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| Kropotkin Thinks | ... that there are more questions than answers this year |
Submitted by Zara Daniela on
Results and summary of qualifying for the Moto3 class in Misano:
Submitted by David Emmett on
Two red flags for two serious crashes seriously disrupted the efforts of the Moto3 riders to get through to Q2 on Saturday morning. First, Deniz Oncu fell heavily at Turn 16, causing the session to be stopped to attend to the Tech3 KTM rider, then Alberto Surra hit the back of Yuki Kunii's bike at Curvone, crashing heavily at the fastest corner on the track. Both Oncu and Kunii were reported to be conscious and transported to the medical center for further treatment.
Submitted by Zara Daniela on
Friday morning in Misano offered a little hint at the weather forecast for the weekend, as the lightweight class started the action on a dry circuit covered by a dense cloud cover. That did not stop Aragon GP victor Dennis Foggia from making a solid start on home soil, the Leopard rider ending FP1 with a good advantage, over three tenths of a second ahead of compatriot Romano Fenati. Niccolò Antonelli also saw his name at the top of the timesheets before getting demoted to third, very closely followed by Andrea Migno.
Submitted by Neil Morrison on
The Moto2 race at Aragon may have been more sedate than the MotoGP outing, it offered up a tremendous exhibition of grit, while Moto3 threw up a number of interesting talking points.
Fernandez on another level
The standout take from Raul Fernandez’s 2021 campaign isn’t the blinding speed, or the five wins, the first Moto2 rookie to achieve as many since Marc Marquez in 2011. It’s his reaction to any form of adversity. Just as he did at Assen in June, the 20-year old bounced back from a crash in the previous race with an imperious victory at Aragon with the biggest winning margin on the year (5.4 seconds).
But this one was the most special to date. Just nine days before, Fernandez broke the fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand in a near stationary bicycle accident at his home outside Madrid. The hand was operated on two days later, and he arrived in Aragon admitting the injury was “bad news for fighting for the title.”
But aside from a moment in FP1 when he seemed to tweak the injury during a moment on the kerbs, Fernandez’s handicap never looked apparent as he confidently took control of the race from Sam Lowes on lap four. From there he never looked back, and trimmed his deficit in the title race to 39 points. Even team-mate and championship leader Remy Gardner held his hands up after the race. “I have to say, man, Raul was on another level with his pace. I couldn’t match that. He’s doing an incredible job. He’s a tough opponent.”
Submitted by Mat Oxley on
Red Bull KTM’s hugely successful rider programme has got other factories worried – is that a problem or not?
The tighter and more competitive MotoGP becomes the more everything matters.
MotoGP’s current technical regulations guarantee that all the bikes have similar performance. Thus the rider becomes an ever-more important part of the equation because he or she is the surest way of making that vital difference.
So how do you find the best riders? You open your wallet, of course. But what if someone else has flashed the cash before you and locked a talented youngster into a long-term deal?
Submitted by David Emmett on
Standings after the Moto3 race at the Motorland Aragon circuit:
Submitted by Zara Daniela on
Results and summary of the Moto3 race at MotorLand Aragon:
Submitted by Zara Daniela on
Results:
Submitted by David Emmett on
The 2021 MotoGP calendar has been finalized. The combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fire which ravaged the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit has caused the cancellation of the Argentina Grand Prix, meaning that the 2021 MotoGP season will consist of 18 races, leaving 6 races - including Sunday's Aragon round - to contest this year.
The finalization of the calendar also means that the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will go ahead, despite the current situation with hospital capacity in Texas due to the Covid-19 outbreak. With the Austin City Limits music festival due to be held on the same weekend, it is hard for the Circuit to justify canceling the race.
Submitted by Zara Daniela on
Results and summary of qualifying for the Moto3 class at MotorLand Aragon:
