MotoGP Duel Down Under: Marquez vs Martin
Words and images courtesy MGP
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) went toe-to-toe at the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, escaping to create a private showdown at front and duelling through the final four laps – split by less than a second over the line. Marquez came out on top despite dropping back after a nightmare start, with the #93 stalking the #89 through the latter stages before making his attack and making it stick. In the title fight, Martin’s second place nevertheless sees him increase his lead by four points, with key rival and reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the podium at a distance on Sunday.
The drama was immediate as Marquez’ rear wheel spun up a cloud of smoke off the line, a tear off trapped under the rear tyre which was then unceremoniously ejected as he dropped the clutch. That allowed the Gresini machine to quickly take off and slot back into the fight, but the kerfuffle – and a great start from the #89 – saw Martin streak away to take the holeshot ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), with Bagnaia up into third early on as he threaded the needle past Marquez’ drama. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) was in P4, with another stunning launch from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) putting the South African into fifth from P11 on the grid.
Behind, in no time at all Marquez was somehow already attacking Enea Bastianini(Ducati Lenovo Team) to move back into sixth, and after a tango at Turn 4 the #93 made it through. From there, he was on a mission. Next was Binder, and the gap to the South African was gone in a couple of laps. Then it was Morbidelli and with 22 to go into Turn 1, Marquez was through and into the podium places. Now, the clear air to his 2025 teammate was the target as the #1 continued to hold race leader Martin within around half a second.
By 16 to go, a small mistake from the Championship leader made it a six-wheeler at the front, the three machines glued together: Martin, Bagnaia and Marquez. Bagnaia wasted no time as he attacked at Turn 3 and made it through, but Martin hit back at Turn 4. That opened the door enough for Marquez to head through too, resetting it to Martin – Marquez – Bagnaia in that order at the front.
With 13 to go, the #1 and the #93 set identical laps, and less than a tenth off race leader Martin. With all on the soft tyre and plenty of kilometers to go, the chess game seemed out in full force but the Jaws music was starting to fade in from Marquez. Next time round, he was right on the back of the Pramac ahead. 10 laps to go, two tenths between two riders, and one second back to the reigning Champion. Then 1.9. It was becoming a duel Down Under, and the tension simmered away lap by lap before a final four to remember.
Four to go, Martin left the door just enough ajar at Turn 4 and there was no second invitation needed as Marquez sliced past. Into Turn 1 with three to go, Martin returned the favour. At Turn 4, Marquez did the same once more, and sent both just wide enough for the gloves to now clearly be off. No contact, and they just about stayed on track away from the green, but it was a lunge. If it was designed to create some metres of clear air in the lead it didn’t quite work as they stayed stuck together split by 0.111 over the line, but the #93 was now hammer down.
This time at Turn 1, there was no gap. Martin tried to make one at Turn 2 but no dice, and around three Marquez started to make some metres. By the start of the final lap, the #93 was half a second clear, and gaining himself just enough breathing space to call that a third win of the year.
Bagnaia couldn’t quite find enough to go with the duo in the lead once they’d broken away, but kept it tidy in third for a very valuable 16-point haul, keeping the deficit at 20 points with a maximum of 111 still to race for.
In the fight behind the podium, Bastianini dropped back before picking his way forward again, with Binder, Morbidelli, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) for company in a tight fight. By the flag though it was two duels. Diggia took fourth from Bastianini by three tenths, and behind them it was a near photo-finish for sixth as Morbidelli and Binder crossed the line split by just 0.016. Viñales was forced to settle for eighth.
Another group fought it out behind that one, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) rising to the fore there. The Frenchman stormed up from P18 on the grid to take ninth and another top ten, denying Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), home hero Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Johann Zarco(CASTROL Honda LCR) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Energy MotoGP). Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) had another solid day to take more points in P14, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) taking the final point after the #73 had headed well wide at Turn 1 and served his Long Lap for his collision with Joan Mir(Repsol Honda Team) in Japan.
Mir slid out on Sunday, and Bezzecchi crashed early after completing his Long Lap for his incident with Viñales in the Tissot Sprint. He remounted but at the back of the pack. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) didn’t start after being declared unfit on Sunday morning due to shoulder trauma incurred on Saturday.
After the drama, the weather, the well-calculated lunges and high-speed chess, that’s a wrap on Phillip Island. The Championship top two are now split by 20 points, with Marquez still just about hanging on as a contender for the crown and Bastianini now at a real last chance saloon in Buriram and the PT Grand Prix of Thailand next weekend for another two showdowns in front of a wall of noise from that main grandstand… and a final corner designed to make them roar!
MOTO 2
A Moto2 last-lap battle for the ages? You bet. Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) beat Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) with a Turn 10 move to see the Spaniard stand on the top step of the rostrum for the first time since the German GP as the compatriots treated us to a belter. What’s more, third place went the way of home hero Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) as the Australian earned a debut Grand Prix podium in front of his adoring Phillip Island fans, while Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) strengthened his grip on the title with a P4 finish.
A lead quartet rapidly formed at the front as Aldeguer, Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp), Canet and Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2) broke clear in the opening laps, before Gonzalez’s Long Lap penalty saw him drop into the clutches of the chasing pack that was led by title-hunting Ogura.
By Lap 10, the leading trio were 4.3s clear of Ogura, local favourite Agius, Gonzalez and Barry Baltus (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) but at the same time, Aldeguer was beginning to pull the pin. 0.6s was the Spaniard’s advantage over Canet, but with limited dry track time over the weekend, there was a long way to go and tyre life would be crucial.
The battle for P4 was bubbling up nicely too. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) made it a six-rider scrap, with Agius holding P4 with 11 laps left.
With eight laps to go, Lopez had lost touch and it was now between Aldeguer and Canet for the win. 0.6s was the gap between the duo and both were lapping consistently in the 1:30s, a good four tenths faster than anyone else on circuit. Then, with seven laps to go, Canet carved past at Turn 10 to lead.
Four to go. There was nothing to split Canet and Aldeguer, and it was as you were with three laps remaining. However, at Turn 4 on Lap 21 of 23, Canet was wide to allow Aldeguer through. Then, four seconds later, Lopez was down at the same corner! This promoted Agius to P3 and with less than three laps to go, an Australian was on the podium in Phillip Island.
Last lap time! Aldeguer held a 0.3s lead over Canet and Agius was 1.2s ahead of Ogura in the race for a rostrum. From miles back, Canet lunged at Turn 4 and made a move stick. How would Aldeguer respond? The answer came at Turn 10. Aldeguer was late on the anchors and parked it up the inside of Canet, as contact – minimal though – was made when the latter tried closing the door. Both were wide. It was harsh, but it was fair. Aldeguer made it stick and held it on the run to the line to win by 0.194s as rookie Agius claimed a dream debut podium – and there’s no better place to do it too. What a ride from the #81.
Further back, Ogura’s P4 sees the Japanese rider extend his Championship lead to 65 ahead of a date with Thailand, where a top five finish will see him collect the 2024 Moto2™ crown. Ogura pipped Moreira on the run to the line by 0.012s to see the Brazilian finish P5, as Gonzalez won the battle for P6 between himself, seventh place Baltus and eighth place Arbolino.
Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) now sits P4 in the overall standings after his P9 finish in Australia as Canet and Aldeguer leapfrog their compatriot. Marcos Ramirez(OnlyFans American Racing) rounded out the top 10, with Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Albert Arenas (Gresini Moto2), Filip Sala? (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Mario Aji(IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) complete the points in Phillip Island.
MOTO 3
Another race, another David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) masterclass. The 2024 World Champion broke clear in the closing stages to win for the 11th time this season, which draws the #80 level with Valentino Rossi’s lightweight class single-season victory record with three races to go – and there was a special throwback celebration to go with it too. 2.9s back, a ferocious fight for the final two podium spots played out and it was a battle that was won by Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) as the Spaniard beat third place Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) by 0.003s.
Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) got a magical launch from pole position and easily collected the holeshot into Doohan Corner but Turn 2 saw David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) carve his way into P1. Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA) then demoted Ortola to P3 at Turn 4, as home hero Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) made a lively start to get stuck into the podium mix from Lap 1.
On Lap 2, Nepa led but the Italian dived into the Long Lap penalty loop – the first of two – which handed Kelso the lead. But, as expected, the lead changed at a rapid rate of knots as the top 13 were suddenly separated by 1.4s – and that became the top 14 as Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) joined the party.
A couple of laps later, it became a front group of 17. Nepa had completed his two Long Lap penalties and was part of the podium scrap, as Kelso – after contact in the group – dropped to the back of the pack in P17.
With 10 to go, two of the top four in the World Championship then crashed together at Turn 4. Ortola and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) were down after the Dutch rider clipped Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing), which saw him crash and collect Ortola. Both riders were OK, but that’s a dent in their hopes of claiming P2 in the World Championship.
That left us with a 30-wheeler fight at the front heading into the final eight laps. Plenty of jostling continued in the following laps as Alonso led the way with four laps remaining, and the group was beginning to stretch. The top four – Alonso, Muñoz, Fernandez and Holgado – were 1.3s up the road from the chasers, so it looked like it was a four-way fight for the win. Or was it? Because now, Alonso was 0.6s up the road on the harder rear tyre.
The World Champion had checked out. Heading onto the final lap, Alonso was 1.7s clear as a fierce fight for second unravelled. It was Fernandez from Muñoz and Holgado heading onto the home straight, with Nepa and a few others not far behind either, and it was a drag race won by Holgado by 0.003s. Fernandez held onto P3 by 0.018s, the impressive Nepa pinched P4 as Muñoz slipped to P5. But the plaudits, once again, went the way of the incredible Alonso. 11 wins in a season match Valentino Rossi’s 1997 lightweight class record, as the Colombian also becomes the first rider to win four lightweight class races in a row since Marc Marquez. Those aren’t bad names to etch your name alongside, are they?
Elsewhere, Yamanaka collected P6 ahead of Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and 10th place Piqueras, as Kelso had to settle for P11 on home turf. Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) was 12th ahead of the second local hero Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) as the rookie picked up Phillip Island points. Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) were the final points scorers in Australia.
