Cycle News Staff | October 25, 2024
Friday MotoGP
For a second Friday on the spin, Australian MotoGP winner Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) heads into Saturday at the summit of the timesheets as the eight-time World Champion set a brilliant new Buriram all-time lap record in Practice. Marquez’s 1:29.165 was enough to see him beat Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by 0.110s, with the World Championship leader a further 0.052s clear of third place Enea Bastianini. His Ducati Lenovo teammate, title-hunting Francesco Bagnaia, ended Friday at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand in P4 with the top four in the title fight just 0.195s apart heading into a vital Saturday.
Marc Marquez was the early session leader after the first set of laps landed, and it stayed that way heading into the final 20 minutes. But it was a very intriguing session in the meantime. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) were operating inside the top five, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was in a close second as he returns to action following his crash on Saturday in Australia.
Bagnaia was P4 with 18 minutes to go, however, the reigning Champion looked far from happy. Martin, meanwhile, was seventh before the fresh soft rubber was unwrapped.
Marquez’s stint at the summit ended when Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rose to P1 on a fresh medium compound rear tyre. The South African then got down to a 1:29.949 on his next flying lap to move the goalposts further, as Quartararo climbed back to P2 and only 0.138s away from the #33.
Then, another Pierer Mobility Group machine went fastest. This time it was Acosta, but Quartararo then beat the rookie by 0.018s, much to the delight of the Frenchman. 0.035s then split the top three as Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing MotoGP™) improved to a 1:29.857.
That soon changed though. Martin’s 1:29.543 saw the Championship leader go P1 before Bagnaia responded with a P2 time – 0.103s away from his title rival. Another name then pounced as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) beat Martin, but the 2023 Thai GP winner returned the favor as the #89 pinched a 0.231s advantage with eight minutes to go. And his 1:29.275 was a new all-time lap record.
Bagnaia got within a tenth of Martin a few minutes later before Marc Marquez bagged provisional top spot with under two minutes to go, the #93’s advantage up to 0.110s. Elsewhere, having gone fastest not too long ago, Acosta found himself outside the top 10 with just one lap remaining – but the #31 delivered a lap good enough for P7 when it mattered most.
So at the end of Friday’s play, Marquez’ new record leads a trio of GP24s into Saturday as Viñales fronts the non-Ducati charge in P5, 0.3s away from the eight-time World Champion. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) picked up P6 ahead of the late improving Acosta, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) another rider that set a PB lap time late on to earn P8. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and the impressive Zarco are the other automatic Q2 qualifiers, as Binder misses out by the truly barest of margins: 0.001s.
2024 Thailand MotoGP News and Results—Friday MotoGP
1 | Marc Marquez | (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | 1:29.165 |
2 | Jorge Martin | (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.110 |
3 | Enea Bastianini | (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0162 |
4 | Francesco Bagnaia | (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.195 |
5 | Maverick Viñales | (Aprilia Racing) | +0.341 |
6 | Franco Morbidelli | (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.384 |
7 | Pedro Acosta | (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +0.437 |
8 | Alex Marquez | (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.448 |
9 | Marco Bezzecchi | (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.455 |
10 | Johann Zarco | (CASTROL Honda LCR) | +0.517 |
Friday Moto2
A two-tenth advantage heading into Saturday will do just nicely for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) as the Spaniard enjoyed a fruitful day at the office in Thailand. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – despite a nasty incident in Free Practice involving Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) that saw both handed penalties for Sunday’s race – acted as Canet’s closest challenger at the end of play, while third place went the way of Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing).
Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) rounded out the top five on Day 1 in Buriram, 0.4s adrift of Canet’s pace.
Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) ended Friday in P6, but it wasn’t a straight forward day for the World Championship leader after he suffered a bike issue at the end of Practice 1.
Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) finished one place behind Ogura in P8, while Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) has work to do in Practice 2 after the #3 was P15.
2024 Thailand MotoGP News and Results—Friday Moto2
1 | Aron Canet | (Fantic Racing) | 1:35.192 |
2 | Tony Arbolino | (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) | +0.218 |
3 | Marcos Ramirez | (OnlyFans American Racing Team) | +0.250 |
4 | Jake Dixon | (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) | +0.416 |
5 | Alonso Lopez | (Beta Tools SpeedUp) | +0.440 |
6 | Ai Ogura | (MT Helmets – MSI) | +0.452 |
7 | Fermin Aldeguer | (Beta Tools SpeedUp) | +0.533 |
8 | Manuel Gonzalez | (Gresini Moto2™) | +0.548 |
9 | Albert Arenas | (Gresini Moto2™) | +0.664 |
10 | Jorge Navarro | (OnlyFans American Racing Team) | +0.692 |
Friday Moto3
David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) is the Moto3™ rider to beat so far in Buriram after the 2024 World Champion was the only rider to dip into the 1:40s in Practice 1, despite a crash coming at Turn 12 in the afternoon. A 1:40.703 saw the Colombian beat second place Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) by 0.385s, with the Australian less than a tenth ahead of third place Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing).
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) – two of the three riders chasing the overall runners-up spot – claimed P4 and P5, with both over half a second down on Alonso.
The other rider chasing the 2024 silver medal, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), was seventh quickest behind sixth place Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse).
2024 Thailand MotoGP News and Results—Friday Moto3
1 | David Alonso | (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) | 1:40.703 |
2 | Joel Kelso | (BOE Motorsports) | +0.385 |
3 | Adrian Fernandez | (Leopard Racing) | +0.453 |
4 | Daniel Holgado | (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +0.584 |
5 | Collin Veijer | (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) | +0.587 |
6 | Luca Lunetta | (SIC58 Squadra Corse) | +0.653 |
7 | Ivan Ortola | (MT Helmets – MSI) | +0.723 |
8 | David Almansa | (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) | +0.736 |
9 | Jose Antonio Rueda | (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +0.757 |
10 | Angel Piqueras | (Leopard Racing) | +0.788 |
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