2023-09-09 20:03:27
Misano Saturday was very fruitful for Spanish motorcycling, especially in the premier category where Jorge Martín left no stone unturned. To date, the qualifications have been the due for the Madrid driver, who got the better of himself with a stratospheric pole, lowering the circuit record by half a second and being four tenths ahead of his closest pursuer. Something very difficult to see in MotoGP, and even more so considering that the Italian track is a short circuit by calendar standards.
The first row of Ducati on the grid was already advancing the dominance of the red bikes, which were racing at home. A fratricidal duel was expected in the sprint, but Martín had no choice, winning from stoplight to flag, leading all the laps and keeping Marco Bezzecchi at bay, who started second and finished in the same position. «Achieving the track record in Q2 was brutal and gave me a lot of confidence for the sprint, but I was hoping for a more group race. Winning alone has been even harder, with Bezzecchi who has pushed me to the end,” acknowledged the driver from San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Pecco Bagnaia completed the Ducati team on the podium. A result that he would have signed before starting the sprint, since he showed up in Misano on Thursday very physically burdened, after last week’s brutal accident in Montmeló. “In the first two laps I had to warm up my leg and it was very difficult for me to turn in the right-hand corners but then the situation improved a little,” explained the current MotoGP champion, who showed more doubts about his performance in the long race. «I am a little worried because with double the laps we will also have to increase the dose of painkillers. The goal will be to finish in the top five. Given the situation, I can’t ask for much more. Martín shaved another five points off Bagnaia, who maintains a 45-point advantage in the general classification.
Skimming the drawer
The current leader of the premier category had to defend himself in the final laps from an unleashed Dani Pedrosa, who in Misano is improving his results from the previous wild card in Jerez. He is fifth in Q2 and fourth in the sprint, putting pressure on a world champion. In fact, the Catalan rider later acknowledged that he lacked experience on a MotoGP in the fight for the podium: «When you are a regular rider on the grid you are more used to overtaking, to riding side by side. In my situation I wasn’t going to risk that much because you don’t want to influence either. In any case, Pedrosa once again left his rivals with their mouths open. And anyone would say that he has been retired for five years.
The one from Castellar del Vallés won the duel for being the best KTM against the South African Brad Binder, the franchise pilot of the Austrian brand, who entered fifth at the wheel of the factory test pilot. Those that did not have their best day were the Aprilias. From the double in Catalonia, to the sixth and eighth of Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró, and the feeling that on this track the Ducati are far superior.
The last point of the sprint was awarded to Álex Márquez, ninth. That he had previously taken the position from his brother Marc. The man from Cervera had a very consistent Saturday, qualifying ninth on the grid and finishing tenth in the sprint. “You could hardly get more today,” the eight-time world champion said at the end of the day. “I let my brother pass in the race and used his wheel to escape from the group behind because I knew he had more pace.” Márquez’s ‘top 10’ gained much more value considering that the other three Hondas finished second to last, second to last and last…
Acosta surprised
In the small categories the Spanish also shone. Jaume Masiá achieved a new pole in Moto3, beating the Japanese Ayumu Sasaki. While the championship leader, Dani Holgado, saved the furniture with an eighth on the grid since he had to go through the play-off in Q1.
In Moto2, the local rider Celestino Vietti took pole position from Pedro Acosta at the horn, who until then had been the great dominator of the weekend in the intermediate category. In fact, the Murcian would have taken pole if his best lap had not been canceled due to the presence of yellow flags. In any case, the Moto2 leader is the top favorite to achieve victory in Misano and give another bite in the classification to his most immediate rival, Tony Arbolino, who starts ninth.
On Sunday the racing program will have its usual schedule, that is, it will begin with the Moto3 race at 11:00 in the morning, the Moto2 race will take place at 12:15 and the MotoGP race will start at 2:00 p.m.
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