Tag: Indian GP

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Moto3: Unstoppable Masia in India

Image Credit: Joel Cooper Photography LTD

On a hot and sticky day at the Buddh International circuit. The inaugural Moto3 Indian Grand Prix was won by Leopard Racing Team’s Jaume Masia. Masia gave his all today, annihilated the rest of the field and stormed to victory in India. A statement win for the Leopard Racing Team rider and a clear message to the rest of the field.

A great recovery ride from Daniel Holgado after starting from row 6 to finish in 5th. Holgado battled his way through the pack to salvage as many points as possible for the championship. The Moto3 championship has all changed now with just 1 point covering the top 3 riders. Holgado and Masia are now level in the championship on 174 points and Ayumu Sasaki right behind on 173.

Image Credit: MotoGP

AS IT HAPPENED

Masia starting from pole position got a great start and led into turn 1. Sasaki moved up to 2nd and Scott Ogden dropped down to 6th. As they headed up to turn 5, Diogo Moreira moved up the inside of Matteo Bertelle and into 3rd.

Holgado was up 9 places on lap 1 and got off to a great start.  Coming across the line to complete the first lap and Masia had a gap of a few tenths to Sasaki in second. David Alonso our race winner last time out up 6 places on the opening lap.

During Lap 2  Joel Kelso crashed out at the beginning of the lap. Kelso was okay and walked away after a big highside. Midway through lap 2, a lead group of 6 formed with the rest of the pack behind led by Dutch wonderkid Collin Veijer. Bertelle got back up into 3rd getting by Moreira.

Masia and Sasaki were over a second clear of the group behind. Sasaki sat patiently behind Masia with a long way still to go in this Grand Prix.

Turn 1 at the beginning of lap 4 and Bertelle crashed out from 3rd place. It was a disaster for Bertelle after such a strong weekend getting his first-ever front-row start in Moto3. Bertelle will be looking to bounce back next weekend in Japan.

The gap to Toba in 3rd is 1.88 seconds from Masia and Sasaki leading away at the front. As it stood Holgado would be dropping to 3rd in the championship, 7 points behind on lap 5. Holgado and Alonso were on a charge and battling with each other as they tried to steamroll through the field to the front. Alonso got up the inside of Moreira at turn 8, only to nearly come off two corners later. Moreira got straight back through on Alonso and up to 5th.

With a quarter of the race done, there was a lead of 2.620 seconds with Masia and Sasaki ahead of Kaito Toba and Veijer battling for the final podium position in 3rd and 4th place. Coming up along the big straight Alonso got the slipstream and breezed by Moreira up the inside into turn 4 to retake 5th. The riders seemed spread out across the lap all battling for positions.

9 laps to go we had Masia and Sasaki still way out in front. A 2.3 seconds gap to Veijer in 3rd. The Husqvarna Intact GP team were set for a double podium here in India unless Toba, Alonso and Holgado could catch them.

At the halfway mark Ayumu Sasaki set the fastest lap of the race. Masia led from Sasaki in second with a 2.475 gap lead to teammate Veijer in 3rd. Toba still tried all he could to keep up with Veijer in the hunt for the final podium position. With the riders all spread out,  it looked increasingly unlikely that Alonso, Rossi and Holgado could catch the groups up ahead.

Holgado was up ahead of Rossi and Alonso now and up into 5th. Holgado had too big of a gap here to those in front and may have to settle for 5th. A great recovery starting from the 6th row of the grid.

6 laps to go now and Sasaki appeared to of made an error as Masia had a gap now of 0.735 seconds to Sasaki in 2nd. Tatsuki Suzuki and Ogden went down at turn 12 as Sector 4 lit up in yellow flags. A horrible crash but both riders were okay and thankfully walked away from the incident.

With 4 laps to go Masia now had a gap of 1.925 seconds to Sasaki in 2nd and it looked like Masia wasn’t slowing down either.  Sasaki dropped further back from the Spaniard and only 0.489 seconds clear of teammate Veijer in 3rd. Would Veijer hold station behind Sasaki in the closing stages given what’s at stake in the Moto3 championship? Toba wasn’t giving up on a podium either, still trying all he could to catch the Husqvarna Intact GP teammates ahead.

Even with the temperatures as high as they were in India, the tyre wear was minimal and grip levels remained high throughout the race.

3 laps to go and Masia is well clear now at the front of the race, with Husqvarna riders Sasaki 2nd and Veijer in 3rd. Veijer on Sasaki’s back wheel and Toba arriving into the mix for the battle for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places.

As Deniz Öncü moved up into the points into 15th, Masia was way out in front leading the race with two laps to go. Sasaki was clinging onto 2nd with Toba up into 3rd and Veijer in 4th.

Onto the back straight and Toba was all set to attack Sasaki, into the slipstream and Toba took the inside line and went up the inside of Sasaki into 2nd. Into turn 4 and Toba ran wide for Sasaki to come back through into 2nd. With the dicing at the front the championship lead was ever-changing between Sasaki and Masia at the top of the standings.

THE LAST LAP

Onto the last lap and Masia was over 5 seconds clear to Sasaki in 2nd. Sasaki was clinging on to second resisting the pressure from Toba and Veijer behind. Onto the back straight again and Toba pulled up alongside but was unable to take the place from Sasaki.

Veijer, Toba and Sasaki all diced and swapped places.  Mid-way through the lap, Veijer went up the inside of Sasaki only to collide with the back wheel of Sasaki and be taken out on the last lap. Disaster for Veijer after a superb performance in the race. Toba swept through to take 2nd place from the colliding Husqvarna teammates with Sasaki eventually finishing in 3rd.

A superb performance from Leopard Racing Teams Jaume Masia. Total dominance in Delhi from start to finish!

We head to Japan next weekend with a championship on fire! Just 1 point separates the top 3 riders in the championship. After crashing out in last year’s race in Motegi, Holgado will be looking to bounce back with a win and take control again in the championship.

Image Credit: MotoGP

Race Classification

Image Credit: MotoGP

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MotoGP: Delhi Delight for Bezzecchi

Image Credit: MotoGP

In the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Marco Bezzecchi was simply too good at the Buddh International circuit. Bezzecchi finished the race over 8 seconds clear of Jorge Martin in 2nd and Fabio Quartararo in 3rd place. 

Championship leader Pecco Bagnaia crashed out losing a lot of points in the championship race. We head to Japan next weekend with Pecco only 13 points clear of title rival Jorge Martin.

AS IT HAPPENED

Martin got off to a great start and moved up to first into turn 1, with Pecco up into 2nd ahead of Bezzecchi in 3rd. Only a few corners later, Martin went wide into turn 4 and Pecco got through to take the lead of the race.

Binder was up 4 places into 8th mid way through lap 1. A great start for the KTM rider but Aprilia man Viñales was down 10 places at the end of lap 1 due running wide into turn 1 at the start of the race.

Martin dropped back further into 3rd with Bezzecchi blasting by as Martin opened the door running wide. At the end of lap 1 Bezzecchi went by Pecco and took the lead of the race for the first time at the start of lap 2.

All of the riders with a soft rear tyre had to be careful to not burn the tyre out so early on in the race. Bezzecchi set the fastest lap with Pecco 2nd and Martin 3rd. Martin resisting the pressure from Marc Marquez behind and had a lot of work to do to catch Pecco and Bezzecchi ahead.

KTMs Jack Miller had a disastrous start to the race running way down in 20th place in the early stages.

Martin was desperate to get by Pecco cleanly and get after Bezzecchi as Bezzecchi was 1.237 seconds clear as they come to the end of lap 4.

Martin with the slip steam along the back straight got ahead of Pecco into turn 4. Martin now with 2.159 seconds to make up to catch Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi continued his blistering run of form this weekend and looked to pull even further away at the front.

Yellow flags waved in sector 1 as Marc Marquez crashed out at turn 1. Out from 4th place, but able to re-join and recover into the top 10. A superb performance all around this weekend from both Marquez and Joan Mir.

A third of the way through now and Bezzecchi leads 3 seconds clear of the fight for 2nd place behind. Martin was just ahead of Pecco in 3rd. Fabio in 4th place matched the pace of those in front but a second behind the fighting pair in front.  Pecco swarming all over the back of Martin on lap number 8 of 21.

Lap 9 and Bezzecchi is 3.492 seconds clear of Martin in 2nd and Pecco on Martin’s back wheel in 3rd. Fabio and Joan Mir both looked comfortable in 4th and 5th place. Both Fabio and Mir having the best races for some time so far this afternoon in Delhi.

With 11 laps to go and as Marc Marquez went by his old teammate GASGAS rider Pol Espargaro, Bezzecchi is running away with it here in India. Technical problems for Aleix Espargaro saw the Aprilia rider out of the race and with Viñales down in 10th, it was a torrid weekend for the factory Aprilia team.

Coming into the final third of the race and Pecco with so much more inside grip went by Martin into turns 8 and 9 and made it look easy.  Pecco looked to pull away now from Martin with 8 laps to go.

Sector 2 and yellow flags a plenty as Pecco Bagnaia crashed out of the grand prix! Jorge Martin was now just 13 points behind in the championship if Martin manages to hold onto 2nd place. Fabio moved up to 3rd place and was set for a podium for Yamaha.

4 laps to go and as Martin zipped his leathers back up, Bezzecchi was miles ahead in the lead, 6.814 seconds clear of Martin in 2nd. Fabio 3rd and with Mir running wide opened the door for Binder to move up into 4th place.

With a few laps left the top 3 places looked sown up. Yamaha and Honda must be delighted with all of their riders sat in the top 10.

THE LAST LAP 

Onto the last lap and VR46 superstar Marco Bezzecchi was miles ahead of the rest. Bezzecchi started the lap 6.576 seconds clear of Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin in 2nd and in 3rd place to start the lap was 2021 world champion, Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

Martin went into turn 4 and ran wide letting Fabio go by. Martin only to come back round the outside of Fabio at turns 5 into 6. A crazy overtake from The Martinator to get back up into 2nd. Fabio not giving up on 2nd tried to get up the inside of Martin in the following corners.

As Bezzecchi was celebrating cruising along the start straight, Jorge Martin clung on to take 2nd place and crossed the line with Fabio finishing in 3rd.

With 7 races left in the championship and with Pecco dropping the ball into the gravel. Martin is just 13 points now behind Pecco in the championship as we head to Motegi in Japan next weekend.

Race Classification

Image Credit: MotoGP

Championship Standings

Image Credit: MotoGP

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Moto2: Acosta Extends Championship Lead with Indian GP Win

Pedro Acosta takes the inaugural Indian Grand Prix Moto2 race win at the Buddh International Circuit. He was joined by his closest championship challenger, Tony Arbolino, and American rider Joe Roberts.

Polesitter Jake Dixon got a great start when the lights went out but Acosta next to him got an even better one and was leading on the way down to turn one. From row two, Alonso Lopez got the best start on the grid and was on the inside of the entire pack and took the lead into turn one.

There was a large crash at turn one occurring in the middle of the pack with Jeremy Alcoba hitting Marcos Ramirez, who in turn hit Celestino Vietti. Somkiat Chantra and Taiga Hada were also involved. This incident caused a red flag, and the race was to be restarted at a shortened distance of 12 from the original starting positions.

Due to this incident, Alcoba was given a long-lap penalty for irresponsible riding.

On the second restart, both Dixon and Sergio Garcia got a good start with the Spaniard taking the lead of the race but ran deep and pushed Dixon out wide. Acosta took over the lead and started to break away from the rest of the field.

Also on the restart, there was a crash at turn four involving championship contender Aron Canet, Sam Lowes and Ai Ogura which caused a yellow flag and led Canet to retire on the following lap.

Arbolino carved his way through the field from seventh and was fighting with Garcia during the first few laps. They changed positions at almost every corner and fought cleanly throughout.

By lap 3, Acosta was the fastest rider on the circuit and started to increase the gap to the riders behind him.

Dixon and Lopez were fighting and made contact, resulting in both riders going down on the third lap at turn four. Dixon looked to be in pain, but was able to rejoin the circuit, as did Dixon. However, Dixon went down two laps later at turn twelve and retired the bike.

After being given a long lap penalty before the restart, Alcoba’s penalty was upgraded to a double long lap penalty for failing to take it in the required number of laps. He then crashed in the long lap loop when taking the penalty on the ninth lap.

Joe Roberts had a good qualifying and was on the back of the pack who were chasing down race leader, Pedro Acosta. The American rider was behind Garcia and the pair were fighting for the final podium place. On lap ten, Garcia made a mistake at turn twelve and opened the door to Roberts who was right behind him.

It was on the following lap where the Italtrans Racing Team rider was able to pass Garcia on the inside of turn nine. The move didn’t stick as Garcia passed Roberts at turn one on the next lap, but Roberts got back through. It was a constant back and forth on the final lap.

Roberts got through at turn nine but ran wide onto the grass and it would have been a certain penalty had he not given the position back to Garcia. The Spaniard then also ran wide and allowed Roberts to pass him into the final corner.

Acosta crossed the finish line in first place with a 3.5s lead ahead of Arbolino and Roberts rounded out the podium. He was followed by the rider he spent the final few laps battling, Garcia and Manuel Gonzalez completed the top five.

Zonta van der Goorbergh had his best finish of the year in sixth place followed by the returning Darryn Binder. Barry Baltus finished the race in eighth ahead of Marcos Ramirez and Filip Salac.

Feature Image Credit: Pedro Acosta (@37_pedroacosta) on X (formerly Twitter)

INDIAN MOTO2 GRAND PRIX, BUDDH INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – RACE RESULTS
POS RIDER NAT TEAM BIKE TIME
1 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 22m 29.844s
2 Tony Arbolino ITA Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) 22m 33.387s
3 Joe Roberts USA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 22m 36.350s
4 Sergio Garcia SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) 22m 37.221s
5 Manuel Gonzalez SPA Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) 22m 37.747s
6 Zonta Vd Goorbergh NED Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) 22m 41.281s
7 Darryn Binder RSA Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) 22m 41.488s
8 Barry Baltus BEL Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) 22m 42.069s
9 Marcos Ramirez SPA OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 22m 42.422s
10 Filip Salac CZE QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 22m 42.634s
11 Dennis Foggia ITA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 22m 43.106s
12 Fermín Aldeguer SPA GT Trevisan SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) 22m 43.895s
13 Izan Guevara SPA Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) 22m 45.094s
14 Albert Arenas SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 22m 50.761s
15 Sean Dylan Kelly USA Forward Team (Forward) 22m 53.130s
16 Borja Gomez SPA Fantic Racing (Kalex) 22m 57.054s
17 Alberto Surra ITA Forward Team (Forward) 22m 58.063s
18 Bo Bendsneyder NED Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) 23m 2.989s
19 Sam Lowes GBR Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) 23m 24.292s
20 Rory Skinner GBR OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 23m 35.915s
21 Ai Ogura JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) +1 lap
22 Alonso Lopez SPA GT Trevisan SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) +1 lap
23 Taiga Hada JPN Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) +3 laps
  Kohta Nozane JPN Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) DNF
  Jeremy Alcoba SPA QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) DNF
  Jake Dixon GBR Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) DNF
  Aron Canet SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) DNF
  Somkiat Chantra THA IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) DNF
  Celestino Vietti ITA Fantic Racing (Kalex) DNS

 

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MotoGP: Martin Takes Third Win in a Row

Jorge Martin took his fourth sprint race victory at the inaugural Indian GP at the Buddh International Circuit after a chaotic first lap. He was joined on the sprint race podium by Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.

Martin got a brilliant start when the lights went out and immediately took the lead from pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian rider cut across in front of his teammate Luca Marini and they were both involved in a crash, where the front wheel of Marini and the rear wheel of Bezzecchi made contact.

Marini went down and was taken to the medical centre where he was declared unfit due to a collarbone fracture.

Pol Espargaro, Stefan Bradl and Raul Fernandez were also involved in a turn one incident and Fernandez was the only rider to continue.

Jack Miller also had a good start gaining eight positions on lap one after a poor qualifying session this morning. His KTM teammate, Brad Binder, also improved on his starting position on the first lap by making his way to fifth place.

Marquez got past his Repsol Honda teammate Joan Mir on the second lap and looked incredibly strong on the laps that followed. Unfortunately, Mir lost various places on the fourth lap and then crashed at turn three, ultimately retiring there.

Martin continued to extend his lead at the front of the field to 1.8s by the fifth lap, but there was a charger coming through the field and that was the pole sitter.

Bezzecchi was tenth on the fifth lap and continued to set fastest laps and pass riders who were in his way. And he wasn’t stopping at tenth place.

Johann Zarco had a wobble on lap six and crashed at turn three but was able to rejoin the circuit.

Binder was looking at making a move on Marquez for the final place on the podium. The South African rider was looking for an opportunity to get past Marquez at all the corners on the track.

The gap at the front was extended to two seconds on lap seven and barring any mistakes, it looked as though Martin was on track for another sprint race win.

Polesitter Bezzecchi was able to get past Miller for sixth place on the following lap at turn twelve and then Aleix Espargaro crashed at turn thirteen on the same lap, causing a yellow flag.

But Bezzecchi still wasn’t done with the overtakes as he got past Fabio Quartararo for fifth place on the final lap.

Jorge Martin crossed the finish line with a 1.389s lead from championship leader Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez rounded out the sprint podium. Binder finished just behind Marquez in fourth place and the charging Bezzecchi finished fifth. Quartararo had a positive Saturday in India, finishing in sixth place. The top ten was rounded out by Miller, Maverick Vinales, Raul Fernandez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Feature Image Credit: @88jorgemartin on X (formerly Twitter)

2023 INDIAN MOTOGP, BUDDH INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – SPRINT RACE RESULTS
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF
1 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP23) 19m 18.836s
2 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP23) +1.389s
3 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +2.405s
4 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +2.904s
5 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +3.266s
6 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +4.327s
7 Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) +7.172s
8 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) +8.798s
9 Raul Fernandez SPA RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) +10.530s
10 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Ducati (GP22) +10.826s
11 Augusto Fernandez SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) +11.456s
12 Miguel Oliveira POR RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) +15.415s
13 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +17.437s
14 Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP23) +23.714s
15 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +36.468s
  Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) DNF
  Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP23) DNF
  Joan Mir SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) DNF
  Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) DNF
  Pol Espargaro SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) DNF
  Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda (RC213V) DNF

 

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Moto3: Incredible India Pole for Masia

Image Credit: Leopard Racing

Jaume Masia was on fire on the brand new rain soaked Buddh International Circuit. The Spaniard took his 4th pole position of the season and the Leopard Racing team rider was unstoppable today in qualifying.

The championship in Moto3 this year is as hot as the hottest Indian cuisine. Just 29 points cover the top 6 riders battling it out to be crowned champion this year. With championship leader Daniel Holgado and David Alonso starting on row 6 and with Öncü starting at the back of the grid tomorrow.  It’s all set for another crazy race in Moto3. 

Image Credit: Leopard Racing Team

AS IT HAPPENED

Qualifying 1

Both Öncü and Holgado were the surprise names in the Q1 session. After receiving a black flag in practice, Öncü regardless of where he qualified would have to serve a long lap penalty and start at the back of the grid in the race tomorrow.

As the riders came across the line and posted the first set of flying laps, Kaito Toba topped the timings with a with 2:00.225. With a time of 1:59 set in the practice sessions, it wouldn’t be long before that time was beaten at the top.

Öncü with 8mins left of the session came through to top the timings with Holgado quickly to follow, currently up to 2nd and into the top 4 heading through to Q2.

The first set of times completed for the riders and we had a top 4 heading into Q2 of Öncü, Holgado, Scott Ogden and Toba.

Pretty much all of the riders peeled off into the puts for a quick stop to make any changes needed for the final run of the session, Öncü opted to stay out on track with dark clouds rapidly approaching the circuit.

Staying out for Öncü paid off and he continued to improve his time at the top and set the benchmark time to beat with a blistering 1:59.070. The fastest lap of the weekend so far in Moto3 here in India. As the dark clouds descended onto the track, an angry Öncü was clearly unstoppable in Q1.

The riders came through for the final flying laps of the session and Tatsuki Suzuki was unable to set a valid lap in the qualifying session. Disaster for the Leopard Racing team rider. Öncü topped the session followed by Holgado 2nd, Ryusei Yamanaka 3rd and Ogden 4th.

A big shock was announced at the end of the session as Holgado’s lap time was cancelled by the stewards for exceeding the track limits. The championship leader will not be taking part in the Q2 session.

Just as the Q1 session ended, the heavens opened and the session was delayed due to the weather conditions.

Qualifying 2

With the standing water now cleared and track now free of rainfall, the riders headed out of the pits for the 15-minute fight for pole position. With the championship as tight as it is, this qualifying session was vital on a rain-soaked circuit in India.

As the riders now come through with the first attempts at pole position, Masia  topped the timings with Taiyo Furusato 2nd and Diogo Moreira 3rd. The time set of 2:14.515 was over 14 seconds slower than Öncü’s time set in Q1.

As the riders got a feel for the grip and confidence growing the lap times would continue to tumble and we were set for a last lap shootout.

Masia then improved to a 2:11.985 already a few seconds quicker on his next lap compared to the lap time set only a few minutes before.

With 6 minutes left of the session, Masia lit up the sectors red through the first two sectors. Furusato replaced Masia at the top only for a few seconds as Bertelle now went top of the timings. Masia took charge and back to the top of the pile +0.465 seconds quicker to Bertelle in 2nd.

With 4 minutes left of the session, Masia was getting quicker and quicker as through sector 2 was already -0.862 tenths up on his current provisional pole lap time.

As Scott Ogden went up to 2nd, Masia improved to a time of 2:10.033. With Öncü at the back of the grid regardless tomorrow, its clear the team have told Öncü to just come back in one piece with Öncü currently 10th in the session.

As Ayumu Sasaki came through up into 3rd, Yamanaka lit up the flags in sector 1 crashing out at turn 1. Yamanaka was okay and picked up his Aspar GASGAS bike from the gravel.

Last flying laps in Q2 and Masia was on fire. Already under half a second faster than his already provisional pole time. Bertelle came through up into 2nd as Masia took his 4th pole position of the year. 7 tenths clear of his nearest rival in Bertelle 2nd and Sasaki rounding off the front row in 3rd.

A fantastic qualifying session for Leopard Racing’s Masia and Masia will be gunning for victory tomorrow with title rivals Holgado and Öncü way down the order on the grid.

Official Starting Grid

Image Credit: MotoGP

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Moto2: Indian GP Pole Goes to Dixon

Jake Dixon took his second pole of the season at the inaugural Indian GP at the Buddh International Circuit on his final tour of the track. He is joined by championship leader Pedro Acosta and rookie Sergio Garcia on the front row.

Following a lengthy rain delay, the Moto2 qualifying got underway with a drying track. All eyes were on Aron Canet in the first round of qualifying as he was the highest-placed rider in the championship having to go through Q1. He struggled with the change in conditions.

All the riders went out to get an idea of the track conditions and slowly fast sectors began to be set.  Zonta van der Goorbergh was at the top of the timesheets with six minutes to go.

The Dutch rider crashed at turn one with four minutes left to go causing a yellow flag, meaning the riders behind him had their lap times deleted. He was able to end the session at the top, progressing through to Q2.

Darryn Binder, on his return from injury, was also riding well and was set to improve significantly but his lap time was deleted due to exceeding track limits. He did make it through to the second qualifying session, finishing Q1 in fourth place.

Barry Baltus and Garcia were the other riders who progressed from Q1 to Q2.

As soon as the pit lane opened for Q2, all the riders headed out and it was obvious who had already been out on the track with the riders that came through from Q1 setting the pace early on. The track was still not dry enough for slick tyres, so the riders all went out on wet tyres as there are no intermediate tyres in Moto2.

After the first runs, Garcia was fastest from Tony Arbolino and van der Goorbergh. Arbolino had used van der Goorbergh as a marker which allowed him to follow the Dutchman’s line. But it wouldn’t stay that way for long as Binder made his way to first on the timesheet.

The South African rider was only top momentarily as he was replaced by Acosta, who was replaced by Dixon as a flurry of riders improved their fastest lap times. Before the final runs, it was Garcia who was fastest in Q2.

With the chequered flag out, the times continued to fall. Acosta took the pole position briefly, and all eyes were on Dixon as he completed the final few corners. Dixon was able to go slightly quicker than Acosta taking his second pole position of the season.

The second row is populated by van der Goorbergh, Binder and Alonso Lopez. Championship contender Arbolino heads up the third row, joined by Joe Roberts and Somkiat Chantra. Celestino Vietti rounds out the top ten.

Feature Image Credit: Aspar Team (@AsparTeam) on X (formerly Twitter)

2023 INDIAN MOTO2 GRAND PRIX, BUDDH INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – QUALIFYING RESULTS
POS RIDER NAT TEAM BIKE TIME
1 Jake Dixon GBR Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) 2m 1.924s
2 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 2m 1.956s
3 Sergio Garcia SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) 2m 2.192s
4 Zonta Vd Goorbergh NED Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) 2m 2.271s
5 Darryn Binder RSA Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) 2m 2.602s
6 Alonso Lopez SPA GT Trevisan SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) 2m 2.864s
7 Tony Arbolino ITA Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) 2m 2.958s
8 Joe Roberts USA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 2m 3.262s
9 Somkiat Chantra THA IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 2m 3.370s
10 Celestino Vietti ITA Fantic Racing (Kalex) 2m 3.374s
11 Marcos Ramirez SPA OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 2m 3.446s
12 Sam Lowes GBR Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) 2m 3.536s
13 Barry Baltus BEL Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) 2m 3.706s
14 Jeremy Alcoba SPA QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 2m 4.208s
15 Ai Ogura JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 2m 4.751s
16 Manuel Gonzalez SPA Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) 2m 4.871s
17 Filip Salac CZE QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 2m 5.123s
18 Dennis Foggia ITA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 2m 5.352s
19 Taiga Hada JPN Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) 2m 3.263s
20 Aron Canet SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) 2m 3.322s
21 Fermín Aldeguer SPA GT Trevisan SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) 2m 3.501s
22 Rory Skinner GBR OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 2m 3.814s
23 Bo Bendsneyder NED Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) 2m 4.312s
24 Kohta Nozane JPN Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) 2m 4.494s
25 Sean Dylan Kelly USA Forward Team (Forward) 2m 4.727s
26 Izan Guevara SPA Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) 2m 5.015s
27 Borja Gomez SPA Fantic Racing (Kalex) 2m 5.015s
28 Alberto Surra ITA Forward Team (Forward) 2m 5.419s
29 Albert Arenas SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 2m 5.562s
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MotoGP: Bezzecchi Takes First Ever Pole In India

Marco Bezzecchi takes the first ever MotoGP Pole Position at the Buddh International Circuit, and his third of the season, with the top ten riders being within one second of each other. He is joined by Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia on the front row for both the Sprint and Main Races.

The main shock in the paddock was to see both factory KTM riders, Jack Miller and Brad Binder, having to go through the first round of qualifying. However, neither of these two riders were able to progress through.

Track conditions continued to improve during qualifying one with the best lap time constantly swapping between riders as they passed the finish line. After the second set of fast laps, Binder was at the top of the timesheets, followed by Raul Fernandez.

Binder was replaced by Alex Marquez in the promotion places just before the Spaniard crashed at turn six. A. Marquez went to the medical centre and was sent to hospital for further checks. He has been declared unfit due to fractured ribs.

Fernandez and A. Marquez were the riders who made it through to Q2.

As soon as qualifying two started, all the fit riders headed out to get a feel of the track once more. The first set of runs were completed quickly, and Martin sat firmly at the top of the pile. The time he set was not faster than R. Fernandez’s time in Q1.

Five minutes into the session, Marc Marquez crashed at turn three and was down in the middle of the track. Bagnaia had to take avoiding action to ensure that he did not hit the Spaniard or his Repsol Honda.

Bezzecchi continued to lap at a rapid pace, but he was once again displaced by Martin at the head of the field.

Marquez made it back to the pits and was able to head back out for the final four minutes of the session with the rest of the riders. Joan Mir set a quick lap time on his Repsol Honda, placing him in fourth place before other riders knocked him down the order.

Bezzecchi set his fastest time, a 1:43.947, which gave him the all-time track record at the circuit.

Bagnaia had a few wobbles on his final lap, but still improved, allowing him to join Bezzechi and Martin on the all Ducati front row.

Luca Marini heads up the second row and is joined by the two Repsol Honda riders, Mir and M. Marquez.

Johann Zarco leads the third row and is joined by fellow countryman Fabio Quartararo and Spaniard Maverick Vinales. Vinales’ teammate Aleix Espargaro rounded out the top ten.

Feature Image Credit: @VR46RacingTeam on X (formerly Twitter) (https://twitter.com/VR46RacingTeam/status/1705232774561780087/photo/1)

INDIAN MOTOGP, BUDDH INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF
1 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) 1:43.947s
2 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP23) +0.043s
3 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP23) +0.256s
4 Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +0.268s
5 Joan Mir SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.507s
6 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.522s
7 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP23) +0.568s
8 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.777s
9 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) +0.794s
10 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) +0.803s
11 Raul Fernandez SPA RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) +1.247s
12 Alex Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP22) No Time
13 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Ducati (GP22) 1:44.529s
14 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) 1:44.651s
15 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) 1:44.735s
16 Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) 1:45.030s
17 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1:45.037s
18 Augusto Fernandez SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) 1:45.066s
19 Miguel Oliveira POR RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) 1:45.375s
20 Pol Espargaro SPA Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) 1:45.452s
21 Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda (RC213V) 1:45.517s
22 Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP23) 1:46.147s

 

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