Jorge Martin Returns to His Sprint Winning Ways After Marquez Crash

Unfortunately, for 8 time world champion Marc Marquez a win in the Spanish GP was brutally denied as Marquez crashed out of the sprint race with one corner to go in the race. The crash meant that Jorge Martin who had been on the hunt inherited the position. Marquez had no chance to recover having to settle for P7. His crash also improved Pedro Acosta’s result. Acosta who has been in great form in his debut MotoGP continues to score points and challenge the veterans. Acosta beat Fabio Quartararo finished third in his best finish thus far this year.

Multiple riders didn’t finish the sprint as it was littered with crashes. The track had dried after a wet qualifying session. Martin was able to avoid incident and he and the Pramac Racing side were seen in full celebration.

Sprint Race Results

New World Championship Standings

The battle for the top 10 in MotoGP’s Spanish Grand Prix this weekend was a splash of intensity, Bagnaia lead practice on day one of action in Spain. Jorge Martin finish fifth in the session behind however he never looked particularly running at full pace during the session. Maverick Vinales continued his run for the top spot by finishing one tenth behind Bagnaia. Marc Marques also showed glimpses of his old self finishing P3 in the on the day.

Full Practice Results Are Below

Maverick Viñales scored the double in America this weekend after winning the sprint race yesterday and the grand prix earlier today to score maximum points for Aprilia Racing. Viñales put on a masterclass after an extremely poor start that saw him drop to P12 in the early stages of the US Grand Prix. After making multiple passes seemingly on every lap completed Viñales found himself lunging for the podium and eventually back into first place.

Additionally, with the win Vinales became the first MotoGP rider in history to win with three different manufacturers. “I made a lot of sacrifices to get here and it is all finally paying off,” he said. “This shows us that you can never give up. You must have faith in your own abilities and keep growing. This is a historic achievement and I knew from the first day I arrived with Aprilia that I would be able to accomplish it. I wish to thank everyone who gave me the strength to continue, the folks in Noale, my team, and my family”.

Pedro Acosta Solidified His Presence at Circuit of the Americas

In an equally brilliant performance. Pedro Acosta solidified his place in MotoGP as the rookie has now secured back to back weekends with a podium. Acosta finished P2 in the United States Grand Prix and did so with a sense of mastery typically seen by seasoned veterans of the sport. Acosta said, “What a race. It’s a long time since I enjoyed a race as much. You cannot imagine how fun I had passing the boys. I overtook them, they overtook me, I had to recover positions: it was super-nice. We learned a lot from Saturday and used it for Sunday and we have to be really happy about that.”

The rookie bested Enea Bastianini who benefited from Marc Marquez and his unfortunate DNF in the race to take third. Bastianini beat out the current championship leader Jorge Martin to the podium. However, Martin didn’t lose much ground as he scored good points in the sprint and grand prix allowing him to retain his lead into the next round by 21 points over Bastianini.

Maverick Viñales is a back to back Tissot Sprint race winner after winning at Circuit of the Americas today. Viñales won the race in decisive fashion finishing 2.2 seconds ahead of second place finisher Marc Marquez. Jorge Martin found his way on to the podium after a hard fought race. After starting from pole position Viñales never looked back leading the race from start to finish.

The battle behind ensued between Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta. After the pair traded attempts at passing. Acosta attempted a late move on Marquez and ended up running wide losing out on position. Jorge Martin who had a poor early race stayed within striking range and was there to capitalize on Acosta’s mistake and claim a late podium. The finish meant that Martin would retain his championship lead and extended his margin over currently second place sitter Enea Bastinaini to 24 points. If Martin can turn tomorrows grand prix into a win he may hold an early advantage in the race for the title.

Viñales said, “It’s incredible when everything works so well, I am really happy. I feel like this is one of the best moments of my career, especially in terms of my riding abilities. Physically, I feel strong, and that is fundamental on this track. I’d also like to thank the team. They are focused and motivated. We were hungry for this win”.

Action picks on the final day of MotoGP in the United States with morning Warm Ups.

Full Tissot Sprint Race, US GP Results

Jorge Martin appears to be emerging as the man to beat thus far in 2024. Martin narrowly edged out Maverick Viñales by less than a tenth of a second in practice on day one of the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. However, Martin’s pace was record breaking; shattering the lap record by half a second. Marc Marquez also appears to be on the move up the table after finishing P3 in practice after a battle with Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.

Despite the early success Martin will need to carry his pace through the weekend. Martin has yet to show up on both Saturday and Sunday to secure maximum points on the weekend. With an 18 point lead over KTM Racing’s Brad Binder, Martin will look to break away from the pack in the points standings. Doing so will put the pressure to perform on the other Ducati riders; especially Francesco Bagnaia. With Martin and Bagnaia battling back and forth last year; they set the tone for 2024. Bagnaia currently sits 23 points behind in the championship race and looks to narrow that gap tomorrow in the Sprint Race.

Of note, rookie Pedro Acosta led the KTM riders finishing P5 in Practice. Brad Binder who sits in second place in the championship finished P14. A far cry from his form thus far this season.

Full Practice Results Below

This weekend at The Circuit of the America the US Grand Prix with take place for the 3rd installment of the 2024 MotoGP season. Thus far we have had two different Grand Prix winners in Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. Early indications suggest that we will have a fight for the title from the beginning this year. The riders finished the 2023 season in dramatic fashion which Martin received the short end of deal. However, Martin leads the 2024 championship with 60 points after his win in Portugal. Bagnaia currently sits in fourth place.

Located in Austin, Texas, Circuit of the Americas features 20 turns and two long straights. Construction of the 1000-acre facility was completed late in 2012. MotoGP lined up at the track for the first time in 2013. One of the known features of the circuit are its multiple changes in elevation and rough surface which makes tire management an extreme factor. The driving direction is counter clockwise. The circuit has a total of 20 corners with 9 right turns and 11 left turns.

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Joins as Support

MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as the King Of The Baggers (KotB) championship. The KotB class will be featured as a support class this weekend with MotoGP. The class features touring motorcycles from Harley Davidson and Indian that are heavily modified to meet the demands of road racing. Thirteen riders have entered the competition at COTA. Eight of those are Harley-Davidson Road Glides with five Indian Challengers.

The weekend format is as follows:

Fabio Quartararo has signed a 2 year extension with Yamaha to extend his stay in MotoGP. Quartararo won the MotoGP championship with Yamaha in 2021. He then followed that championship up with a second place finish in 2022. Since those triumphant years Yamaha and Quartararo have struggled with maintaining performance in MotoGP. In 2023, Quartararo finished an unfamiliar 10th. Quartararo spoke on the new approach at Yamaha which has him confident for better results in 2024.

Fabio Quartararo Excited for Contract Extension

Quartararo said, “I am super happy to announce that I am going to continue my adventure in BLUE! Last winter Yamaha proved to me that they have a new approach and a new aggressive mindset. My confidence is high: we will be back at the front together! Six years ago, they gave me the chance to step up to MotoGP, and since then we have achieved great things together. We still have a long way ahead of us to start fighting for victory again. I will work hard, and I am sure that, together, we will achieve our dream once more!

Yamaha made Quartararo the highest paid rider in MotoGP with the deal. He will make a base salary of €12m.

Tim Jarvis Managing Director, Monster Energy Yamaha Motor Racing MotoGP

“We are very pleased that Fabio will remain a Yamaha rider,” he said. “Keeping Fabio as a part of the Factory Team is integral to Yamaha’s MotoGP Project. Fabio is an exceptional talent, a hard worker, a great team player, and he has many competitive years ahead of him. Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Racing, and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are sparing no effort to ensure a bright future with Fabio by taking a more ‘aggressive approach’ to bike development.

We have already made significant changes to our organization including a new internal management system, recruitment of top expertise within the industry, new external technical partnerships, increased development budget, and an intensified testing program. All these changes are designed to speed up the process for us to return to winning ways.

Fabio has understood this commitment, and this has given him the confidence to make his decision to stay with us for the coming years. Fabio has been with Yamaha since 2019 and with us, the Factory Team, since 2021. In a relatively short time span of just four years, we achieved many successes: 8 wins, 21 podiums, a MotoGP World Title, and a Vice Champion Title.

“We are the first to admit that there is much work to do to get back to the competitive level we were at in 2021 and the first half of 2022. But with Fabio you know he will always put in 100% of his best effort. It also comes natural to him to create harmony and a good atmosphere with all staff members. He can count on the Team’s and Yamaha’s full support every step of the way as we challenge to win more championships together.

The US media conglomerate Liberty Media announced an acquisition of 86% of Dorna. Dorna, a Spanish company has been the long lasting owner of MotoGP since 1992.

We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of leading live sports and entertainment assets with the acquisition of MotoGP,” said Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO. “MotoGP is a global league with a loyal, enthusiastic fan base, captivating racing and a highly cash flow generative financial profile. Carmelo and his management team have built a great sporting spectacle that we can expand to a wider global audience. The business has significant upside, and we intend to grow the sport for MotoGP fans, teams, commercial partners and our shareholders.”

“This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP, and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna, the MotoGP paddock and racing fans,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna. “We are proud of the global sport we’ve grown, and this transaction is a testament to the value of the sport today and its growth potential. Liberty has an incredible track record in developing sports assets and we could not wish for a better partner to expand MotoGP’s fanbase around the world.”

From Liberty Media

“Liberty Media will acquire 86% of MotoGP with MotoGP management retaining approximately 14% of their equity in the business. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for MotoGP of €4.2 billion and an equity value of €3.5 billion with the existing debt balance at MotoGP expected to remain in place after close. The equity consideration to sellers is expected to be comprised of approximately 65% cash, 21% in shares of Series C Liberty Formula One common stock (Nasdaq: FWONK) and 14% of retained MotoGP management equity.”

About Liberty Media Corporation

Liberty Media Corporation operates and owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those businesses are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Formula One Group and the Liberty Live Group. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK) include Liberty Media’s interest in SiriusXM. The businesses and assets attributed to the Formula One Group (NASDAQ: FWONA, FWONK) include Liberty Media’s subsidiaries Formula 1 and Quint, and other minority investments. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty Live Group (NASDAQ: LLYVA, LLYVK) include Liberty Media’s interest in Live Nation and other minority investments.

Following the Portuguese Grand Prix an investigations Bagnaia and Marquez will avoid further penalty after their incident at the Portuguese Grand Prix. While the riders blame each other for the incident the FIM stewards have deemed the incident a no fault racing incident. “When Marc arrived, he tried to overtake me, but he went wide,” Bagnaia told MotoGP.com. “I just tried to close the line, he tried to close his line, and we collided. So, unluckily, we ended up scoring zero points, and at the next race we have to fight back to close the gap a bit.” I didn’t expect that mistake from Pecco in this race,” Marquez said, “because we were fighting for fifth position.”

It’s clear there is no ownership of blame in this incident. The important outcome is that both riders appear to have emerged from the incident without injury. Other riders weighed in on the incident.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing)

“I saw it in a replay. For me it’s a racing incident. It’s always a difficult corner to negotiate. But I think Pecco could give a bit more space to Marc in order to avoid the contact.”

Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

“I kind of could because early on in the race when we went out of Turn 5 those two were absolutely banging each other, coming out of Turn 5 they hit into each other and every time they probably touched three or four times through the acceleration through six, and every time they’re hitting the one on the outside was losing the front and the one on the inside was almost high siding and I was behind trying to obviously go with the group, but I was just waiting for an absolute aeroplane crash in front of me.

There was no love lost there, they’re all pushing hard at the beginning as we all were, but it obviously all boiled over there at the end. It’s a hard place to pass this track, to pass nicely, and it’s unfortunate what happened but that’s racing and I’m sure those boys will be back to fight in Texas.”

Prima Pramac Racing rider Jorge Martin won the Portuguese Grand Prix to bounce back from missing out on extending his Sprint race record yesterday. With the win Martin took over the lead in the riders championship. Coming into the race Francesco Bagnaia led the championship but he failed to score point in the Portuguese Grand Prix after crashing out of the race in an incident with Marc Marquez.

In second place came Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo). Bastianini’s 2024 season has gotten off on a very positive note as he continues to demonstrate that he has the pace to compete for podiums. Last season Bastianini had to sit out as a result of a major injury. By the time he returned to the grid a championship contending run was long over. It is a new year and Bastianini looks like he means business. He currently sits third in the championship behind Brad Binder by 3 points.

Pedro Acosta Continues to Impress

MotoGP rookie, Pedro Acosta continues to impress as the the rook secure his first podium of the 2024 for Red Bull GasGas Tech3. “There is nothing to say about today,” he said. “The team did an amazing work until the end of the race. Today wasn’t the tyre, today wasn’t the arm, today it was just riding. It’s true we need to improve in many areas, we need to improve in qualifying and also in Sprint races, but we have the first podium. Look at these boys! Today is not red Ducati, is red GasGas! There is nothing to say. Thanks to mr. [Stefan] Pierer, to Pit Beirer, to Hervé [Poncharal], to all the guys from the team, to Pol [Trevathan] – my crew chief – to everyone who is working behind this project. Because we knew it was not going to be easy, but we have the first one!

Full Portuguese Grand Prix Results are Below

MotoGP Standings After Portugal