Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1519824
VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P83 Fabio Quartararo, who qualified a career- worst 23rd on the Monster Energy Ya- maha, up to third ahead of wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM). They would stay that way across the line, Martin winning from Acosta and Quartararo, but more drama would follow. Quartararo was handed an eight-second penalty for under-inflated tires, promoting the evergreen 38-year-old Pedrosa into third for a first Sprint race podium and a first for any wildcard rider in the format's history. In all, Stefan Bradl (HRC Test Team), Luca Marini (Repsol Honda), Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing), Bezzecchi, Bas - tianini, Binder, Alex Marquez, Bagnaia and Espargaro all failed to finish, Marc Mar- quez remounting for an amazing sixth, Miller rejoining for 14th. SUNDAY GRAND PRIX There was one very angry rider on the grid for Sunday's race, that of Francesco Bagnaia. The World Champion knew he needed to score and score big, but it's doubtful even he could imagine how much he'd profit after the 25-lap race. At the green light, Marc Marquez made up for the Sprint race's tardy start by jetting into the lead at turn one, and Martin barged past Bezzecchi for second. Bagnaia was fourth but at the end of the back straight on lap one, he pulled one of the moves of the year so far when he went around the outside of both Bez and Martin to snatch second place. Then began his charge to the front, and through he went to lead at the exit of the final corner after starting seventh. Marquez fought straight back at turn one but ran wide, allowing Martin to slice through into second behind Bagnaia. At the final corner on lap two, Bagnaia blew the entry big time, running way wide and allowing Martin and Marquez back through, although Bagnaia was back past by turn one. HONDA NEEDS TOTAL RETHINK Honda's problems are worse than previously anticipated. Fresh from a two-day test in Barcelona, Joan Mir and Luca Marini believe HRC needs to totally rethink its '24 RC213V, which has lost all front-end performance in its quest to improve rear traction. "The concept of this bike is not the right one at the moment," said Mir. "It's a big concept of the bike that we have to change. Probably now [the braking] is the weakest point we have at the moment. And we don't have the grip. This advantage that we had last year in that phase of turning that Marc [Marquez] was very good at, you don't have it with this bike." YAMAHA TO POACH NEW SATELLITE TEAM? Yamaha is determined to gain a satellite team for 2025 and is aggressively attempting to poach one of Ducati's current satellite squads. For the past few weeks, Pramac has been touted to switch from Ducatis to Yamaha M1s for next season. Yet at Jer- ez, it emerged that Gresini could well do so. "It is really important," said Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, speaking of the need to have two more M1s on the grid. "We, Ya- maha, and also myself, are work- ing a lot to have a satellite team. It's important. Even if you check how many laps we can do in a preseason. The number we did compared to Ducati is completely different, and you can test many things and have the comments of many more riders." Briefly... (Above) Who can get lower? Martin leads the way early in the Sunday GP until it all went belly up.