Latest news with #GresiniDucati
New Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Jorge Martin returns to MotoGP racing at revamped Brno
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC: Reigning world champion Jorge Martin of Spain will return to racing at the Czech MotoGP this weekend as the Brno circuit hosts its first grand prix since 2020. Marc Marquez is threatening to run away with the title after four straight wins, which have allowed the Spaniard to open up a sizeable gap at the top. The 32-year-old factory Ducati rider has 344 points after 11 of 22 races, and he has won both the sprint and the main race on seven occasions. His younger brother Alex, on a Gresini Ducati, is second with 261 points, ahead of Marc's Italian teammate Francesco Bagnaia – the 2022 and 2023 world champion – with 197. But it is Martin, who has yet to score his first point this season, that will likely steal the limelight on the circuit in the second Czech city of Brno. Martin sat out the first three races following two pre-season crashes and when he returned at Qatar in April, he crashed heavily again and missed the next seven races. "I feel prepared. In terms of the physical condition, I feel better than any time in my life for sure," the 27-year-old Martin said having recovered from 11 broken ribs. "I took profit of this time off to work on my performance, and I feel I am a better and more prepared rider now," he added. "I don't want to speculate on results... What I can say is that I'm here to compete, I'm not here to make laps. I'm here to do my best." Martin also said on Thursday he would stay with Aprilia for the 2026 season, dispelling doubts about his future. He had been at odds with the Italian manufacturer after initially saying he intended to activate a release clause in his contract at the end of the season. Brno is returning to the MotoGP calendar for the first time since 2020 after years of financial woes. Marquez, who stretched his championship lead after a perfect weekend at the Sachsenring in Germany, hailed Martin's return. "Good for MotoGP, good for the championship, good for Aprilia and especially good for him to be back on track," he told "Of course it will take time. You never know with Martin, but he will be fast in the second part of the season." Marquez has won three MotoGP races at Brno, in 2013, 2017 and 2019, but he sat out the last edition in 2020 with a broken arm as Brad Binder stunned the pack to take his maiden MotoGP win. Marquez holds the fastest lap time of 1min 54.596sec from 2016 and will be looking to improve it on the resurfaced 5.4-kilometre track as forecasters promise a mostly sunny weekend. "It looks like some manufacturers tested two or three weeks ago and yeah, it looks like they were already two seconds faster," Marquez said. He is eyeing his seventh MotoGP world title – and first since 2019 – that would put him level with the legendary Valentino Rossi. Maverick Vinales, recovering from a shoulder fracture, will be replaced by Pol Espargaro at Brno, while Franco Morbidelli is also out following a bone-crunching crash in Germany. The MotoGP circus will take a summer break after this weekend and resume with the Austrian GP on August 15-17.
Saba Yemen
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- Saba Yemen
Marquez wins Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix
Amsterdam – Saba: Spanish Ducati Lenovo rider Marc Márquez continued his grip on the MotoGP World Championship with victory on Sunday in the Dutch Grand Prix at the Assen circuit. The 32-year-old Marquez achieved his third consecutive victory and his sixth this season in the 10-round series of the championship, following previous wins in Thailand, Argentina, Qatar, Aragon (Spain), and Italy, according to Anadolu Agency. The six-time world champion raised his points tally to 307 points in first place, widening his lead to 68 points over his younger brother Alex Márquez, the Gresini Ducati rider, who finished second, and 181 points ahead of his teammate, Italian Francesco Bagnaia, who finished third. As Assen celebrated the 100th anniversary of the race, Marc, who started second on the grid, led on the second lap, with Italian Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia finishing second and his compatriot Francesco Bagnaia third. Bagnaia, a two-time world champion, had won the last three races in Assen, but despite an early lead, he dropped to fourth before recovering to claim the podium ahead of Spaniard Pedro Acosta of KTM. Márquez's closest rival for the title, his younger brother Alex Márquez, was eliminated after a collision with Pedro Acosta on lap six, which resulted in a fractured left hand and forced him to retire. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
The Citizen
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘I'm not here to finish races,' says Binder ahead of Assen MotoGP
Red Bull KTM rider much better than his recent run of form in premier class suggests. Fresh off his first top 10 finish in four MotoGP starts, Brad Binder will be out to grab more points at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands this weekend. The Red Bull KTM man's ninth place finish in the main race of the Italian Grand Prix last Sunday relieved some pressure after scoring only three points in his previous seven starts. He moved up one place to 13th in the premier class championship lead by Marc Marquez. Although Binder's finish was commendable after starting from a lowly 15th place on the grid, he should be competing much higher up in the field by his own admission. The troublesome RC16 is also not helping his cause as he and his team-mate Pedro Acosta, who pipped him by three hundredths of a second at Mugello, finished almost 20 seconds off the winning time of Marquez's Ducati. Brad Binder wants more 'Of course I finished the race. But I'm not really here just to finish races,' he was quoted by after Mugello. 'It was a really long race. I expected a lot more from myself. But I had no grip at the front or the rear. 'I had problems with the front brake in particular. I had to brake very gently and control the accelerator with extreme caution to avoid any risk of falling. Pushing was absolutely impossible.' Binder boasts a good record at the 5.24km TT Circuit Assen known as 'The Cathedral of Speed'. He has not finished outside the top six is his last three main race starts in the Netherlands. ALSO READ: Brad Binder turns his poor run of form around with solid ninth place Pecco up against it Pecco Bagnaia, who won the last three races at the TT Circuit Assen, will have his had full against the Marquez brothers. The two-time world champion is third in the title race on 160 points and miles behind his Ducati factory team-mate Marc (270) and Alex (230) on a Gresini Ducati. Brad Binder's brother Darryn Binder and Ruché Moodley will hope to make amends after both failed to scored points at Mugello. Darryn Binder finished 21st in the intermediate class and is 20th in the Moto2 title race on 10 points. Moodley retired on lap two of the Moto3 race in Italy. The teenager is 23rd in the championship on 11 points. The sprint race at Assen start at 3pm on Saturday and the main at 2pm on Sunday. Before then, Moodley and Darryn Binder will be in action at 11am and 12.15pm respectively.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MotoGP British GP: Fabio Quartararo's third straight pole breaks Silverstone lap record
Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo took his third straight pole position in MotoGP on Saturday, breaking the Silverstone lap record in the process. The Frenchman once again saved his best effort for the very end of the British GP qualifying session, just as he had at the previous two races at Jerez and Le Mans. Advertisement While championship leader Marc Marquez was the man Quartararo had to defeat in Spain and France, the six-time MotoGP champion could not even manage the front row in the United Kingdom. Marquez led the way by some margin at the mid-session lull, as has become customary. But he was unable to improve on his final run and ended up only fourth-fastest. That means the Spaniard misses the front row for the first time in 2025. Joining Quartararo up front instead will be Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Marc Marquez's factory Ducati team-mate, Francesco Bagnaia. While Alex Marquez could celebrate a positive outcome in the light of a heavy high-side in the preceding Practice session, Bagnaia was able to revel in beating Marc Marquez in qualifying for the first time this season. Marc Marquez, Ducati Team Marc Marquez, Ducati Team Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Advertisement Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) and Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) complete the second row alongside Marc Marquez. Next up on the grid will be the VR46 Ducati of Fabio di Giannantonio, the factory Honda of Luca Marini and the LCR Honda of French GP winner Johann Zarco. The latter crashed out of a promising lap at the end of the session. Franco Morbidelli was 10th-fastest in Q2, but will only start from there in this afternoon's sprint. The three-place grand prix grid penalty the VR46 rider picked up on Friday will apply on Sunday. The fourth row for the British Grand Prix on Sunday will thus consist of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Alex Rins (Yamaha) and Joan Mir (Honda). Advertisement Earlier, Marini and Morbidelli were the two riders to progress from a busy Q1 session that was particularly disappointing for KTM. Mir threatened to pass both of them by setting the quickest times in the first and second sectors on his final lap of the session, which came after his rivals had finished. But the second factory Honda's challenge faded in the final two sectors and he remained third-fastest in the session. Read Also: Ai Ogura withdraws from MotoGP British GP due to injury Franco Morbidelli suffers second grid penalty of MotoGP 2025 at British GP KTM's hopes of bouncing back from a disappointing Friday were shattered in Q1, with its leading riders Maverick Vinales (Tech3) suffering a technical failure and Pedro Acosta running off the road at Stowe aboard the factory bike. Advertisement Acosta will start 14th behind Morbidelli on Sunday, with Vinales four spots further back. Enea Bastianini (Tech 3) and Brad Binder on the second factory bike will start 17th and 19th respectively to underline a horror afternoon for the quartet. To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Marc Marquez wins season-opening Thai MotoGP after duel with brother Alex
Six-time world champion Marc Marquez won the season-opening Thai MotoGP on Sunday to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new factory Ducati team, having also romped to Saturday's sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732sec for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first chequered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from pole in stifling heat at Buriram and opened a comfortable 1.5 second lead over his younger brother by lap seven, when he suddenly slowed on turn three to lose the lead. Whatever the problem was, it was short-lived, as Marc tucked into second spot and put relentless pressure on Alex as the brothers tussled for the lead, with Bagnaia lurking less than a second adrift in third. "Yesterday I was happy, today I am super happy," said Marc Marquez. "I mean it's a dream." Alex Marquez was made to work hard to hold the lead on his Gresini Ducati, and with four laps to go, Marc made his move, diving underneath at turn 12 and then disappearing off into the distance. Franco Morbidelli was fourth and Japanese rookie Ai Ogura fifth on his MotoGP debut. Marquez senior had been fast all week, going quickest in opening practice on Friday before being pipped by brother Alex in the afternoon session. "For one moment I thought I might hold on to win," said Alex Marquez. "But he was able to not use a lot of rear tyre and I was using up everything." Marc Marquez enjoyed a strong pre-season with the factory Ducati, having joined from Honda, and is strongly fancied to win a first world crown since 2019. Marquez and Bagnaia have been hailed as a factory Ducati dream team but some observers have cautioned that the high-octane mix of two fast high-profile racers could prove too combustible. "I gave my all," said Bagnaia. "But Marc, he was playing with us all day. So maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but it we finished in P3." The start of the new MotoGP season has been overshadowed by the absence of world champion Jorge Martin. The Spaniard suffered fractures to his right hand and left foot in a horror crash during pre-season testing in Malaysia. Then his Aprilia team said this week that Martin suffered another mishap in training and had to have more surgery. Aprilia said Martin will also miss the next race, in Argentina in mid-March, with no time frame put on his return. bur-dh/pbt
