MotoGP Press:
1. M. VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 41:55.846
2. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +02.425
3. P. ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +04.528
4. F. QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +03.419
5. M. OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – +07.368
6. T. NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – +11.139
7. A. MARQUEZ – Repsol Honda Team – +11.929
8. A. DOVIZIOSO – Ducati Team – +13.113
9. F. MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +15.880
10. D. PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – +17.682
11. J. ZARCO – Esponsorama Racing – +23.144
12. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +24.962
13. B. SMITH – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – +30.008
Not Classified:
I. LECUONA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – 37:23.876 – 25 laps
F. BAGNAIA – Pramac Racing – 30:59.269 – 21 laps
V. ROSSI – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 23:49.520 – 16 laps
T. RABAT – Esponsorama Racing – 18:57.103 – 13 laps
J. MILLER – Pramac Racing – 11:01.931 – 8 laps
B. BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 05:10.156 – 3 laps
A. ESPARGARO – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 00.000 – 1 laps
MotoGP World Standings:
1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 84
2 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha FRA 83
3 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 83
4 Joan MIR Suzuki SPA 80
5 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha ITA 64
6 Jack MILLER Ducati AUS 64
7 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN 63
8 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM POR 59
9 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 58
10 Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 57
11 Brad BINDER KTM RSA 53
12 Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 44
13 Johann ZARCO Ducati FRA 36
14 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 31
15 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati ITA 29
16 Alex MARQUEZ Honda SPA 24
17 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 18
18 Iker LECUONA KTM SPA 15
19 Bradley SMITH Aprilia GBR 11
20 Tito RABAT Ducati SPA 7
21 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 7
22 Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 4
23 Stefan BRADL Honda GER
Hit for six! Viñales bounces back with Misano masterpiece
‘Top Gun’ hits the bullseye to become the sixth different winner of the season, Mir slices through to second and Pol Espargaro completes the podium after late drama for Quartararo – and some heartbreak for Bagnaia
Sunday, 20 September 2020
The season began pretty well for Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in Jerez as the Spaniard took two podiums and a solid haul of points, but after a tough race in Brno, a dramatic Austrian GP and then a high-speed bailout in Styria, ‘Top Gun’ arrived at Misano poised to hit back. Last weekend it didn’t quite go to plan, but take two in the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini saw everything fall into place as the Spaniard seared his way to his first win of the season and catapulted himself to within one point of the Championship lead. He also becomes the sixth rider so far to stand on the top step in 2020.
Viñales broke clear early on, lost out to Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and then started to haul the Italian back in, the number 12’s tactics readying us for a crescendo at the front. Heartbreak then hit for Bagnaia as the Italian crashed out, however, Viñales sweeping through and keeping it inch perfect to the flag for those invaluable 25 points. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) sliced through from P11 on the grid for another stunning podium in second, with more drama just behind him as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took third back from Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the latter was given a time penalty for exceeding track limits and failing to complete a Long Lap Penalty.
As to be somewhat expected, Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) got a great launch from P2 to grab the holeshot as the lights went out, with polesitter Viñales slotting into second, Quartararo initially holding onto P3 and Bagnaia making up a place to get past Pol Espargaro. Viñales didn’t take long to take the lead though, the Spaniard up the inside at Turn 4 to mug Miller as Pecco had a very close look at getting past Quartararo at Turn 8 – although there was no way through for now.
Drama then unfolded behind for San Marino GP winner Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) tucked the front and collected the Italian, Morbidelli somehow staying on and continuing but the Italian dead last…
Meanwhile at the front, Viñales had a 0.9 second lead over the line as the riders clocked onto Lap 2, but fortunes were flipped for his teammate Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the ‘Doctor’ was soon out of his 250th Grand Prix with Yamaha. Down at Turn 4 and home podium dreams over, Rossi remounted but had a big ask on his hands to score points.
In the meantime, Bagnaia had got past teammate Miller for P2 and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had charged through to third at Turn 10 but it sadly didn’t last long; the South African down at Turn 14. Bagnaia up ahead, however, was unleashing the fastest lap of the race as the Italian locked his radar firmly onto the back of Viñales’ YZR-M1, edging closer as Pol Espargaro started to do the same to him…
Bagnaia was right on Viñales on Lap 5 and by then, the duo were once again pulling away from Pol Esparagro and Quartararo, who was tucked in behind the number 44. Bagnaia set another fastest lap of the race – a 1:32.3 – and it seemed game on, with Viñales then slightly wide at Turn 4, opening the door. Bagnaia needed no second invitation and the Italian took the lead, then immediately half a second clear, although it subsequently stayed pretty constant at 0.6 seconds for a number of laps…
Behind that chess match, Mir had managed to get to the front of the battle for the lower ends of the top 10 and get some clean air in front of him – although the gap to Quartararo and the podium was 3.5 seconds on Lap 7. The top two pounded on, Bagnaia started to edge away, and Mir kept chipping away behind.
As the laps went on, the Suzuki edged closer and closer as Bagnaia stretched his legs. Not long after though, it started to turn as Viñales chipped back a tenth and then two, with the lead back down to just over a second and the last few laps looking set to cook up a storm. By that time, Mir was also under two seconds away from the podium fight but with seven to go, huge drama then unfolded. Turn 6 was the place and Bagnaia the rider, the race leader sliding out in some late heartbreak as Viñales shot past. The number 12’s lead was over four seconds then – with no one else having been able to stay near the leading duo.
The fight for the podium was then the focus. Quartararo was showing a wheel to Espargaro but the latter was defending brilliantly on his KTM… before Joan Mir finally appeared on the scene. 0.6 faster than the duo ahead of him with six laps to go, it was soon a three-rider dog fight for the remaining two spots on the podium. And also with six laps to go, Quartararo was handed a track limits warning – something that would prove to be costly for El Diablo shortly after.
With three to go, Mir struck. Turn 2 was the spot as the Spaniard shot through underneath and past Quartararo, and it wasn’t long before Mir was up to second as well. On the next lap at Turn 1, Mir was past Espargaro’s KTM and back into clear air. Quartararo then pounced on Pol at Turn 3 as well, Espargaro going from P2 to P4 in a matter of corners. It seemed that was that for the podium fight too, but there was one last shot of drama.
For exceeding track limits too many times, Quartararo was then handed a Long Lap Penalty. His only time to do it? The the last lap. Would he see it? He was just over a second clear of Espargaro and four seconds ahead of fifth place Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3), so it looked like he was going to lose P3…
Ahead on track, Viñales didn’t have any such troubles. ‘Top Gun’ rounded the last corner to take his first victory since the 2019 Malaysian GP in fine style, taking 25 vital points and moving to within one point of the top. Mir crossed the line a magnificent second to take his third rostrum in four races, and Quartararo took the chequered flag in third… but hadn’t taken the Long Lap. He was therefore demoted to P4 as it became a three-second penalty instead, handing Pol Espargaro his second podium of the season.
Behind Quartararo classified fourth, Oliveira was stunning in the second half of the race to finish P5, the Portuguese rider had serious pace but starting P15 ultimately cost the Styrian GP winner. The leading Honda across the line was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in P6 as the Japanese rider showed strong late-race pace to get the better of Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez in seventh. The reigning Moto2™ World Champion produced his best MotoGP™ ride to date, finishing seven tenths away from Nakagami.
So where’s Dovi? The man still leading the Championship had a tougher day at Misano, but with Quartararo finishing fourth and that very points leader Andrea Dovizioso in P8, it’s the number 04 still ahead. Viñales is now level on points with Quartararo but technically behind him as he has less wins, with Mir now just four points from the title leader – madness!
Despite sitting last on the opening lap, an unwell Morbidelli recovered to salvage a brilliant P9, with fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) completing the top 10. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) were the only other finishers in 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.
Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) crashed out of P6 with two and bit laps to go after stringing together a fantastic race, Rossi pulled in with 12 laps to go after his crash, and Miller encountered issues early on that he later revealed had seemingly been caused by a visor tear-off blocking the air filter. Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) crashed at Turn 1 on Lap 12 – rider ok.
Four riders, four points. That’s how it stands at the top of the MotoGP™ World Championship after the Misano double-header: Dovizioso, Quartararo, Viñales and Mir the quartet leading the way. But this is 2020, and this is MotoGP™ – it could all change in the blink of an eye! With Barcelona coming up in less than a week’s time, we don’t have to wait long to witness more unrivalled premier class action… so come back for more!
MotoGP™ podium
1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 41:55.846
2 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +2.425
3 Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – +4.528
Top Independent Team rider:
4 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +6.419*
*includes time penalty
Maverick Viñales: “Amazing, amazing job this weekend, we prepped really well for the whole race. Pecco was really fast! I was pushing a lot, I was trying to save a bit of tyre for the last ten laps, and then I started to push. I thought I was catching him, but then when he made a mistake I just tried to not crash, take the maximum points and wow. Fantastic, I’m really happy, my mentality is the same as the last weekend and last races, but we found a little bit better setup for the 20 litres at the beginning of the race. I made a mistake at Turn 4, I was pushing a lot at the beginning trying to open the gap – if were were only two riders it was good. I want to say thank you to all the people supporting me at home, because they know there have been tough times, but it seems it’s passed, now we have good luck and this is what counts! I’m very happy, I appreciate all the work and we need to continue like that, pushing very hard. We can have a lot more potential!”
Bastianini bolts through the chaos to get back on top
Three – almost – starts and some rain playing havoc couldn’t stop the ‘Beast’, with Bezzecchi and Lowes completing the podium
Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini clinched an impressive Moto2™ victory at Misano after rain played havoc at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. Red flags were brought out after just seven laps as the heavens opened but, from the restart, and back in the dry, the ultra-aggressive Bastianini bolted clear to take the win ahead of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi and EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes. With his victory, the ‘Beast’ cut Luca Marini’s (Sky Racing Team VR46) title lead down to just five points.
On the first start it was Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge managing to squeeze his way into the lead pat Marini and the hit the front of a Moto2™ race for the first time in 2020, with a strong start coming in from his Petronas Sprinta Racing teammate too as Jake Dixon settled into fifth. The Italians suffered a few dramas in the early shuffles, but the biggest drama was about to come down as rain started and the flag came out to let the riders know. By then, Bastianini had muscled to the front and started to bolt despite the worsening weather, but the Red Flag came out not long after.
The riders filtered into pitlane and a ten lap restart was announced, but as the grid reformed, with everyone on slicks, the rain suddenly got heavier again. As the Moto2™ field set off on their Warm Up lap, the entire grid instantly pointed skywards and began wagging fingers to signal it was far too wet for the race to start. The rain eventually subsided and, after a short delay, a dry-ish 10 lap dash was back underway – with Bastianini on pole as the grid formed up based on standings before the flag.
Lights out for the second time saw Marini take control into Turn 1, and Bastianini settling in behind him. The Beast struck immediately though at Turn 4, sending the pair wide and giving Vierge chance to pounce. The Spaniard took the lead and Marini lost out big time with his fellow Italian’s move dropping him back to fifth. Bastianini then hit the front at the end of the opening lap, and the plan appeared the same: BOLT.
The Italian made the most of Vierge and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) battling over second and didn’t need a second invitation, stretching his lead out to over a second after two laps.
Next, Marini lost out to Bezzecchi for fourth place and then got beaten up by Sam Lowes over fifth place, with valuable points slipping through the fingers of the Championship leader. Meanwhile, an incredible fight was ensuing between Vierge and Schrötter, the German moving through into Turn 7 and on the exit the pair were side by side, bashing elbows for good measure. Some more contact then saw Vierge crash out, with Schrötter dropping back to fourth and then fifth as Marini sliced with his way past. Lowes found himself up to third too, trying to go with the fastest man on the track with three laps left: Marco Bezzecchi.
He was eight tenths quicker than Bastianini and suddenly, just like a week ago, Bezzecchi was hunting down the race leader at some rate. By two laps to go it was seven tenths separating the two Italians at the front of the race, with Bezzecchi visibly throwing everything at it and Lowes in close company too. As they started the final lap, it was just half a second between the leading duo.
Despite the mounting pressure, Bastianini remained calm and didn’t fold, however, crossing the line seven tenths clear to take a third intermediate class win of 2020, and his second GP win at Misano. Bezzecchi came across the line in P2 for a third consecutive top three finish, even more closely followed by Sam Lowes. Marini, meanwhile, took 13 points in fourth place and kept hold of his World Championship lead. But only just, with Bastianini now only five points adrift and breathing down his neck heading to Barcelona next weekend…
Schrötter took fifth after his earlier dramas, with Jake Dixon the next man over the line after getting the better of Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) by three tenths. That’s Dixon’s best ever Grand Prix result and after an impressive fight for it, in the dry to boot. Rounding out the top ten were Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up), Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Hector Garzo (FlexBox HP40), who jumped up following a one place penalty for Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) for exceeding track limits on the final lap.
Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing) crashed before the restart in a monster high side, rider ok.
That’s it for Moto2™ at Misano, and it’s just five points in it on the road to Barcelona.
Ducati
Andrea Dovizioso maintains Champioship lead with a eigthth position in the Gran Prix of Emilia Romagna and the Rimini Riviera. Tenth place for Danilo Petrucci
At the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna and the Rimini Riviera, both the Ducati Team riders finished within the top ten.
After starting from tenth on the grid, Andrea Dovizioso couldn’t make his way through and remained behind the group losing more ground on Lap 1. Forced to slow down to avoid being involved in a crash with other two riders that were proceeding him, the rider from Romagna dropped back into fourteenth place, but then managed to find a good pace and recover to get back into the top ten after a few laps. Eighth at the finish line, Dovizioso earned valuable points today that keep him in the Championship lead with just one point on Quartararo and Viñales, who are second and third respectively, tied on points.
Danilo Petrucci also finished his race in the top ten. The rider from Terni was the protagonist of an excellent start that allowed him to recover till sixth place after two laps, but then as he couldn’t find the feeling on the front, he began to lose ground, closing the GP in tenth position.
In the overall standings, Petrucci climbs back into 14th place, 53 points behind Dovizioso. Ducati is in second place in the manufacturers’ standings, while the Ducati Team is fourth in the teams’ standings.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 8th
“It was a complicated race. Unfortunately, when you start from the back, there is always the risk of wasting time, especially in the first laps. After the start there was a bit of confusion: at Turn 8 two riders fell in front of me and I had to brake, leaving room for two other opponents who overtook me. After a few laps, I finally found my rhythm, and I just thought about trying to stay constant. I felt better than last week, but I didn’t have a great pace and being so far behind, I couldn’t do any strategy. In the end, today we scored some points, and for now, we are still leading the standings, but of course, we cannot be satisfied with today’s result.”
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 10th
“It was another tough race. Right from the start, I didn’t find the same feeling I had in the practices. I started well, but I didn’t have confidence on the front, and I couldn’t stop the bike. Too bad because I felt I could have a good race today. I am happy with the progress we have been able to make compared to the previous races, but it is clear that we are still missing something. Fortunately, next week we will be back on track in Barcelona, where we will try to redeem ourselves.”
After the double Grands Prix in Misano Adriatico, the Ducati Team will immediately head to Spain, where next weekend, from 25th to 27th September, they will be racing at Montmeló Circuit, for the Catalunya Grand Prix.
Monster Yamaha
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales earned bragging rights today at the Gran Premio dell‘Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. The Top Gun rider went full steam ahead in the 27-lap race, taking a brilliant win. Valentino Rossi‘s hopes for a podium were dampened by an early crash. Though he was able to briefly re-join the race, he later retired and ended the day with an NC score.
Viñales had a perfect start from pole and took the holeshot. The Yamaha man planned on pushing right from the start, and that‘s exactly what he did. He set a blistering hot pace that only Francesco Bagnaia was able to match. The pair were riding on the limit ahead of the pack, consistently increasing their lead. Then, on lap 6, Viñales made a small mistake in Turn 4 that made him go wide. He reluctantly handed over the lead but didn‘t stop pushing.
The gap between him and Bagnaia stretched to 1.5s, but it didn‘t extend beyond that. The Spaniard also still had a comfortable advantage over the rider in third place, so he could afford to focus on saving his tyres for the final stages of the race.
With ten laps to go, the time had come for the number-12 to put pressure on Bagnaia. He was inching closer, and the gap was reduced to just over a second when the race leader crashed. Viñales was now back in P1 with 7 laps left to go to the chequered flag. Just focusing on getting the bike home, he cruised towards his first victory of the 2020 season, which he secured with a still dominant 2.425s advantage. This is his eighth premier class GP win and his seventh with Yamaha.
Rossi had a good start, determined to deliver a good result at his second home Grand Prix of the 2020 season, but he lost the front on Turn 4 in lap two. Though it was a small crash and The Doctor was able to re-join the race, he lost a lot of time. He had dropped back to 18th with a lot of work ahead of him.
The local hero was disappointed to see his chances for a podium disappear but stayed out for as long as he could to confirm this week‘s race settings changes ahead of next week’s race. After lap 15 he decided to pull into the pits, ending his day with an NC score.
After today‘s race Viñales moves up to third in the championship rankings, just 1 point from the top. Rossi drops to ninth place, with a 26-point gap to first. Yamaha remains first in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP also stay in second place in the team classification.
Viñales and Rossi will be back in the saddle next weekend for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, held from 25 – 27 September in Montmeló, Spain.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
I‘m really happy. I think this win is well deserved, both by Maverick and the team. Maverick’s effort was fantastic. Yesterday he got pole, and today he finished the job. He had an aggressive start and kept a very high rhythm, pushing Bagnaia to make a mistake. It‘s a great confidence boost for the next race. These 25 points are a testimony to the hard work the team did on Saturday during FP3 and are very useful for the championship. Maverick made a huge step in the standings and is close to the top. Of course, there are also mixed feelings. It‘s a great shame to see Valentino‘s chance for a podium end so early on, especially because it was his home race, and he was feeling very competitive. It‘s a pity, but these things happen in racing. On the bright side, we have another race weekend coming up. The entire team is determined to keep the progress going in Barcelona.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
We did an amazing job this weekend, and we prepared really well for this race. Pecco was very fast, and I was pushing a lot throughout and trying to save a bit of tyre for the last ten laps. Then I started to push at the end, and I thought I was catching up with Pecco. But after he made a mistake, I just focused on keeping the bike with both wheels on the ground, trying to not crash and take the maximum amount of points. It‘s fantastic! I‘m very happy, because my mentality is exactly the same as it was last weekend and during the last races, but we just found a set-up that‘s a bit better for when we ride with 20 litres at the beginning of the race. I actually made a mistake in Turn 4. I was pushing a lot in the beginning, trying to open the gap. But when we were with only two riders, it was good. I want to say ’Thank you‘ to all the people who are supporting me at home. They know we‘ve had some tough times in our team, but it seems like we‘ve passed it, right now we have some good luck, and that‘s what counts. I‘m very happy and appreciate all the work from the team, and we need to continue like that, pushing very hard, because we have a lot more potential.
VALENTINO ROSSI
For sure, it’s a shame that I made a mistake on the second lap. There was a bit of confusion in that moment, because all riders were close together. Unfortunately, I lost the front in Turn 4. It’s a pity because we lose some points. After the mistake I continued. I did some other laps to try to understand the rhythm, because we changed the setting of the bike a bit this weekend. It’s a shame, but this is the way it is. On the bright side, we have another race next week in Barcelona. That is a very good track, I like it a lot. The asphalt and grip level will be very different there. We hope that we will be competitive again. The championship is still long, so anything can happen.
KTM
Espargaro takes emotional podium finish in second Misano MotoGP™ outing
MotoGP 2020 – Round 07, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (San Marino, Italy) – Race
Pol Espargaro fought hard for a 3rd place finish and his second trophy of 2020 MotoGP after 27 demanding laps in San Marino. Miguel Oliveira scored his second top five finish of the campaign in what was the seventh event of the season.
Espargaro takes third MotoGP career podium on the KTM RC16
Red Bull KTM now have four trophies between three riders from seven rounds
Falls for Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona after excellent race pace
MotoGP ended a 2020 stint in Italy and the second race in a week at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli with the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. The fixture represented the seventh round of the season and the second of three in a row, with the series due to move swiftly to Barcelona during the following days.
Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder increased the RPM on their KTM RC16s from the second row of the starting grid and into a race played out under warm San Marino sunshine. Espargaro decided to use a soft rear tire and quickly latched into the battle for 3rd place, which eventually became a dispute for 2nd after Francesco Bagnaia’s crash while leading. The close action between the KTM man, Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo was ultimately decided on the last lap when Quartararo ignored a long lap punishment for repeatedly exceeding track limits. He was given a three-second penalty and dropped to 4th behind Espargaro who was less than a second away at the finish line.
Espargaro gratefully accepted the 16 points and his second podium appearance after last entering the top three at the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring last month. He improved his speed and competitiveness from a result of 10th the previous Sunday.
Binder, his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate, made a lively start in the opening laps of the race but crashed out of the running with Espargaro (and therefore podium contention) at Turn 13. He then fell again at Turn 1 to register a DNF. The same fate befell Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Iker Lecuona. The 20-year old rookie (the youngest rider in MotoGP) showed excellent speed to fight with Styrian GP winner Miguel Oliveira and hold a slot into the top six until his mistake late into the 27-laps. Oliveira’s 5th position represented his second-best of 2020 and his fledgling MotoGP career. The Portuguese is 8th in the championship standings. KTM hold 3rd in the Constructors standings.
Pol Espargaro: “We knew we were taking a gamble with the rear tire but I wanted to really enjoy the race. I also knew we’d have to deal with some drop-off in performance but that came much earlier than we expected. I was very fast at the beginning – with a bike I love – and I kept pushing and keeping Maverick close for some time. In the end I wanted to keep the others behind me and defend my position: that big effort paid off. With Fabio’s penalty we were able can do it…that’s why I never give up.”
Miguel Oliveira: “I’m happy about the race. We started far behind and we could manage to gain a few positions and also benefit from a couple of crashes. Our potential was there, we had a very good pace, I felt good with the bike and I made no mistakes, so I kept concentrated all the race. We managed to come out with a top 5, which was our goal from the beginning, plus scoring important points for the championship and now we go to Barcelona, can clean our minds now and have fun also there. I think we can have another good weekend!”
Brad Binder: “I felt really, really good today. I made a decent start but then lost the front into Turn 11 and had a big head shake of the bike. I was thinking ‘that was close’ but then tucked the front going into Turn 13. I was a little bit wild. I tried to restart but then crashed again. So, not a great race but I’m happy because I had such a good feeling with the bike, and we’ve worked hard to get to that. Unfortunately we go home with nothing today but we’ll try again in Barcelona. We’ll need to learn quickly there and if I take one thing from this weekend then it’s that a good qualification makes life so much easier! We’ll try for that again next weekend.”
Iker Lecuona: “I need to say sorry to the team. I finally had a very good Qualifying and a very strong pace in the race. I overtook some riders and had the speed to fight for the top 6, following Miguel was great. I didn’t make any mistakes until three laps to go but finally did a big one and lost the front. I was three seconds ahead of the guys behind me. It’s frustrating for me because I could have taken my best position. Sorry to the team, let’s move on to the next race.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “In general we’re super-happy with the results because a podium was hard to achieve here and especially with the competitiveness of the MotoGP class. We had a really good test on Tuesday and found some technical solutions for the Grand Prix but we had some hard sessions in practice with a few crashes and a front tire that was on the limit. It was important to improve our grid position and it was great to get up to 4th and 6th. Pol did a great race with the soft tire and deserved that 3rd place. We were sorry for Brad: he had been great all weekend but it was a rookie mistake and he’ll learn from that. Both Miguel and Iker did really well also, just a shame Iker could not confirm that 6th place but he again showed his potential. Now we’ll go to Barcelona and focus for the next GP.”
Moto2 & Moto3
SKY Racing Team VR46’s Celestino Vietti finished 2nd in the first race of the day with his KTM RC4. The Italian was jostling for Moto3 victory and crossed the finish line only three hundredths of a second behind Romano Fenati. Moto3 championship leader Albert Arenas was also in the vast group pushing for the checkered flag and maintains his status at the top of the standings thanks to finishing 4th. Pole Position holder Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez was 6th and less than half a second from the win. The Spaniard classified just ahead of Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü; the Turk made an impressive comeback from mid-pack to score 7th.
In Moto2 Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Tetsuta Nagashima was walking wounded after a heavy warm-up crash. The Japanese completed a shortened race in 23rd after the Moto2 affair was interrupted due to a brief shower. Jorge Martin’s substitute, Mattia Pasini, raced to 16th.
The Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya will take place on September 27th in Spain.
Results MotoGP Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini 2020
1. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Yamaha 41:55.846
2. Joan Mir (ESP), Suzuki +2.425
3. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM +4.528
4. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Yamaha +6.419
5. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +7.368
DNF. Brad Binder (RSA), Red Bull KTM
DNF. Iker Lecuona (ESP), Red Bull KTM Tech3
Results Moto2 Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini 2020
1. Enea Bastianini (ITA) 16:11.977
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) +0.720
3. Sam Lowes (GBR)+1.124
16. Mattia Pasini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +12.935
23. Tetsuta Nagashima (JPN) Red Bull KTM Ajo +18.079
Results Moto3 Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini 2020
1. Romano Fenati (ITA) Husqvarna 39:30.124
2. Celestino Vietti (ITA) KTM +0.036
3. Ai Ogura (JPN) Honda +0.121
4. Albert Arenas (ESP) KTM +0.199
6. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +4.265
7. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Tech3
Suzuki
STUNNING SECOND PLACE IN SECOND MISANO RACE FOR MIR
Team Suzuki Press Office – September 20.
GRAN PREMIO TISSOT DELL’EMILIA ROMAGNA E DELLA RIVIERA DI RIMINI
RACE RESULTS:
Joan Mir: 2nd (+ 2.425)
Alex Rins: 12th (+ 24.962)
The second race in a double-header at Misano in San Marino provided thrills, spills, and yet more twists and turns in the MotoGP World Championship battle. Team Suzuki Ecstar leave Italy with another podium under their belts thanks to a great second place from Joan Mir.
The 27 lap race got underway under blue skies despite a downpour around an hour and half before the start of the Emilia Romagna GP. Joan Mir and Alex Rins had an uphill struggle from their start positions of 11th and 18th respectively, but the pair made clean starts and tried to settle into a rhythm early on.
Mir, feeling good with his GSX-RR, managed to get into eighth place by the second lap of the race, and by lap six he was already into the Top 5. Opting for the medium-medium tyre combination, this came into its own as the laps ticked by. By the eighth lap of the race Mir was beginning to reel in the riders in front of him. This gap remained around two seconds as he played the long game. Able to ride smoothly and conserve his tyres, with five laps to go he was well and truly in the podium fight. Executing a fabulous pass on Quartararo for third place three laps from the end, before swiftly over-taking Espargaro for second. This marks four successive Top 4 placements for Mir and puts him just four points from the title lead.
The race was tougher for Rins, who struggled with feel since the beginning of the weekend despite a great fifth place last time out. He chipped away and tried to settle into a good race rhythm. The important thing was to score as many points as possible and he managed to collect 12th place to keep himself in the fight.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It was a good race for Joan, but not so good for Alex. It was great that Joan was able to get second position today and I want to say thank you to him, to all the team and for our people working from home for this result. Alex couldn’t show 100% of his potential in this second race at Misano, but we’ll check all the data and see what we can do in Barcelona next week.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“What a race from Joan! Once again he did a great job, he started a bit far back but he kept his head down and kept fighting throughout the race, and he was rewarded for his efforts with this podium. He did some fantastic over-takes to get this second place and we’re really happy for him. Alex couldn’t use his full potential, or the potential of the bike, today and he struggled a lot during the race. We need to try and understand what happened but we’ll go to Barcelona feeling positive and ready to fight again.”
Joan Mir:
“It feels so nice to be here on the podium again! I know I need to improve my qualifying results, and that’s something we’ve been trying to work on, but I’m so glad that I was able to fight through for the podium despite starting 11th. I just kept trying to close the gap and stay focused, and it paid off. I’m so happy and I really hope I can enjoy another good result next weekend in Barcelona!”
Alex Rins:
“Today was very difficult for us, I was struggling to stop the bike and also to maintain speed on corner entry. I felt this much more in the race than during the practices or qualifying. We have a few days before we’re back on track in Catalunya, so we’ll try to find the solution. I’m motivated to find the problem, and also to go to a new track, especially one that I like very much where I’ve had good results in the past.”
GP TISSOT DELL’EMILIA ROMAGNA E RIVIERA DI RIMINI – Race Classification:
1. M. VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 41:55.846
2. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +02.425
3. P. ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +04.528
4. F. QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +03.419
5. M. OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – +07.368
6. T. NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – +11.139
7. A. MARQUEZ – Repsol Honda Team – +11.929
8. A. DOVIZIOSO – Ducati Team – +13.113
9. F. MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +15.880
10. D. PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – +17.682
11. J. ZARCO – Esponsorama Racing – +23.144
12. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +24.962
13. B. SMITH – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – +30.008
Not Classified:
I. LECUONA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – 37:23.876 – 25 laps
F. BAGNAIA – Pramac Racing – 30:59.269 – 21 laps
V. ROSSI – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 23:49.520 – 16 laps
T. RABAT – Esponsorama Racing – 18:57.103 – 13 laps
J. MILLER – Pramac Racing – 11:01.931 – 8 laps
B. BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 05:10.156 – 3 laps
A. ESPARGARO – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 00.000 – 1 laps
MotoGP World Standings:
1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 84
2 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha FRA 83
3 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 83
4 Joan MIR Suzuki SPA 80
5 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha ITA 64
6 Jack MILLER Ducati AUS 64
7 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN 63
8 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM POR 59
9 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 58
10 Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 57
11 Brad BINDER KTM RSA 53
12 Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 44
13 Johann ZARCO Ducati FRA 36
14 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 31
15 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati ITA 29
16 Alex MARQUEZ Honda SPA 24
17 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 18
18 Iker LECUONA KTM SPA 15
19 Bradley SMITH Aprilia GBR 11
20 Tito RABAT Ducati SPA 7
21 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 7
22 Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 4
23 Stefan BRADL Honda GER
Petronas
Despite battling hard for the final podium position at the Emilia Romagna GP, PETRONAS Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo was handed a penalty for exceeding track limits, which dropped him to fourth. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli heroically battled illness to finish ninth.
Quartararo made a good start to the MotoGP race, maintaining his third position off the line. With those around on the soft tyre, the Frenchman dropped to fourth and bided his time until the hard tyre was at its optimum before mounting his attack. With two laps to go, Fabio moved into third, but was handed a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits too many times. With no time to take to the long lap loop he was given a three second penalty, which demoted him to fourth. Quartararo does close the gap to the lead in the championship standings to only one point.
Team-mate Morbidelli, who continued to feel the effects of his stomach bug, put in an heroic effort across the 27 laps. The Italian was caught up in another rider’s Turn 8 crash on the first lap, which dropped him down to 19th. Refusing to give up, Franco powered through to bring his Yamaha YZR-M1 home in ninth; scoring seven points, moving to fifth in the championship and helping PETRONAS Yamaha SRT to stay top of the teams’ standings.
Quartararo and Morbidelli will now turn their attention to the Gran Premi de Catalunya, which takes place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next weekend (25-27 September).
Razlan Razali
Team Principal
Not the kind of results we expected after a great Misano last time. We are disappointed but there are positives. Clearly we are disappointed with the penalty that was given to Fabio, but it is what it is. We have to accept the fourth position and that we are still second in the championship. Franco recovered well after the lap one incident to finish ninth, and move to fifth in the championship. We are happy with this, we just need to do better next weekend and maintain consistency. There are still seven races to go, in which we can fight for the championship.
We have made a lot of progress with our Moto2 riders, especially Jake Dixon who finished sixth today – his best Moto2 result so far. Also, Xavi was fighting for a podium before his crash. It was disappointing but it is great progress from the two riders.
I’m disappointed with Moto3, it turned into a day of damage control for John. The positive point is that we are still third in the championship, with seven races still to go. We need to do something with KIP: we will have a discussion with him and give him all the support he needs to improve upon the last two weekends.
Fabio Quartararo
4th (+6.419)
I’m really happy about my race, because it is important to finish in third position after all the weekends that we struggled. I received the long lap penalty, but I didn’t receive any messages about track limit warnings on my dashboard so I was a bit surprised by it. I know I had three times where I went over track limits, but the last two ones I didn’t know where they happened at the time. It is disappointing and frustrating to have this penalty, but I am looking forward to Barcelona. Overall I’m happy with my race because I had a good pace and, although it was difficult for us to overtake, I was fighting until the end to be on the podium. Also the start was much better and I feel like we have improved it a lot. Let’s see what we can do in Barcelona next weekend.
Franco Morbidelli
9th (+15.880)
I’m still trying to recover from my stomach bug, I have been feeling very sick. I have to say thanks to my dietician who has been able to give me the right foods to have enough energy for this race. Over the weekend I have been getting better, but I will go home and get checked just to see if there is something to aid recovery further. I hope to be at 100% in Barcelona. Despite this, I think we had the chance to be on the podium this weekend, but unfortunately another rider on the first lap took me out. I lost a lot of time there and I had a small issue with the bike, but I was able to make a good recovery. I’m happy though as I wasn’t expecting to finish ninth, so thanks to the team as well because they have done an unbelievable job with very little input from me this weekend. We now aim to arrive in Barcelona well prepared and ready to attack.
LCR
Takaaki Nakagami produced an impressive and controlled ride to claim sixth position in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday. Starting from the fourth row of the grid, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider picked his way through the field to secure another highly-creditable result at Misano. Indeed, the Japanese star is now the only rider in the MotoGP class to have top-10 finishes in every round of the 2020 championship.
Having gone fifth fastest in the morning warm-up, Taka did not get the best start in the race and found himself down in 15thafter the first few corners. But the 28-year-old got stronger as the race wore on and, having passed Andrea Dovizioso, moved ahead of Alex Marquez with two laps to go to ensure he would again finish as the leading Honda. His sixth-placed finish means he is seventh in the world championship standings, just one point behind fifth position.
Takaaki Nakagami – 6th
“I’m pretty happy to finish P6 again, inside the top six which from P12 on the starting grid was really tough, especially at the beginning of the race when there was a big group and I was struggling with my feeling with the front tyre as the tyre performance is not the best behind some bikes. But I was quite strong in sector three and I overtook some riders in sector four and my lap times were quite consistent until the end. We made another P6 so I’m happy and I want to say a big thanks to my team, because yesterday we had two crashes and they prepared my bike overnight and I really appreciate all their effort, this was a big team effort. Also a big thanks to all my sponsors and the team as they did a great job over these two weekends.”
Aprilia
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ CRASHES OUT ON THE FIRST LAP
BRADLEY SMITH FINISHES IN THE POINTS
A crash during the first lap brought Aleix Espargaró’s race to an early end. This is a result that leaves the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini with more than a few regrets because Aleix’s great start, moving into the top ten in just a few turns, the race pace and the final placing of many of the number 41 rider’s direct rivals indicate that a good result was well within reach once again today.
After starting extremely well from the sixth row, Aleix immediately joined the leading group, but he lost the bike on the Quercia turn – turn 8 – also involving a blameless Morbidelli who was on the outside, forcing him off track.
Bradley Smith, on the other hand, rode a prudent race, trying not to lag too far behind the central part of the group and, aided by several crashes ahead of him, finished thirteenth to earn championship points, also bringing race experience and miles home to the very young 2020 RS-GP project.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“First of all, I want to apologise to Morbidelli, because my crash cost him a lot of positions, and to my team, since, considering our performance as compared to the others, we could have finished much better. I knew that I would have to go all-in on the first laps. My pace was very good but, starting from so far back, I had to risk. Difficulty overtaking is our weak point and that makes it hard to recuperate. It’s a pity because I was able to get into the top 10 anyway and I was really feeling good. This crash was not what we needed.”
BRADLEY SMITH
“The final result is okay, but I’m a bit disappointed with the wide gap behind the leader. The first stage of the race wasn’t bad and I was able to stay with the group. But today we started with an entirely different setting and I didn’t know what to expect, so the last 10 laps were rather difficult. These have been two peculiar weeks for us, with a lot of different sensations. I’ll take the good from the first 16 laps, done at a good pace, and we’ll have to start from them to tackle a vastly different track like Barcelona.”
Repsol Honda
Charging Alex Marquez races to best finish yet
Consistent hard work from Alex Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team was rewarded today as the rookie returned to the top ten and achieved his best MotoGP result to date.
The morning of race day started in ideal fashion for Alex Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team as the MotoGP rookie topped Warm Up. A 1’32.402 was three tenths faster than Nakagami’s session-topping time from Warm Up one week ago and an impressive seventh tenths faster than Alex’s own previous Warm Up time. Leading his first session in the premier class provided a boost in confidence and confirmation of Alex’s strong pace ahead of the 27-lap Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
This speed and confidence were clear to see when the lights went out, Alex steadily working through the pack from 17th on the grid. Within just a handful of laps the young Spanish rider found himself inside the top ten as those around him faltered and made mistakes. Producing steady and consistent times, Alex edged his away forward and held off the experienced Andrea Dovizioso. From his first flying lap of the race to the finish, Alex’s pace only moved from the low 1’32s to mid 1’33s on three occasions with a best lap of 1’32.865 on lap 19.
Alex and Takaaki Nakagami spent the final laps fighting for sixth place and top Honda honours. Crossing the line in seventh and 11.929 seconds back on winner Viñales, Alex rounds out a strong weekend with his best premier class result to date. Alex also closes the gap to Brad Binder in the Rookie of the Year contest.
There’s little time before Alex and the Repsol Honda Team return to track for the Catalan GP in Barcelona on September 25 – 27. Stefan Bradl is set to join the Repsol Honda Team again alongside Alex Marquez.
Alex Marquez
7th
“Last Sunday, and especially after the test, we managed to make some improvements. We were able to carry these improvements into this weekend and all weekend I have felt very strong. Throughout the weekend we had constant steps. In the race I started well and was aggressive early, which I am happy with. In the first laps I felt good and I was able to keep Dovi behind me for the race. Three laps from the end I had a big moment which allowed Nakagami to get through. Even with this I am pleased as I think we certainly had the pace for the top ten. I want to say thanks to the Repsol Honda Team for their hard work, we are coming stronger and now I am looking forward to Catalunya.”
