Morbidelli puts on MotoGP masterclass in Aragon

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) led from start to finish to win his second race of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship at the Grand Prix of Teruel. Behind him, Suzuki put both of its GSX-RR’s on the podium for the third time this season, and back to back for the first time since 1981.

It was last week’s winner Alex Rins who finished second behind the Italian and, while he stayed on the tail of the eventual race winner, he never looked like challenging Morbidelli for the victory. Hardly surprising, given Morbidelli’s race time was seven seconds quicker than Rins’ race time last week, and almost 10 seconds quicker than Marc Marquez’s dominant performance one year ago. As Morbidelli moved himself to within 25 points of the championship lead with three races to go, he grinned to the cameras after the race and said: “Now we’re on.”

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It wasn’t Morbidelli who got the hole shot into the first corner, that accolade went to Taka Nakagami (Idemitsu LCR Honda), who scored his first-ever MotoGP pole position 24 hours earlier. His pace all weekend had him as a favourite for his first premier-class podium, but he tucked the front on the third turn and was out of the race.

From 12th on the grid, Ecstar Suzuki rider Joan Mir picked up his sixth podium in eight races and, with title rival Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) finishing the race down in eighth place, he further extended his championship lead, which now sits at 14 points over the Frenchman. Making up nine spots to gather crucial championship points, Mir likened his podium finish to “like a victory”, despite finishing 5.3s behind the dominant Morbidelli.

Pol Espargaro gave his Red Bull KTM squad its best result at the Aragon Circuit in fourth while Esponsorama Avintia Ducati’s Johann Zarco fought hard to hang on to fifth place ahead of Tech3 KTM Miguel Oliveira by just six hundredths of a second.

Further back, Monster Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales led Quartararo home with Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM) and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) rounding out the top 10.

Aussie Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati) was caught up in a first lap clash with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) which saw the pair in the gravel, and Alex Marquez’s hopes of a third successive podium ended in the gravel with 10 laps to go. Other non-finishers were Pecco Bagnaia (Pramac Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Team Gresini).

It’s Mir (137) from Quartararo (123), then Vinales (118) and Morbidelli (112). Andrea Dovizioso (Team Ducati), who finished the race in 13th and 22 seconds behind Morbidelli still remains in contention in fifth on 109 points, while Rins moves to within 32 points of Mir on 105.

Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) had an eight-tenths of a second lead at the start of the second lap of the Teruel Moto2 Grand Prix – a lead he extended to well over eight seconds by the end of the race, making him the first British rider in 49 years to win three successive intermediate work championship races.

Celebrating on the podium was Fabio di Giannantonio (Lightech Speed Up) in second with Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing) doing his championship hopes no harm, finishing in third. Aussie Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) held off a late charge by Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) to finish fourth.

Red Bull KTM’s Jorge Martin won the battle for sixth from Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) with Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and the Tennor American Racing duo of Marcos Ramirez and Joe Roberts rounding out the top 10. Sky Racing Team VR46 teammates had a less-than-great day, one-time leader Luca Marini savaged 11th place while Marco Bezzechi crashed out for the second racer in a row.

Lowes win puts him seven points clear of Bastianini (171), Marini (155) is ion third ahead of Bezzechi (130) and Martin (105). Gardner is in sixth on 85 points.

One week after Leopard Honda’s Juame Masia became Honda’s 100th different winner in Grand Prix racing, the 19-year-old became the rider to win Honda’s 800th Grand Prix in a dramatic 19-lap race. Albert Arenas used the superior speed of his Aspar Team KTM and looked in control of the race, despite all four 24 riders separated by just three seconds in the latter stages.

But it was Masia who timed the last couple of corners perfectly, and Japanese riders Ayumu Sasaki (Tech 3 KTM) and Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM) who gained the advantage for the final two podium spots, relegating Arenas to fourth when it mattered most. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) rounded out the top five.

Arenas still leads the title with 157 points to Ai Ogura’s (Honda Team Asia) 138. Vietti’s one point further back on 137, Masia’s recent points haul elevates him to fourth on 133 with Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers) in fifth on 121.

Next round heads to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit at Valencia next weekend.