Rennie Scaysbrook | August 19, 2022
2022 Austrian MotoGP News—Friday
Marquez back in the paddock
Marc Marquez was back in a MotoGP paddock for the first time since he had surgery on his upper right arm on June 3rd – the fourth major operation on the limb in 25 months. He was in Austria to assess the current failings of Honda, last in the Constructors’ Championship, and its ’22 Honda RC213V.
“I had the experience of 2020-2021 when I was a long time without coming to the circuits. And in that period I disconnected too much and when I came back everything was too new. So this time I tried to keep in contact a lot with Santi, with Stefan Bradl, especially with my team. Of course my brother is riding on Honda too, but I prefer to keep that tight relationship with my team, with Honda engineers and one of the reasons to be here is not to see the bikes on the track. It’s to speak with Honda, the engineers, to be involved about the project.”
Marc Marquez was back in the pits, but not on a bike yet.
Regarding his recovery, the 28-year-old admitted, “in the end it’s on an arm with four operations. We are working to adapt in the best way, but at least now it’s working in a normal way, I’m doing already now some exercise that before was impossible.” He also stated his intentions to race again in 2022. But only if a check up next week allows him to step up his rehabilitation. “Until next week, when I will have the doctor check, that is when they will decide if I’m allowed to push more or not. And if they allow me to push more that is when we will make a plan and we will understand immediately when I will come back.”
GASGAS to partner Tech3 in MotoGP
Tech 3 will become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team in the 2023 MotoGP World Championship, it was announced on Friday.
A majority share of the GASGAS brand – previously successful in the off-road discipline – was acquired by KTM in 2019. Since then it has attempted to increase visibility by rebranding KTM machinery in Moto3 as GASGAS, as well as an entry in Moto2 as the GASGAS team, despite running Kalex chassis, with the Aspar team running the GASGAS logos in both cases.
Oh so lovely! GASGAS wants to be in the big time next year.
Like in Moto3, Tech 3’s machinery will be a KTM RC16, identical to the bikes run by the Red Bull KTM Factory Team. Essentially, the set-up will be the same as this year. But instead of orange, Tech 3 boss Hervé Poncharal’s bikes will run red. Pol Espargaro will be the lead rider with the second seat still to be decided.
Oliveira to reconsider final KTM offer?
KTM hasn’t given up hope of keeping Miguel Oliveira within its ranks after Motorsport Director Pit Beirer admitted the Austrian factory has made a last-ditch contract offer.
Oliveira’s nose was put of joint by KTM’s signing of Jack Miller to the factory team. The three-time race winner had previously said he would not consider staying with the Austrian factory unless it was in its factory team. A move to RNF Aprilia has long been touted.
“Show me the money…” Will Oliveira stay or go?
Yet KTM has offered him better terms to stay, although in the Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing Team next year. “I had a little chat with Mr Trunkenpolz (KTM Executive Board Member) and Stefan Pierer just before the session and there’s no real offer made yet, but they made it clear again, their intentions of me staying within the family,” said Oliveira on friday “I told them I could not give them an answer… Honestly, I have to consider after the race what to do.”
friday
MotoGP
It was Ducati domination so far at the 2022 Austrian MotoGP as Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) spearheaded a 1-2-3 for the Bologna brand in FP2, as the Frenchman beat Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by less than half a tenth.
On an arid surface after a mixed condition FP1, the majority of the field improved their FP1 times from the get-go as a busy opening to the second Free Practice session of the weekend played out, with the threat of rain and automatic Q2 places on the minds of the teams. Pecco Bagnaia climbed to the top of the table and was shadowed by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) before Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) then went fastest. The times were going to continue to drop though.
Johann Zarco was pretty in purple as he hit P1 today in Austria.
With 20 minutes to go, Quartararo was the pacesetter from Rins and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with the top 10 covered by less than half a second. The clouds were drawing in and with 10 minutes left on the clock, there was a big rush in pitlane to head out on fresh soft rubber as light rain began to fall. And that spelt bad news for second in the title race Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), as the Spaniard sat outside the top 10 in P11, so it was potentially crucial for Espargaro to get into the provisional automatic Q2 places.
Espargaro’s first effort placed him in P6 while Martin and Zarco shot up to P1 and P2, with Miller improving but staying P3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed unhurt between the penultimate and final corner, as Martin, Miller and Zarco exchanged P1 in quick succession.
Ducatis then locked out the top six with four minutes to go as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) climbed up the table, but Bastianini’s lap time was then chalked off. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were then well inside the top 10 before Quartararo went from P11 to P4. Bastianini found time again to pounce into the top 10, which pushed Aleix Espargaro out.
World Championship leader Quartararo is the only non-Ducati rider sitting inside the top eight in fourth place, he’s followed on the timesheets by title rival Bagnaia, who in turn has VR46 Academy stablemates Marini and Bezzecchi for company in P6 and P7 respectively. Bastianini sits P8 ahead of FP3 on Saturday morning, the Italian edged out Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Brad Binder inside the all-important top 10.
With rain potentially affecting FP3, all eyes will turn to the skies on Saturday morning to see if there will be any chance of being able to improve on Friday’s efforts.
2022 Austrian MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 | Johann Zarco | (duc) | 1:29.837 |
| 2 | Jack Miller | (duc) | + 0.024 |
| 3 | Jorge Martin | (duc) | + 0.029 |
| 4 | Fabio Quartararo | (yam) | + 0.040 |
| 5 | Francesco Bagnaia | (duc) | + 0.160 |
| 6 | Luca Marini | (duc) | + 0.193 |
| 7 | Marco Bezzecchi | (duc) | + 0.229 |
| 8th | Enea Bastianini | (duc) | + 0.229 |
| 9 | Maverick Vinales | (April) | + 0.276 |
| 10 | Brad Binder | (KTM) | + 0.291 |
Moto2
It was an Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 1-2 heading into qualifying day at the 2022 Austrian Moto2 Grand Prix as Somkiat Chantra beat teammate Ai Ogura by 0.055s in FP2 to top the Moto2 timesheets on day one. World Championship leader Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was 0.311s off the pace in third.
Somkiat Chantra topped Moto2 on Friday.
It was a good day for Cameron Beaubier (American Racing Team) who took sixth on day one, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Kalex) was 13th and Sean Dylan Kelly was 26th.
2022 Austrian Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 | Somkiat Chantra | (cal) | 1:34.353 |
| 2 | Ai Ogura | (cal) | + 0.055 |
| 3 | Augusto Fernández | (KTM) | + 0.311 |
| 4 | Tony Arbolino | (cal) | + 0.354 |
| 5 | Alonso Lopez | (boss) | + 0.545 |
| 6 | Cameron Beaubier | (cal) | + 0.669 |
| 13 | JoeRoberts | (cal) | + 0.864 |
| 26 | Sean Dylan Kelly | (cal) | + 1,803 |
Moto3
Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia has emerged with the fastest lap after Moto3’s first dry-weather session at the new-look Red Bull Ring – Spielberg. The Italian set a 1:41.774 with the checkered flag out on FP2 at the 2022 Austrian Moto3 Grand Prix to secure first position in what could prove a crucial session in terms of the make-up of Q1 and Q2 on Saturday afternoon. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) finished second with a lap time set just before he was involved in a crash with Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) while John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) took third. Both AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team riders, Izan Guevara and Sergio Garcia, made it into the top 14, which could be particularly important given the threat of rain when FP3 unfolds on the following morning.
Dennis Foggia continued his resurgence with P1 in Moto3 on Friday.
2022 Austrian Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 | Dennis Foggia | (Hon) | 1:41.774 |
| 2 | Deniz Oncu | (KTM) | + 0.042 |
| 3 | John McPhee | (hus) | + 0.049 |
| 4 | Tatsuki Suzuki | (Hon) | + 0.261 |
| 5 | Diogo Moreira | (KTM) | + 0.306 |
MotoE
The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup has resumed after its summer break and Eric Granado has secured a much-needed first pole position of the season at the 2022 Austrian MotoE Grand Prix. The LCR E-Team rider is second in the standings, with just two rounds left to try and overtake Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE), and the 1:41.390 which he set in Q2 at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg gives him the best possible chance of doing so. Joining Granado on the front row will be Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE), while Aegerter is set to get away from fifth position in both of this weekend’s races.
Granado took pole in MotoE.
2022 Austrian MotoE Results—Friday
| 1 | Eric Granada | (Ene) | 1:41,390 |
| 2 | Mattia Casadei | (Ene) | + 0.140 |
| 3 | Matteo Ferrari | (Ene) | + 0.179 |
| 4 | Kevin Zanoni | (Ene) | + 0.206 |
| 5 | Dominique Aegerter | (Ene) | + 0.252 |
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