Рубрика: Motosport News

Harley-Davidson and MotoGP’s Dorna announce new collaboration

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


A day after the conclusion of the 2024 MotoGP season in Barcelona, the series’ promoter has announced a new collaboration with Harley-Davidson.

How their partnership would exactly look like, and whether it could mean the King of the Baggers series will appear on the support programme at select MotoGP races, remains completely open at this point.

«Harley-Davidson is a historic name,» said Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta about one of the most famous motorcycle brands in the world. «That’s why we are very proud to now start a collaboration with Harley.

«We are still discussing the details and do not yet know exactly what the collaboration will look like. Harley-Davidson is of course very important in the US market. It is also an important market for us. Today is an important day for us.»

Harley-Davidson does have a history in motorcycle racing. «We had our first racing department in 1914,» said Jochen Zeitz, who took over the position of CEO in 2020 and has brought the brand back into motorsport.

In 2020, the first King Of The Baggers race took place at former MotoGP venue Laguna Seca. Harley-Davidson is an important feature of the championship and continues to race there with a modified version of the Road Glide, while rival brand Indian Motorcycle is also represented in the championship with its Challenger model.

Walter Villa, Harley-Davidson

Walter Villa racing a 250cc Harley-Davidson in the 1977 Venezuelan GP

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The King of the Baggers is a part of MotoAmerica and has become popular with the fans over the years.

«We wanted to create something unique and start racing with our touring motorcycles,» said Zeitz.

«That’s why we want to explore possibilities together with Dorna. We are both big brands. I’m very happy about it and I’m sure there will be a lot of speculation, which is never a bad thing.

«When two global brands work together, it’s a natural step. We won’t talk about exactly what that will look like today. It’s clear, of course, that a motorcycle belongs on the racetrack at some point. We’ll try to make that happen.»

Harley-Davidson previously competed in the motorcycle world championship in the 1970s. Italian rider Walter Villa won the 250cc world championship in 1974, ‘75 and ‘76 with the RR-250, an air-cooled two-stroke motorcycle. In 1976 he also won the 350cc class title.

«Racing has always been in my DNA, from sports shoes to motorcycles,» said Zeitz, referring to his time as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Puma. Puma’s collaboration with Ferrari started in 2005 with Zeitz at the helm of the company.

Both Harley-Davidson and Dorna want to benefit from the collaboration that is now beginning to take shape. For Harley, it is important to increase its appeal to racing fans. 

«There are also many racing enthusiasts in the Harley community that we haven’t really been able to tap into yet,» said Zeitz.

«So this is an opportunity to explore new avenues together. We have shown the bikes in Thailand, Japan and now in Barcelona. But you can only see them racing in the USA. Wherever we go, there is great interest in these bikes.»

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Meanwhile, Dorna has its sights set on the US market in particular, as sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta explained: «It’s now the starting point. They have an incredible community that we can benefit from. Harley can also help us in the United States and MotoGP can help them globally. We have a big footprint in Europe, but we are also in Asia and Japan. These are interesting markets for them. We are very happy that Harley wants to invest more in racing in the future.»

The collaboration only involves Harley-Davidson, with Dorna stressing that it is not talking to Indian Motorcycle, the other brand in the King Of The Baggers.

At the US Grand Prix in Austin, the King Of The Baggers was part of the support programme for MotoGP, but the races were organised by MotoAmerica.



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The pivotal moments in Jorge Martin’s MotoGP title win

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


There is no denying that Jorge Martin’s MotoGP triumph in 2024 was built on consistency. No other rider was able to finish on the podium week-in, week-out like the Pramac Ducati man.

But while Martin’s ability to consistently deliver those top-three results ultimately won him the big prize, there were also some standout moments that shouldn’t be overlooked when recapping his title-winning campaign.

The Spaniard built a substantial lead in the championship in the early part of the season and, while it ebbed and flowed as the year went on, he was almost always on the front foot.

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In fact, Martin led the championship after 17 of the 20 rounds in 2024, despite his rival winning 11 of the 20 grands prix on the factory Ducati this year, and scoring seven additional wins in sprints. Martin knew when to strike, and he struck well.

Martin dominates in Portugal as Bagnaia tangles with Marquez

Martin's storming Portuguese GP victory saw him grab the points lead he'd only briefly lose all season

Martin’s storming Portuguese GP victory saw him grab the points lead he’d only briefly lose all season

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Bagnaia had drawn first blood in 2024 by defeating Martin in a straight duel to win the Qatar Grand Prix. It was important for Martin to respond to the defending champion next time out in Portugal — and so he did.

Grabbing the upper hand in qualifying, Martin first closed the points gap to the top with a run to third in the sprint, as Bagnaia ended up fourth after making a costly error while in the lead.

Then, in the main grand prix, Martin brought his A-game to Portimao as he led all 25 laps after seizing the lead at the start. No one could put any challenge to the Spaniard, who ultimately won by just under a second.

Bagnaia was unlucky to be caught up in a collision with Gresini’s Marc Marquez and suffer his first retirement of 2024. But the fact remains that he was circulating in fifth place — and was on the verge of dropping to sixth — while Martin was leading out front.

Crucially, the Portimao weekend gave Martin a healthy 18-point lead in the championship, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

Defeating Bagnaia at Le Mans provides a breakthrough moment

Martin makes a breakthrough by beating Bagnaia in a straight fight at Le Mans

Martin makes a breakthrough by beating Bagnaia in a straight fight at Le Mans

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin’s next grand prix victory was of even greater significance. At Le Mans, the Spaniard was the fastest rider in every session that counted: pole position in qualifying, dominant in the sprint and the triumphant winner in the main race, where he came on top in a straight fight with Bagnaia.

It was Bagnaia who nailed the start from second on the grid to grab the holeshot into Turn 1, but Martin simply bided his time behind him until making the decisive pass with six laps to go. He held off Bagnaia over the next few laps, until the Italian was demoted to third by Marquez.

While the sight of Bagnaia leading Martin over the finish line would become a common occurrence in the latter part of the season, this victory demonstrated that Martin can outduel the two-champion when he is at his prime — even in a Sunday race.

Bouncing back into the points lead after his critical German GP fall

Martin showed no ill-effects from his Sachsenring tumble by winning after the summer break at Silverstone

Martin showed no ill-effects from his Sachsenring tumble by winning after the summer break at Silverstone

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Much was made of Martin’s crash from the lead of the German Grand Prix. Much like Le Mans, Martin had been the standout rider at the Sachsenring and was on course to complete a clean sweep of victories that weekend until he dropped his Ducati on the penultimate lap of the main race. Critics cited the error — the second such mistake of the year after Jerez — as a sign that he hadn’t learned from his title defeat to Bagnaia in 2023.

Having lost the championship in Germany, crucially just before the summer break, it was argued that the DNF was going to be a major psychological blow for Martin.

But when the season resumed at Silverstone after a month-long break, the 26-year-old displayed both maturity and determination to wrestle back the points lead that he was convinced belonged to him. A new component on his Ducati, which he hadn’t used before despite being standard on other GP24s, was also introduced to help cut down on crashes.

In the sprint, Martin immediately grabbed the lead from Bagnaia, who went on to retire with a lap four crash. Then, in the main race, it was again Martin who finished ahead of the two, even though the race was won by Bastianini on the other factory GP24.

For all the talk of Martin having given away crucial points to Bagnaia in the title race, he was back at the top of the championship in just one weekend’s time.

Martin banks points at Aragon as Bagnaia clashes with the other Marquez

Bagnaia's crash with Alex Marquez gave a handy points advantage at the Aragon GP

Bagnaia’s crash with Alex Marquez gave a handy points advantage at the Aragon GP

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The Aragon GP is mostly remembered for Marquez’s comeback victory in MotoGP on a Ducati. But that race in Spain also played a crucial role in tilting the championship in Martin’s favour.

Martin was no match to Marquez in low-grip conditions all weekend, but he settled for second when victory was out of reach. That meant he came away with a healthy tally of 29 points from a weekend maximum of 37. His rival, meanwhile, scored just one solitary point.

Bagnaia hinted at a faulty tyre for his dismal slump to ninth in the sprint, while a collision with Alex Marquez took him out of the main race. He had just grabbed third place after a poor start had left him in the lower reaches of the top 10.

Bagnaia had previously retaken the lead in the championship with victory in Austria, but Aragon put Martin back ahead on the leaderboard. He was never headed in the standings again.

Martin repairs damage of rain gamble in second Misano round

A gamble pitting early for rain failed to pay off, but Martin recovered his losses in the return to Misano

A gamble pitting early for rain failed to pay off, but Martin recovered his losses in the return to Misano

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin had made a blunder in the first Misano race by pitting for the wet bike when the first drops of rain began to fall on track. A full shower never materialised and he was forced to return to the pits and swap back to his primary dry-weather bike, leaving him a season-worst 15th. His comfortable 23-point lead had come down to just seven points.

But his response in the second Misano event was very similar to one that followed his crash out of the lead at Sachsenring.

Both Martin and Bagnaia’s team-mate Bastianini were able to pull away from the chasing pack immediately, engaging in their own duel at the front. Martin did lose out on victory after Bastianini forced him off the track on the final lap, but second place was still crucial for his championship hopes.

That was because Bagnaia crashed yet another time while running behind Martin on track, handing the latter an extended 24-point lead in the championship.

Redemption in Indonesia allows Martin to take a firm hold in title fight

Redemption a year on in Indonesia made Martin a huge favourite for the title run-in

Redemption a year on in Indonesia made Martin a huge favourite for the title run-in

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin’s victory in the Indonesian GP was significant in more ways than one. Exactly 12 months prior, he had crashed out of the lead during a crucial stage of the 2023 title run-in, just when the momentum was building in his favour. So winning in Mandalika was nothing short of redemption.

Secondly, Martin had gone winless since the French GP in May, having given away an easy win in Sachsenring and lost first place to Bastianini in Misano II.

It took another error, in the sprint race where Martin lowsided out of the lead on the opening lap, but when he finally stood on the top step in a grand prix again, he did so in style. Leading out front from pole, the Spaniard resisted pressure from KTM rookie Pedro Acosta in the middle portion of the race, before extending his lead to win by 1.4s.

Bagnaia lacked the pace to challenge the podium runners all throughout the race and was lucky to finish third, 5.5s off the lead, after his team-mate Bastianini fell just four laps from the finish.

Bagnaia crashes (again) in Malaysian to give Martin match point

Another costly crash in the Malaysian sprint race left Bagnaia with too much to do

Another costly crash in the Malaysian sprint race left Bagnaia with too much to do

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Championships are often decided in the penultimate round of a season and it would be fair to say that the events of Sepang played into Martin’s hands.

While it was Bagnaia who claimed pole position, Martin immediately seized the lead in the sprint to put pressure on his title rival. With a points deficit to overcome, and Marquez closing in the distance, Bagnaia dropped his bike at Turn 7 and crashed out of the race.

Martin went on to take his seventh sprint win of the year and extend his lead to 29 points. From there, it was always going to be a difficult task for Bagnaia to displace him from the top.

Martin overcomes nerves to seal title at rescheduled finale

The Spaniard overcame crippling nerves to seal a first MotoGP world title

The Spaniard overcame crippling nerves to seal a first MotoGP world title

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

While Martin did show signs of nervousness in Barcelona as he inched closer to the title, he didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. Such was his lead in the championship that he could finish as low as ninth in the race, but his strategy was clear and sensible — he’d aim for the podium, but not chase Bagnaia for the win.

In terms of pace, it was certainly an off weekend for the Spaniard. In practice, he was the fourth-fastest rider at best and that’s where he finished in qualifying, missing out on the front row for the first time since his crash in Motegi. But it still put him in a strong position for the rest of the round.

Third place in the sprint, after a last-lap pass by Bastianini, and third in the grand prix, were not by any means his best results of 2024. But it was more than enough for him to lift the title and depart the Ducati fold as a MotoGP world champion.

A pair of third places in the Barcelona finale was more than enough to seal the title

A pair of third places in the Barcelona finale was more than enough to seal the title

Photo by: Dorna



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Bastianini slams Espargaro for supporting Martin’s title bid “all race” in Barcelona

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ducati rival Enea Bastianini hit out at Aprilia rival Aleix Espargaro after the Barcelona Grand Prix, claiming he spent the entire race supporting his friend Jorge Martin’s title bid.

After a slow start from second on the grid, Espargaro settled into fourth place in Barcelona, acting as a rear-gunner for championship protagonist Martin, who couldn’t afford to lose too many positions in his title fight with Francesco Bagnaia.

Bastianini challenged the Aprilia of Espargaro for the first third of the race, but the Spaniard retaliated every time he made a move.

The Italian eventually came home in seventh position after a mistake at the exit of Turn 1 forced him to take the escape road, leaving him to squabble for a place in the lower region of the top 10.

It meant he lost the battle with Marc Marquez for third place in the championship, with the Gresini rider finishing on the podium in second behind race winner Bagnaia.

Following the race, Bastianini made it clear that he found Espargaro’s defence unprofessional, especially as the Aprilia rider was competing in his last grand prix as a full-time racer.

“I lost much time with Aleix today and it has been impossible to do more than my result. Not happy about what Aleix had done because for me it’s not correct,” said the Italian.

“Without the fight with Aleix, [it] probably was possible to do something more for myself but he did all the race for Martin.

“Well, of course, he is really friends with Jorge. but for the rest on the track you can’t do something like this.”

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: “It was his last race and maybe he could have achieved a better result or even fought for the podium,” reflected a visibly angry Bastianini.

“I understand that he has a great friendship with Jorge, but he has destroyed the race of other riders. There are things that should not happen in a championship like ours.”

Pramac rider Martin took the chequered flag in third place in Barcelona to beat race winner Bagnaia by 10 points in the championship.

It made him the first-ever rider to win a title on a satellite bike in the MotoGP era, and first in the history of the premier class since Valentino Rossi’s triumph in 2001 on a Nastro Azzurro Honda.

It also meant that Martin will go to Espargaro’s current team Aprilia as the reigning world champion in 2025, having signed a two-year deal with the Borgo Panigale marque.

Espargaro admitted that he wanted to support Martin in the latter’s pursuit of the title, describing his countryman as a “little brother”.

“We both had a feeling that it was all the Ducatis against him, which is completely normal,” said Espargaro.

“They tried to retain the title and the feeling I had was I was the only one to protect my little brother and his title.

“So even when I was on the grid, [it was] very motivating for me because it was the last one.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“Once the race had started I was completely focused, I rode on the limit of the bike more than ever in my career, trying to protect him [Martin] as much as possible, and I’m very happy and proud to be able to help him a little bit.”

However, Espargaro denied that he wasn’t riding slowly on purpose in order to prevent the likes of Bastianini from catching Martin.

He referred to his hard-fought battle with the Gresini Ducati of Alex Marquez, which ended with him losing fourth place on the penultimate lap, as proof that he was pushing as hard he could in his final grand prix appearance.

Responding to Bastianini’s allegations, Espargaro fired back by saying the Italian was simply too slow for someone riding a factory Ducati bike.

“They told me that Enea said that it’s not beautiful to end a career like this, not fighting for the podium,” he said.

“The only thing I will respond [to is that] it’s not fair to say this. In the last lap I was waiting for him to fight but he was three seconds behind me with the factory Ducati. So I don’t know what he was referring to.

“Alex Marquez did an amazing race and he beat me and Enea couldn’t. So I did the maximum possible.

“If he thinks that I tried to be slow it’s impossible. I rode over the limit, I was the only one to be able to put a bike in the middle of the Ducati mix. So I was over the limit all the race.”

Photos from Barcelona GP Race

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MotoGP unveils all-new logo as part of brand refresh

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


MotoGP has unveiled an all-new logo that is at the centre of its brand refresh for 2025 and beyond.

The famous chequered flag logo that was first introduced in 2002 and tweaked further in 2007 has been dropped in favour of a more minimalist design by series promoter Dorna.

Revealed at the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona following Sunday afternoon’s title decider, where Jorge Martin was crowned the premier class champion, the new logo was crafted by Pentagram, the world’s largest independent design studio.

MotoGP said the ‘M’ in the new logo takes inspiration from two bikes circulating close to each other on a track at a lean angle. The ‘O’s suggest the wheels’ geometry, while ‘t’ represents the rider on the bike. The ‘GP’ part of the design is meant to evoke the layout of a racetrack.

The new logo is part of a larger revamp that includes artwork, motion, typeface, visual identity and verbal identity.

The logos for Moto2 and Moto3 have also been overhauled, following the same design language as MotoGP.

“We’re very excited to reveal our new identity and invite fans around the world to meet the new MotoGP,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP promoter Dorna.

MotoGP Sprint, Moto2 and Moto3 logos

MotoGP Sprint, Moto2 and Moto3 logos

Photo by: MotoGP

“Working with Pentagram has been an incredible adventure leading to what we hope our fans will agree is an incredible result. 

“A brand is more than a logo, and MotoGP is more than a sport. The process has taught us a lot about both and we’re very proud to show the world the results. 

“The key question throughout has been, ‘What is MotoGP?’, both now and looking forward to who we want to be, and we hope this new identity communicates every aspect of that, from the speed to the passion and everything in between. This is MotoGP.”

MotoGP’s brand refresh comes at a time when Liberty Media is closing in on its acquisition of Dorna, with the American powerhouse expecting to receive all regulatory approvals by the end of the year.

Formula 1, also owned by Liberty, similarly got a new logo and brand identity in 2017.

MotoGP logo

MotoGP logo

Photo by: MotoGP



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the MotoGP champion who wanted «justice» and not luck

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


After Alex Criville (1999), Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012 and 2015), Marc Marquez (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) and Joan Mir (2020), Jorge Martin is only the fifth rider from Spain to win a premier class title.

In addition, his success this year marked the first for a rider with a satellite team since Valentino Rossi won the last 500cc title in 2001 with the Nastro Azzurro Honda team.

Having failed at his first crack on the title in 2023, when he took the fight to factory Ducati rival Francesco Bagnaia to the final race but came short by 39 points, Martin finally got to lift the trophy this year with third place finish in Sunday’s Barcelona Grand Prix.

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Martin arrived in Spain with a 24-point advantage in the riders’ championship and, although Bagnaia was in dominant form all weekend, he did enough to finish 10 points clear in the final reckoning.

Ahead of the weekend, Martin had said his championship advantage was down to «the work of an entire year». He said: “There is no key to this last race, it has been the work of 19 grand prix that has brought us here. If we continue doing the same, the fair thing is to win the title.”

Martin had repeatedly used the terms ‘fair’ and ‘justice’ in the run-up to the Barcelona showdown. In Malaysia, after a weather-affected round from which he emerged with one hand already on the trophy, the journalists in the media centre wished the Spaniard good luck for the final race. «Justice, not luck — justice,» was his response.

Martin is aware that luck has not been the deciding factor in this year’s title fight, even though Bagnaia ended up on the ground in up to eight grands prix or sprint races this year — something he used to his advantage with surgical accuracy to build what turned out to be an insurmountable lead in the championship. Martin was particularly strong in the sprint races, which coincidentally were Bagnaia’s weak point for much of the year.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Dorna

Born near Madrid to a family of passionate motorcycle racing fans, Martin used to visit races in Jerez as a child along with his parents. In fact, the flag he flies after his victories is the same one his parents carried when he went to enjoy Criville’s triumphs at the end of the 1990s, instilling a passion for two wheels in him as a young boy.

He didn’t have it easy in his early days and it wasn’t until 2012 that he managed to reach the Red Bull Rookies Cup, a breeding ground for young talents in Europe run jointly by KTM and the energy drinks giant.

After two years of trying, Martin won the title in 2014, which opened the doors to the world championship in 2015.

Racing a less-than-competitive bike with the Aspar Mahindra team for two seasons, the first with his future MotoGP rival Francesco Bagnaia, Martin’s early results in Moto3 were rather mixed.

After moving to Honda in 2017, Martin achieved his first world championship victory at the final round of the season in Valencia, which spurred up the aspirations of the young rider and paved the way for him to win the Moto3 title the following year, with seven wins.

In 2019 he moved to Moto2 with KTM, but again, the results were not consistent. He improved in his second season in the intermediate class on the arrival of Kalex bikes, scoring two victories and finishing fifth in the championship.

Clear path to Ducati

That year, 2020, was key in defining Martin’s career. He had a contract with KTM that required him to move up to MotoGP with the Austrian marque. However, in that agreement, there was a clause that if KTM did not confirm his promotion to the top class before a certain date, he would be released from the contract. 

Jorge Martin, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Jorge Martin, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Due to the COVID pandemic, KTM did not execute the clause in a timely manner, and Martin signed a factory contract with Ducati to race for Pramac for two years, 2021 and 2022, with the promise of moving up to the factory team in 2023.

Despite Martin putting on a decent show with one win, eight podiums and nine pole positions in his two seasons on a satellite bike, Duati broke its promise in the wake of what Enea Bastianini was able to achieve with Gresini Racing

The Italian was chosen for the factory ride along Bagnaia, and Martin had to settle for a seat at Pramac for two more years, albeit with a bigger salary.

Martin fought with Bagnaia for the title in 2023 while Bastianini’s campaign was riddled with injuries, but he lost the battle in the final round.

This year, he built an early lead in the championship over Bagnaia, but Ducati again snubbed him in favour of six-time Marc Marquez, who had impressed the Borgo Panigale marque with his performances on a year-old GP23 bike.

Martin was initially Ducati’s preferred option for 2025, but Marquez’s refusal to move to Pramac next year forced it to change its mind, leaving a disappointed Martin to cut ties with Ducati altogether and sign a new contract with Aprilia.

Martin will arrive at Aprilia, as some predicted and others feared, as the reigning world champion after defeating Bagnaia in a tense duel for the 2024 title.

This means he could race in 2025 with the number one sticker on his Aprilia RS-GP, although he insists the decision to ditch his now-famous #89 plate will be made during the winter break.

Photos from Barcelona GP Race



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Bagnaia knew his title chances were slim after Malaysia blunder

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Francesco Bagnaia says he was aware it was going to be a tough task to win the 2024 MotoGP title after he crashed out of the sprint race for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia was running second behind Pramac rival Jorge Martin in the short-distance race at Sepang when he dumped his GP24 at the tricky uphill Turn 9, giving away important points during a crucial stage of the championship.

Bagnaia bounced back from that error to win the main race in Malaysia and complete a double win in the Barcelona finale, but it wasn’t enough to overturn a 29-point deficit to eventual champion Martin.

Although Bagnaia has publicly maintained that he still had a real shot at winning this year’s title, he admitted after his eventual defeat in Barcelona that he knew that his hopes of defending his crown were in fact very slim.

“I already accepted that after my sprint race in Malaysia, I understood that it was tough and difficult to win the championship,” he said.

“[Overcoming] 29 points was [going to be] quite tough but I just tried to do the maximum, winning all the races remaining. It was the maximum I could do but Jorge did a better job.

“In terms of consistency, he was better. I think he finished like 17 or 18 times second during the season so it is something unbelievable and from our side, we just had a bit of bad luck.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I also made some mistakes, so it’s difficult to imagine winning a title with eight zeros.

“We also beat the number of points compared to last season with eight zeros [498 vs 467]. 

“So I think we did a very good job and we almost dominated the races in terms of victories but this wasn’t enough and for next year I will have to learn from my season, learn from some situation that happened this season.”

Although Bagnaia won 11 grands prix over the season, putting him among some of the all-time greats in motorcycle racing, his campaign was also marred by misfortune and unforced errors.

Among other mistakes, Bagnaia crashed out of the lead of the sprint race in the Catalan Grand Prix in May and also gave away a likely podium finish in the Emilia Grand Prix.

But the error in the penultimate round Sepang stings the most for him, given the circumstances of the crash and the impact it had on his title hopes.

“In terms of mistakes I think the one in Misano was one of the worst because I was easily finishing third,” he said.

“The most difficult to accept is the one in Malaysia honestly because I wasn’t doing anything wrong. 

“I entered the corner slower and maybe that was the reason for the crash. This one is the most difficult to accept.”

Photos from Barcelona GP Race



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Martin «couldn’t ride» through «crying» in last laps of Barcelona finale

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Newly-crowned MotoGP champion Jorge Martin says he “couldn’t ride” and was crying under his helmet during the final laps of the Barcelona Grand Prix.

Pramac rider Martin claimed his first MotoGP title with a safe third-place finish in the final round of the season, beating race winner and factory Ducati rival Francesco Bagnaia to the crown by 10 points.

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Although Martin won only three out of the 20 grands prix all year, compared to a whopping 11 for Bagnaia, it was his consistency and a lack of mistakes in the second half of the campaign that won him the title.

Martin previously admitted to feeling anxious on the final weekend of the year, with even Bagnaia admitting that he had sensed some nerves as they battled for glory over the Barcelona weekend.

And the Spaniard now says he struggled to control his emotions in the final moments of the race, as the dream of winning the world championship grew closer.

“It sounds amazing, I don’t know what to say — I’m completely shocked,” Martin said after returning to parc ferme following his championship celebrations.

“This is for my people, for my family, for the people that are supporting me, this is for them. 

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“[In] the last laps I couldn’t even ride, I started crying a bit. It was a really emotional race. And yes thanks to my people, it’s for them, completely for them. 

“It’s been a long journey, a lot of crashes, big injuries and finally we are back here. So thanks to all the people, thanks to the fans, it is also for Valencia — a Spanish rider. 

“I hope we can keep improving and enjoy the moment. This is the most important thing. Leave the pressure and enjoy the moment.”

Bagnaia was in unbeatable form over the weekend in Spain, setting the pace in Friday practice before converting pole position on Saturday and converting that into a sprint win.

Although he did come under pressure from 2025 team-mate Marc Marquez on the Gresini GP23, he hung on to take another grand prix victory on Sunday.

However, it wasn’t enough to defeat Martin, who only needed to finish inside the top nine to be crowned champion.

Bagnaia congratulated his former Moto3 team-mate Martin after his championship triumph, saying “I think he is deserving of what he achieved. This day is for him. 

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I just want to say thanks to my team, they did an incredible job, all the rest is another story but congratulations to Jorge,” said the 2022 and ‘23 champion.

While Bagnaia will remain within the Ducati fold to have another crack at the title in 2025, Martin will leave the Borgo Panigale marque to join Aprilia on a two-year factory deal.

Photos from Barcelona GP Race



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Martin crowned champion as Bagnaia wins finale

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Pramac rider Jorge Martin clinched his maiden MotoGP title with a safe third-place finish in the Barcelona Grand Prix, while Francesco Bagnaia had to concede defeat despite scoring an 11th win of 2024.

Martin arrived at Sunday’s finale in Spain with a 19-point lead in the championship over factory Ducati rival Bagnaia and only needed to finish inside the top nine to lift the trophy.

Although Bagnaia led away from pole position and controlled the race at the front, Martin was able to settle back in third position and still take the title by 10 points.

He became the first rider to be crowned champion on a satellite bike in the MotoGP era, with Bagnaia’s mentor Valentino Rossi being the last rider to achieve that feat during the final 500cc season in 2001.

When the 24-lap got underway at Barcelona, Bagnaia made the perfect start to lead into Turn 1, with Martin jumping from fourth to grab second position behind his title rival.

Gresini’s Marquez slotted into third position and immediately started piling pressure on Martin, who began to fall behind leader Bagnaia.

At the start of lap 2, Marquez pulled off a clean move on Martin into Turn 1, with the latter appearing content to drop to third position — knowing it would be more than enough to seal the title.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez, involved in his own scrap with Enea Bastianini for third place in the standings, then set about chasing Bagnaia, who had pulled out a small lead by then.

But the Spaniard didn’t attempt a move for the lead in the first half of the race, even when the factory Ducati rider made a small error at Turn 5 on lap 10.

Bagnaia continued to control the pace until lap 15 of 24, when he posted a stunning lap to pull half a second clear of Marquez.

The six-time champion managed to close the gap again as the race drew to a close, but Bagnaia did enough to hang on to the win.

Martin didn’t bother chasing the leading duo for victory, cruising more than two seconds behind them to take third and claim his world championship in any class since 2018 with a podium.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro acted as the perfect rear-gunner for his ally Martin and looked set to take fourth place until Alex Marquez on the other Gresini bike snatched fourth position away from him on the penultimate lap.

That meant Espargaro capped off an incredible career in which he turned Aprilia into a race-winning force with a fifth-place finish on his home turf.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team, Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team, Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Factory Ducati rider Bastianini was also battling with Espargaro and the younger Marquez, but a mistake at Turn 2 on lap 8 forced him to take the escape road, leaving him seventh at the finish.

It meant that Marc Marquez won his duel with Bastianini for third place in the championship, as he prepares to take the latter’s place at the factory Ducati team in 2025.

KTM’s charge in Barcelona was led by factory rider Brad Binder, who completed another impressive from 18th on the grid to claim sixth, overtaking Bastianini on the final lap.

Binder also benefited from stablemate Pedro Acosta having a tough day in Barcelona, the 20-year-old rookie suffering a late drop in grip on his GasGas-branded RC16.

Acosta eventually finished 10th, behind Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli and VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi.

Fabio Quartararo finished a solid 11th for Yamaha, leading future team-mates Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Aprilia) and Jack Miller (KTM).

Although Honda had shown strong pace in practice in the run-up to the weekend, only one of its riders finished inside the points, as Johann Zarco took 14th on the LCR bike ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales.

Factory HRC rider Joan Mir was the only retiree from the race, as 22 of the 23 riders took the chequered flag.

Photos from Barcelona GP Race

Solidarity GP result



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MotoGP Barcelona GP: Moto2 and Moto3 results

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Alonso continued his winning run in Moto3, while the Moto2 season ended with Canet taking victory in a tense finale

The day’s action kicked off with an 18-lap Moto3 race, where David Alonso capped off his title-winning campaign with a record-extending 14th victory.

The CFMoto Aspar rider made a brilliant start from pole position to lead into Turn 1, but struggled to pull out a gap in the opening stages of the race.

With the slipstream effect so strong on Barcelona’s main straight, that meant that Alonso was swallowed up by the likes of Daniel Holgado, Ivan Ortola and Adrian Fernandez on lap 3, dropping to fourth.

This was followed by a period in which Tech3’s Holgado and Leopard Racing’s Fernandez traded the lead on virtually every lap, with Holgado overtaking Fernandez a number of times into Turn 1, only for the latter to strike back in the tighter sections of the track.

Alonso dropped as low as eighth by lap six but started gradually coming back at the frontrunners, passing Holgado for second on lap 11.

It was on lap 14 that he finally hit the front, as he moved past Fernandez around the outside of Turn 1.

However, his job wasn’t over, with Fernandez, Boe Motorsport’s David Munoz and MT Helmets — MSi rider Ortola using the slipstream to demote him back to fourth with three laps to run. To make matters worse, he was forced wide by Ortola at Turn 4 on the same tour, losing further ground.

But the 18-year-old quickly fought back to third at the start of the penultimate tour and then dove up the inside of Holgado into Turn 10 to snatch second position. When Fernandez ran wide at the exit of the same corner, Alonso needed no second invitation to retake the lead.

Holding his line on the final lap, Alonso scored an incredible victory to become the first rider to win 14 races in a single season in any class of the world championship.

Holgado took the chequered flag 0.147s behind in second to secure the runner-up spot in the championship, while a three-second penalty for taking a shortcut at Turn 1 on the final lap dropped Fernandez from third to 11th in the final reckoning.

The biggest beneficiary of Fernandez’s sanction was his team-mate and Moto3 rookie Angel Piqueras, who claimed the final podium position ahead of Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda and MT Helmets — MSi rider Ryusei Yamanaka.

Munoz and Ortola slumped to sixth and ninth respectively.

Moto3 Solidarity Grand Prix result
1


D. Alonso

CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team

80 CF MOTO 18
154.9 25
2

Spain

D. Holgado


Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

 96 GASGAS 18
0.147 		154.9 20
3


Á. Piqueras

Leopard Racing

36 Honda 18
1.063 		154.8 16
4


J. Antonio

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

99 KTM 18
0.142 		154.8 13
5

Japan

R. Yamanaka


MT Helmets — MSI

 6 KTM 18
0.333 		154.8 11
6

Spain

D. Munoz


BOE Motorsports

 64 KTM 18
154.8 10
7

Japan

T. Furusato


Honda Team Asia

 72 Honda 18
0.195 		154.7 9
8


J. Roulstone

Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

12 GASGAS 18
0.272 		154.7 8
9


I. Ortola

MT Helmets — MSI

48 KTM 18
0.068 		154.7 7
10


C. Veijer

Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP

95 Husqvarna 18
0.620 		154.7 6
11

Mexico

A. Fernandez


Leopard Racing

 31 Honda 18
0.705 		154.9 5
12

Australia

J. Kelso


BOE Motorsports

 66 KTM 18
1.280 		154.5 4
13

Japan

T. Suzuki


Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP

 24 Husqvarna 18
6.125 		154.0 3
14


D. Almansa

Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team

22 Honda 18
0.116 		154.0 2
15

Italy

M. Bertelle


Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team

 18 Honda 18
0.018 		154.0 1
16


N. Fabio

LEVELUP — MTA

10 KTM 18
0.013 		154.0
17

United Kingdom

S. Ogden


FleetSafe Honda — MLav Racing

 19 Honda 18
0.087 		154.0
18


L. Lunetta

SIC58 Squadra Corse

58 Honda 18
1.905 		153.9
19


Á. Carpe

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

83 KTM 18
0.475 		153.8
20


F. Farioli

SIC58 Squadra Corse

7 Honda 18
0.122 		153.8
21


E. O’Shea

FleetSafe Honda — MLav Racing

8 Honda 18
0.660 		153.8
22


X. Zurutuza

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

85 KTM 18
2.426 		153.8
23


N. Dettwiler

CIP

55 KTM 18
19.892 		152.0
24


T. Buasri

Honda Team Asia

5 Honda 18
0.530 		152.0
25


M. Uriarte

CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team

89 CF MOTO 18
1.120 		151.9
dnf

Italy

R. Rossi


CIP

 54 KTM 6
12 Laps 		145.3 Retirement
dnf

Italy

S. Nepa


LEVELUP — MTA

 82 KTM 1
5 Laps 		87.5 Retirement

Canet holds off Gonzalez to win in Moto2

Aron Canet, Fantic Racing

Aron Canet, Fantic Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

In Moto2, Aron Canet fended off a late challenge from Manuel Gonzalez to claim his fourth victory of the season —  and third from the last six races.

At the start of the race, Canet made a terrible launch from pole position and slumped to 10th place, allowing Gonzalez to grab the holeshot into Turn 1.

But Canet was quickly able to recover to fifth place, aided by two incidents in front of him. First, it was CFMoto Aspar rider Jake Dixon who made contact with Alonso Lopez into Turn 5, having run wide at the first corner and dropped down the order. It sent him in the path of Jorge Navarro, taking both of them down.

Then, Zonta van den Goorbergh and Celestino Vietti had a high-speed crash under braking for Turn 1, with Deniz Oncu lucky to remain upright after also being hit by the RW Racing rider.

This meant that Canet was back up to third place by the end of lap 3, behind champion Ai Ogura and race leader Gonzalez.

The Fantic Racing rider made light work of Ogura on the following tour and then pulled off a brilliant overtake on Gonzalez at the final corner to retake the lead of the race.

By the midpoint of the race, Canet’s lead had grown to over a second, with Gonzalez likewise putting daylight between himself and MT Helmets — MSi rider Ogura.

However, Canet’s pace began to drop in the closing stages, bringing Gonzales back into play. 

The two riders started the final lap with a quarter of a second separating them, but Canet defended well from his countryman to take the chequered flag with a winning margin of just 0.091s.

Finishing just over a second behind was Diogo Moreira, who replicated Canet’s Turn 14-move on champion Ogura on the final lap to snatch the final spot on the podium.

The two riders had spent the majority of the race battling for third position, with Ogura doing enough for the longest time to hold station.

The Italtrans rider got the move down on him at Turn 1, only for Ogura to strike back with a divebomb on Turn 10. However, it was Moreira who had the last laugh as he secured third place by 0.043s with a last-corner move.

Marc VDS rider Filip Salac crossed the line in fifth ahead of Ogura’s team-mate Sergio Garcia, who secured his best result since a fourth-place finish at Silverstone back in August.

Fermin Aldeguer, who will move up to MotoGP with Gresini next year, finished 10th for SpeedUp Racing after serving a long-lap penalty he picked up in Thailand.

Moto2 Solidarity GP result



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