VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P73
wildcard Cal Crutchlow.
By the end of lap two, Pirro
was miles in front, but it was a
short-lived thing as within four
laps, the front runners from the
Sprint race were on their way
forward. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia
Racing) took over the lead with
20 laps remaining, and a lap later,
it was that man Martin who lit
the Ducati afterburners down the
coming off the worse and drop
-
ping the Aprilia in the gravel trap.
By the end of the first lap,
most of the field came into the
pits to swap to their wet setup
bikes, all except for Ducati
Lenovo wildcard Michele Pirro,
Fabio Quartararo and Franco
Morbidelli (Monster Energy
Yamaha), Stefan Bradl (LCR
Honda), and factory Yamaha
overly subtle way. The Austrian
factory informed him in June it
would find a spot in its MotoGP
lineup for 2024 at the expense of
either Augusto Fernandez or Pol
Espargaro. Yet as September
draws to a close, there has still
been no confirmation of where
he will line up. "I have to wait to
know where I'm going to ride;
let's see where," said Acosta.
"Now, it's all in the air. We don't
have any news… maybe I'll stay
one more year in Moto2, I don't
know. I don't like the idea of
staying one more year in Moto2.
I'm doing my job in the best way
I can. At the moment, I don't
know anything. I prefer to not
ask."
THE CALENDAR IS
EXPANDING
Japan was the first occasion
to ask the MotoGP field about
the 2024 calendar after it was
confirmed the series will expand
to 22 rounds. There was near
widespread dissatisfaction at two
extra rounds to this campaign.
And every rider was keen to
point out they will be compet-
ing in 44 races next year, taking
into account Saturday's Sprints.
"It's not about my thoughts. It's
Dorna's calendar. If you don't
like, if I don't like, I can decide
to stay at home or to do another
job," said Aleix Espargaro of the
current riders' predicament. "You
have to race. Obviously, I would
prefer less races, that's for sure.
I would also prefer no sprint
races, but if they put 22, you
have to race 22."
Briefly...
