Sunday MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 race recaps from Sachsenring

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Nine – Sachsenring
Sunday

Jorge Martin arrived in Germany with a ten-point advantage over Pecco Bagnaia, but as MotoGP heads into its short summer break, that situation has been reversed.

Bagnaia will head to Donington with a ten-point lead over Martin after the Spaniard made a late blunder at the Sachsenring.

History was made by the Marquez brothers in Germany.  Alex (28) and elder brother Marc (31), the first siblings to share a premier class podium since Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki in Imola in 1997. Alex was in the podium battle right from the start while Marc Marquez managed to scythe his way forward from 13th on the grid to take second place.  Marc’s fastest lap of the race was actually faster than Pecco’s, but the new lap record went to Jorge Martin.

Sachsenring was another showcase of Ducati dominance despite some strong Aprilia resistance.  It was a Ducati 1-2-3-4-5 ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in sixth and KTM’s Pedro Acosta in seventh.  The first Japanese bike across the line was Fabio Quartararo, the Frenchman on the Yamaha finishing the 30-lap race in 11th place, 17-seconds behind the winner.

MotoGP Race Report

Jorge Martin launched well off the line but didn’t have the best line into turn one which gave Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) a chance to challenge for the early lead but the Portuguese rider was forced to settle into second. Bagnaia was third early on but the reigning Champion struck at the end of the opening lap to overtake Oliveira, taking up the chase as Martin tried to bolt at the front. He couldn’t, however, and Bagnaia pulled off a carbon copy of his last corner move on Oliveira to take the lead.

Franco Morbidelli was then the rider in the spotlight as he shot past Oliveira and into second, then starting to harry his team-mate Martin. Bagnaia, Martin and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) started to build a small gap as the shuffle continued in a big group battle behind, but then the shuffle kicked off again in theirs as Martin struck late at Turn 1 to take back the lead with 24 to go.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) then suffered a run off from the battle behind, leaving Alex Marquez, Oliveira and now Marc Marquez in the chasing group as Martin started to put the hammer down at the front.

Bagnaia had been reeling a couple of tenths back in, but then Morbidelli sailed down the inside of Turn 1 past the reigning Champion, somehow getting it stopped and nabbing second. And there were still 22 laps to go.

Martin led Morbidelli with around half a second between the Prima Pramac duo, with the group behind holding high-speed station. With 16 laps to go Morbidelli then went deep at Turn 1, and Bagnaia was right on him looking for a way though. He found one at Turn 12, and then Marc Marquez found one on Oliveira. Martin was a second clear, Bagnaia was now the rider on the chase, and Alex Marquez got past Morbidelli before Marc Marquez also homed in. The podium fight was starting to take shape.

As Morbidelli headed wide at Turn 1 with nine to go, Marc went for it, but Franco cut back. The two bashed into each other and just stayed on, but Marquez ultimately came off worse, dropping back into the clutches of a charging Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). One dance of high-speed ballet wasn’t enough and the two staged another at Turn 1 next time around. Marquez was then able to hold him off, and the duo stalked down the deficit to Morbidelli up ahead.

It was an absolute late lunge when it came, Marc Marquez suddenly darting out from behind Morbidelli at the final corner and making the pounce stick to perfection. At the front, Martin was holding Bagnaia at bay by five, seven, six-tenths, and Alex Marquez was now in the space between that duo and Marc. The gap between the two Gresini machines was over two seconds. But then it was 1.5, then just under a second, then even less… when Marc arrived he sliced straight past, more tyre underneath him and only a few laps to go.

Those few laps delivered the headline drama. Martin seemed on course to complete his second consecutive double at the Sachsenring, with that margin to Bagnaia looking to be enough. And then Martin was sliding out across the tarmac into the gravel, with his closest rival so far this season sweeping through to create a 20-point swing in the title fight.

Bagnaia just had to avoid the same to take the victory, and that he did as he crossed the line with just under four seconds in hand to become the Championship leader for the first time since Saturday in Portimão

Marc Marquez, after his huge highside on Friday, a dramatic Q1, and then an all-out war up from 13th in the Grand Prix – including full combat with Franky – takes second for this fourth podium of the season, but loses that undefeated record at the track.

Alex Marquez back on the podium for the first time since Sepang last year and makes that history as two brothers sharing the podium in the premier class.

Bastianini added some stunning racing to the mix at the front but had to settle for fourth this time round, ahead of Morbidelli in fifth.

Oliveira took a very solid sixth to follow up his Tissot Sprint podium on Saturday, with some breathing space ahead of a big battle for seventh. That was won by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) completed the top ten.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) stayed ahead of Viñales after his run off, with another close set of finishes just behind as Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) pipped Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) after tyre pressure penalties for Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR). For Marini, a point, his first of the season, rewards a weekend with a big step forward seemingly taken in all sessions just ahead of summer break.

Remy Gardner took the chequered flag last, but was promoted to 19th after Bradl’s penalty was applied. Remy crossed the line 50-seconds after the race victor, but a more comparable yardstick is the distance after 30 laps between the Australian and the fastest Yamaha rider, Fabio Quartararo, that difference was 33-seconds. Fabio’s fastest lap of the race was a 1m21.414 while Remy’s best was a 1m22.142, both on lap six.

We now have to wait until next month, August 2-4, for our next instalment of MotoGP, and Silverstone will come with a twist as the entire grid will be resplendent in retro liveries for the British GP.

MotoGP Sachsenring Race Results

Amended MotoGP Sachsenring Race Results

16-second pressure penalties applied for Zarco, Bradl and Augusto Fernandez

Sachsenring MotoGP Top Speeds Across Weekend

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) notched up his first win since the Spanish GP as the Spaniard broke clear in the latter stages to beat Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Polarcube Aspar Team) by 2.1s, with Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) leaving it late to claim a fourth podium of the season in P3 at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Dixon grabbed the holeshot but polesitter Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) soon pinched P1 back from the Brit on Lap 1. Lap 3 saw Aldeguer take the lead for the first time, with the #54 and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) passing Vietti in quick succession.

On Lap 6, Arbolino then led for the first time as Vietti profited from Aldeguer getting overtaken by demoting the Spaniard to P3. The latter was soon back in P2 though, with Dixon and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) rounding out the top five, as a Moto2 freight train formed. By Lap 7, Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) had climbed to P6 from P12, with team-mate Ogura tucked in behind.

With eight laps to go, Aldeguer – having returned to the front – was now 1.3s clear following a near highside from Arbolino coming out of Turn 7 that cost the Italian several places. In total, eight riders had a podium place in sight, as Aldeguer stretched his advantage further to 1.7s.

On the final couple of laps, Aldeguer cruised home to beat Dixon by 2.1s, as the latter broke clear of the fascinating fight for the final podium spot between Vietti, Ogura and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). A spellbinding final lap played out between the three, and it was Ogura who outfought Vietti at the final two corners to claim the final spot on the rostrum, with Moreira also getting the better of Vietti on the run to the line.

Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) was 0.118s away from the podium in P6, with Championship leader Garcia forced to settle for P7 – one place ahead of the impressive Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). The American battled through the pain barrier to pick up a valuable P8 at the Sachsenring.

Senna Agius showed great pace in qualifying on Saturday and although the race Sunday was much cooler and windier after a hot Saturday, the Aussie teenager delivered a masterful performance in the 25-lap thriller in front of over 98,000 spectators on this race Sunday alone.

There were some nerve-wracking scenes in which he battled against the big names in the class for nothing less than the podium. Unfortunately, his tyres degraded abruptly just a few laps before the end, which led to a direct loss of positions. Agius was no longer able to keep up with the pace due to immense sliding and was racing at the absolute limit.

His eleventh place does not do justice to his outstanding performance, but with a further five world championship points, the Intact GP rider is placed 15th in the standings.

Senna Agius – P11

“Today’s outcome of the race has been bittersweet. For the first 10 to 15 laps, I could understand the feeling and see the guys up in front. I could see them struggling and I was adapting my riding. I thought I was saving the tyre and today was my day. Then we encountered a super-sudden drop, and I locked the front into Turn 8 and ran wide. I lost a few positions, and it was a bit devastating. After the race, we realised we were the only ones in the podium battle who were on the softer rear tyre. We need to analyze where the others felt the advantage with the other tyre that I didn’t take into consideration for the race. Maybe I didn’t use it enough throughout the sessions. Anyway, I’m leaving Germany happy and proud. I gave it my all and I felt like a front-runner.”

Heading into the summer break, Garcia leads team-mate Ogura by seven points in the Championship, with Roberts 25 back in P3. Aldeguer’s second win of the year sees him sit 39 points back before the second half of the campaign gets going at Silverstone in early August.

Moto2 Sacshenring Race Results

Moto2 Sachsenring Top Speeds Across Weekend

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) took a stunning sixth win of the season at Sachsenring, holding off Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) on the final lap.

Championship challenger Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) crashed out early on from the lead, and Alonso scored the full 25-point haul when offered the open goal.

Veijer took the holeshot and led early doors, but his crash out the lead left his rivals with a big opportunity in the race and in the title fight. After a classic group battle and with some added dashes of drama for plenty – including Ortola who had to serve a Long Lap for a slow sector on Saturday and a run through the gravel for Furusato – it all came down to a final lap face-off.

Alonso had some big pressure from Furusato as the two led the way for the final trip round the Sachsenring, but a wobble for the Japanese rider saw him lose just enough momentum to ut him too far back to make a final corner lunge. Alonso held on to it but 0.187s, with Furusato, in turn, holding off Ortola too. The podium trio pulled out two seconds on the chasing pack by the flag.

Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and team-mate Angel Piqueras took fourth and fifth, with their own small gap back to another duel as Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helments – MSI) came back from two Long Laps for a jump start to pip Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) faded slightly from initially running at the front to take P8 ahead of Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), with Scott Ogden (MLav Racing) taking the final spot in the top ten to deny Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsport).

Joel Kelso – P11

“Ending the weekend on a positive note.  Even though P11 is not where I want to be, it was definitely a step in the right direction after a couple of tough races. My team worked their butts off this weekend to help me find a good feeling on the bike. Apart from struggling in one particular sector, I felt confident and knew we had made progress. Now, it’s back to Australia for summer break to catch up with my family and mates! I’m looking forward to working on areas where I need to improve over these next few weeks. Last year, I had a strong second half of the season—let’s make it even better this year!”

Kelso is now tenth in the Moto3 World Championship, two places ahead of rookie countryman Jacob Roulstone who enjoyed his first visit to Sachsenring.

Roulstone was also in the heart of the scrap with his team-mate Holgado but was punted off after contact with another rider. Jacob was able to survive the massive moment and stay on the bike but dropped down to 19th. He then fell at Turn 11 a lap later.

Jacob Roulstone – DNF

“That happened quite quick! I felt so comfortable on the bike and had figured everything out. I was controlling the pace and the tires. I was happy but then the contact happened and I’m a bit lost for words. Everything was bent on the bike afterwards and I lost it while trying to get back in the rhythm. It was good to have more experience back at the front. I’m disappointed but these things happen.”

Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had been in the battle right at the front before a moment at Turn 1, with the #99 unable to drop anchor and initially making a top save before sailing off into the gravel, rider ok but out the race.

After Veijer’s shock crash out the lead and a comeback masterpiece from Alonso after he’d been off the podium at Assen, the title momentum swings even further in the Colombian’s favour. He now leads by a whopping 58 points heading into summer break – join us for more at Silverstone as the field look to fight back!

Moto3 Sachsenring Race Results

Moto3 Sachsenring Top Speeds Across Weekend

Moto3 Championship Standings

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

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