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The Catalan GP has been a… strange race for the lack of a better word. Right through practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, the riders complained of a strange lack of grip. Morbidelli had a nasty crash during qualifying and even the likes of Rossi complained of lack of grip on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track. Despite that, the race was supposed to be a stellar one with Yamaha riders showing great promise which reflected in the grid positions!
Fabio Quartararo, being the splendid talent that he is, took his second pole of the season which, for him, has been marred with bad luck when it comes to the races on Sunday. Marquez qualified in the second place followed by Vinales (demoted to the 6th place because of irresponsible ‘showboating’). He was waving to the fans cruising through the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya while the qualifying was still live! Of course, he was not aware of the fact.
This meant that Morbidelli would start from 3rd, Rossi in the 4th, Dovizioso in 5th and Vinales in 6th. Jorge Lorenzo finally broke through the top 10 but as fate would have it, messed up what could have been a brilliant race for him. More on that in the MotoGP section.
Moto3
Moto3 always makes for the most dramatic races but the race at Catalan GP was a touch too dramatic! Mechanical failures to pile-ups taking out the top crop, the Moto3 race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya had it all. The poleman Gabriel Rodrigo got off the line well but Tony Arbolino, the winner of the previous race, found the ideal line. By the end of the first lap, it was Dalla Porta and Canet exchanging lead at the front. Dalla Porta seemed mighty confident, pushing to extend his lead, as the first disaster of the race struck. Dalla Porta’s motorcycle failed him even before he could complete the 3rd lap and he had to retire.
John McPhee was struggling to enjoy the limelight in the lead because of the dense front group, all gunning for a win. And as the excitement rose, it was time for another disaster. An unfortunate incident saw Raul Fernandez, Sergio Garcia, Albert Arenas and Can Oncu crash out at turn 4 from inside the top ten and promoted the likes of Jaume Masia to podium contention.
Around lap 8, Alonso Lopez in the lead opened a gap in the front but a battle was raging right behind him. Masia, who started from the 20th position after a grid penalty broke into the top group before letting Arbolino pass him and then, another disaster struck. Arbolino’s motorcycle gave out as he struggled to get back into contention before finally retiring to the pits.
Masia, who was right there at the front and is a championship contender this year, went down after a scuffle with Darryn Binder and therefore, made for another big name crashing out of the Barcelona race. This made it seem like Aron Canet was all set for a victory in the Catalan GP. Kaito Toba, the race winner in Qatar GP, also became a part of the leading group because of the exit of a handful of riders from the race.
The final five laps were a battle between Lopez, McPhee, Toba and Rodrigo as they exchanged lead for the next few laps. And then, it was time for Binder to go as he was wiped out by Rodrigo! Kaito Toba started the last lap as the unlikely leader with Canet and Lopez right on his tail. The Japanese rider finally gave in to the pressure as he crashed out at Turn 10. That was all that Ramirez needed to take his first win as he was closely followed by Canet and Vietti who finished in 2nd and 3rd. Lopez who was set for a podium finished in 4th followed by Dennis Foggia, Ai Ogura and Romano Fenati in 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively. Ayumu Sasaki, Ryusei Yamanaka and Jakub Kornfeil completed the top ten.
Moto3 Championship Standings
Moto2
The way the Moto3 race panned out, we expected a lot of turmoil in the Moto2 race as well. But instead, we saw a good clean race but not devoid of suspense to keep the viewers interested. Tom Luthi continued his run of stellar starts as he went off the line like a rocket while the poleman Augusto Fernandez chased the Swiss rider. Sam Lowes who started from the front row also went straight into pursuit mode. Remy Gardner was the first victim of the Catalunya flavoured Moto2 race as he crashed out, a scuffle which Alex Marquez barely escaped.
Marquez, winner of the two races prior to Catalunya, looked to pass Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini. But by the time he could manage that and pass Sam Lowes, Luth and Fernandez built up a considerable lead. But it did not last long as Fernandez engaged in close combat with Luthi which gave Marquez the time to bridge the gap. Baldassari, who was the championship leader prior to the Catalan GP, crashed out scoring yet another DNF.
Around lap 10, as Fernandez started to lose steam, Luthi had Marquez on his back. Di Giannantonio soon passed Fernandez but his podium hopes did not last long as he crashed out in the next lap. But Fernandez, though back on the provisional podium, had no time to relax as Jorge Navarro started his charge for the podium.
Marquez and Luthi were fighting as they exchanged lead a few times before Marquez finally made it stick and took the lead. Jorge Navarro, who had already dealt with Fernandez, was now looking to make a dash as Luthi had 3s on him and Marquez was already off to cruise to another comfortable victory. Luthi had bigger problems on hand in the form of Navarro than chasing Marquez as the Swiss rider struggled in the last few laps.
No changes from then on as Marquez took a comfortable victory, Luthi on the 2nd step of the podium and Navarro, despite reducing the gap to Luthi by a considerable amount, had to settle for 3rd. Fernandez, Bastianini and Luca Marini tool 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively while Marcel Schrotter, Xavi Vierge, Sam Lowes and Testusa Nagashima completed the top ten.
Moto2 Championship Standings
MotoGP
The main race of the Catalan GP was what came as the biggest surprise. Crashes, chaos, apologies and anger, it was all there. The race started in a fashion which has become a trend in the races nowadays. Marquez rocket-ed his factory Honda to lead in the first corner but the launch expert Andrea Dovizioso, with some help from the holeshot device, blitzed past the field and Marquez to lead into turn 1.
Having started from the front row, Quartararo and Morbidelli, the Petronas boys lost some ground. And to everyone’s surprise, Marquez was now being hounded by Vinales and Lorenzo. Surprising because Vinales has made bad starts his habit and Lorenzo has been, well, out of touch for a while now. Petrucci and Valentino Rossi were not too far behind, with Alex Rins battling Quartararo and Jack Miller at this early stage. No better start to a potentially thunderous day of motorcycle racing? Think again.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya served up the biggest disaster of the day as Lorenzo, who was coming in too hot trying to overtake Vinales, saw Dovi right in front of him and braked a touch too hard. The front of his factory Honda gave out and Lorenzo was out of the race but not before his Honda clipped the rear of Dovi, hit Vinales and came under Rossi taking them all out! Marquez should be thanking his lucky stars as he had overtaken Dovi right before this disastrous incident took place!
With all the big guns out, Petrucci, Quartararo and Rins were behind the leader Marquez who was getting away at the front. As Marquez continued to extend his lead, Rins was trying his best to pass Petrucci and pursue Marquez. But the Ducati’s horsepower advantage made it difficult for Rins to make the pass stick. His hopes dwindled as Marquez was around 5-seconds ahead of the chasing pack by lap 10.
While Rins was trying to gobble up Petrucci, Quartararo, Miller and Crutchlow were salivating at the prospect of a podium. A desperate move from Rins caused a huge moment for the Spaniard as he barely stayed on the bike and was pushed to 7th. But that did not resolve Petrucci’s problems as Quartarao immediately made a move on the Italian and made it stick. Crutchlow left the podium party with six laps left, after a failed move on Miller at turn four.
The Frenchman, now leading the chasing party, reduced the gap to Marquez from 5-seconds to 4. But at this point, just 5 laps remained and closing a gap of 4-seconds and that too with Marquez is a bit too much to ask of the genuinely talented but young Quartararo. Petrucci was not making a lot of moves as he decided to settle for the 3rd place in tricky conditions. Miller, Rins and Joan Mir were in the 4th, 5th, and 6th position, respectively.
In the final few laps, Marquez was starting to drop the pace as he finally looked to relent from fiercely consistent and scary 1:40s. Quartararo though, dropped a late 1:40 at that stage of the race as he further reduced the gap to Marquez. But that was the best he was able to manage, as the Frenchman finished in 2nd place behind Marquez who took a momentous win. Petrucci finished 3rd and Rins, the magician, made amends for his mistake as a late-race move on Miller saw him finish in the 4th position.
Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Pol Espargaro finished in 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively while Nakagami, Rabat and Zarco completed the top 10.
MotoGP Championship Standings
Photos: MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo, being the splendid talent that he is, took his second pole of the season which, for him, has been marred with bad luck when it comes to the races on Sunday. Marquez qualified in the second place followed by Vinales (demoted to the 6th place because of irresponsible ‘showboating’). He was waving to the fans cruising through the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya while the qualifying was still live! Of course, he was not aware of the fact.
This meant that Morbidelli would start from 3rd, Rossi in the 4th, Dovizioso in 5th and Vinales in 6th. Jorge Lorenzo finally broke through the top 10 but as fate would have it, messed up what could have been a brilliant race for him. More on that in the MotoGP section.
Moto3
Moto3 always makes for the most dramatic races but the race at Catalan GP was a touch too dramatic! Mechanical failures to pile-ups taking out the top crop, the Moto3 race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya had it all. The poleman Gabriel Rodrigo got off the line well but Tony Arbolino, the winner of the previous race, found the ideal line. By the end of the first lap, it was Dalla Porta and Canet exchanging lead at the front. Dalla Porta seemed mighty confident, pushing to extend his lead, as the first disaster of the race struck. Dalla Porta’s motorcycle failed him even before he could complete the 3rd lap and he had to retire.
John McPhee was struggling to enjoy the limelight in the lead because of the dense front group, all gunning for a win. And as the excitement rose, it was time for another disaster. An unfortunate incident saw Raul Fernandez, Sergio Garcia, Albert Arenas and Can Oncu crash out at turn 4 from inside the top ten and promoted the likes of Jaume Masia to podium contention.
Around lap 8, Alonso Lopez in the lead opened a gap in the front but a battle was raging right behind him. Masia, who started from the 20th position after a grid penalty broke into the top group before letting Arbolino pass him and then, another disaster struck. Arbolino’s motorcycle gave out as he struggled to get back into contention before finally retiring to the pits.
Masia, who was right there at the front and is a championship contender this year, went down after a scuffle with Darryn Binder and therefore, made for another big name crashing out of the Barcelona race. This made it seem like Aron Canet was all set for a victory in the Catalan GP. Kaito Toba, the race winner in Qatar GP, also became a part of the leading group because of the exit of a handful of riders from the race.
The final five laps were a battle between Lopez, McPhee, Toba and Rodrigo as they exchanged lead for the next few laps. And then, it was time for Binder to go as he was wiped out by Rodrigo! Kaito Toba started the last lap as the unlikely leader with Canet and Lopez right on his tail. The Japanese rider finally gave in to the pressure as he crashed out at Turn 10. That was all that Ramirez needed to take his first win as he was closely followed by Canet and Vietti who finished in 2nd and 3rd. Lopez who was set for a podium finished in 4th followed by Dennis Foggia, Ai Ogura and Romano Fenati in 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively. Ayumu Sasaki, Ryusei Yamanaka and Jakub Kornfeil completed the top ten.
Moto3 Championship Standings
- Aron Canet KTM 103
- Lorenzo Dalla Porta Honda 80
- Niccolò Antonelli Honda 75
- Celestino Vietti KTM 68
- Jaume Masia KTM 65
Moto2
The way the Moto3 race panned out, we expected a lot of turmoil in the Moto2 race as well. But instead, we saw a good clean race but not devoid of suspense to keep the viewers interested. Tom Luthi continued his run of stellar starts as he went off the line like a rocket while the poleman Augusto Fernandez chased the Swiss rider. Sam Lowes who started from the front row also went straight into pursuit mode. Remy Gardner was the first victim of the Catalunya flavoured Moto2 race as he crashed out, a scuffle which Alex Marquez barely escaped.
Marquez, winner of the two races prior to Catalunya, looked to pass Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini. But by the time he could manage that and pass Sam Lowes, Luth and Fernandez built up a considerable lead. But it did not last long as Fernandez engaged in close combat with Luthi which gave Marquez the time to bridge the gap. Baldassari, who was the championship leader prior to the Catalan GP, crashed out scoring yet another DNF.
Around lap 10, as Fernandez started to lose steam, Luthi had Marquez on his back. Di Giannantonio soon passed Fernandez but his podium hopes did not last long as he crashed out in the next lap. But Fernandez, though back on the provisional podium, had no time to relax as Jorge Navarro started his charge for the podium.
Marquez and Luthi were fighting as they exchanged lead a few times before Marquez finally made it stick and took the lead. Jorge Navarro, who had already dealt with Fernandez, was now looking to make a dash as Luthi had 3s on him and Marquez was already off to cruise to another comfortable victory. Luthi had bigger problems on hand in the form of Navarro than chasing Marquez as the Swiss rider struggled in the last few laps.
No changes from then on as Marquez took a comfortable victory, Luthi on the 2nd step of the podium and Navarro, despite reducing the gap to Luthi by a considerable amount, had to settle for 3rd. Fernandez, Bastianini and Luca Marini tool 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively while Marcel Schrotter, Xavi Vierge, Sam Lowes and Testusa Nagashima completed the top ten.
Moto2 Championship Standings
- Alex Marquez Kalex 111
- Thomas Luthi Kalex 104
- Jorge Navarro Speed Up 89
- Lorenzo Baldassarri Kalex 88
- Marcel Schrotter Kalex 73
MotoGP
The main race of the Catalan GP was what came as the biggest surprise. Crashes, chaos, apologies and anger, it was all there. The race started in a fashion which has become a trend in the races nowadays. Marquez rocket-ed his factory Honda to lead in the first corner but the launch expert Andrea Dovizioso, with some help from the holeshot device, blitzed past the field and Marquez to lead into turn 1.
Having started from the front row, Quartararo and Morbidelli, the Petronas boys lost some ground. And to everyone’s surprise, Marquez was now being hounded by Vinales and Lorenzo. Surprising because Vinales has made bad starts his habit and Lorenzo has been, well, out of touch for a while now. Petrucci and Valentino Rossi were not too far behind, with Alex Rins battling Quartararo and Jack Miller at this early stage. No better start to a potentially thunderous day of motorcycle racing? Think again.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya served up the biggest disaster of the day as Lorenzo, who was coming in too hot trying to overtake Vinales, saw Dovi right in front of him and braked a touch too hard. The front of his factory Honda gave out and Lorenzo was out of the race but not before his Honda clipped the rear of Dovi, hit Vinales and came under Rossi taking them all out! Marquez should be thanking his lucky stars as he had overtaken Dovi right before this disastrous incident took place!
With all the big guns out, Petrucci, Quartararo and Rins were behind the leader Marquez who was getting away at the front. As Marquez continued to extend his lead, Rins was trying his best to pass Petrucci and pursue Marquez. But the Ducati’s horsepower advantage made it difficult for Rins to make the pass stick. His hopes dwindled as Marquez was around 5-seconds ahead of the chasing pack by lap 10.
While Rins was trying to gobble up Petrucci, Quartararo, Miller and Crutchlow were salivating at the prospect of a podium. A desperate move from Rins caused a huge moment for the Spaniard as he barely stayed on the bike and was pushed to 7th. But that did not resolve Petrucci’s problems as Quartarao immediately made a move on the Italian and made it stick. Crutchlow left the podium party with six laps left, after a failed move on Miller at turn four.
The Frenchman, now leading the chasing party, reduced the gap to Marquez from 5-seconds to 4. But at this point, just 5 laps remained and closing a gap of 4-seconds and that too with Marquez is a bit too much to ask of the genuinely talented but young Quartararo. Petrucci was not making a lot of moves as he decided to settle for the 3rd place in tricky conditions. Miller, Rins and Joan Mir were in the 4th, 5th, and 6th position, respectively.
In the final few laps, Marquez was starting to drop the pace as he finally looked to relent from fiercely consistent and scary 1:40s. Quartararo though, dropped a late 1:40 at that stage of the race as he further reduced the gap to Marquez. But that was the best he was able to manage, as the Frenchman finished in 2nd place behind Marquez who took a momentous win. Petrucci finished 3rd and Rins, the magician, made amends for his mistake as a late-race move on Miller saw him finish in the 4th position.
Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Pol Espargaro finished in 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively while Nakagami, Rabat and Zarco completed the top 10.
MotoGP Championship Standings
- Marc MARQUEZ Honda 140
- Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 103
- Alex RINS Suzuki 101
- Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 98
- Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 72
Photos: MotoGP
. Ok, poor jokes apart.
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