MotoGP: The title fight goes to MotorLand Aragon – Roadracing World Magazine

Back to MotorLand: Is there going to be another duel in 2024?

MotoGP™ has been the scene of spectacular duels in recent seasons and the stage is set for a repeat. But which one?

Monday, August 26, 2024

When the 2021 paddock arrived at MotorLand Aragon, now two-time MotoGP™ World Champion – and current championship leader – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had never won a MotoGP™ race. That changed on Sunday, when the then number 63 duelled with eight-time World Champion, local hero and left-handed king Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) for the top step, fending off seven attacks in the final three laps to enter the pantheon of premier class winners. Since that day, their respective paths have taken many twists and turns – and next year they will meet as teammates. But it was here that a major chapter of what could become one of the sport's greatest long-term rivalries began. So can we expect a slugfest?

Bagnaia is in top form heading back to Spain. He has already reached his maximum number of wins in a season – seven – and comes to Aragon after taking a one-two in style at Spielberg. He is the rider to beat, the championship leader racing in enemy territory and now looking ahead to a 2025 teammate whose presence will help define Bagnaia's legacy. The same rider, incidentally, who has a corner named after him at this track. Motivation and form can hardly be more convincing than in this package.

Marquez, on the other hand, has put in a more combative performance after two sprint crashes and a more dramatic start to the Austrian GP. But his pace in Spielberg was dramatic in a different way. Could he have kept up with the red machine up front? No one else seemed capable of doing so, and the stage seemed set for it too, with the trio of Bagnaia, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marc Marquez lining up on the front row. Now add to that Aragon, the fact that it is run anti-clockwise and on home soil, and there could be fireworks this weekend – even without considering that a single centimetre more luck could play its own part in changing his form.

Still, Martin is not to be overlooked. During his last outing in 2023, the #89 learned to be fast and consistent at the same time, and he has taken that into 2024 to fight at the front – and was also in the lead for much of the season – without having to make a major comeback. He is fast everywhere, has made relatively few unforced errors and is only five points off the top. He is also good at staying close to his competitors and overtaking them. Finding that last tenth is something he has done before, and it would be no surprise if he proves to be a key protagonist in the fight for victory.

And then there's Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). 2021 was not the last time Aragon welcomed MotoGP™, of course. Last time, in 2022, it was another duel – but this time Bastianini versus Bagnaia, and the beast emerged victorious. He lost some ground in the championship in Austria, but his one-two at Silverstone was a reminder – if anyone needed one – of how fast he is. Lurking in third place in the title fight, he has clearly not given up on it and is 61 points off the top. There are a maximum of 333 points on the table in 2024, and Bastianini is one of the riders, if not THE rider, that immediately springs to mind when you think of 148 of them: Aragon, San Marino, Emilia-Romagna and Sepang. That effort starts here.

There were some positives in Austria, though. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was back in the top five on his home turf and teammate Jack Miller showed plenty of pace on his home turf, even if things went downhill on Sunday. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) had a solid weekend, finishing in the top six, and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) showed some real bursts of speed, even if there was some drama involved. In Aragon, we can also expect the return of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who will also be racing in a similar group.

For Aprilia, meanwhile, Aragon should hold a little more promise. In Spielberg, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) took a Tissot Sprint podium and teammate Maverick Viñales led the charge to P7 on Sunday, but that doesn't beat their previous best at this venue. The very different MotorLand layout, their on-track records and home advantage for the #12 and #41 should ensure that the factory can once again compete in Noale. Trackhouse Racing's Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira also want a lot more with their 2024 RS-GPs and hope for a similar upturn.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and especially Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) will be looking to get back into the mix – and win – in this tight battle for the top five or more. The #73 finished in the top ten but had a more difficult weekend and the #31 had one of its toughest yet in MotoGP™, behind wildcard Pol Espargaro and with teammate Augusto Fernandez hot on his heels.

For some, it was a tough race in Austria. Some problems from Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) – although the latter finished – marred their Sundays, although Honda took two points thanks to a P14 secured by Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) on the very last lap. Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), on the other hand, had a tougher race and will want more in Aragon in the fight against Honda and in the battle for points. For no one, however, is that more true than Yamaha.

Neither Fabio Quartararo nor his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ teammate Alex Rins were able to score points in Austria and they will be looking to change that as soon as possible in Aragon. In the meantime they have also had a test as they continue to work to get back into the fight at the front and, interestingly, they have called on the talents of MotoGP™ legend Andrea Dovizioso to join them on track as test rider Cal Crutchlow continues to recover from his injury. That was at Misano, so things could get interesting in the coming events, but the first mission at MotorLand will be clear: points.

We've seen some real classics at this track and the 2024 season so far promises a lot of potential for another season that will excite us when we return to this venue. With more than just points at stake, but also honour, reputation, glory and more, don't miss the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragón this weekend!

SHOW TIME

Saturday

Tissot Sprint: 15:00 (UTC +2)

Sunday

Grand Prix: 14:00 (UTC +2)

Moto2™: Will the form table be shaken up again in Aragon?

The Austrian GP was a weekend where the Moto2™ World Championship leaders endured tough times – and where no one could hold a candle to Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on Sunday afternoon. The Italian won for the second year in a row at the Red Bull Ring and now faces a trip to another challenge in the form of MotorLand Aragon.

Vietti's debut win in the famous Red Bull KTM Ajo colours was a dominant one. Two consecutive podiums marked a fantastic start to the second half of the season for the No.13, as a second place for Alonso Lopez (Sync SpeedUp) ended his mini podium drought. Jake Dixon's (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) P3 was his third top-three in a row as the Briton continues to be in top form, while Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) – a podium finisher in Aragon 2022 – just missed out on a podium.

These four riders will be looking to produce a similar performance in Aragon, but title-chaser Sergio Garcia, his MT Helmets – MSI teammate Ai Ogura, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) and Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp) will be looking for much more.

With P14, Garcia was only able to gain two points – the gap is now 20 – on the hapless Ogura, who broke his right hand in his first crash of the season. Roberts' quiet weekend saw him regain some important points on Garcia, while Aldeguer, with P20, now drops to P5 – behind his teammate – in the overall standings… how will the grid at MotorLand reshuffle again?

Moto3™: Alonso wants to exploit his lead in Aragon

A showstopper from David Alonso at Spielberg saw the Colombian take his phenomenal seventh win of the season despite battling a long lap penalty. With the latest 25-point haul, the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team star arrives in Aragon with a comfortable 71-point lead in the Moto3™ title race. The question now is: can anyone stop the #80's incredible momentum?

Despite the drama that unfolded for Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) in Austria, the Spaniard remains Alonso's closest challenger in the championship. Sunday promised much more than a ninth place finish for Ortola, as he struggled to deal with his bike stalling as the riders rolled to the grid. Still, that comeback was something special, but now it's about beating Alonso at every opportunity.

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who finished on the podium in Aragon in 2022, secured his first podium finish since Le Mans. The No. 96 remains in P3 in the standings, while David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) snatched P2 from him by just 0.005 seconds in Austria. With this result, Muñoz moved up to P5 in the championship, one place behind Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). The Dutch star will be hoping to win in Aragon for the first time since Jerez, as P5 was not what Veijer expected in Austria.

“Catch me if you can,” shouts Alonso – how will the pursuers react in MotorLand?