Making his comeback after almost four-months recovering from arm surgery, Marc Marquez surged from 13th to 6th in the opening turns.

But a small slide on the exit of Turn 3 had big consequences for title leader Fabio Quartararo, who hit the back of Marquez’s Honda and was thrown down the track.

Marquez kept going but part of Quartararo’s broken bodywork was jammed in his ride-height system, causing the bike to veer across the track on the exit of Turn 7, resulting in another clash that left Takaaki Nakagami down and out.

“Forget about the social media side of things. I mean, people that don’t race motorcycles probably don’t quite see it the way that it actually is. That’s got to be the underlying thing,” said former Grand Prix rider and British Champion Keith Huewen.

“But for me, it’s all the clickbait merchants and people sitting behind keyboards who are writing for whatever publication and even some television commentators, I’ve got to say.

“When you’ve got a non-racing tubby journo behind his keyboard trying to emulate a 5 times, 6 times 7 times or in this case 8 times world champion, it just gets right up my nose!

“It’s hysteria for clickbait. I can’t stand it. It drives me absolutely insane. The fact of the matter is, it was a reflex action by Marquez.

“If you look at all of the races, everybody was having a little bit of grip trouble early on in an opening lap. But it’s also an opportunity to make up places. We all do it, everyone that races a motorbike, everybody that races anything. If there’s an opportunity to make up space in those first two or three bends, you will make it up.

“Marc Marquez went round the outside [at Turn 1]. He was getting himself in a good position and the back just let go on him a little bit.

“It happens, it spun up. The traction control would have been set for a little bit more grip, so therefore it didn’t bang in perhaps like it would have done if it had been a lap or two later when there was a bit more heat in the tyres.

“But then the hysteria – there was one person speculating whether he did it on purpose! I mean, what goes on in these people’s heads? I’ve got no clue at all.

“Marquez wouldn’t even be thinking about shutting the throttle. It would have been just a reflex roll [off] to get the thing back in line. And unfortunately for the likes of Quartararo, he was in close behind because he’s trying to take advantage.

“Quartararo will have been annoyed, but even Lin Jarvis said it’s a racing incident.

“But it’s the whipping up of the clickbait that really gets on my nerves, and obviously on other people’s nerves as well. I read a piece only this morning from Ben Spies. Now there is a guy who can ride a motorbike. You don’t get much better than Ben Spies and he’s had a right old swipe.

pic.twitter.com/Lnt6ae21gz

— Ben Spies (@BenSpies11) September 20, 2022

“Not particularly in this case, but I listen to some commentary on TV and think, ‘this guy has not even ridden a motorbike at this level’. It’s not something you can comment about if you’ve not done it. That should be the domain of the expert,

“I always get messages from Terry Rymer when I’m watching TV saying how much it annoys him! There are people with experience of riding motorbikes around the world who are going ‘What? What?’ and you want to throw things at the TV.

“But back to Marquez, he might just think to himself, ‘what the bloody hell do I have to do to stay out of trouble?’ All he wanted was a good run at Aragon and here he is, with all the usual criticism, every troll in the world on his case, and it was a racing incident. There was no more to it than that.

“He was as big a victim of it in the end because he didn’t get the race distance that he needed for the next part of the jigsaw in his recuperation.

“Nakagami was a bit unfortunate. It looked like it was still wheelieing a little bit as Marquez was in his way. Marquez had got something some of Quartararo’s fairing jammed under the rear wheel, interfering with the forward motion of the Honda. So that was unfortunate and Nakagami I feel genuinely sorry for.”

Crash.net MotoGP editor Peter McLaren added: “I was at most of the rider debriefs after the race on Sunday and none of the riders I heard criticised Marc for the Quartararo incident. It was just one of those things. You also had Aleix passing Bastianini at the same time, Marc was trying to stay inside of that etc.

“Quartararo certainly didn’t suggest he thought anything untoward had happened.

“I think to be honest, this kind of first lap incident was always going to happen to Quartararo sooner or later just because of the situation he’s in with that bike, and not being able to overtake.

“If he doesn’t qualify on the front row, he has no choice but to do these kind of flat-out first laps. Quartararo can’t wait until the back straight to pick people off, because of the top speed problem, so he’s got to go for it in the corners. And the start is the best chance to do that.

“But you can’t keep doing that race in, race out, at this level without an incident happening eventually. I just think Quartararo paid the price for having to get 110% out of that Yamaha all the time.

“There was a bit more variation in rider opinion for the Nakagami incident, should Marc have been a bit more aware of the bike damage before that corner? But then some others said Nakagami, being behind, should have taken more action to avoid the contact.”

Francesco Bagnaia went on to cut Quartararo’s title lead to just 10 points, but it could have been just 5 had fellow Ducati rider Enea Bastianini not overtaken Bagnaia for victory on the final lap.

As such, podcast host Harry Benjamin revisits the question of Ducati team orders before a review of the Moto2 and Moto3 events, including the shocking pit lane block by the Sterilgarda Max mechanics on Tech3’s Adrian Fernandez.

Finally, the try to predict the top three for this Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, a venue off the calendar since 2019, meaning 10 of the current grid have no prior MotoGP race experience at the track.

Download Episode 64 at the following links…

New podcasts available each week.

The first incident saw Yamaha title leader Fabio Quartararo launched down the track after hitting the back of Marc Marquez on the exit of Turn 3.

Damage to the Spaniard’s Repsol Honda then caused Marquez to veer across into Takaaki Nakagami a few corners later, sending the Japanese down the track and forcing more evasive action.

“Halfway around the first lap I was thinking, ‘why have I come back to this?’” said a wide-eyed Crutchlow on Sunday evening. “There were people flying everywhere.

“I thought, ‘OK, what happens now?’ Because I’ve just seen a bike obliterated, from Fabio, and thought, ‘surely a red flag’.

“I get around the next corners and, ‘OK, we’re carrying on’. But then Taka’s sliding across the floor and I’m doing a stoppie.

“All you could see were bikes going everywhere. Remy nearly hit me, Darryn nearly hit me, but the others went left and I had to go right.

“It was the same as the first incident with Fabio. I slammed on the brakes then as well because you didn’t know which way his bike was going.

“I didn’t expect all that in the first lap of my first race back, I can tell you!”

Crutchlow: 15-seconds faster than last year

But when the first-lap drama had cleared, Crutchlow emerged as the top Yamaha rider, having jumped from 19th on the grid to 12th.

The Englishman then battled with the likes of Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi and later Maverick Vinales on his way to 14th at the flag, beating his best result from four stand-in rides last year and claiming his first MotoGP points since 2020 with LCR Honda.

“I really believe I would have been top Yamaha anyway, obviously!” Crutchlow joked.

“No, it was positive. I used to look at 14th and think ‘14th? I wouldn’t even bother turning up’, but we have to be quite happy because I did not a bad race.

“I haven’t raced for a year, so to be 20 seconds off is a long way, but I lost 5 of them in the first lap. I was 15 seconds faster than when I raced here last year and had done four races in a row.”

For comparison, Enea Bastianini’s race-winning time was 9 seconds faster than Francesco Bagnaia’s victory in 2021.

“I tried my best. We can’t fight here. It’s not a Yamaha circuit and when you’re in a group or behind someone it seems very difficult,” Crutchlow added.

“I think I could have done a bit better if I was able to fight more in the first laps. But we’d lost the group, then Bezzecchi and Marini were smashing each other off the track and holding us all up!

“But the good thing was I didn’t go over my limit. Rins came past and I could have tried to stay with him, but I thought that was over my limit.”

Crutchlow hoping to get new chassis

While Quartararo and Monster team-mate Franco Morbidelli had the latest Yamaha chassis, which Crutchlow has helped develop, at Aragon, the #35 was still on the standard frame.

“The [Factory] guys have the new chassis but there are limited resources on that. Maybe the plan is that I will use the new chassis as well, because then I can do more mileage on it. Get some information.

“There was an aspect of that chassis that I didn’t really like, but a lot of good aspects to it as well.”

One area that Crutchlow doesn’t need to work on is his race starts.

“I start well. I’ve broken the Yamaha record as such from 0 to 100 and 0 to 175 – maybe they [others] need to let the clutch out a little bit more!

“But yeah, I was quite happy with my start. It was a little bit strange because unlike a practice start you’re looking at the lights – and being so far back on the grid with my eyesight…!”

‘Motegi a track I enjoy’

Round two of Crutchlow’s six-race RNF comeback takes place in just a few days, at Motegi.

But while MotoGP hasn’t raced at the track since 2019, Crutchlow has done some private testing laps for Yamaha.

“Motegi’s a circuit that I have been to this year [testing]. Not so long ago, but it’s completely different to a race weekend.

“In testing you’re riding around and don’t really see anyone. The track was dirty as well. So we’ll see what happens. It’s a track I enjoy.”

Quartararo’s DNF saw his title lead over Bagnaia slashed from 30 to 11 points, while Franco Morbidelli finished in 17th and Crutchlow’s rookie team-mate Darryn Binder 18th.

Izan Guevara put in a performance that felt as if it could define the championship as he controlled MotorLand to ease to victory in the Moto3 Aragon Grand Prix, round fifteen of the championship.

The current championship leader started from pole with a great run previously on home soil – winning both of the rounds previously held in Spain.

That track record was maintained after a breakakway at the front of the race. 

Leading from the front for Autosolar GasGas Aspar and never truly challenged for the lead, the Spanish rider initially had Daniel Holgado and Ayumu Sasaki go with him, with the front row starters holding station out front.

Holgado was dropped first, with Sasaki closing in for a final push for position on the penultimate lap.

 

The #28 instead pulled away for his fourth win of the season, leading over the line by almost a second with a 0.937s gap.

Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider Sasaki was unable to answer so had to settle for second, with his own gap back to Holgado, running solo in third. 

 
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was on the front row for the third time in his rookie season, but before this round had not translated his qualifying form into podium success. This time he enjoyed his first podium finish and was quick to congratulate his friend on the win, the pair also having helped each other find the best line in qualifying on Saturday.

Deniz Oncu was kept from the front of the grid with a bike issue in qualifying, which left him down in 13th on the grid. The Turkish rider wasted no time in cutting through the pack and soon found himself taking over from Tatsuki Suzuki at the front of the chasing group.

Setting a new best in race lap record was not enough to be able to bridge the sizeable gap the lead trio had carved out for themselves, but one in fourth the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider was unchallenged for the position.

 

After his controversial qualifying experience, which saw the Max Racing team members sanctioned for their actions, Adrian Fernandez seemed to have a fire lit underneath him for Sunday. His electric performance saw him race his way to fifth in a seven way battle to the line from the chasing group, his best finish to date.

Angeluss MTA team rider Ivan Ortola put on some strong moves in the final corners to climb to sixth, with fellow rookie David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) seventh after a long lap penalty for forcing Fernandez wide earlier in the race as he was perhaps too aggressive on his way through from 16h on the grid.

Twice a winner at Aragon, Jaume Masia made late gains to claim eighth in the crowded rush to the line for Red Bull KTM Ajo, just ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PreustelGP).

McPhee 10th despite bike issues

 

John McPhee brought home the second Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing bike in an up and down race for the British rider. 
Qualifying fifth McPhee immediately looked at home in the chasing group and able to fight to the front and lead the chase to the breakaway trio.

The issues he had experienced in practice then returned and the #17 was unable to switch gear, dropping him out of the top ten. Fighting back he made top five again after much fiddling to get his bike moving again only for the issue to rear its head again with three laps remaining. Fighting hard the Scottish rider came home tenth in the main group.

Eleventh went to Xavier Artigas on the second CFMoto entry. He just kept Tatsuki Suzuki behind on the first of the Leopard bikes to cross the line.

Title hopefuls falter

 

Sergio Garcia was next to the line in the incredibly close gang to meet the flag.

The Spaniard, who lost his title lead to Guevara last time out in San Marino had a tough time out on track. Trying hard to make up for his twelfth on the grid, every time he made up places he was pushed back after trying too hard and running tight or wide.

One place further back in 14th was Dennis Foggia. The Italian had  brought himself back into the championship race after winning the San Marino Grand Prix but never featured at all in the race and was off the huge group crossing the line on his Leopard entry.

The final point on offer went to Diogo Moreira ( MT Helmets – MSI), who also came back from a long lap loop penalty, his was for exceeding track limits.

Maria Herrera and her all female team and crew at MTA Angeluss finished 27th with regular female rider Ana Carrasco (BOE Motorsports) ahead in 25th. 

Crashes and penalties

 

Lorenzo Fellon fell off at turn one on the very first lap and took both Nicola Carraro and Joshua Whatley with him. Scott Ogden was the best of the VisionTrack riders in 22nd,

Ryusei Yamanaka fell later on the same lap but rejoined for seven more laps before retiring.

Where does that leave the championship?

 

Izan Guevara now extends total to 229 points moving his lead from a slim eleven to a substantial 33 point gap over team-mate and rival Sergio Garcia who only added three points to his tally.

Dennis Foggia only gained two points to leave him a very distant third overall, with Ayumu Sasaki’s second moving him into fourth overall on 158 points.

Pedro Acosta made all his hard work to reach the front of the race count as he then took control and took victory in the Moto2 Aragon Grand Prix, round fifteen of the championship.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo qualified down in sixth but had the pace to run at the front, a string of early fastest laps saw the man from Mercia able to battle the then leader, his team-mate Augusto Fernandez for the first place on track.

Once out in front he had close company from Aron Canet, who held on for many laps before having to concede to Acosta’s superior pace, leading over the line by a comfortable 2.612s.

It is an incredible performance after missing part of the season with a broken femur, his second win of the season, marking a return to the #51’s pre-injury form.

Canet had already battled with Albert Arenas before he slipped out of contention, earning his second place for Flexbox HP40 the hard way. It is his sixth second place of the season as a win continues to elude the Spaniard.

Augusto Fernandez was the early race leader, getting a great start from pole. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider faded back after being taken by Acosta. Knowing every point was crucial in the title race he ensured he did not fall back into the clutches of the battle for fourth.

That saw Tony Arbolino, who didn’t follow Canet through to the front, fighting hard with Ai Ogura, desperate for every position for the overall gains. By the final lap Jake Dixon had broken down the gap to have the duo in his sights.

The determined Idemistu Honda Team Asia rider, who had to come through Q1 in qualifying in a challenging weekend, had been slowly working his way forward from eighth on the grid. Dixon had looked set to pounce on the pair after his fastest lap on the Aspar entry but fell on the final lap. The British rider had already crashed in warm-up leaving his mechanics a big repair job before the race.

One final determined push from Ogura saw him force the issue and claim fourth, with Arbolino fifth for Elf Marc VDS Racing.

Fermin Aldeguer was the top Boscoscuro for CAG Speed Up after he inherited sixth from Dxion as he slipped into the gravel.

Somkiat Chantra was a distant seventh on the second Idemitsu entry.

He held his own gap over Jorge Navarro in eighth on the second Flexbox HP40 bike. Joe Roberts was ninth on the grid and moved as high as seventh in the race before being raced back to ninth at the line for Italtrans.

Celestino Vietti started 17th and slowly moved forward through the field as the race went on, wotking his way to tenth by the time he reached the chequered flag, a big improvement in the race with Mooney VR46, but not enough to save his fading title dreams.

Cameron Beaubier continued his run of improving results with eleventh, fighting for that final top ten spot with Vietti to the line for American Racing.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans) and Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP) were right behind in 12th and 13th respectively.

The final points on offer were collected by Gresini’s Alessandro Zaccone in 14th and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) in 15th.

 

Crashes and Penalties

Senna Agius, in for Sam Lowes again at Elf Marc VDS, finished 16th, with a penalty applied for his actions in San Marino.

Alonso Lopez had topped warm-up and looked set to challenge for a rostrum finish, but his hopes ended early as the first rider out, cartwheeling his way out of contention after a nasty crash at turn two.

Immdediatley after Marcel Schrotter fell, with the knock-on effect seeing Keminth Kubo, Niccolo Antonelli, Zonta Van Den Goorbergh and Sean Dylan Kelly all caught up in the incident and running off into the gravel.

Van Den Goorbergh and Kubo both fell again later in the race, Kubo exited with Taiga Hada on his second crash.

Manuel Gonzalez and Jeremy Alcoba both fell early at the same time, and on the same lap as Albert Arenas.

 

Where does that leave the championship?

Augusto Fernandez remains in control with 214 points, but third after holding first while Ogura made moves forward for fourth sees the gap at just seven points. Aron Canet is now 37 points adrift on 177, with Celestino Vietti a distant fourth with a total of 162.

Quartararo was sent flying from his Yamaha when he hit the back of Marquez as the eight-time world champion saved a slide on the exit of Turn 3.

“I had a small moment, which you have many times with a cold tyre,” explained Marquez, who was making his racing comeback from a fourth operation on his right arm.

“I lost the rear a little bit and closed the gas, but it was not a very big moment.

“I saw the images and the problem is that Fabio was super close, as is normal at the start.

“So it was a race incident, and very unlucky.”

Marquez denied that he had been riding especially aggressively in the opening turns.

“My mentality was the same as I said all weekend: Try to get kilometres, try to finish the race, and we didn’t get the target. I just did one lap,” he said.

“The start was amazing, but just instinct. I went outside, and when I exited the first corner, I was sixth.

“It was something I didn’t expect but then, I said, ‘OK, we will see’, but after just two corners everything went in the wrong way.”

Marquez: ‘I felt it was locking, everything became crazy’

But having remained upright after the Quartararo impact, more drama was to follow just a few corners later.

A broken piece of Quartararo’s fairing became jammed in Marquez’s ride-height device, causing his bike to veer to the side on the exit of Turn 7 – creating an impact with Nakagami.

“I felt something strange in Turn 5 and I said, ‘what’s going on?’ But when I went into turn 6-7, I felt OK. Then in Turn 7, Nakagami overtook me on the inside and went wide. So then I was inside of him, already a little bit in front, and I engaged the holeshot [ride-height device, on the exit].

“As soon as I engaged the holeshot, I felt like the rear wheel was locking. I checked very carefully the images, and you can see that a piece [of bodywork] is going out from the fairing. And then when I felt it was locking, everything became crazy, and the bike had that rear lock, going to the left side, and no torque.

“After that incident, I retired [on the pits]. But I didn’t retire because of the Taka incident, I retired because of the Fabio incident. Both actions were very unlucky for everything.”

Marquez: ‘My apologies to Taka and Fabio’

Some felt the Marquez-Nakagami collision showed why aerodynamics and ride-height devices should be restricted in MotoGP on safety grounds.

“I think the Fabio crash, device or no device, aerodynamics or no aerodynamics, will happen,” Marquez said. “Because it was completely a racing incident like we saw many times in the past.

“A small mistake from the front guy, the rider behind was planning to overtake me, was super close, that is normal and it happens.

“But the Nakagami incident, without the holeshot and the wings, for sure we would avoid it.

“Because when I engaged the holeshot is when I locked the rear wheel, because I had a piece of Fabio’s fairing between the rear fender, in that area.

“Then Taka fell down because when we had the contact, I was also decreasing my speed because I had the mechanical problem. So it was a really unlucky action.”

Marquez was seen heading into the LCR pits to apologise shortly after retiring from the race and said he would also try to speak with Quartararo, whose title lead has been slashed from 30 to 11 points over Sunday’s runner-up Francesco Bagnaia.

“I spoke especially with Taka’s team and apologised, because it was a real mechanical problem but if you just see it from outside, it looks like I went straight into Taka.

“Later I will try to speak with Fabio, who was in the Clinica Mobile, also with Taka.

“My apologies to him and Fabio.”

Nakagami suffers right-hand damage

While Quartararo escaped with friction burns and abrasions to his chest, Nakagami’s participation in this weekend’s home Japanese Grand Prix could be in doubt.

“I had a good start, but then had an accident on lap one. I had contact with Marc and had a nasty crash, so I’m really disappointed,” he said. “I’m now going to Barcelona to check the wound on the 4th and 5th fingers on my right hand. I will keep everyone updated and really appreciate all the support.

“I will try my best to recover and hopefully we can race at my home GP in Japan.”

‘People complain about Ducati, but Bastianini still has a title chance’

Meanwhile, asked for his opinion on the Bagnaia vs Bastianini – Ducati vs Ducati – victory battle, decided in the Gresini rider’s favour after a last-lap pass, Marquez said:

“I think it was a great fight. And Enea is riding really well, and normally is the strongest one now in the last laps.

“Many people complain about Ducati [not applying team orders today] but Enea still has a chance to win the title.

“As we saw today with Fabio – of course I was there in that action – but it was completely a racing incident, and can happen to Bagnaia or to Bastianini.”

Bastianini’s fourth win of the season has moved the young Italian to fourth in the standings and 31 points from Quartararo, with 125 points still available.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, third on Sunday, currently splits the Ducati riders, sitting 17 points from Quartararo.

Marquez, who had gained seven places at the start of his first MotoGP race since June, momentarily backed off on the exit of Turn 3 to save a rear-wheel slide.

But Quartararo had no chance to react, slamming into the back of the Repsol Honda and being thrown down the road, suffering friction burns and abrasions to his chest as he was clipped by the bike.

“Sore and burned,” said Quartararo, when asked how he was feeling. “It’s a shame because it’s the first time I felt good in Aragon for many years.

“Marc turned so well, but also had a slide. I had better traction, didn’t expect it and just hit the back [of him]. I don’t remember exactly the situation, but it’s a shame in just the third corner.”

While Marquez went on to suffer another clash with Takaaki Nakagami shortly after, the drama wasn’t over for Quartararo either.

Quartararo: ‘The marshal hit head-on with another scooter’

“I had a second crash. And it was quite fast actually. Luckily I didn’t take off my helmet,” Quartararo said. “The marshal just hit [head on] with another scooter.

“I don’t have any injuries from that crash, everything I have is from the first crash. But I think the marshal is a little bit sore.”

Without the Marquez collision, Quartararo – seventh at the time of his fall – felt he could have been in the group fighting for third to sixth.

Quartararo did at least get some unexpected assistance on an otherwise nightmare day with Enea Bastianini overtaking fellow Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia to snatch victory on the final lap.

Without that pass, Bagnaia, winner of the previous four races but still 30 points adrift at the start of the grand prix, would have been just 5 points from Quartararo rather than the 11-point difference heading into Motegi next weekend.

“Japan is a track I love,” Quartararo said. “Hopefully we can race there [despite the typhoon warnings] because many riders have not been in Japan on a MotoGP bike, like Bastianini.

“I feel Japan can be a good track for us because even if there is a lot of acceleration, there is also a lot of braking. That is our strong point. So hopefully Japan happens.”

Third place for Aleix Espargaro means the Aprilia rider now completes a title top three covered by 17 points, with five rounds to go.

Izan Guevara extends his Moto3 title lead over Aspar team-mate Sergio Garcia to 33 points with victory in the Aragon Grand Prix, while Dennis Foggia’s championship hopes are now on the ropes with five rounds to go.

MotoGP Aragon weekend schedule (UK time)

Friday September 16

8am – Moto3 FP1

8.55am – MotoGP FP1

9.55am – Moto2 FP1

12.15pm – Moto3 FP2

1.10pm – MotoGP FP2

2.10pm – Moto2 FP2

 

Saturday September 17

8am – Moto3 FP3

8.55am – MotoGP FP3

9.55am – Moto2 FP3

11.35am – Moto3 Q1

12pm – Moto3 Q2

12.30pm – MotoGP FP4

1.10pm – MotoGP Q1

1.35pm – MotoGP Q2

2.10pm – Moto2 Q1

2.35pm – Moto2 Q2

 

Sunday September 18

8am – Moto3 warm-up

8.20am – Moto2 warm-up

8.40am – MotoGP warm-up

10am – Moto3 race

11.20am – Moto2 race

1pm – MotoGP race

* Rookie

Official Aragon MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 46.069s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Franco Morbidelli ITA Yamaha 1m 48.089s (2020)

LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami tops morning warm-up for the 2022 Aragon MotoGP, while team-mate Alex Marquez failed to set a lap time after a fast out-lap highside.

Front row qualifier Enea Bastianini and fellow Ducati rider Johann Zarco were within 0.3s of Nakagami’s best lap, with Maverick Vinales putting a tough Saturday behind him with fourth for Aprilia.

Marc Marquez, who will be starting his first MotoGP race since Mugello from 13th this afternoon, completed the top five.

World champion Fabio Quartararo was eighth with title rivals Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) ninth and eleventh. Bagnaia, chasing a fifth win in a row, starts from pole position this afternoon.

RNF Yamaha stand-in Cal Crutchlow enjoyed the best session of his comeback weekend with tenth.

Most, if not all riders are expected to use the hard front and medium rear tyres for this afternoon’s race.

Francesco Bagnaia is seeking a 5th win in a row this weekend, as he returns to the scene of his debut MotoGP victory at Aragon last season.

But the big news is that Marc Marquez, the rider Bagnaia narrowly beat one year ago, will be returning to race action for the first time since Mugello in May, after which he underwent a fourth operation to improve mobility and reduce pain in his beleaguered right arm.

Reigning champion and title leader Fabio Quartararo faces what has proven to be one of his toughest circuits – a best of fifth in 2019 and only eighth last year – with a reduced 30 point lead over Bagnaia.

Aleix Espargaro – now pushed to third in the standings by Bagnaia’s rise – could be another one to watch, with Aragon traditionally one of his best events of the season on the Aprilia.

Team-mate Maverick Vinales is also on red-hot form, with RS-GP podiums in three of the last four rounds.

After missing Misano due to ankle injuries from Austria, Joan Mir re-joined Alex Rins at Suzuki before being forced to abandon his return – and also withdraw from next weekend’s Motegi round – after struggling with ‘a severe lack of mobility and an increase in pain’ during free practice.

With Andrea Dovizioso hanging up his leathers after Misano, triple MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow is taking over the RNF seat for the final six rounds of this season.

MotoGP Aragon weekend schedule (UK time)

Friday September 16

8am – Moto3 FP1

8.55am – MotoGP FP1

9.55am – Moto2 FP1

12.15pm – Moto3 FP2

1.10pm – MotoGP FP2

2.10pm – Moto2 FP2

 

Saturday September 17

8am – Moto3 FP3

8.55am – MotoGP FP3

9.55am – Moto2 FP3

11.35am – Moto3 Q1

12pm – Moto3 Q2

12.30pm – MotoGP FP4

1.10pm – MotoGP Q1

1.35pm – MotoGP Q2

2.10pm – Moto2 Q1

2.35pm – Moto2 Q2

 

Sunday September 18

8am – Moto3 warm-up

8.20am – Moto2 warm-up

8.40am – MotoGP warm-up

10am – Moto3 race

11.20am – Moto2 race

1pm – MotoGP race

 

 

Augusto Fernandez found track space and an almost perfect line of the MotorLand circuit to claim pole position before tyres lost performance in qualfying for the Moto2 Aragon Grand Prix, round fifteen of the championship.

Sitting in tenth, he pulled out a near faultless lap while out on track after the class exited pit lane for their second runs to finish Saturday topping the timesheets with a best of 1m 51.888s.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider remain calm and focussed to claim just his third career pole – his last one came at Silverstone where he went on to win the race.

An added bonus came from his title rivals under-performing in qualifying. The #37 enjoys a gap back on the grid to Ai Ogura on row six, with Celestino Vietti sitting on a distant row six.

Albert Arenas was flying around the track at the same time but fell just 0.124s short of the best tome for Shimoko GasGas Aspar.

 

Dixon back on form and back on the front row

 

After his rostrum run, Jake Dixon saw his hopes of making it four visits come to an end after a crash in qualifying in San Marino left him swamped on the grid and taken out early in the race.

Undeterred, he arrived in Spain knowing his pace hadn’t changed and was supported by his Apsar team to reset and not the same error again. 

The confidence paid off with Dixon on the front row, alongside team-mate Arenas, completing a strong showing for the GasGas bikes in Q2.

Alonso Lopez continued his good form with the best time after free practice, but couldn’t quite translate that into qualifying pace. The rookie finished Saturday a solid fourth for at CAG Speed Up, the best of the non-Kalex riders in the intermediate class for Boscoscuro.

Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) was the closest of the title contenders to Fernandez as he saw his provisional pole time slip back to fifth.

Pedro Acosta made moves forward from eleventh to sixth for Red Bull KTM Ajo, to complete row two.

Tony Arbolino also found late gains to rise from tenth to seventh for Elf Marc VDS.

Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was the early pace-setter in the session, but his chase for the win will be harder from his eighth place grid slot, with both Canet and Fernandez, who he is only four points behind in the title hunt, ahead on the grid.

The Japanese rider was the best of the Q1 graduates, with American Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, who moved on with the top time, next in 16th.

His team-mate Somkiat Chantra will line up next to him in ninth after being the final rider to set a time in Q2.

With five minutes left to run, it appeared Joe Roberts might have done enough for a fourth place start, but a flurry of late improvements shuffled the Italtrans rider back to tenth.

Fermin Aldeguer was again beaten by his team-mate Lopez since his arrival to replace Romano Fenati, and had to settle for eleventh, with Filip Salac twelfth for Gresini.

Jorge Navarro was the second crasher in the session but still managed to qualify ahead of many riders who stayed upright in 13th for Flexbox HP40.

A qualifying to forget for Vietti

Since his pole to win in Barcelona, qualifying has not seemed quite such an issue for Mooney VR46 Team rider Celestino Vietti.

After also qualifying in the top slot of the grid last time out in San MArino, and needing a strong showing to keep his fading title chances alive, hopes had been high for a repeat for team and rider.

Vietti was immediately on the back foot when he had his last lap cancelled in FP3, which saw him go from 14th to 26th and back into Q1 for exceeding track limits.

After just making it through Q1 with the fourth best time, the Italian immediately had a further setback – falling as the front of his bike locked at turn one, sending him sliding into the gravel in the opening minutes.

Without a lap to his name for most of the session as his machinery underwent repairs and a tyre change, back on track his first effort lifted him from 18th to 16th. He was then dropped back to 17th with only fellow Q1 rider Alessandro Zaccone setting a slower time.

What happened in Q1?

 

With a one run situation, there were no real improvements to be had as the session went on – Vietti’s session progression time was set on his first flyer, while Beaubier remained in the garage as his time was going to remain safe.

Barry Baltus just missed out on the cut so will be best of the rest in 19th on the grid for RW Racing GP.

Loranzo Dalla Porta also came close and will be one place further back for Italtrans.

Marcel Schrotter was another veteran of the class not to progress, he lines up 21st for Liqui Moly Intact GP

Injuries, replacements and penalties

 

Senna Algius is once again in for Sam Lowe at Elf Marc VDS and was looking to break into the Q1 top four on his final run. His time didn’t improve after meeting Sean Dylan Kelly and a host of other riders on track, leaving him seventh in the session – 21st on the grid.

Eighth place (+0.359s) and top Honda during an encouraging return to action on Friday, the Spaniard put his sore arm and shoulder muscles to the test with a massive front-end save and then an accident on Saturday morning’s FP3.

The complications continued when Marquez, trying some radical set-up ideas for 2023 on his spare bike, missed the top ten cut-off for direct Q2 access by two places but was satisfied despite 14th in FP4.

“Today we come back to the reality of this moment. In FP3 the problems started. I didn’t feel good with the bike. We tried some big things for Honda. Then I crashed with the good bike. The other bike was not the one that I preferred. So, I couldn’t improve the lap time.

“Then from FP4 to Q1, I’m very happy. I’m very happy about the speed but especially the feeling with the bike. I start to feel the bike and feel the same problems as always [with it].”

The Repsol Honda star came within 0.066s of claiming the final transfer spot in Qualifying 1, where an attempted tow behind Aleix Espargaro was foiled at Turn 1.

“I started to ride in a good way. In Q1 I tried with the first tyre. I was alone and did a 46.9s which is a good sign because in the first part of the season it was impossible to ride alone. Now I ride alone and I did a good lap time.

“Then the second run it was crazy with the yellow flags.Unlucky. But if you have the speed, you are always lucky. If you don’t have the speed, you’re always unlucky. It’s true that today we still don’t have the speed of the top guys. “

Marquez: ‘FP3 was for Honda, FP4 was for me’

Pressed further on the experiments he had done with his bike today, including further use of an aluminium swingarm from Kalex, Marquez explained:

“Yesterday we analysed everything and we found the best bike. this is our base. But then this morning that was not in the garage because it was important, especially here in MotorLand where I know what I need to be fast. to try [other] things.

“This morning we tried a concept for Honda that in the end was not working – but it’s important to try the concept to find the way for 2023.

“But I knew FP3 is crucial for Sunday’s race. If you’re out of Q2, Q1 everyone is riding very fast.

“FP3 was for Honda, FP4 was for me.

“The swingarm, you can see from outside. If I did qualifying with the aluminium one, it’s because I feel better. But if you check FP3, you can see it was not fitted in any bike because we were working for another thing.”

Marquez: ‘My longest run is five laps in a row’

Nonetheless, it is Marquez’s physical endurance – after the bone realignment surgery on his right arm – rather than grid position which will have the biggest impact on his race.

“Tomorrow will be an interesting day because since Mugello I haven’t made any long run. The maximum long run I did is five laps in a row. I cannot think about managing the tyres, I will think about managing myself.

“As we saw today, Ducati riders are so fast. Fabio is doing something special with his bike. There are three riders that are flying, Pecco, Bastianini and Fabio. The others are not very far but we are there.

“But what I understand already in free practice is to overtake is very difficult. I mean, as soon as you brake behind another bike you feel a lot the aerodynamic effects. Then you cannot stop the bike. For that reason everyone in Misano was struggling to overtake.”

LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami qualified as the top Honda in 12th, with Alex Marquez 17th and Pol Espargaro 18th.