Rennie Scaysbrook | May 2, 2021
2021 Spanish MotoGP News—Sunday
Jack jumps to first dry weather success
“I sent my resume out to a few construction companies in Australia, I thought it was done.” That was Jack Miller’s light-hearted admission of his situation coming into the Spanish Grand Prix. The Australian was feeling the heat after a pair of ninths in Qatar and a crash in Portugal.
Miller’s win meant more than many would realize to the gritty Aussie.
But he put that right in Jerez, scoring a first premier class win in the dry and his first for Ducati. Miller was never too far off in the first three rounds. But tire issues hampered him in race one, arm-pump in race two. Subsequent surgery put him on the back foot in Portugal. “I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions now since the finish, but for sure these last weeks haven’t been easy. I’ve been angry, frustrated, not believing, not trusting in myself,” he said.
But Miller credited Lucy Crutchlow, Cal’s wife, as providing him with a much-needed boost. “I now have a new life coach. Lucy called me up just out of the blue last week and was telling me, “You are f***ing good. You can do it.” Quite aggressive like this. This morning she sent me a text. It feels good to hear stuff like this sometimes. You need it. At the end of the day, we’re all human. We all have doubts.”
Fabio’s arm pump woes
For 15 laps the Spanish Grand Prix was on course to be another French whitewash. Fabio Quartararo had been the class of the field all weekend, and was leading comfortably with 15 laps gone. Then he was struck by arm pump in his right arm.
Quartararo’s race was one he’ll want to forget quickly.
The 22-year old limped home to 13th, 18.9s back of the race winner, and was disconsolate in his press debrief on Sunday evening. What really troubled Quartararo was the lack of warning. “All the years I’ve been here in Jerez (the arm) was good,” he said, holding back tears. Last year was not a problem and this year was just I was in the lead by one-second and then I had no more power. Honestly last year, Portimao, was really bad and this year was perfect.
“I had to brake with four fingers and normally I brake with one. I couldn’t go full gas on the straight. Apart from the last lap to try to take those few points that can maybe help at the end of the season. But no explanation. I’m training the same, I’m feeling even better on the bike and… I don’t know.”
As of Sunday evening, Quartararo was still waiting to decide on a course of action to tackle the issue.
Pol ‘just an employee’
The games have already started in the Repsol Honda garage. That much was clear after Pol Espargaro’s extraordinary meeting with the press on Sunday, in which he sarcastically stated he was nothing more than “an employee of Honda.”
Espargaro finished tenth, a place and one second behind team-mate Marc Marquez. But it wasn’t the result which irked him. An exchange of set-up information between Marquez’s side of the box and his has ceased, leaving him confused.
Espargaro leads Marquez, but all is not happy at Repsol Honda.
“We are all using a different package,” Espargaro complained. “He’s using one, I’m using another one. And the satellite team they are using another one. The problem I have now, I don’t know if I’m good, if I’m bad, if it’s the bike, if it’s the package I’m using, if it’s my riding style, I don’t know what’s going on and I’m a little bit confused because there is the same confusion inside the factory at the moment.”
Espargaro has come from KTM, a factory which shares set-up info among all four of its riders Asked whether he didn’t agree with the way of working in HRC, he said, “It’s different to what I am used to.”
Sunday
After a turbulent start to the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller created a little slice of history by taking his first dry weather win in MotoGP competition and his first since Assen, 2016.
The Australian was the ultimate opportunist as he pounced all over a serious problem that saw Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) fall from a comfortable two-second lead to outside the top ten in just a handful of laps. Joining Miller on the podium was new MotoGP World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, making it the first Ducati 1-2 in three years, and Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli.
Miller is congratulated by teammate Bagnaia after the two took Ducati’s first 1-2 since 2019.
Miller led for the first four laps but lost the lead to Quartararo, who began to pull a gap of over one second but it would be as good as it got for the Frenchman. By half race distance, he started suffering major arm pump issues, and he gradually slipped back through the field as he struggled to hang onto his YZR-M1.
Quartararo would eventually fade to a despondent 13th, and surrendered the world championship lead in the process.
Miller retook the lead and maintained a two-second gap to Morbidelli for much of the remainder of the race until Bagnaia charged past and steadily closed down the gap to his teammate. In the end, he came up 1.9 seconds adrift of Miller at the flag.
Behind Morbidelli in third, Takaaki Nakagami would take his best finish of the season in fourth from World Champion Joan Mir, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro taking Aprilia’s best dry-weather MotoGP race result in sixth, 5.1 seconds off Miller.
Quartararo’s day started well but ended in complete disaster with major arm pump issues.
Maverick Vinales, Johann Zarco, Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro completed the top 10.
There were crashes for Alex Rins on the factory Suzuki and two for Brad Binder, the final one ruling him out of the race in a dismal Sunday ride.
In the championship, Bagnaia now leads on 66 points from Quartararo on 64 with Vinales third on 50. Miller’s win hoists the Australian up to sixth in the standings on 39.
2021 Spanish MotoGP Results
| 1 |
Jack Miller |
(Duc) |
|
|
| 2 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 1.912 |
|
| 3 |
Franco Morbidelli |
(Yam) |
+ 2.516 |
|
| 4 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(Hon) |
+ 3.206 |
|
| 5 |
Joan Mir |
(Suz) |
+ 4.256 |
|
| 6 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 5.164 |
|
| 7 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
+ 5.651 |
|
| 8 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 7.161 |
|
| 9 |
Marc Marquez |
(Hon) |
+ 10.494 |
|
| 10 |
Pol Espargaro |
(Hon) |
+ 11.776 |
|
Moto2
Federal Oil Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio put in a Moto2™ masterclass at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix to clinch a debut victory and honor the late Fausto Gresini in the best way possible. The Italian was untouchable from lights out to the checkered flag, eventually coming home two seconds clear of Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team).
Fabio Di Giannantonio, crosses the line for a dominant first Moto2 win.
Joe Roberts bought the Italtrans Kalex home in eighth while Cameron Beaubier (American Racing Kalex) crashed out on the final lap while battling for a position in the top 10.
In the championship, Remy Gardner (fourth today) leads the series on 69 to Lowes’ 66 with Raul Fernandez third on 63.
2021 Spanish Moto2 Results
| 1 |
Fabio DiGiannantonio |
(Kal) |
|
| 2 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Kal) |
+ 1.722 |
| 3 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 2.229 |
| 4 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
+ 3.019 |
| 5 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 8.571 |
| 6 |
Xavi Vierge |
(Kal) |
+ 12.181 |
| 7 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 12.313 |
| 8 |
Joe Roberts |
(Kal) |
+ 12.523 |
| 9 |
Aron Canet |
(Bos) |
+ 14.407 |
| 10 |
Marcel Schrotter |
(Kal) |
+ 17.152 |
Moto3
A place in Grand Prix history has been etched at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix, and it comes in the form of MotoGP’s newest superstar: Pedro Acosta. The Red Bull KTM Ajo teenager produced yet another stunning ride to become the youngest rider ever to claim a hat-trick of victories and the only rider in the 72-year history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing to take four podiums in his first four races.
Pedro Acosta (37) took the win but it would all go wrong for Oncu (53), Masia (5), and Binder (40).
At just 16-years-old, the Spaniard showed a skillset way beyond his years to battle back from a handful of close calls and take a thrilling last lap win ahead of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) after teammate and former race leader Deniz Oncu crashed out at the final corner, wiping out his teammate Jaume Masia and Darryn Binder in the process.
2021 Spanish Moto3 Results
| 1 |
Pedro Acosta |
(KTM) |
|
| 2 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.417 |
| 3 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Hon) |
+ 0.527 |
| 4 |
Andrea Migno |
(Hon) |
+ 0.548 |
| 5 |
Ayumu Sasaki |
(KTM) |
+ 0.971 |
| 6 |
Carlos Tatay |
(KTM) |
+ 0.997 |
| 7 |
Jason Dupasquier |
(KTM) |
+ 1.043 |
| 8 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(KTM) |
+ 1.144 |
| 9 |
Xavier Artigas |
(Hon) |
+ 1.383 |
| 10 |
Ryusei Yamanaka |
(KTM) |
+ 1.596 |
2021 Spanish MotoGP News—Saturday
Marquez back with a bang
“We know that sooner or later the first crash of the season will arrive,” said Marc Marquez on Saturday. It’s just he was hoping it wouldn’t be at close to 140mph. The returning former champion crashed in the closing minutes of Saturday morning’s FP3 at the fearsome turn seven, and ended in the air fence.
Marquez’s crash in FP3 was a belter.
“Maybe I chose one of worst points of the circuit to crash,” he said later. I didn’t expect it. But if you push for a lap you don’t think about the risk. On Friday I was more conservative. Today I attacked. Unfortunately, when I attacked, I crashed. It was a big crash, especially the impact against the air fence, with a high speed. But thanks to the air fence I’m here.”
First fears were for the right arm he injured so badly in a spill at this track last July. But with the joint fine, fears soon moved to his head when he returned to his motorhome after the session. “I sit and I was there for ten minutes, I start to lose a bit the head.” He went to the local hospital for precautions but was given the all-clear by doctors. Marquez went on to qualify 14th.
Jerez safety called into question
Marquez’s high-speed spill was followed by team-mate Pol Espargaro crashing at the same point in FP4. The Spaniard was unharmed. Earlier in the day, Brad Binder had a sickening tumble through the gravel at turn five. That both Repsol Honda riders ended in the airfence after a thundering impact called the safety of the Jerez circuit into question.
A number of big crashes have put safety into the spotlight at Jerez.
“The runoff areas are not enough in this track for a MotoGP bike,” opined Joan Mir. “If you want a super safe track, they have to make a lot of changes and this means a lot of money. Turn one, turn ten… also turn seven is really on the limit. I hit the wall there (in a testing crash in 2019). But this is the same story as always. They don’t change until something happens.”
The matter was discussed in Friday evening’s Safety Commission meeting. Jack Miller believed the type of gravel was particularly of concern. “The biggest thing that needs to happen here is the size of the gravel. Here it’s kind of like a river rock, quite big pieces of gravel. You will notice that nobody ever really goes into the gravel. We always bounce on top. It’s not really soft like places like Aragon.”
Beaubier switches crew chief
Cameron Beaubier’s start to life as a Moto2 rider has been quietly impressive: two point-scoring rides, the second of which being a top ten in just his third race has put the Californian ahead of his American Racing Team’s expectations.
But team management saw fit to replace the 28-year old’s crew chief Luca Capocchiano just three races into the season. Having hired the Italian, who won the 2020 Moto2 world title with Enea Bastianini, from the Italtrans team, it was believed he wasn’t the right fit for the team’s way of working.
Beaubier now has legendary crew chief Stuart Shenton in his corner.
Race Director John Hopkins knew a name from his own racing career that wanted a way back in: Stuart Shenton. “Stuart was my crew chief throughout my entire career at Suzuki MotoGP,” said Hopkins. “It is really cool having him back. It is a good feeling.” Shenton began his career working with Kork Ballington. He won world championships working on Freddie Spencer’s NSR250 in 1985, and was responsible for turning Suzuki’s RGV500 into a championship winner in the hands of Kevin Schwantz in 1993.
After a tough opening day in Jerez, Beaubier posted a promising performance in qualifying and starts Sunday’s race from 16th.
Saturday
MotoGP
Another Jerez race, another pole for Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman has now taken pole in four straight Jerez MotoGP races (2019, two in 2020, and now this race), a new record in MotoGP.
Quartararo flew around the Jerez venue in 1:36.775, just over a two-tenths of a second from the all-time lap record set by teammate Maverick Vinales, who recorded a 1:36.584 back in 2020.
Fabio Quartararo is looking seriously quick at Jerez and sealed his fourth straight pole at the venue.
It was a familiar front row partner for Quartararo in his ex-Petronas Yamaha teammate Franco Morbidelli. The Italian on a 2019 model Yamaha YZF-M1 finished a scant 0.057-seconds behind in second, and will be looking to make amends for his mechanical DNF that robbed him of a potential victory the last time MotoGP raced at Jerez in the 2020 Andalusian MotoGP.
Third on the grid was a welcome sight for embattled Ducati factory rider Jack Miller. The Australian used his teammate Francesco Bagnaia as a reference on his fast lap to stick in a 1:36.860. Bagnaia will line up fourth on the grid, after carding a time 0.100-seconds off Miller’s.
Fifth place was leading Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Idemitsu Honda), with the top 10 rounded out by Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, and Suzuki duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir.
The day was a bruising one for Marc Marquez, who suffered a fast crash at turn seven in FP3, a fall replicated by his Repsol Honda teammate Pol Espargaro in Q1. Marquez will line up 14th, one place behind Espargaro.
2021 Spanish MotoGP Results—Q2
| 1 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
1:36.775 |
| 2 |
Franco Morbidelli |
(Yam) |
+ 0.057 |
| 3 |
Jack Miller |
(Duc) |
+ 0.105 |
| 4 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 0.205 |
| 5 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(Hon) |
+ 0.253 |
| 6 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 0.299 |
| 7 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
+ 0.315 |
| 8 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 0.330 |
| 9 |
Alex Rins |
(Suz) |
+ 0.369 |
| 10 |
Joan Mir |
(Suz) |
+ 0.399 |
| 11 |
Brad Binder |
(KTM) |
+ 0.712 |
| 12 |
Stefan Bradl |
(Hon) |
+ 0.747 |
Moto2
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Remy Gardner has taken his first pole position of 2021 at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix following a record-breaking Q2 fight. A final corner error from Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) cost him top spot as the Briton let slip a three tenth advantage on his final flying lap. But there no such errors for Gardner, plus his fellow front-row qualifiers Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46).
Remy Gardner smashed the Moto2 lap record to take pole at Jerez.
As for the Americans, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Kalex) suffered a fall late in Q2 but still managed to set the eighth fastest time, while American Racing Team’s Cameron Beaubier will slot into 16th on the grid.
2021 Spanish Moto2 Results—Q2
| 1 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
1:40.667 |
| 2 |
F. Di Giannantonio |
(Kal) |
+ 0.071 |
| 3 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Kal) |
+ 0.086 |
| 4 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.141 |
| 5 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 0.166 |
| 6 |
Xavi Vierge |
(Kal) |
+ 0.371 |
| 7 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.543 |
| 8 |
Joe Roberts |
(Kal) |
+ 0.568 |
| 9 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 0.584 |
| 10 |
Jake Dixon |
(Kal) |
+ 0.599 |
Moto3
Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) seemingly can’t stop taking pole position at Jerz. The Japanese rider took a stunning third straight pole at the venue in Q2, hitting the top early and no one able to depose him. Via a trip through Q1, Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) nabbed a late second place, with the front row completed by Portimao polesitter Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) after more impressive speed from the Italian on Saturday.
Another pole position at Jerez for Tatsuki Suzuki.
2021 Spanish Moto3 Results—Q2
| 1 |
Tatsuki Suzuki |
(Hon) |
1:45.807 |
| 2 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Hon) |
+ 0.125 |
| 3 |
Andrea Migno |
(Hon) |
+ 0.200 |
| 4 |
Gabriel Rodrigo |
(Hon) |
+ 0.241 |
| 5 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.359 |
| 6 |
John McPhee |
(Hon) |
+ 0.378 |
| 7 |
Darryn Binder |
(Hon) |
+ 0.481 |
| 8 |
Ayumu Sasaki |
(KTM) |
+ 0.505 |
| 9 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(KTM) |
+ 0.633 |
| 10 |
Deniz Öncü |
(KTM) |
+ 0.642 |
MotoE
Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) will start his 2021 MotoE World Cup campaign from pole position at Jerez, the Brazilian putting in a stunner in E-Pole to head the grid by two and a half tenths. Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) returns to the front row in Spain as the German made a big step forward from Friday to take second, with rookie sensation Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) starting third for his debut race in MotoE.
Eric Granado will start the first MotoE race of 2021 from pole postion.
2021 Spanish MotoE Results—E-Pole
| 1 |
Eric Granado |
(Ene) |
1:47.778 |
| 2 |
Lukas Tulovic |
(Ene) |
+ 0.234 |
| 3 |
Fermin Aldeguer |
(Ene) |
+ 0.515 |
| 4 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Ene) |
+ 0.595 |
| 5 |
Alessandro Zaccone |
(Ene) |
+ 0.600 |
| 6 |
Jordi Torres |
(Ene) |
+ 0.729 |
| 7 |
Mattia Casadei |
(Ene) |
+ 0.836 |
| 8 |
Xavi Cardelus |
(Ene) |
+ 1.028 |
| 9 |
Maria Herrera |
(Ene) |
+ 1.031 |
| 10 |
Miquel Pons |
(Ene) |
+ 1.070 |
2021 Spanish MotoGP News–Friday
VR46 to MotoGP – with Saudi backing
On Wednesday at the 2021 Spanish MotoGP confirmation came through VR46 would fully step up to the MotoGP class with two bikes from 2022 to 2026. This came as little surprise. Yet what did shock was the name of the backer: Aramco, the Saudi Arabian public petroleum company. And the partner: Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media, the holding company of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Royal Family.
Is Rossi sticking his fingers in his ears over the Saudi regime’s human rights record?
For a rider that once stated he would refuse to compete with the aid of tobacco sponsorship due to the adverse risks of smoking, this is some turnaround. The litany of human rights abuses conducted by the Saudi regime are plentiful and well documented; not least the brutal murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Asked about this, Rossi could offer only a feeble, “It’s an important partner and can help to make the team in MotoGP. And after, for the rest we will see, maybe we can do something for improve the situation (regarding human rights), but under our point of view, our relationship is for (MotoGP).” Yes, money talks. But surely a rider of his standing could find backing from a source other than a regime with such a blatant disregard for human life as this one.
Talks continue on the bikes the team will run, with Ducati, Aprilia, Suzuki and Yamaha in the mix.
Social Media Blackout
The perils of waging into a debate on social media are clear to anyone with an account on Facebook Heated and hurting after a poor Portuguese GP, Maverick Viñales moved to clarify a report he felt was inaccurate on Twitter. Soon the abuse came his way. Before long, the Catalan had sent off a series of frustrated tweets. Then he closed his account completely.
Vinales’ drama with twitter highlights the dangers riders face with social media.
On a weekend when Premier League Soccer clubs are boycotting social media to protest the level of racial abuse directed toward its players, this was a major talking point. Viñales insisted his move wasn’t due to the abuse hurled his way. “I’m more about Instagram and Tiktok, I’m more into videos and reels,” he said.
Others spoke clearly on the perils of high-profile athletes engaging with fans online. “I hate the fake accounts,” said Marc Marquez. “It should be different. To create an account you should have to put your passport. For this reason, I don’t use it much. Since (Sepang) 2015 I moved away from it.” Aleix Espargaro chipped in: “With this hate that we see on social media the only thing people will gain is the athletes’ profiles will be in charge by big companies. There will not be any more personal ones.”
Pedro Acosta – a king in waiting?
The pre-event press conference included Moto3 title leader Pedro Acosta, and offered the leading MotoGP names a chance to voice their views on what has been a sensational start to his rookie campaign (two wins and three podiums from his opening three GPs, the first rider to do so since Daijiro Kato in 1996, 1997 and 1998).
Pedro Acosta is coming and coming fast.
Names like Marc Marquez and Joan Mir sang the 16-year old’s praises. Franco Morbidelli offered, “Keeping the feet on the ground is important. But Pedro has something different. We’ve never seen something like this. I’ve watched races since I was a kid. He’s 16 but he doesn’t look 16. He looks like a really focused guy. He’s not here to play too much.”
But the enthusiasm bubbled over. One Spanish journalist asked the MotoGP contingent whether Acosta would benefit from bypassing Moto2 and jumping straight to the premier class in the coming years. Fabio Quartararo was the voice of reason on this occasion. “Come on guys, he’s only 16,” said the Frenchman.
Friday
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia continued his scintillating one lap pace shown at the previous round at Portimao by going fastest on Friday for the 2021 Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.
Bagnaia had the Ducati lit up on Friday as he stormed to the fastest time at Jerez.
The Italian laid down a 1:37.209s lap at the end of FP2 to land the top spot from Portimao and Qatar 2 winner Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha), with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro showing good form on the Aprilia RS-GP to end the day in third place.
Current world number two Franco Morbidelli’s resurgent form continued in Spain as the Italian went fourth fastest on the Petronas Yamaha, one place ahead of Quartararo’s teammate Maverick Vinales to make it three Yamahas in the top five. The remaining Yamaha of Valentino Rossi ended the day in 21st, 1.4-seconds off Bagniaia’s pace.
“Jerez is a track that I like and that suits my riding style with the Desmosedici GP,” Bagnaia said. “Last year I was fast, but this year I’ve definitely taken a step forward. This morning, even though I was struggling at the beginning with the low temperatures, after a few adjustments, I was able to regain feeling with my bike and set the fourth fastest time. In the afternoon, we worked on the race pace, first with the hard tire and then with a used medium tire, with which I was able to put in a good lap time. In the final minutes of FP2, I finally tried the time attack. I’m pleased with the way we’ve worked so far and confident for tomorrow’s qualifying”.
Rounding out the top 10 was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM), Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar), Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) and FP1 pacesetter Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) returned to the scene of his infamous crash at round one in 2020 today, ending the day 16th, 1.086-seconds off Bagnaia.
2021 Spanish MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
1:37.209 |
| 2 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
+ 0.178 |
| 3 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 0.437 |
| 4 |
Franco Morbidelli |
(Yam) |
+ 0.495 |
| 5 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
+ 0.517 |
| 6 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(Hon) |
+ 0.566 |
| 7 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(KTM) |
+ 0.607 |
| 8 |
Alex Rins |
(Suz) |
+ 0.638 |
| 9 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 0.679 |
| 10 |
Brad Binder |
(KTM) |
+ 0.687 |
Moto2
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Sam Lowes bounced back from his monster Portimao highside by setting Friday’s fastest lap in Moto2™ at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton looks set to go to battle with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Remy Garnder once again this weekend with the Australian closing out the session only 0.160 seconds behind his title rival.
It’s a two-horse race in Spain as Lowes once again leads Gardner.
Petronas Sprinta Kalex rider Jake Dixon went third on Friday. American’s Joe Roberts (Italtrans Kalex) was fifth with Cameron Beaubier (American Racing Team Kalex) 23rd, 1.278-seconds from Lowes.
2021 Spanish Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
1:41.515 |
| 2 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
+ 0.160 |
| 3 |
Jake Dixon |
(Kal) |
+ 0.270 |
| 4 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Kal) |
+ 0.282 |
| 5 |
Joe Roberts |
(Kal) |
+ 0.298 |
| 6 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.395 |
| 7 |
Jorge Navarro |
(Bos) |
+ 0.403 |
| 8 |
F. Di Giannantonio |
(Kal) |
+ 0.409 |
| 9 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.439 |
| 10 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Kal) |
+ 0.487 |
Moto3
Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) the fastest rider on Friday at Jerez, the Argentinean ending the day 0.256 clear of 2019 Spanish GP winner Niccolo Antonelli (Reale Avintia Moto3) on the combined timesheets. It was another tenth a half back to another former Jerez winner in the form of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) in third too, with Rodrigo once again showing some serious speed on day one.
Gabriel Rodrigo is aiming to stop young gun Acosta’s charge on home soil.
2021 Spanish Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Gabriel Rodrigo |
(Hon) |
1:45.651 |
| 2 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(KTM) |
+ 0.256 |
| 3 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.409 |
| 4 |
Jason Dupasquier |
(KTM) |
+ 0.421 |
| 5 |
Darryn Binder |
(Hon) |
+ 0.537 |
| 6 |
Ryusei Yamanaka |
(KTM) |
+ 0.575 |
| 7 |
Andrea Migno |
(Hon) |
+ 0.767 |
| 8 |
Pedro Acosta |
(KTM) |
+ 0.800 |
| 9 |
Deniz Öncü |
(KTM) |
+ 0.813 |
| 10 |
Jaume Masia |
(KTM) |
+ 0.847 |
MotoE
It was a familiar scene in testing and as round one of the 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup began at Jerez, the duel at the top of the timesheets remained a shootout between Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP). This time around the Brazilian had the upper hand by just 0.077, with both putting in their best efforts in FP1. On the combined timesheets it’s Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) who completes the top three, the impressive rookie pipping 2020 Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) to the honor.
Eric Granado topped Friday in MotoE.
2021 Spanish MotoE Results—Friday
| 1 |
Eric Granado |
(Ene) |
1:48.057 |
| 2 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Ene) |
+ 0.077 |
| 3 |
Miquel Pons |
(Ene) |
+ 0.400 |
| 4 |
Jordi Torres |
(Ene) |
+ 0.511 |
| 5 |
Xavier Cardelus |
(Ene) |
+ 0.539 |
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