The #63 puts in an imperious Sprint with a close finish at the front as Bezzecchi slides out before a penalty
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took his first Tissot Sprint win of the season in style at Brno, off the line like a rocket and holding off some serious pressure from behind to the line. From pole position, Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was forced to settle for second by just two tenths at the flag, with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the Saturday rostrum.
Off the line it was a pure drag race as Bagnaia got the best start on the front row, from P3, and Ogura the worst from pole position, leaving the #63 in the lead and the #79 forced the settle into second. They held position ahead of some shuffling behind, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) picked off by Marc Marquez ahead of some early drama. Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) slid out on Lap 1 followed swiftly by Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in separate incidents, leaving a little gap where each had been. Riders ok.
At the front, Bagnaia was setting the pace with around half a second in hand ahead of Ogura, but the gap behind them was starting to stretch further. Marquez was holding on ahead of Diggia, however, with Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) next up. Behind him, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was homing in on Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing).
Fireworks soon set off there by mid-distance as the two swapped positions not once nor twice, with Acosta eventually getting the deal done but not losing the close company from the #89. He held on for another couple of laps before his Sprint came to an early end, the #37 sliding out at Turn 11. Rider ok and ready to reload for Sunday.
Meanwhile at the front, what had been a growing gap between Bagnaia and Ogura was shrinking by four to go – and the Japanese rider was bringing company in the form of Marc Marquez as he started to eat up the metres. The trio looked on to decide the podium between themselves, with Di Giannantonio not quite able to bring himself back into contention from fourth.
Suddenly, more drama hit – this time for Bezzecchi. From a solid fifth, the championship leader suddenly slid out at Turn 3, losing the valuable points and promoting teammate Martin, just behind him, to the top five.
There were no such dramas for the race leaders. Onto the last lap, Bagnaia led Ogura led Marquez, with little to choose between them as the concertina made its way around Brno. As the metres ticked down though it was Ogura making the gains, with Marquez watching a duel for the win slowly pull away. But Ogura was forced to endure the same as Bagnaia kept it tidy as ever, giving no opportunity for the Japanese rider to create a move. The #63 crossed the line with just over two tenths in hand, supreme on Saturday.
Ogura takes second on a weekend that has seen him go fastest on Friday and take his maiden pole, and he’ll be aiming for more on Sunday. Marc Marquez takes third place ahead of Di Giannantonio, with Martin completing the top five on Saturday before he serves his double Long Lap on Sunday.
Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) came home sixth ahead of a charge up the order from Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini into P7, with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the points scorers – denying Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) the opportunity by just a tenth.
That’s a wrap on Saturday action, with more to come on Grand Prix Sunday. Don’t miss it as the field reload at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Czechia!
MotoGP Sprint results from Brno!
Alonso earns Brno pole ahead of Salač and Holgado
A Turn 1 crash didn’t stop David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) from clinching a second pole position of the season as the Colombian sets his sights on a first win of the year from the spearhead of the grid. Alonso’s new Brno Moto2 lap record, a 1:57.718, was 0.205s faster than second place Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team), with the Czech rider bagging a second consecutive front row of the year, this time in front of his home fans. Third on the grid goes to Alonso’s teammate Daniel Holgado, and like the #80, the #96 was unharmed positionally after a crash in Q2.
A late lap from World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) saw the Spaniard leapfrog teammate Senna Agius into P4, with the Aussie settling for P5. Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR - Exocom – MSI) also managed to slot in a late personal best time to push himself onto the outside of the second row. That was important too, with Ortola facing a Long Lap penalty in tomorrow’s race.
The riders second and third in the championship, Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and Celestino Vietti (HDR SpeedRS Team), will line up in P7 and P8 respectively in the hope of clawing some points back on Gonzalez in Brno.
Peruse the full results from Moto2 qualifying and then come back for lights out at 12:15 (UTC+2) on Sunday!
Almansa strikes for third consecutive pole as he denies Danish in Brno
David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) left it late in Q2 to make it three consecutive pole positions in Moto3, setting the fastest lap of the weekend with a 2:04.069 as he secured P1 by just 0.017s. Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) will line up from second after he improved his time right at the end of the session, with Almansa and Danish denying Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team). The #28 was running in P1 until the final run, when he brought his bike back to the pits without the chance of improving his time in the final three minutes.
Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will lead away the second row for Sunday’s Grand Prix as he posted a 2:04.634, half-a-second down on Almansa’s pole time. He’s joined by teammate Brian Uriarte on the second row, as the #51 was fifth quickest, with Eddie O’Shea (GYRD Racing) lining up from P6. The British rider had shown pace good enough to go directly into Q2, but a technical infringement meant he was disqualified from Practice. However, the #8 made his way through Q1 to claim sixth in Q2.
After a crash in Practice, Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) was forced into Q2. It looked like he had the pace to make it through, but the #97 was in his box when he was second on the timesheets; however, while he watched on, he found himself demoted out of the top four places in Q1.
Check out the full results from Moto3 qualifying and come back for more on Sunday at 11:00 (UTC +2) as the lights go out for race day in Brno!