Sunday MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 race recaps from COTA

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Three – Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas
Circuit Of The Americas – Sunday Race

Pedro Acosta took the holeshot with a storming start, and Jorge Martin caused a chain reaction with a tough move up the inside that sent Sprint winner MavericK Viñales wide, and a few more. But Martin converted that smash and grab into second behind Acosta, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) up a storming eight places into third. Soon, however, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) were on the scene.

Martin attacked Acosta once for the lead and was repelled, and then again but was repelled. The rookie pounded on at the front as the Championship leader looked increasingly impatient. And he had reason to be, with Bagnaia now right on their tail and Marc Marquez right on his.

The next shuffle came as Martin attacked and, this time, took over at the front. Sensing the time was now, Marquez immediately made his move on Bagnaia, and then the rookie ahead was just wide – allowing Marquez through to chase down Martin. Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta were locked together, and soon enough after enough shuffles, Bastianini and Miller were right on their tail too.

At quarter-race distance, heading into the final corner, Marquez struck against Martin. But there wasn’t space, and the eight-time World Champion had to pull out of it, lightly tagging the Ducati GP24 ahead. No harm done as Martin kept the lead, but the loss of momentum saw Bagnaia and Acosta able to steamroller past Marquez too.

Meanwhile, Viñales was coming. After dropping to P11, he’d made it past a handful of riders already, including Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), before passing Bastianini with 14 to go.  His gap to the front was two-seconds, next target Miller. That was done in Sector 1 with 13 to go. Now it was Bagnaia up ahead, with Marquez ahead of him and Acosta next. Meanwhile, Martin’s gap at the front had grown to just under a second as he started to make some breathing space.

Once Viñales was onto the back of Bagnaia, a spectacular duel ensued between the two, but the reigning Champion couldn’t hold the Aprilia back. Now Viñales was off in pursuit of the top three and the podium, and Acosta had likewise been making hay.

The rookie had cut Championship leader Martin’s advantage right back down, and he had Marquez for company. Once a move was plausible, Acosta struck for P1, pulling the door open to shoot past Martin and take over in the lead. Marquez was able to follow him through and take over second.

And so the rookie led the eight-time World Champion, as Viñales started to harry Martin for third. But the next move came from Marquez as he sliced through to lead, giving Acosta no right of reply. Was this crunch time for Viñales on the chase, if Marquez had the pace to start breaking away? If it could have been, it didn’t last long. It suddenly all came unravelled for Marc Marquez at Turn 11.

Sliding out from the lead, the American dream of an eighth win at the track was over for Marc Marquez, leaving the rookie to sail on to lead over the line. But that wasn’t for long either, with another dance about to begin – because Viñales was past Martin and onto Acosta.

The Aprilia was stuck to the back of the RC16, looking for a way past, which he found a lap later at Turn 11. From there he was able to pull out some tenths of breathing space for the moment, with the next action looking likely to come from Bastianini homing in on Martin. The Beast divebombed the Pramac at Turn 1 with five to go, but it was optimistic and the #89 hit back on the cutback, as you were.

From there the gaps went out, came back in, and went out again, and by the final lap Viñales just had to focus on getting to the flag to make history. Crossing the line after plummeting down the order and ending even the first lap in P9, Vinales won with a third different bike, taking his 75th podium and completing the double for the first time in his career. The hat-trick of pole, win and fastest lap likewise go the way of Viñales after a spectacular Sunday. Chapeau, as Acosta mimed on the cool-down lap, is accurate.

The rookie sensation took second though, able to stay ahead of the battle to complete the podium which was won by Bastianini. The ‘Beast’ swooped past on the back straight on the penultimate lap, ensuring he remains second in the Championship behind Martin. And behind Martin on track, Bagnaia took fifth after a tougher weekend of it at the Americas GP.

Fabio Di Giannantonio came across the line to take sixth position, finishing ahead of the second Aprilia Racing machine of Aleix Espargaro.

Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took P8, ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after a great recovery ride following his qualifying in 17th. The South African finished the Grand Prix ahead of Raul Fernandez, who rounded out the top 10 at Trackhouse Racing’s home round.

Fabio Quartararo was the first Japanese machine home in 12th place, 23-seconds behind the race winner, and ahead of Jack Miller. The Aussie had been in the battle up front early on before his tyre dropped off markedly, which saw him go backwards through the field.

Luca Marini was the sole Honda to survive the 20 laps, and the last of the 16 finishers.

The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will be the Gran Premio de España from 26 to 28 April 2024, at the Jerez circuit in Andalusia, southern Spain.  Martin will start the Jerez weekend 21 points clear of Bastianini in the Championship. And Viñales? He’s third, 24 points off the top. Those 20 that went begging in Portimao would seem to mask the fact that the Aprilia rider is currently the rider to beat in MotoGP.

MotoGP COTA Race Results

COTA MotoGP record broken

All time circuit lap record: 2:00.864, by Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), which improved on the previous record of 2:01.892 by more than a second.

Race lap record: 2:02.891, also set by Maverick Viñales, who achieved this exceptional time during the second half of the Grand Prix, on the 14th lap.

Sprint race duration: 20:27.825. This is more than seven seconds faster than in 2023 (20:35.270), and represents an improvement of seven-tenths of a second per lap, on average.

Grand Prix race duration: 41:09.503, which is an improvement of more than 5 seconds.

COTA MotoGP Top Speeds Across Weekend

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) stunned at the Circuit Of The Americas to take a maiden Moto2 win, just finding enough in the tank to hold off home hero Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). Garcia steals the Championship lead in the process, and in only the MT Helmets – MSI team’s third race in the Moto2 category, is now two points ahead of Roberts in the standings. Pre-season favourite Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) claimed a first podium of the year after a nail-biting race start and comeback in what’s becoming a calling card until the #54’s luck changes.

The Moto2 field roared into action on the entry to the technical turn one, with Garcia claiming the holeshot, leading the field from home hero Roberts in second – sending the American crowd to their feet. Aldeguer and pole sitter Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) were swallowed by the pack on the opening lap – dropping down to eighth and 10th, back into the clutches of the Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI).

It was also gloves off for QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 riders Manuel Gonzalez and Albert Arenas, with the teammates having a near miss and touching – handing Aldeguer sixth place which he happily accepted. Gonzalez would later receive a penalty for a start that was too good to be true – forced to serve a double LLP, dropping Gonzalez to a disappointing 15th.

The same fate could not be said for Aldeguer, who made his way inside the top five and latched onto the back of teammate Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp). Once Aldeguer and Lopez were together on the circuit it was riveting action with friendly fire on track in the battle for fourth place. The SpeedUp teammates did not give each other an inch of room before Aldeguer found a way through and did not look back, with nine laps remaining.

Meanwhile, Dennis Foggia was having a brilliant race on his Triumph-powered Italtrans Racing Team machine. Up to the Americas GP, Foggia was yet to score points in the Moto2 class this year and was now keeping Roberts honest in second. However, as the race progressed and with Aldeguer fast charging behind, it did not take the Spaniard long to pass the #71 with no way for Foggia to respond – and Aldeguer then set his sights on Roberts.

As the race progressed, Garcia’s rhythm looked perfect – stretching a gap of over one second to Roberts. Roberts responded, matching Garcia’s pace, but then the American made a mistake, running wide at turn 12 and seemingly crushing the hopes of an American win in the process.

However, the Austin crowd was treated to a fantastic Texan duel for P2 with two laps remaining between Roberts and Aldeguer, with the American able to get the upper hand. Meanwhile, at the front, Garcia made a handful of mistakes in the braking zone – losing time and the gap coming back down…

By the flag it was down to just under half a second, but Garcia held on to take a maiden Moto2 victory and celebrated his success in the Texas sunshine, taking that lead in the standings too. Roberts was forced to settle for second but took back-to-back podiums for the first time, and celebrated that incredible result on home turf for both him and the team. Aldeguer came across the line to finish in a rock-solid third, ahead of teammate Lopez who was just unable to match the podium pace. Marcos Ramirez added to the OnlyFans American Racing Team’s point tally at COTA – rounding out a talent-packed top five.

Foggia dropped to sixth after losing time in the late stages of the race, with Ogura seventh ahead of Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team’s Jeremey Alcoba. Portuguese GP winner Canet was ninth at the end of the race, receiving a 0.396 penalty after cutting a corner to add to his woes after a tough Turn 1 shuffle. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounded out the top 10.

Starting the race from 22nd on the grid, Australian rookie Senna Agius moved into the top 20 right at the beginning of the slipstream battles, but his rivals were similarly fast, so it was not enough to make it into the top 15. He therefore finished his third race of the season without any points but is already hungry for his next chance in a fortnight’s time.

Senna Agius – P17

“I had a not too bad start and the first few laps, when I felt confident, were also good. I was able to catch up well until I was in contention for the points. However, I lost time in some sectors, while I was really strong in other parts of the track. That was going through the entire distance. In this race, I learned the most in the final laps and I think we’re knocking on the door to make a big step soon. As soon as we return to Europe, we will try out a lot of what we have experienced so far. The result is not what I want, but we have all learned a lot for the future. Besides, the gap to the winners is not that big, so let’s take the positives and get ready for Jerez.”

Moto2 COTA Race Results

Moto2 COTA Top Speeds Across Weekend

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMoto Valresa Aspar Team) proved unstoppable at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, taking off from pole and able to escape a dramatic contest behind to take his second Grand Prix win of the season in some style. After a rollercoaster route to a vital final lap, the fight for second went down to a near-photo finish between Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and rookie Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing), with Holgado just holding on and holding on to the Championship lead in the process. Still, Piqueras takes a maiden podium and makes a statement in Texas.

Alonso got a good start to retain the holeshot, with Holgado slotting into second until an early race wobble for Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) in third saw him also tag Holgado, sending the number 96 wide. They did regroup, but the net result was a key gap at the front for Alonso. There was then even more drama as Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets MSI) collided with Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA), riders ok, but the Spaniard then trying to remount the wrong bike as both scrambled to get back in the race

Up at the front, there were no such dramas for Alonso – with Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) a distance back in second before he peeled off to take the first of his three Long Lap penalties, leaving the Colombian with an even bigger gap.

By 11 to go, it was just over three seconds up the road to Alonso, and the second group was six strong: Holgado, Piqueras, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Kelso and Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI). But Furusato then crashed out from the chase, and by five to go the lead had come down to three seconds but the group lost another as Kelso went off track and lost touch with the pack.

Veijer and Holgado were making inroads into the gap before even more drama as the Dutchman suddenly highsided out, right as Yamanaka went for a move on Holgado. Veijer was out, but Yamanaka and Holgado were both able to avoid the incident and straightline it across the run off. Piqueras got past both though.

After that, the lead was back up  to over six seconds by the start of the final lap, but the podium fight was close as Holgado led Piqueras led Yamanaka, teasing a photo finish. And that it was! The Japanese rider couldn’t quite make an attack but Piqueras tucked in behind Holgado on the back straight and made a move stick at the end of it, no nerves on show as he fought for his first podium. But Holgado was able to hit back, and it went down to the drag to the line.

Looking for one more shot at second, Piqueras took a different line round the final corner and the two headed for the flag side-by-side, split over the line by just 0.013 as Holgado just held on. In doing so Holgado retains the points lead, but Piqueras still takes that maiden Grand Prix podium on only his third Grand Prix start. Alonso, meanwhile, takes his second win of the season to move to just two points off Holgado in the standings.

David Alonso – P1

“I did not expect to have a weekend like this, it is incredible. We have been working day by day and I had dreamed of getting a victory like this, a solo victory. I have not pushed too hard and I have had a moment of crisis with the tyres, but I have been able to hold on. The mental management has not been easy either. We have had a perfect weekend, but the World Championship is going to be long. It is very difficult to make a difference and to get a big points advantage, so every point counts.”

Daniel Holgado – P2

“Today was a difficult race because we made quite a big contact with another rider in the first lap, but it was important to stay focused, and ride with consistency, which is what we did. The last laps were really difficult so I think that the soft tyre was not the right option, but we were lucky that we did not have one more lap. Anyway, finishing on the podium for the third time in a row is very positive for us, so thank you to my team for their work, and let’s head to Jerez!”

Yamanaka took fourth, his best GP result yet, ahead of a gap back to David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Kelso after the Australian remounted but then got an LLP becoming a time penalty for the early race incident with Holgado.

Joel Kelso – P7

“What a race in Texas! I got off to an amazing start, slotting myself into P3. Unfortunately, I ran into the back of another rider on the first lap and slipped out of the top 15!  But I buckled down, and within 2 laps, I was back in the podium battle. I felt comfortable sitting in the group but made a small mistake into turn one, causing me to tuck the front. Luckily, I was able to pull the clutch in and keep the BOÉ Motorsports bike running. After remounting, I recovered back to P7.  Despite receiving a 3-second penalty after the race, I was far enough in front to keep my position.  It was a crazy race, but I’m happy to be sitting P3 in the championship! It’s a long season, and I know the podiums will come. Hopefully, I can reward you guys soon.”

Kelso certainly had it all going on during the race and it was a case of likewise for his countryman Jacob Roulstone.  Jacob Roulstone was starting from P5, the best qualifying result of his young Moto3 career. However, things went a bit crazy in the first turn when Filippo Farioli crashed just in front of him. Jacob was able to avoid it, but that was five positions lost already. But the events did not stop here! A few corners later, a crash between Ivan Ortola and Stefano Nepa required another quick reaction, and the Australian had to go wide to avoid them, and exited lap 1 in P15. Jacob remained focused while he had to complete his long lap penalty, and once that was out of the way, he started to move up progressively, lap after lap. With nine laps to go, he had made it to the top 10 behind Joel Esteban. The rookie was riding at a decent pace as he held his top 10, and a few crashes ahead saw him move up to eighth, a position he defended until the end to score eight points. P8 is the rookie’s best result since the start of the season, and he will be eager to head to Jerez to continue his brilliant start of the season.

Jacob Roulstone – P8

“It was probably one of the most chaotic first laps that I have experienced, but we managed to stay focused, even after losing a bit of ground following the long lap which I did quite well. Finishing 8th after the first lap chaos and the long lap penalty is pretty good, and we have to be happy with that. We have worked really hard this weekend with the team, and I cannot thank them enough for it!“

Moto3 COTA Race Results

Moto3 COTA Top Speeds Across Weekend

Moto3 Championship Standings

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

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