Motegi MotoGP Saturday Subscriber Notes: What Nearly Went Wrong For Jorge Martin, KTM's New Frame, And An Open Championship

By David Emmett | Sat, 30/09/2023 - 21:38

When the 2023 MotoGP season is over, the Motegi round is likely to be seen as one of the turning points. Either because this is the place where Pecco Bagnaia and his team fixed their problems with the Ducati GP23 and stopped Jorge Martin's momentum in its tracks, or because he couldn't, and Martin would go on to sweep the title.

It is still too early to say which of those two versions of events will transpire, and the sprint race at Motegi did little to clarify the picture. Jorge Martin was unstoppable, shattering the pole record, beating the race lap record by over a second (though the sprint races don't count toward setting race lap records), and leading from start to finish, after shaking off a brief challenge from Brad Binder. But Pecco Bagnaia looked a lot better than he has done in recent races, finishing third and limiting the damage to Martin.

2023 WorldSBK Championship Standings After Race 21, Portimão, Portugal

WorldSBK standings after Race 1 at Portimão:

David Emmett Sat, 30/09/2023 - 14:18
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2023 Portimao World Superbike Race One Result: Swings And Roundabouts At The Rollercoaster

The title could not be decided in World Superbike race one at Portimao, with Alvaro Bautista forty seven points ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and needs to leave Portugal sixty two points ahead. Andrea Locatelli would start from the back of the grid due to a black flag infringement last weekend. The weather was warm, but not hot. 

Jared Earle Sat, 30/09/2023 - 13:39
2023 Portimao World Superbike Superpole Result: Cancelled Laps And Black Flags

World Superbike qualifying was a windy affair, fifteen minutes to determine the grid for the race this afternoon and the superpole race tomorrow morning. Andrea Locatelli's qualifying only applies to tomorrow morning's race as he will start race one from the back of the grid for not responding to a black flag last weekend after his engine crapped out. 

Jared Earle Sat, 30/09/2023 - 10:33

2023 Portimao World Supersport Superpole Result: Red Sectors, Red Bikes, Red Flags

By Jared Earle | Sat, 30/09/2023 - 09:54

World Supersport qualifying was twenty minutes round the Portimao circuit to determine the grid in both races this weekend, a weekend where the title could be decided as Nicolo Bulega leads Stefano Manzi by eighty five points with only one hundred points remaining in the series.

2023 Portimao World Superbike FP3 Result: Ducatis On Top

Three Ducatis, headed by Alvaro Bautista, took the top three places in the sort morning's session. 

Results:

Jared Earle Sat, 30/09/2023 - 09:52
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