RACE PREVIEW
# SanMarinoGP
“ Pecco Bagnaia : coolness personified and favourite to retain his crown .”
LEADING CONTENDER
With stops in countries as far flung as Indonesia , Australia and Japan , this year ’ s championship has a definite worldwide flavour . And the continuation of last year ’ s format – Sprint race on Saturday , feature race on Sunday – means a whopping total of 740 points are on offer . MotoGP™ 2024 promises to be as gripping as last year ’ s version , with a wide array of challengers offering up excitement aplenty .
The first half of the season has shown that we ’ ll have a thrilling fight to fit the occasion . Ducati is once again the manufacturer to beat , as it fields an armada of eight riders , who are all capable of challenging for victories . After a few shaky moments , reigning World Champion Francesco ‘ Pecco ’ Bagnaia racked up four victories in succession midseason , plus a dominant weekend in Austria , to assume control on the championship fight .
Last year ’ s rival in chief Jorge Martin has benefited from his experience of fighting for the MotoGP™ World Championship in 2023 , and has shown he will be a contender once more , by securing epic victories in Portugal and France . A crash out of the lead in Germany was a blow , but he then recovered with a run of four second places on the bounce .
A new name in Ducati ’ s roster promises to upset the applecart . Marc Marquez ’ s sensational decision to leave
Honda for the first time in eleven years in favour of Gresini Ducati has already seen him back fighting among the leading names , and he scored three brilliant second places at Jerez , Le Mans and the Sachsenring . Enea Bastianini has also showed he has recaptured his very best form and a brilliant victory at Silverstone propelled him into title contention .
That ’ s not to say Ducati will have it all its own way . Far from it , as KTM has built on its best ever MotoGP™ season , when it finished second in the Constructor ’ s Championship , by finetuning its RC16 . Brad Binder is keen to get back among the leaders after missing the podium since Round 1 . And rookie Pedro Acosta has been the year ’ s sensation , becoming the third youngest premier class podium finisher in history with an inspired ride in Portugal .
Aprilia was more difficult to read . Maverick Viñales was unbeatable in Austin , scoring his first victory for the Noale factory . But he and team-mate Aleix Espagaro have struggled for consistency since then .
Both Yamaha and Honda are still a long way off fighting for the top . Fabio Quartararo was disappointed by the performance of his M1 in the opening rounds . Likewise , Repsol Honda knows it will take some months before its riders is challenging for leading positions .
Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini | 23