MotoGP is back at Misano this weekend for the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round 14 – Misano
Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna

This second Grand Prix in a row at Misano, organised to replace the Kazakhstan round, is an exception but also a unique opportunity in the season. On a technical level, this double event can be very interesting for the teams, who will be able to collect more data on the same circuit in a short period of time. It is also an opportunity to further refine the settings of the bikes, and to test more solutions to increase performance and reduce lap times.

In addition, an official test session was held on Monday 9 September at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the day after the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e Della Riviera Rimini. This means that including the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, MotoGP riders will have ridden and raced for a total of seven days on the same circuit in just over two weeks.

For this second race in a row, the organisers are once again expecting a high attendance. Attractive ticket prices have been offered, and many Italians will certainly come to support their heroes – Italian riders make up 6 out of the 24 competitors in MotoGP.

This weekend marks the start of the first of two triple headers in the most intense period of the year. Once the race on track is over, the race will be on to pack and travel across the globe to arrive in Lombok, Indonesia for the next round the very next weekend.

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) will want to prove a serious point, for himself after that flag-to-flag gamble didn’t pay off, and for the points to extend that gap at the top. And for the future when it comes to the Constructors’ crown and that milestone 100th MotoGP win. If that’s not enough motivation, he’d also like to beat the Italian riders on their home turf and take the glory for his Italian team, who title sponsor the event. Coming out swinging probably won’t cover it, and he still knows he won in 2023 when the weather threw no curveballs.

Bagnaia, meanwhile, arrives with more margin to play with now the gap is back down to single digits in the Championship. But he also arrives preparing for his own milestone: his 100th MotoGP start, and on home turf for him and the Ducati Lenovo Team. As their double and reigning World Champion, those milestones must speak to him too. Constructors’ crown secured on home turf in his 100th MotoGP race, by taking Ducati’s 100th MotoGP win? The stars have aligned if Bagnaia can make it happen. This time round, he’ll also be closer to full fitness – something he hasn’t been at Misano since 2022.

Francesco Bagnaia

“We’re back racing in Misano for the second time this year, but compared to two weeks ago, the conditions will be quite different. The temperatures will be lower, and we’re also coming off a day of testing. My physical condition is better than it was for Misano 1, so we’ll start with an advantage compared to last time. The Emilia-Romagna GP is also the first of a triple-header: from here on, the season will pick up pace, and with the finale approaching, it’s even more important to perform well at this stage of the Championship.”

On to Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) who will be alongside Bagnaia in the factory squad next season and keen to start inking in some Ducati milestones for himself ahead of the switch.  Having now won two in a row, if Marquez wins a third, it’s the first time he’ll have taken three or more consecutive MotoGP GP wins since 2019. It would also extend his record as the most winning rider at Misano on the current grid… and close that Championship gap to the top two even more.

And then there’s Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). He’s got a 100 per cent podium record in MotoGP races he’s started at Misano, which is no mean feat. He shares some of his rivals’ motivation – home turf, for one – and that 100th MotoGP win for Ducati would probably feel pretty sweet. He’s also still well in contention in the title fight, and only nine points behind Marc Marquez.

Enea Bastianini

“Racing on your home circuit is always something special, and this year, we’re lucky enough to be back for a second time. Compared to the GP two weeks ago, we’ll see lower temperatures this weekend, which will make track conditions slightly different. During the post-race test, we found a solution that allowed me to be fast even with the rear medium tyre, which we were missing in Misano 1 to fight for the win. Let’s see how this weekend goes, but I’m generally feeling positive.”

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Saturday at the San Marino GP proved once again that there are plenty of rivals for the top four in the Championship, though. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) has been gaining speed throughout 2024, and in the Tissot Sprint last time out took his first Saturday rostrum finish. He was also fast on Sunday before crashing out. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) also took a front row and top five in the GP race, and a better launch off the line could improve those fortunes even more on take two. Teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio will have had longer to recover as we get back on track, and Alex Marquez’ (Gresini Racing MotoGP) Sunday at San Marino was a solid one.

Marco Bezzecchi

“Racing twice on the same track is always particular, but Misano is my home track and it will be a great feeling as usual! I’m happy with what we did last week, we made a step forward in qualifying and the results were also visible in the race. As in the last GP, the weather will perhaps be uncertain, the temperatures certainly lower. Lots of unknowns that will make the race even more spectacular. I can’t wait to get back on the bike and meet all the fans again!”

Fabio Di Giannantonio

“I feel good, I used the week to rest, recover more and over the weekend I was a guest at the Americas Cup in Barcelona. We are not at 100%, but I am getting better and this is a good sign also considering that there will be three races in a row. It will not be easy to manage the energies, even on the bike, but we will certainly continue to work to get back in the slipstream of the strongest group. This second Misano will be again a great feeling, with all our fans. Let’s hope for the weather, but it will certainly be a special GP.”

At KTM and GASGAS there was also good speed on Sunday, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) coming home fourth after both he and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) had a solid Sprint. Acosta will want to minimise those mistakes, and it’ll be interesting as he races at a venue for the second time in his rookie season. It went well for him in the 2021 Doha GP.

Pedro Acosta

“Misano 2 will be a special weekend as we were already racing there last week, so I hope this will help us set up the bike. Monday’s test at Misano was also important for us as we tried many things that I hope we can apply in the remaining races of the season. Let’s see if the weather is good for us, and if we can maintain or even improve the pace we had last weekend. Misano is a track that I think is good for us and where we can go fast. Last race before a very important Asian tour, let’s go for it!”

Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a good weekend last time out too, taking his best Sunday finish since Portimão, on top of scoring in the Sprint. More of that will be the minimum aim for the Aussie, and more points will be the aim for Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) after a tougher one at Misano on our first visit.

Meanwhile, at Yamaha, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) must be in the conversation for a rider of the weekend last time out, having equalled his best Sunday finish so far in 2024 and scored in the Sprint to make it his equal-best weekend for points. The Iwata factory and their 2021 World Champion want to be racing for more than seventh, but the world-beating form they’ve both shown before is built – or rebuilt – over time. Quartararo and team-mate Alex Rins have tested at Misano a few weeks ago, done the San Marino GP, and now pocketed some more track time in the Monday test, in which Quartararo was fifth quickest.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“After a positive test and a few days off, we are back in Misano, ready to get to work. This is the last GP before we go overseas. We had mixed results during the last race weekend here, but we are interested to see how some of our findings from the test hold up during this GP. We’ve had a very intense season so far, with lots of private tests in between IRTA tests and race weekends, and this last third of the season is no less busy. There are two triple headers coming up, so stamina for both the riders and the team members will be key these next seven weeks.”

Aprilia is suffering through a tough patch of form. Neither Maverick Viñales nor Aprilia Racing team-mate Aleix Espargaro took any points at the San Marino GP, so that’s a clear aim this time out. They’ll also hope that work at the Monday Test – focused on the here and now – will help to turn those fortunes around.

Aleix Espargaro

“The first race in Misano did not go as we had hoped. Clearly, the long race was affected by the rain, but we were still not as fast as we wanted to be during the weekend. During the test, we understood which direction we needed to go in, so I hope we can improve. It is a tricky circuit for us, but we are ready to do our best and fight for the positions that count.”

Maverick Viñales

“We are starting a new race weekend in Misano, and I think it’s a great opportunity for improvement. During the first race and the test, a number of things became clear to us, but now it is up to us to raise the bar. We must give our utmost in every lap, every race and every session. We are focused on taking a step forward; it’s important to us to finish this weekend on a good note before the races in Asia. My mentality is that we must improve, avoid mistakes and keep fighting.”

Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing), meanwhile, DID score – five points on Sunday to come home top Noale machine. He’ll want more, the factory wants more, the factory riders will want to beat him, and team-mate Raul Fernandez will also want to hit back.

Wilzo Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager

“The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is coming up, an important race as we clearly struggled a lot during the whole weekend at the first round in Misano, even though Miguel finished 11th. Nevertheless, during the day of testing, we managed to improve the package and hopefully, we will be able to use these modifications for the coming weekend, so we are more competitive and able to fight for some more points. We are looking forward to making the most of the lessons we learnt at the same circuit although, coming back immediately for another round at the same track feels a bit weird. However, Misano is always a special place to arrive and race at, so let’s just hope we are able to perform better this time out and leave for Asia full of confidence.”

Finally, at Honda it’s a first full weekend at Misano for Repsol Honda Team’s Joan Mir and Luca Marini. Both were suffering from illness, sidelining them last time out. They did get back out for the Monday test, so they’ll hope that sets them up to get back in the mix at the Grand Prix.

Joan Mir

“If we do a single lap during this weekend, it will already be better than the last one. I am feeling much better now and have been able to train fully during this week away from the track, my physical condition is not a problem. We were able to catch up a bit on the Monday test and try a couple of things which should let us hit the ground running this weekend. Let’s see what the weekend brings as we start this intense period of races.”

Meanwhile at Idemitsu and Castrol Honda LCR, there were some solid points for Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco, respectively. Notably, they’re now on an equal total this season – and Nakagami is ahead in the standings thanks to that P11 finish in Aragon. They’ll want to beat each other and beat the Repsol Honda duo, and to continue adding information and kilometres to Honda’s mission to move forward.

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

Thanks to a third win of 2024, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) ensured he sits as the new Championship leader heading into Round 14 of the year. Following a difficult trio of races in Silverstone, Austria – where he picked up a right-hand fracture – and Aragon, the Japanese star was back on the box for the first time since his German GP P3.

Ogura beat Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) by 0.6s to earn a nine-point lead over teammate Sergio Garcia, whose weekend ended with a commendable comeback to P12 after a Friday and Saturday to forget for the Spaniard. The title race pendulum has certainly swung from one side of the garage to the other down at MT Helmets – MSI, now we’ll see how Garcia bounces back.

Ogura and Canet were joined on the podium by Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) who bagged a second podium in a row. The Italian looks somewhat back to his best after a tricky opening half to the season, and another home race rostrum would go down very nicely before the flyaways begin.

Elsewhere, Manuel Gonzalez’s P4 (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) was a solid effort from the Spaniard, as Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) admitted his P5 “felt like a win” after the Briton clawed his way back from P14 on the grid to earn some more decent points in his quest for the title.In addition, home hero Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will be seeking redemption after his late crash from P4, and so will Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) after the Spaniard slid out of contention on Lap 1.

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

We witnessed a comeback for the ages in Moto3 last time out as Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) clinched a phenomenal win despite taking not one, but two Long Lap penalties. The rookie’s debut win was sublime, so will the #36 be able to go back-to-back when he lands at the same venue this weekend?

Piqueras will certainly be hoping so. And if there are no long laps to contend with, that will make his life a lot easier – but as we know, it won’t be as simple as that. One rider who will be out to stop his compatriot from doubling up is Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). The #96 has returned to form with two podiums in the last three outings seeing the Spaniard climb to P2 in the overall standings.

Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) responded to his disappointing Aragon outing by grabbing a seventh podium of the year, as the Spaniard edged out Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) by less than a tenth. The Japanese star and fifth place finisher Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) were two riders who picked their way past a frustrated David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) on the final lap, as the Colombian finished in P7 following a drop one place penalty for exceeding track limits in the last lap too. That promoted Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) to P6 as Alonso finished off the podium in consecutive races for the first time this season.

Moto3 Championship Standings