forward to it. It’s going to be a long event between Passau, Prague and also with stages in Austria. It has the furthest liaison distance of the calendar so far, so it will be long distances to travel between stages but I’m sure it’s going to be exciting. Usually, we get some footage from the organiser which shows the stages, so we can try to have a look and see what we have to prepare for, especially ahead of the pre-event test – which is going to be crucial on a rally where you could have three different days with three different types of road. We need to be well prepared and that’s the main thing you can do. Like every other rally, the goal is victory.”
Esapekka Lappi
“It’s an interesting concept that I like a lot; it’s the first time we have seen this happen in the top-flight of rally. Friday is going to be demanding as I know what the Czech roads are like from past experiences. I do not know Austria so much, but Germany we have experience on thanks to Rallye Deutschland. It’s the time of year where there’s going to be a lot of rain, as well as leaves from the trees, so it will be a challenge managing the different natural elements. I strongly believe that there will be three different sets of characteristics across the weekend, as it’s going to be three different countries. I don’t think we have had these kinds of changes on tarmac before, so it will be a unique event to prepare for. The goal is to push, if we do that then I am sure the end result will be good.”
2023 FIA World Rally Championship Round 1, Rallye Monte-Carlo 2023, 19-22 January 2023 Esapekka Lappi, Janne Ferm, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Action during Day 2 of WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo 2023 Photographer: Romain Thuillier Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Teemu Suninen
“Central European Rally will be really demanding. It’s going to be in three different countries so we can expect to have very different types of roads, different tarmac and a lot of changes, so it will be a big challenge for me – especially when it will be my first rally with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid at a tarmac round. We had a really good test in Austria and got some good experience in the car, but Central European Rally is going to be a lot later in the year, making it the most difficult tarmac rally on the calendar. The conditions will be a lot trickier and that’s something new we are facing in the rally. It starts to become autumn time with colder conditions, trees starting to lose leaves, meaning dirt on the tarmac. The goal is to bring the car home and learn as much as we can from our time on the stages. The fact that Hyundai want to see my pace on the tarmac means a lot, so I want to end the weekend with a good result for the whole team.”
Emil Lindholm – (WRC2)
“This is the second event in a row that is completely new to me, and since it’s taking place across three countries it requires us to think carefully on car set up on different stages. The stages will differ much more than in other rallies because of the change in countries, and the October weather could offer some surprises. In testing, the car has been feeling great so I’m capitalising on that and aim for a podium finish.”
Fabrizio Zaldivar – (WRC2)
“Coming off the back of a successful rally in Chile, we are confident that our good performance will continue. It will be our first tarmac rally of the year in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 as part of WRC2 and it is a very different style of event. The changes of surface from stage to stage will mean we have to have precise pace notes, as we want to maximise pace without putting a foot wrong. Our goal is to continue our momentum from Chile and try to score another top five result.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Ott Tänak
“It’s been a while since we were on tarmac, and this event will be a new one in the calendar. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and our clear aim is to take the maximum from these last two events.
“It is very hard to expect anything from this rally as everything is going to be new and I’m pretty sure that the weather will play a major role as well – so we really need to be on it to hit all the targets.
“Chile was the last event on gravel this season and we were able to celebrate success together with the team which felt good. But the job is not done yet – we have two more to go, and we will keep pushing.”
Pierre-Louis Loubet
“I’m happy to do my first rally with Benjamin. After the accident in Chile, I need to get some confidence back and have a clean rally. I want to enjoy the driving in Germany for sure.
“It’s been a nice feeling to be back on Tarmac in the Puma during the test this week so I’m looking forward to seeing what the event brings.”
Grégoire Munster
“The main thing we were learning in Chile is the hybrid features in the car; when to use it and in which situations. We were also understanding the aero and also getting used to the road position, as we start earlier on the road than in the Rally2. I’m not sure I will be able to carry that experience onto this Tarmac event, because the road position will be different again.
“Everything feels different on Tarmac because you have more traction, but on the test we tried to get used to the car on the surface and tried to do some different things with the set-up. The car obviously has a great base and gives you a lot of confidence to start with, but it’s helpful to get some more ideas in case the conditions change on the rally, then we know what direction we can go in with the set-up.”
Adrien Fourmaux – WRC2
“It’s a new event for everyone so it’s a bit of a zero-point, which is a positive. We have to keep challenging and developing our pacenotes throughout the weekend. It’s nice to have a new tarmac WRC event, covering three countries, and the roads look to be very different each day.
“It’s nice to be back on tarmac after so many gravel events, and we completed a preparation rally in Austria this weekend to get ready for Central Europe – fine-tuning the set-up and learning as much as we can which should help us this weekend.”
Summary
Well, we are set for a fight on the tarmac roads in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria! How the crews deal with the conditions on the stages will be significant and the information from the safety crews will be also very important.
If you are following the stages live the first thing to mention is that shakedown is a day earlier on Wednesday, not Thursday and the first stages are on Thursday afternoon.
Predictions as always are hard to make, but the crews with the best combination of experience and best road position will likely fight over victory.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) snatched glory away from pole sitter Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) on the last lap to win the Australian Grand Prix. Aussie crowd favourite Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) took a brilliant 3rd place, rounding off the podium.
There was heartache for Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) after such a commanding performance at the front. Fernandez crashed out of the lead with 6 laps to go. Teammate Jaume Masia finished down in 8th place, with Masia now with just a 4 point lead to Sasaki in the championship as we head to Thailand next weekend.
Image Credit: Red Bull KTM Ajo
AS IT HAPPENED
The conditions were the worst they have been all season for the race at Phillip Island. On the sighting lap, Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and last week’s winner Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) all crashed en route to the grid. Spare parts were rushed to the grid to make sure they all started the race.
Fernandez could not of dreamt of a better start, moving from 9th on the grid to almost take the lead from Sasaki during the first lap. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), from 6th, also had a great start and was up into 3rd after turn 2.
Championship leader Masia and Öncü were both sat behind, watching the battle in front. Masia was up into 6th place from 13th on lap 1.
We crossed the line with pole sitter Sasaki leading from Fernandez in 2nd, Veijer 3rd and Kelso in 4th. Into turn 1 and Fernandez took the lead for the first time in his career, up 8 places as we started lap 2.
Yellow flags lit up at turn 4, as David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) lost it under the brakes. He was 4th in the Moto3 championship and 29 points behind Masia before the race. Alonso was ok though, as Fernandez looked to break away at the front.
On lap 4, Alonso re-joined the race as Öncü went by Sasaki and up into 2nd. Fernandez had a 1.189 second lead at the front. Home favourite Kelso was in 4th. Title contenders Holgado and Masia were in 11th and 13th respectively as we approached a quarter of the race distance.
With 14 laps to go, Öncü set the fastest lap of the race. The rain seemed to ease off at this point, as Öncü led the group behind to catch Fernandez, now just 0.434 seconds ahead as they crossed the line.
With 10 laps to go, Fernandez was just 0.388 seconds ahead of Öncü in 2nd. Fernandez was inch perfect at this point in the race and seemingly in full command at the front. Special mention should also go to Lorenzo Fellon (CIP Green Power) who started the race in 24th place and, with 10 laps to go, was running in 8th. Championship leader Masia was unable to make any progress in the race and was seemingly stuck in 10th, with fellow title rival Holgado running way down in 16th at this stage.
Down the start straight and Sasaki blasted by Kelso to go back up into 3rd. Only 8 laps to go now and still any of the leading group could take the victory here in Australia.
Öncü then gifted Sasaki 2nd place coming out of Miller corner, and nearly lost the rear. Öncü, only a few corners later, had another scare and lost a place to Kelso. Öncü went from 2nd to 4th on lap 15.
As we headed into the final part of the Grand Prix, Fernandez continued to dominate, posting the fastest lap of the race. Fernandez now had a 1.043 seconds gap to Sasaki in 2nd.
Disaster struck for Fernandez with 6 laps to go. He went down at turn 11 which was a huge blow after such a superb performance. Sasaki was then promoted into the lead of the race and the top of the championship standings as things stood at this point.
5 laps to go, Öncü and Kelso exchanged fastest laps as Sasaki led at the front. Sasaki was keen to pull away as Öncü was back up into 2nd place passing Kelso into turn 1.
With 3 laps to go and Sasaki and Öncü pulled away from Kelso who looked to settle for 3rd place. Kelso is 9.918 seconds clear of Veijer in 4th. Title contender’s Masia was running in 8th and Holgado in 13th place.
THE LAST LAP
Öncü was not giving up the fight for the win and was right up behind Sasaki as we started the last lap of the race.
Down the hill where Andrea Iannone head butted a seagull in 2015, Öncü barged his way into the lead of the race into turn 10. It was a brilliant block pass on Sasaki and yet another last lap winning opportunity squandered for the Husqvarna rider.
It was heartache for Sasaki but a brilliant performance. Home favourite Kelso finished on the podium in 3rd. The front group were outstanding in the conditions today. The leaders finished over a minute ahead of Holgado who finished down in 13th place.
We continue this triple header in Thailand next week at the Chang International Circuit. The Moto3 championship standings are all change once again, with Masia leading the championship by just 4pts to Sasaki in 2nd.
A drama-filled weekend on Phillip Island resulted in a change in time for the Moto2 race due to the strong winds and heavy rain predicted.
After being the pacesetter for all the qualifying sessions, Fermin Aldeguer set the Moto2 lap record in the second qualifying session, after breaking it in practice three. His time of a 1:31.888 was 0.4s ahead of his countryman Aron Canet. He was joined by Alonso Lopez on the front row.
Joe Roberts had a brilliant qualifying session, putting his Italtrans Racing Team bike at the head of the second row alongside championship leader, Pedro Acosta, and Jake Dixon. Tony Arbolino, second in the championship, qualified in eighth place.
The weather on Phillip Island was cold, rainy, and windy and this resulted in the riders struggling to keep warm on the grid. That was, if the riders made it to the grid.
Acosta crashed on the sighting lap at turn four and even with the help of the marshals was unable to get the bike restarted. Due to this, he had to start the formation lap from the pit lane and the race from the back of the grid.
Canet got a good start from the middle of the front row and was able to take the lead from Aldeguer however the Beta Tools SpeedUp rider took the lead back at the southern loop. Arbolino was able to get past almost all the riders in front of him to end up in second place at the turn three.
Lopez was able to recover from his poor start and was leading the race until he had a big crash at turn four which meant that the riders had to weave around him. Following this, Sergio Garcia was at the front of the field.
Two quick lead changes and more mayhem! 🤯@AlonsoLopez_21 crashes out of the lead 💥
Acosta improved from 31st place to 26th after the first lap.
Arbolino passed Dixon for third place on the second lap and Sam Lowes was sitting patiently behind his countryman, looking to get past. On the second lap, the Italian rider was the fastest rider on the circuit.
At turn one on lap three, Darryn Binder crashed and Zonta vd Goorbergh also crashed on the same lap at turn four. His teammate, Barry Baltus also crashed at the same corner on the same lap.
After leading for a few laps, Garcia crashed at turn eight on lap four. Lowes crashed at turn ten on the same lap.
By lap five, there were yellow flags out at all sectors due to all the crashes that had occurred. Dixon went down at the southern loop, keeping the yellow flags out in the first sector.
Arbolino had extended his lead to 11.380s from Aldeguer due to setting laps three seconds faster than the rest of the field. He was unstoppable at the front of the pack.
Mattia Casadei crashed at Miller Corner, causing another yellow flag.
By lap six, Acosta had made it into the top ten following his back of the grid start and Izan Guevara made a double overtake on Alcoba and Chantra.
On the ninth lap, Celestino Vietti crashed out of thirteenth place and following this, a red flag was called due to the weather conditions. The race was not restarted, and half points were awarded because two-thirds race distance was not completed.
This meant that Arbolino took the win in the horrific weather in Australia from Aron Canet and Fermin Aldeguer. Pedro Acosta was able to improve from his back of the grid start to finish in ninth place.
Feature Image Credit: Tony Arbolino on X (@TonyArbolino)
AUSTRALIAN MOTO2 GRAND PRIX, PHILLIP ISLAND – RACE RESULTS
Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was back to his best in qualifying to take pole position here in Australia – the first pole position for Sasaki since the Sachsenring weekend way back in June.
Home favourite Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP), to the delight of the home crowd, qualified on the front row in 2nd. “Full gas” was the message from Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) as he took his first ever front row start, qualifying in 3rd.
AS IT HAPPENED
Qualifying 1
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) were the surprise names in the Q1 session. Holgado was under a mountain of pressure to stay in the championship fight with Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Sasaki.
As always here at Phillip Island, the conditions could have turned at any moment but it thankfully remained dry for the session. The battle for a top 4 spot, and to progress in to Q2, got under way with Holgado leading the pack out onto the circuit.
Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) was quickest after the first set of flying laps. Holgado was just getting warmed up to the fast paced circuit and immediately got up into the top 4 on the next flying lap.
With 8 minutes left of the session, Holgado was quickest with Yamanaka 2nd, Filippo Farioli (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in 3rd and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) in 4th.
Ortola, with just 20 seconds left of the session, crossed the line with one last effort to get through to Q2 remaining. He was red through sector 1, but came out of the Miller corner, at turn 4, and nearly lost the rear. The team looked nervous, but Ortola just managed to save his weekend and scraped into the top 4 to get through to Q2.
The top 4, and going through to Q2, were Holgado, Yamanaka, Farioli and Ortola.
Qualifying 2
The battle for pole position commenced and the Husqvarna riders stayed in the pits as the rest of the field poured onto the circuit. Sasaki wasn’t keen to tow his rivals round in qualifying.
Teenage rookie sensation David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) was on provisional pole as the first batch of flying lap times were posted. However, this didn’t last as Sasaki posted a time nearly half a second quicker to take provisional pole with 7 minutes left of the session. Sasaki was ahead with a lap time of 1:36.654. Alonso was 0.492 seconds behind, in 2nd. After their first runs, Sasaki’s title rivals of Masia and Holgado were 8th and 17th respectively.
Home favourite Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) put in a stunning lap, splitting Sasaki and Alonso, and moved up to 2nd place. He was onto the front row of the grid with 2mins left of the session.
Masia was in 9th place and left the pits with just 90 seconds to spare for a final attempt at pole. This would end up being a big mistake from the championship leader, as he left the pits without enough time on the clock to go for pole position. Masia will have to start tomorrow’s race from 13th on the grid.
It was all change in the starting order as the riders came through to finish the session. Nepa took his first ever starting row qualifying in 3rd place. Last weekend’s winner Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) heads up the second row in 4th place.
Sasaki, with a blistering lap, takes pole position here in Phillip Island. Sasaki has been missing for a few weeks with below par qualifying performances. Today though, Sasaki was back to his best with title rivals Holgado starting 11th and Masia 13th tomorrow.
Last season here in Australia, Holgado crashed out on lap 2, Masia finished down in 15th and Sasaki narrowly missed out on a podium finishing in 4th. Will it be a similar story tomorrow?
