MotoGP Round Two Report | Masterful Martin reigns supreme

The 2024 Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal was a stunning lights to flag win for Jorge Martin as the number #89 took the victory and Championship lead. But this is the world’s most exciting sport, and there are no single sentence explanations to cover 25 laps on the rollercoaster. Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

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Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP – The rollercoaster delivered a tantalising top ten as some key names headed for Q1 – and some familiar ones fought back. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) blistered his way to the top by 0.118, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller in second as he got back into the top echelons. Then came Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), still within only 0.153 of Bastianini at the top.

When the afternoon session began, however, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at the top, first Miller and then teammate Brad Binder. The next gambit saw Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) steal the KTM thunder, nudging the RC-16s off the top, but there was plenty of shuffling left in the ultra-tight top ten.

After Bastianini had taken to the top, that’s where he stayed amid the drama, throwing down the gauntlet on Day 1. Miller made his late lunge for glory to slot into second, forcing Marc Marquez to settle for third.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) continued his statement weekend with pole position on Saturday morning. Beast mode most definitely engaged. It was close at the top, however, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) getting to within less than a tenth of the number 23 after a late charge. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) completed the front row only a further 0.024 behind, setting the stage for some serious fireworks on the Algarve.

Moto2 – In a fast and furious session, Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) ended Practice 1 on top as he picked up where he left off in Qatar, setting a stunning 1:42.362 to edge out Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) by just 0.013. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) was only a further 0.170 behind as it got tight at the top in Portugal. Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) then stole a maiden pole position in the final 20 seconds of qualifying, beating Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and Aron Canet (Fantic Racing).

Behind the trio on the front row of the grid was Qatar GP winner Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up), while Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) springboarded from 11th to fifth in the final five minutes.

Moto3 – Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) stormed to pole after a near-perfect lap in the closing stages of qualifying. BOE Motorsports’ Joel Kelso was just 0.059 behind after a brave lap, ending a brilliant Saturday for the Australian. David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) joined them on the front row, unable to take a maiden pole.

Behind a tight front row was Holgado, who lined up alongside Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) on the second row of the grid. Alongside them was Dutchman Colin Veijer, who was the sole Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP bike in Q2.

Check out the full Practice and Qualifying results here…

Saturday
Tissot Sprint
A stunning showdown on the Algarve saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) get his elbows out and hold off Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who had their own battle down to the last lap. That culminated in a classic, brutal but clean lunge from the #93 to slice through into second and take his best Sprint result yet, with Martin relegated to third.

At lights out, it was a brilliant start to the race from Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who grabbed the holeshot and started storming away on the first lap.

Bagnaia was on a march though. He hit the front early, trying to quickly build a comfortable gap. On the chase, Marc Marquez soon found his way through to pass Viñales, and he held that for a handful of laps. But he wasn’t making headway, for he ran wide at the tricky Turn 5.

Bagnaia seemed in the clear, over a second up the road from Viñales, with Martin and Marc Marquez not far off the Aprilia. But then the #1 machine was suddenly sailing off at Turn 1, keeping it together but watching the front group flash past as he rejoined just ahead of Miller.

And so Viñales led the Sprint, with some close company. By the last lap, Viñales seemed to have things under control, with Martin vs. Marquez set to decide second and third places on the podium barring any serious late drama. And there was none – but there was a spectacular, on-the-edge, old skool lunge from a master of the craft.

Down into Turn 5, there wasn’t really an open door and he wasn’t really in perfect striking distance, but Marc Marquez went for it. And he made it stick. Brutal, close, and just clean enough to be worth a handshake in parc ferme, the eight-time World Champion took his best Sprint result, holding Martin off to the line in a drag race.

After rejoining ahead of Miller, Bagnaia managed to hold off the KTM to the flag, but it was close – and Bastianini was even closer as the trio took P4, P5 and P6.

And so, after another Saturday spectacle, a new Sprint winner headed into Sunday with another point to prove, as Viñales was hoping to become the first to win with three machines in the MotoGP™ era.

Tissot Sprint Race

Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing
Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati (+1.039s)
Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+1.122s)
Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+4.155s)
Jack Miller Red Bull KTM (RC16) (+4.329s)

Check out the full Tissot Sprint results here…

Sunday
MotoGP Race
11 World Championships went toe-to-toe, and all of them slid off into the runoff. Riders okay, but in one of the most dramatic incidents for some time, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) collided with only a handful of laps to go. The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards officially deemed it a racing incident, but it’ll be a moment that will be debriefed for weeks, months, if not years to come.

But back to the start, and it was a stunning launch from Martin to take the holeshot, with Bastianini slotting in behind as Bagnaia shot up a place. Viñales initially dropped to fourth then fought back. Bastianini was then slightly wide and Viñales headed through, with the two Ducatis then shuffling. Marc Marquez tried his luck with a move through, but things settled down after the adrenaline spike with Martin leading Viñales, Bastianini, Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.

The gloves were off further back, as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Acosta made their move on Miller. The rookie then also attacked Binder at the same place not long after. The charge to history was on.

Acosta’s charge didn’t stop after he made Marc Marquez his next victim as the rookie zoned in on the reigning Champion next. He chose Turn 1 again, but the rear slipped once, then twice, and he headed wide before getting it back under control to let Pecco back through. Not long after, Acosta was able to get past Bagnaia, and that left the reigning Champion to go toe-to-toe with Marc Marquez. And then came the drama.

Marquez went for one attempt but the door was shut. This time he wasn’t going to try and push it open. The #93 struck again with another lunge – and it nearly worked. But Bagnaia is Bagnaia and the reigning Champion had anticipated and took back the inside line as tightly as possible. And that was that. The two diverged on the same space, and two into one doesn’t fit. Contact made, they both slid out as the crowd erupted.

“I told the stewards it’s a racing incident on the very limit. But the stewards must decide what the limit is,” said Marquez…

Meanwhile, the rider sweeping past to take fourth place was Acosta. But there was another twist in the tale for another rider up ahead.

Crossing the line for the last lap, Martin had enough in hand to bet on. But Viñales was suddenly slowing, hanging off the bike and then looking down as he headed into the run off. A late technical issue made it a heartbreaking end to the GP race for the Sprint winner, as he disappointingly crashed out. And that put Acosta on the podium after his gung-ho charge for glory.

Up ahead, Bastianini was close to Martin, but not close enough to strike. The #89 achieved the 89th victory for Ducati in style, winning holeshot to flag despite the drama and the tension in the chase. Bastianini, after a tougher Qatar GP and Sprint in Portugal, got that coveted podium to begin his count for the season, and then came Acosta.

The number #31 is the third youngest premier class podium finisher of all time, getting it done in only his second race to join an exclusive club. Acosta was also the first over the line of the trio of KTM/GASGAS RC16s, with Binder taking fourth and Miller fifth.

“I knew what I was capable of. I started fast and I was trying to manage the tyres. Maverick and Enea were super close but at the end I saw a gap and it was enough to fight for the win,” explained Martin.

MotoGP Race Top Five

Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo (+0.882s)
Pedro Acosta Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (+5.362s)
Brad Binder Red Bull KTM (+11.129s)
Jack Miller Red Bull KTM (+16.437s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points After Round Two

Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati – 60
Brad Binder Red Bull KTM – 42
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo – 39
Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 37
Pedro Acosta Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 – 28

Moto2 Race
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) is a Moto2™ race winner! The Spaniard broke his victory drought with a stylish win by two seconds as the podium fight exploded behind him in Portugal. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) completed a brilliant weekend at Portimao to take second, fighting off polesitter Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini).

Canet set the pace early on, stealing the fastest lap of the race while sitting in second – setting sights on a first Moto2™ win. Polesitter Gonzalez sat in third position after finding a way through on the fast-charging Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI). Ogura’s fourth did not last long as Roberts and Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) found a way through.

As the laps ticked down, Lopez maintained an advantage at the front until lap 11, when the race was blown wide open as the Spaniard lost the front at turn 13 – crashing out of the lead. That promoted Canet to P1 and Roberts into second at the venue where the American claimed his first win in 2021.

All eyes were now on Canet in the lead and Aldeguer, who was carving through the field and back inside the top 10. The Spaniard soon set the fastest lap, circulating quicker than Canet at the front of the field with 10 laps remaining.

Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was having a ferocious battle with Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) for seventh position, allowing Arenas to escape in front. They could not match the pace of Aldeguer on his mission to the front, as the #54 flew down the inside and remarkably entered fifth place.

Now with just three laps to go, the action heated up after Aldeguer launched a brave attack at turn three to pass Ogura briefly before the Japanese rider responded. As the chequered flag loomed, Canet even celebrated around the last corner before finally turning his dreams into a reality to become a Moto2™ race winner. Roberts continues to celebrate success in Portimao, finishing second ahead of Gonzalez, who finally got the better of Aldeguer after Ogura dropped to fifth on the final lap after a near highside on the exit of turn four battling the #54.

Moto2 Race Top Five

Aron Canet Fantic Racing
Joe Roberts OnlyFans American Racing Team (+2.059s)
Manuel Gonzalez QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (+0.551s)
Fermin Aldeguer Beta Tools SpeedUp (+0.602s)
Ai Ogura MT Helmets – MSI (+0.516s)

Check out the full Moto2 race results here…

Moto2 Championship Points After Round Two

Aron Canet Fantic Racing 31 – points
Joe Roberts OnlyFans American Racing Team 29 – points
Manuel Gonzalez QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 27 – points
Sergio Garcia MT Helmets – MSI – 26 points
Alonso Lopez Sync SpeedUp – 25 points

Moto3 Race
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) won a classic drag to the finish, staying ahead of Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) by just 0.044 as the two battled it out on the last lap. Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) completed the podium as the lead trio turned up the wick in the final few laps to escape the clutches of David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team).

Rueda took the holeshot and had his turn making a gap, managing to stay ahead of the group until 10 to go. Then Alonso made his move and looked to be trying to make a break as the gap extended. But it wasn’t to be, as Holgado and Rueda closed the CFMoto Aspar rider down, got past, and in a handful of laps were able to make their own gap.

Onto the last lap, it seemed likely it would remain a duel. Holgado led over the line with Rueda for close company. Ortola was just off the back, but forced to wait in the wings for any possible drama. Rueda went for a move at Turn 14 and was briefly ahead taking a tighter line, but the number 99 couldn’t keep it as Holgado pinned it and swept back into the lead. It all came down to the final corner and again, the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 was able to stay ahead and gas it towards the line with just enough metres in hand to take his first win of the year – and the Championship lead.

Rueda may not have taken the win, but it’s his best Grand Prix result yet, as well as only his second podium. Ortola completed the rostrum another seven tenths back, but managing to keep more than a second in hand over those on the chase: Alonso, Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) in that order.

Moto3 Race Top Five