Bagnaia & Quartararo face off, Marc Marquez returns to the fray2022-09-19 09:13The chase is on as the triple-header kicks off at Aragon, with the title fight hotting up and Marc Marquez back on track The next three weekends put 75 points on the table in MotoGP™, with the intercontinental triple-header kicking off at the mighty MotorLand Aragon. Last season it was a duel between Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and 12 months on the two still dominate the headlines - just for different reasons. Bagnaia arrives into the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon with four wins in a row, the first rider to do that on a Ducati, and Marquez' long-awaited comeback has now been confirmed. This is it: the number 93 is back. Bagnaia's recent run in his bid to catch Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) must make him the favourite for now, however. After a first half of the season that left plenty points going begging, the number 63 has carved out a serious groove, underlined by the fact that no one else has won a MotoGP™ race since mid-June. But my-oh-my was it close at Misano, with his 2023 teammate Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) getting to within thousandths. With Bagnaia's win at MotorLand last season and both he and Bastianini arriving from that stunning duel, it's hard to bet past them this weekend. There is plenty on the line for Ducati in general, too. Bagnaia is looking to close the 30-point gap at the top of the Riders' Championship, but the Borgo Panigale factory have another chance at glory even earlier: the marque already has a first match point in the Constructors' at MotorLand. Bagnaia and Bastianini are top candidates to add the required points, but the rest of the armada are far from slouches. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) are both looking for more, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) has two best ever finishes under his belt recently, and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) has his own point to prove... so can they do it? A lot, as in the riders' fight, may rest with Quartararo. It's been a tougher run since Sachsenring barring that stunning second place in Austria, but that second place could be the real key. El Diablo wrung the absolute maximum out of it and could need a repeat at MotorLand, as it's not historically the best venue for Yamaha. But he does still have a good buffer of 30 points, and coming up is territory he's chartered a fair bit more than some - so Aragon could also be played as a damage limitation exercise. There was also talk at the Misano test of using some upgrades as early as this weekend. Teammate Franco Morbidelli has also won at MotorLand, showing it can be done on a Yamaha in the dry, and Misano showed some steps forward for the Italian. Elsewhere at the Iwata marque, Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™) continues in his mission to score points in a sometimes overlooked but impressive rookie season so far coming straight from Moto3™, and now he has a new teammate: Cal Crutchlow. The three-time MotoGP™ race winner returns as Dovizioso bows out, and the number 35 will likely be sharing track time with testing duty too. Where will he slot in? At Aprilia, meanwhile, the status quo has been a little altered of late. Aleix Espargaro remains in the upper echelons of the title fight and scoring consistent points, but since the paddock returned after summer it's Maverick Viñales who's seemingly had the upper hand at the Noale factory. Can Espargaro fight back? Can Viñales take another step? Can the number 12 also prove a useful force to make life difficult for the likes of Quartararo and Bagnaia? Time will tell, but MotorLand will be another challenge as the nearly all-new RS-GP continues its impressive run. For KTM, the work continues - but so do the impressive performances from Sunday hero Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Miguel Oliveira. Both are on quite a run of bagging solid points, and Binder remains ahead of Viñales in the Championship - as well as only eight off 2023 teammate Jack Miller. They'll still want more, but there are positives to be found as the Austrian factory look to get back to winning ways. Next up, there's another headline-stealer at Suzuki. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took some solid points at Misano and will want even more at a true home race, with MotorLand close to his family roots. But on the other side of the box, the paddock also expects the return of 2020 Champion Joan Mir after his high side in Austria ruled him out of Misano. It's been a tough run for the number 36 recently, and getting back out on track will hopefully see the start of his journey back to the front. Finally, Honda. Marc Marquez has been the fastest rider at Aragon since he moved up to MotoGP™, but this year is different. 110 days after he last competed at the Italian Grand Prix, the iconic number 93 will be back out and racing, with little expectation but an incredible amount of attention. After being passed fit, he did 100 laps at the Misano Test and the electricity was palpable... so what can he do first time out? And what will he be aiming for? Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, will want more after getting tangled up early at Misano through no fault of his own, and it's a home race too. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) will want to use his experience and good memories of the MotoGP™ podium at MotorLand to move forward, and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) has been on pole at the venue. Can they start to regroup as the future starts to sparkle with a few more steps forward? After another incredible finish at Misano, MotorLand throws the gauntlet down once again. Can Bagnaia make it five? Will Bastianini strike back? Are Ducati about to hit gold earlier than many could ever have expected? Or can Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro start to stem the tide? We'll find out at 14:00 (GMT +2) on Sunday as the first 25 of 75 points go up for grabs in the triple-header! MotoGP™ CHAMPIONSHIP: TOP 5 1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) - Yamaha - 211 2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) - Ducati - 181 3 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) - Aprilia - 178 4 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) - Ducati - 138 5 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) - Ducati - 125 Fernandez vs Ogura, Canet on a mission, Lopez unleashed? The intrigue keeps growing in Moto2™, with form books changing week by week and MotorLand ready to stage another twist After another race in Moto2™, there's been another switcheroo at the top as Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is once again the Championship leader, and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) is once again incredibly close company, just four points off. The bigger stories, in many ways, happened around the two key protagonists - with Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) taking his first win in some style, and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) crashing out - ceding third overall to podium finisher Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) in the process. Fernandez and Ogura will certainly remain in the spotlight at MotorLand, but Canet will also be keen to cut the gap further, and he's still looking for that maiden Moto2™ win. Lopez could now be unleashed to an even bigger extent too, and he's already the rider who's led the most laps this season - an astonishing stat when considering the rookie only joined the grid part-way through the season. On a mission to bounce back, Vietti leads the way as he looks to find his early season form, and Jake Dixon (Shimoku GASGAS Aspar Team) had an early and unceremonious end to his race in Misano after a crash on Saturday hampered his qualifying. Still, with a number of podiums already under his belt and little Championship pressure, the Brit could afford, in some ways, to roll the dice in a bid for glory. The list of fast riders in the intermediate class continues for another few pages, and they'll all be out to get the triple-header off to the best possible start at MotorLand. Tune in at 12:20 (GMT +2) on Sunday to see if we get another twist in Moto2™! Moto2™ CHAMPIONSHIP: TOP 3 1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) - Kalex - 198 2 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) - Kalex - 194 3 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) - Kalex - 157 Guevara aims to extend his advantage at Aragon The GASGAS duo are now the other way round in the standings, and the number 28 will be looking to pull a few more points clear ahead of the flyaways Misano saw another twist in the Moto3™ tale, with former points leader Sergio Garcia (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) crashing out, teammate Izan Guevara taking over on top with another podium and Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) back to winning ways - ahead of fellow Championship chaser Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), no less. There was also some drama for Austria winner Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), so as the dust settles MotorLand has chance to serve up another storm. The bad news for Guevara's rivals is that the Championship leader has some good form in Aragon, winning no less than three times from P22 on the grid in what is now JuniorGP™. Last year he also took his equal best result at the time in P4. However, Foggia won then, Masia has two victories at the venue and Sasaki some podiums. Garcia, on the other hand, will be wanting to flip his form at MotorLand. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also has podium form at MotorLand and is on a roll of top four finishes, as well as still being the only rider to score every weekend. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) has been quick, too, and Aragon is also more familiar turf for the fast field of rookies as they aim to get back in the fight at the front. There's also a historic first this weekend in Moto3™ as Maria Herrera returns to wildcard in an all-female team, which means all female from rider to crew chief to mechanics. She'll be heading in looking to switch from MotoE™ and SSP experience back to where she first made her biggest mark, and at the track where she won in what was then known as the CEV and is now JuniorGP™. 11 points split Guevara from Garcia on the way in, and Foggia is now just 35 off the top. What will MotorLand bring? We'll find out from Friday as practice begins for the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon! Source: Dorna Sports Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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