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Qatar GP

It was a night to remember for Enea Bastianini, who took his first MotoGP win after a fantastic display at the Lusail Circuit on Sunday.

Despite starting in the front row, the Gresini Racing rider fell behind at the start of the race to 5th place before climbing the grid by overtaking 2020 world champion Joan Mir.

Bastianini – riding on board a one-year-old Ducati GP21 – proceeds to sweep past six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez and later KTM’s Brad Binder before taking over the lead from Honda’s Pol Espargaro with just five laps to go.

“Yesterday, for the first time I did a really good lap time in the qualifying. Today I started from the first row.

“The best choice for me was the medium on the rear because this morning I tried it in the warm-up and saw a good potential.

“Also, with the soft it pumps a lot in the slow corner but the medium was more stable.

“I thought ‘okay I need to put the medium.

“It wasn’t easy in the first part of the race because Pol [Espargaro] pushed a lot, but the last seven laps it was the best choice. So with that it was possible to close the gap and to win,” said Bastianini.

Although Espargaro led most of the race, his rear tyre began to give way and had to settle for 3rd, with Binder taking 2nd spot at the podium.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Marquez (P5), Mir (P6), Alex Rins (P7), Johann Zarco (P8), Fabio Quartararo (P9) and Takaaki Nakagami (P10).

Meanwhile, it was a disastrous night for last season’s runner-up Francesco Bagnaia as the Italian failed to finish the race.

Bagnaia was making a move into turn one before he lost the front, which led to him wiping out fellow Ducati Jorge Martin.

Jack Miller was also forced to an early retirement after suffering a mechanical failure, thus resulting in Bastianini, Zarco and Luca Marini (VR46) being the only Ducati rider to deliver points in Qatar.

MotoGP to return in two-weeks time at Mandalika International Street Circuit on March 20.

Jorge Martin produced a brilliant display on Saturday to take back-to-back pole at MotoGP season opener in Lusail Circuit, Qatar.

The Pramac Racing rider clocked the fastest time with 1 minute 53.011s ahead of Enea Bastianini (1m53.158s) and six-time MotoGP world champion, Marc Marquez (1m53.283s).

‘I’m happy. In general the weekend was not so bad.

“It’s been difficult to be consistent because we have been trying many set-ups, different mappings, but anyway, I think the pace is not bad.

“We will be one of the candidates for tomorrow, but I think we need something else to fight for the victory.

“Also the tyre choice will be crucial. Both the soft and medium are working well, but they are different and it’s something we need to understand.

“But I’m happy with this pole position and to make back-to-back poles here,” said the 24-year-old.

Riding on board the Ducati GP22, Martin was in full control, showing immense speed at the start of Q2.

Fellow Ducati rider, Bastianini who rode the GP21 – same machine used by Francesco Bagnaia last season – also displayed amazing run take P2.

Meanwhile, Marquez – despite not back to full fitness – clocked 1m53 in his frst Q2 run to take pole before he was pushed back by the rest and later improved his time again to settle at P3.

Despite came out as the fastest Yamaha rider on the grid, last season champion Fabio Quartararo will need to begin his title defence at P11.

The Frenchman endured a struggling session on Saturday after failing to secure a top 10 finished in Free Practice 3 and had to fight his way to Q2 via Q1.

After starting at the front-row just one week ago, Valentino Rossi will start the second round of Qatar GP at P21.

The 42-year-old Petronas Sepang Racing Team (PSRT) rider endured a miserable Q1 at Losail International Circuit, which will see him start the second round just ahead of the last spot, Lorenzo Savadori.

Last week, rear tyre trouble saw the Italian drop to twelfth place after starting the race at P4.

In search of a solution seems to backfired the PSRT rider as he only managed to clocked 1m 54.881s, far from his 1m 53.114s that he set a week earlier.

“It was very difficult today because we struggled a lot with the rear tyre. Compared to last week we tried to modify the setting and also some of the electronics, but I lost some performance in qualifying and I was not fast enough.

“We also haven’t been able to improve and we are putting too much stress on the rear tyre,” explained Rossi.

Meanwhile, MotoGP rookie and Pramac Racing rider Jorge Martin will lead the pack at P1, followed by his team-mate, Johann Zarco, at P2.

Last week winner, Maverick Vinales, completes the front row at P3.

Andrea Dovizioso memulakan aksi pembukaan MotoGP 2019 dengan kemenangan di GP Qatar selepas berjaya mengetepikan cabaran sengit oleh pertahan juara, Marc Marquez.

Bermula di petak kedua, Dovizioso berjaya memintas pelumba di petak utama, Maverick Vinales sebaik melalui selekoh pertama.

Marquez turut bermula dengan baik sekaligus memulakan perebutan tempat pertama bersama Dovizioso.

Percubaan berani Marquez di selekoh terakhir berjaya menempatkan dirinya dihadapa Dovizioso namun pelumba Itali itu memiliki cengkaman yang lebih baik sekaligus kembali memintas untuk melepasi garisan penamat terlebih dahulu diikuti Cal Crutchlow ketiga.

Lebih menarik, keputusan tersebut merupakan pengulangan kepada perlumbaan sama setahun yang lalu.

Krediti foto: Twitter MotoGP

Sementara itu, Vinales gagal memulakan perlumbaan dengan baik apabila mudah jatuh ke kedudukan keenam dengan wakil Suzuki, Alex Rins dan Joan Mir melakukan pecutan lebih baik.

Jack Miller turut bermula dengan baik namun ekoran masalah tempat duduk, dia terpaksa menarik diri daripada perlumbaan.

Ada masanya Rins mendahului kelompok perlumbaan namun jentera dinaikinya gagal menyaingi kepantasan Ducati dan Honda di garisan lurus sekaligus membenarkan Dovizioso dan Marquez merebut kemenangan pertama musim ini.

Keputusan penuh:

  1. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati)
  2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.023secs
  3. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) +0.320s
  4. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.457s
  5. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.600s
  6. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) +2.320s
  7. Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha) +2.481s
  8. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +5.088s
  9. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +7.406s
  10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) +9.636s
  11. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha) +9.647s
  12. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +12.774s
  13. Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda) +14.307s
  14. Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) +14.349s
  15. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +15.093s


Musim MotoGP secara rasminya bermula pada hari ini dengan kesemua pasukan bersedia untuk berentap bila tibanya hari Ahad ini. Para penunggang,
pasukan dan kru telah bersedia di Qatar untuk pusingan pertama dalam salah satu perlumbaan motosikal paling berdaya saing seluruh dunia di Litar
Antarabangsa Losail. Kebanyakkan penunggang utama telah berkumpul untuk sidang akhbar pertama bagi musim 2017 semalam.

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andiweb

It was a day of celebration for Indonesian rider and his fan when rider Andi Izdihar took his first ever victory at the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup.

Andi beat Japanese rider Sasaki and Thai rider Chantra to take 1st place, but it did not come easy for the 17 year old Indonesian. It was a tough dice between the top two with both swapping places continuously throughout the 14 lap race. Ultimately the top two were separated by just 0.029 seconds at the finish line.

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In Thailand we saw multiple riders battling out for a podium finish until the last lap. (more…)

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It is a wonder why the qualifying times of nine riders from the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup were below the best lap time achieved in the same series at Losail Circuit last year.

However, raising above the rest was Thai rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, who set the fastest time in qualifying.

Nakarin also won Race 2 of the first race of the season in Buriram, Thailand last week. (more…)

It is a wonder why the qualifying times of nine riders from the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup were below the best lap time achieved in the same series at Losail Circuit last year.

However, raising above the rest was Thai rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, who set the fastest time in qualifying.

Nakarin also won Race 2 of the first race of the season in Buriram, Thailand last week. (more…)

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