Moto2 Barcelona: Remy Gardner wins again to extend championship lead

Published: 06 June 2021

Remy Gardner now has an 11-point lead over Raul Fernandez

Remy Gardner came out on top once again in a battle with Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Raul Fernandez in Barcelona.

The duo exchanged positions mid-way through the race, however Gardner fought back on the run down into turn one on lap 20. The Aussie used the slipstream perfectly down the straight to dive down the inside of Fernandez.

Moto3: Sergio Garcia wins a dramatic Catalan GP

His victory comes a few days after it was confirmed that Gardner will move into the premier class with Tech3 KTM next season. Gardner now leads Fernandez in the standings by 11 points heading to the Sachsenring in two weeks’ time.

Xavi Vierge claimed his first podium since the 2018 Argentine Grand Prix in third spot. The Petronas Sprinta Racing rider was able to hold off Marco Bezzecchi in the closing stages of the race.

Augusto Fernandez equalled his best result of the season in fifth spot to celebrate Elf Marc VDS’s 200th Grand Prix. Bo Bendsneyder crossed the line in sixth, whilst Sam Lowes had a quiet race in seventh. The Brit finished 4.875s behind Gardner and is now XX points behind the series leader.

Marcel Schrotter, Somkiat Chantra and Joe Roberts completed the top 10 today, whilst rookies Albert Arenas, Tony Arbolino and Celestino Vietti finished 12th, 13th, and 14th respectively. Jake Dixon crossed the line in 18th.

Aron Canet was the first faller in the race, hitting the deck at turn five on the seventh lap. At the start of the following lap Marcos Ramirez went straight on into the gravel at turn one and fell off his bike.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta crashed out of the race at turn one on the 19th lap. Moments later Ai Ogura crashed out of seventh at turn four. On lap 21, Hector Garzo ran in too deep at turn one and crashed into the back of Fabio Di Giannantonio whilst battling for eighth spot. The incident is currently under review by Race Direction.

Moto3 Barcelona: Sergio Garcia secures Spain’s 250th lightweight class victory

First published: 6 June 2021 at 11:24 by Josh Close

Sergio Garcia came out on top in typically chaotic Moto3 race in Barcelona to clinch Spain’s 250th lightweight class victory.

The Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team rider fought his way through the order from 19th on the grid to take his second victory in three races. Garcia took the lead of the race on the final lap.

Jeremy Alcoba finished second after some unique tactics out on the track. Alcoba would purposely go wide at turn 11 in order to avoid leading coming out of the final corner. Other riders could be seen showing their frustration at Alcoba’s game plan.

Jaume Masia crossed the line in third but was demoted one position after exceeding track limits on the final lap. As a result,Deniz Öncü inherited the final step of the podium and clinched his first-ever Moto3 podium.

Darryn Binder finished fifth for the second consecutive race as he continues to rebuild his season following a tough start to 2021. Pole man Gabriel Rodrigo was sixth, despite leading as they crossed the line for the final lap.

Championship leader Pedro Acosta fought back from 25th on the grid to take seventh and led the race multiple times in the closing stages.Niccolò Antonelli finished eighth, whilst Kaito Toba and Stefano Nepa completed the top 10.

The red flag was waved on the final lap following a three-rider incident and turn eight. Ayumu Sasaki had a highside on the exit of the turn, with Leopard Racing duo Dennis Foggia and Xavi Artigas unable to take avoiding action. Foggia and Artigas were given lifts back to the pits, however the condition of Sasaki is not yet know. Race direction provided a reasuring update stating that all riders involed were conscious.

The top 11 riders crossed the line before the red flags were waved and therefore their positions are secure. However, the results beyond those risers are still to be confirmed. Romano Fenati was the 11th rider to cros

Rookie Izan Guevara crashed out of the top three on the final lap. Meanwhile, John McPhee appeared to have the pace to pull away from the slipstream but his race would come to a dramatic end on lap 10.

Having just taken the lead, the Scot went a little wide on the exit of turn two and was thrown over the handlebars. Behind him, Andrea Migno and Tatsuki collided, with their machines smashing into McPhee’s fallen Honda. Thankfully, all three riders walked away unharmed.

It’s McPhee’s fourth DNF from the opening seven races, whilst he also failed to score points at Portimao due to a pit-lane, plus 10-seconds, start. Today’s crash couldn’t have come at a worse time, with teams throughout the paddock beginning to make their move in the rider market.

Adrian Fernandez retired from the race after being handed two seperate long lap penalties. The first was given due to taking the shortcut at between the first two corners, whilst the second was handed to the Spaniared to exceeding track limits. Filip Salac also retired from the race with an issue.

Riccardo Rossi failed to start the race after crashing on the warm-up lap. TheBOE Owlride rider was due to start from 10th on the grid.

After seven race of the 2021 season, Acosta holds a XX-point advantage over

Moto2 Barcelona: Remy Gardner beats Raul Fernandez to take pole

First published: 5 June 2021 by Josh Close

Teammates Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez continued their battle for the Moto2 crown in qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix, with Gardner coming out on top.

Gardner’s fastest lap-time was a 1:42.977, which was 0.158s quicker than his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate. It’s the Australian’s second pole of the 2021 season and the stage has now been set for another battle with Fernandez.

Moto3: Gabriel Rodrigo takes pole ahead of Jeremy Alcoba

Bo Bendsneyder equalled his best qualifying result of the year in third spot, clinching his fourth career Moto2 front row start. Behind him, Augusto Fernandez clinched his best grid spot since the 2020 Grand Prix of Styria in fourth.

The Elf Marc VDS rider is joined on the second row by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Xavi Vierge. Ai Ogura was once again the second fastest rookie in seventh, with Sam Lowes having to settle for eighth.

Somkiat Chantra and Marco Bezzecchi completed the top 10, with Aron Canet missing out by 0.036s in 11th. Jorge Navarro was 12th but it could have been much better for the MB Conveyors Speed Up rider. The Spaniard crashed whilst on a lap which would have seen him potentially on the front row.

Hector Garzo narrowly missed out on a spot in Q2 and will therefore start the race from 19th on the grid. Behind him, reigning champion Albert Arenas qualified 21st, whilst fellow rookies Celestino Vietti and Cameron Beaubier were 25th and 28th respectively.

Jake Dixon’s qualifying session ended before it really got going. The Brit lost the front heading down into turn five after diving down the inside of Stefano Manzi. As a result, Dixon will start the race in last position (32nd).

Tomorrow’s Moto2 race is due to begin at 13:30 (UK Time).

Moto3 Barcelona: Gabriel Rodrigo leads a Gresini Racing one-two in Qualifying

First published: 5 June 2021 at 12:36 by Josh Close

Gabriel Rodrigo secured his first pole of the 2021 Moto3 season in Barcelona after an excellent game plan from the Indonesian Gresini Racing team.

Rodrigo and teammate Jeremy Alcoba were seen discussing their final runs in the garage before heading out in tandem in the final view minutes of Q2. Alcoba led Rodrigo through the first sector, before allowing his teammate through. Rodrigo recorded a 1:47.597 to qualify 0.317s quicker than Alcoba.

Moto2: Raul Fernandez pips Remy Gardner on day one

Earlier on in Q2 Rodrigo had gone to the top of the timesheets without requiring a tow from anybody else. It’s the Argentine’s first pole since the 2020 Grand Prix of Styria at the Red Bull Ring.

Niccolò Antonelli completed the front row on the Avintia Esponsorama machine. The Italian was the third and final rider to dip into the 1:47s this afternoon.

Stefano Nepa was fourth, whilst rookie Izan Guevara secured his best qualifying result since the opening race of the year in fifth. John McPhee completed the second row ahead of teammate Darryn Binder.

Tatsuki Suzuki, Jaume Masia and Riccardo Rossi complete the top 10. McPhee, Masia and Rossi all had to go through Q1. Romano Fenati qualified 11th after spending most of the session by himself on the circuit.

Ayumu Sasaki will start 14th after getting caught out by the traffic jam in the last few minutes. The Tech3 KTM rider had opted to only complete one run this afternoon. Mugello race winner Dennis Foggia could only manage 16th for Leopard Racing.

Sergio Garcia missed out on a spot in Q2 by just 0.077s and will start tomorrow’s Moto3 race from 19th. Yuki Kunii and Andrea Migno will join the Aspar rider on seventh row.

The big news from the opening session was that championship leader Pedro Acosta failed to make it through. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider will start the race from 25th, with only Andi Farid Izdihar, Takuma Matsuyama and Elia Bartolini behind him.

Tomorrow’s Moto3 race in Barcelona is due to begin at 10:20 (UK Time).

Moto2 Barcelona: Raul Fernandez tops tight opening day

First published: 4 June 2021 by Josh Close

Raul Fernandez overcame the challenge of Augusto Fernandez on the opening day of Moto2 action in Barcelona to top the combined standings.

In a battle that looks set to cause problems for commentators moving forward, both Fernandez riders, who aren’t related, were competitive on day one. Augusto topped FP1 this morning, before losing out to Raul in FP2 by only 0.016s.

Moto3: Gabriel Rodrigo pips Darryn Binder to top spot

Nevertheless, it was an excellent return to form for Augusto, despite a crash at turn 12, and an even better day for Elf Marc VDS. Teammate Sam Lowes competed the top three (+0.166s) ahead of the team’s 200th Grand Prix on Sunday.

“I always enjoy riding at this track and last year I had a very strong race, so it’s always a positive feeling to return to a circuit where you know you can be strong,” Lowes said afterwards. “I’m happy with today and while some other guys have shown they have good pace, I believe I do too. I improved a bit this afternoon even though the track conditions weren’t ideal.

“We had a look at two different directions today with the set-up and we can now look at the data tonight to check which one gives me the best chance of being right up there again.”

Series leader Remy Gardner ensured that it was a Red Bull KTM Ajo / Elf Marc VDS lockout at the top of the standings. The Aussie was 0.169 off the pace set by his teammate.

Mugello podium finisher Marco Bezzecchi was the best of the rest in fifth, ahead of Xavi Vierge and Hector Garzo. Augusto Fernandez, Lowes, Gardner and Bezzecchi failed to improve on their times set in FP1.

Take a bow, Barry Baltus #Moto2 #CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/jHHbHxciyh

— MotoGP on BT Sport (@btsportmotogp) June 4, 2021

Bo Bendsneyder ended day on in eighth for the Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team, whilst Ai Ogura and Aron Canet rounded out the top 10.

Jake Dixon was 13th on the second Petronas Sprinta Racing Kalex bike, whilst American Joe Roberts had to settle for 16th overall. Rookies Albert Arenas and Cameron Beaubier were 22nd and 25th respectively, whilst fellow newcomers Celestino Vietti and Tony Arbolino were 26th and 27th.

Barry Baltus had an eventful day down in 28th. The NTS RW Racing rider went viral this morning after pulling off a massive save at turn five, one that even Marc Marquez would have been proud of. However, a crash in FP2 has caused Baltus to be taken to the medical centre for a check-up. You can see Baltus’ save in the footage further up the page.

Tomorrow’s Moto2 FP3 session is due to begin at 09:55 (UK Time). This will be followed by Q1 (14:10) and then Q2 (14:35).

Moto3 Barcelona: Gabriel Rodrigo beats Darryn Binder to top spot on day one

First published: 4 June 2021 at 16:39 by Josh Close

Gabriel Rodrigo pipped Darryn Binder to top spot on the opening day of Moto3 action in Barcelona ahead of the Catalan Grand Prix.

The Indonesian Racing Gresini rider was the only rider to drop into the 1:47s on Friday, posting a fastest lap-time of 1:47.950. This was enough to beat Binder’s Petronas Sprinta Racing machine by 0.078s. Binder had bounced back from a crash during this morning’s FP1 session.

MotoGP – Johann Zarco pips Franco Morbidelli on day one

Romano Fenati was third overall on day one, albeit 0.258s off the pace set by Rodrigo, ahead of rookie Izan Guevara. The reigning Junior Moto3 world champion was second during FP1 but couldn’t match those ahead of him in the afternoon.

Ayumu Sasaki was a further 0.034s behind in fifth, ahead of Jeremy Alcoba and FP1 pacesetter Sergio Garcia – who was the only rider in the top 10 who didn’t go faster in FP2. Andrea Migno, Tatsuki Suzuki and Stefano Nepa completed the top 10.

Elsewhere, some big names in the championship have some work to do tomorrow morning if they’re to make it directly into Q2. Championship leader Pedro Acosta was down in 13th spot, whilst John McPhee was one position further back in 14th. Likewise, Jaume Masia is 16th overall, whilst Mugello race winner Dennis Foggia was 20th.

Tomorrow’s Moto3 FP3 session is due to begin at 08:00 (UK Time) and will be followed by Q1 (11:35) and Q2 (12:00).