MotoGP 2022 – Round Eight
Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was back to his flawless winning ways at the front of the field in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, bouncing back in style from a crash in France.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) nevertheless gave it everything he had, stalking the Ducati rider for the majority of the race after the two picked their way to the front. In taking second, ‘El Diablo’ extended his lead in the Championship.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came through into third for his fourth podium in a row, giving Aprilia some home turf glory.
MotoGP Race Report
Ducati had swept the top five in qualifying but, rather than the slightly more accustomed Bagnaia being on the front row, it was rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) starting from pole, fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi sitting second and Mooney VR46 Racing team-mate Luca Marini alongside. Jack Miller had qualified 13th.
Di Giannantonio made a good launch and emerged with the lead from San Donato despite an attack from the VR46 duo, but Marini got past as they turned into Materassi as Bezzecchi slotted into third at the start of the 23 laps that lay ahead. Miller made a reasonable start from the outside of the fourth row but was pushed out onto the grass just before the braking point for turn one before eventually exiting turn one right down in P22.
Bezzecchi overtook Di Giannantonio through Scarperia/Palagio, before Quartararo snatched fourth spot back from Aleix Espargaro on Lap 2 after the Aprilia rider had made a bold move down the hill on the opening lap. Quartararo was third when he slipped by Di Giannantonio at Scarperia/Palagio on Lap 2, but he had a serious challenge on his hands to try and keep the Ducatis at bay given the power they had on tap up the main straight.
A new Ducati threat then emerged when Bagnaia, who had been shuffled back to ninth on the opening lap, got through on Aleix Espargaro for fifth on Lap 4. However, Quartararo was also on the march as he slipped past Marini later on that same lap, promoting ‘El Diablo’ to second.
Bagnaia slip-streamed past Di Giannantonio as Lap 4 became Lap 5, and then pulled off a big move the next time he charged up the hill towards San Donato, passing both Quartararo and Marini to move into second. ‘Pecco’ was in the lead after he overtook Bezzecchi at the start of Lap 9, while Quartararo relied on superior turning to pass the VR46 Ducati rider at Scarperia, on Lap 11. The stage was set and so began the see saw at the front. 1.2, 1 second, 1.1, 0.9… the two pounded on at the front.
Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio’s charge began to fade and Aleix Espargaro again found himself in the top five, just behind a battle between VR46 teammates Bezzecchi and Marini. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) caught that bunch around 13 laps in, but the former was then out of the race when he tucked the front through Materassi, on Lap 14. Rider ok, standings taking a dent.
Aleix Espargaro finally got back through to fourth as he went down the inside of Marini on Lap 14 at Correntaio, and Zarco relegated Marini to sixth position at the start of Lap 17. Then, Aleix Espargaro got ahead of the next impressive VR46 hurdle with a pass of Bezzecchi at Scarperia on lap 17.
While that was elbows out, Quartararo was starting to make inroads on Bagnaia’s margin. ‘El Diablo’ brought the gap back under a second with around half a dozen laps to go and was able to keep it there, but then the Ducati rider was able to respond. It was back out to 1.1 with a lap to go, and by the time he crossed the line for an emotional win, it was just over half-a-second. And those 25 points promote Pecco into fourth in the championship chase, 41-points off Quartararo.
Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, finished just under two-seconds further back, while Zarco passed Bezzechi on the final lap to claim fourth.
Marini made it VR46 bikes fifth and sixth, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) proved once again that he is the ‘Sunday man’ by climbing from 16th on the grid to seventh all-told, and only a couple of tenths off the VR46 battle.
Rounding out the top 10 were Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and – in his last race before surgery on his right arm will keep him out of racing for the next few months – Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
It took a video review to decide 11th position, in favour of Di Giannantonio, after he and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) has initially posted identical race times. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished 13th, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) took 14th, and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) scored the last World Championship point in 15th.
The non-finishers in addition to Bastianini were Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), who crashed out on Lap 5, and Team Suzuki Ecstar duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins, who both went down in separate incidents on Lap 8. Rins’ crash was after contact with Nakagami, but the incident was reviewed and no action taken.
In the World Championship, Quartararo’s lead over Aleix Espargaro has crept up to eight points, while Bastianini is now 28 points off the pace in third spot. And Pecco is on the march…
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“Incredible. I’m already without my voice; I screamed loud and too much. it’s incredible. I think all of the team and me have really deserved this victory because we have worked a lot. Last week, we were as strong, but we were more unlucky. In any case, we worked so well during this weekend. The start was not my best start ever and in the first braking zone I was a bit late, but in any case, I’m very happy to have won this race at home, in front of our fans. It’s really great.”
Can he make up more ground when MotoGP heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya? Find out next weekend…
Mugello 2022 MotoGP Race Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 41m18.923 |
2 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +0.635 |
3 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +1.983 |
4 | Johann ZARCO | DUCATI | +2.590 |
5 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | +3.067 |
6 | Luca MARINI | DUCATI | +3.875 |
7 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +4.067 |
8 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +10.944 |
9 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | +11.256 |
10 | Marc MARQUEZ | HONDA | +11.800 |
11 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | +12.916 |
12 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +12.917 |
13 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | +17.240 |
14 | Alex MARQUEZ | HONDA | +17.568 |
15 | Jack MILLER | DUCATI | +17.687 |
16 | Darryn BINDER | YAMAHA | +20.265 |
17 | Franco MORBIDELLI | YAMAHA | +20.296 |
18 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | +21.305 |
19 | Remy GARDNER | KTM | +30.548 |
20 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | YAMAHA | +31.011 |
21 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | +42.723 |
22 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | APRILIA | +1 lap |
Not Classified | |||
DNF | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | 10 laps |
DNF | Alex RINS | SUZUKI | 16 laps |
DNF | Joan MIR | SUZUKI | 16 laps |
DNF | Pol ESPARGARO | HONDA | 19 laps |
MotoGP Event Top Speeds
Pos | Rider | Bike | Speed | Event |
1 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 363.6 | Race |
2 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | 360.0 | Q |
3 | Darryn BINDER | YAMAHA | 358.8 | Race |
4 | Alex RINS | SUZUKI | 357.6 | Race |
5 | Johann ZARCO | DUCATI | 357.6 | Race |
6 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 357.6 | Q |
7 | Alex MARQUEZ | HONDA | 356.4 | FP1 |
8 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 356.4 | Race |
9 | Pol ESPARGARO | HONDA | 356.4 | FP3 |
10 | Joan MIR | SUZUKI | 355.2 | Race |
11 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | 355.2 | Race |
12 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | 354.0 | Race |
13 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 354.0 | FP3 |
14 | Marc MARQUEZ | HONDA | 354.0 | Race |
15 | Jack MILLER | DUCATI | 354.0 | Race |
16 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | 354.0 | Race |
17 | Luca MARINI | DUCATI | 352.9 | Q |
18 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | 352.9 | FP3 |
19 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | 352.9 | FP3 |
20 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | 352.9 | Race |
21 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | APRILIA | 351.7 | FP3 |
22 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | 351.7 | Q |
23 | Franco MORBIDELLI | YAMAHA | 350.6 | Race |
24 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | YAMAHA | 350.6 | Race |
25 | Remy GARDNER | KTM | 348.3 | WUP |
26 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | 347.2 | Race |
MotoGP Championship Points Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
1 | QUARTARARO Fabio | FRA | 122 |
2 | ESPARGARO Aleix | SPA | 114 |
3 | BASTIANINI Enea | ITA | 94 |
4 | BAGNAIA Francesco | ITA | 81 |
5 | ZARCO Johann | FRA | 75 |
6 | RINS Alex | SPA | 69 |
7 | BINDER Brad | RSA | 65 |
8 | MILLER Jack | AUS | 63 |
9 | MARQUEZ Marc | SPA | 60 |
10 | MIR Joan | SPA | 56 |
11 | OLIVEIRA Miguel | POR | 50 |
12 | ESPARGARO Pol | SPA | 40 |
13 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | JPN | 38 |
14 | VIÑALES Maverick | SPA | 37 |
15 | MARTIN Jorge | SPA | 31 |
16 | MARINI Luca | ITA | 31 |
17 | BEZZECCHI Marco | ITA | 30 |
18 | MARQUEZ Alex | SPA | 20 |
19 | MORBIDELLI Franco | ITA | 19 |
20 | DI GIANNANTONIO Fabio | ITA | 8 |
21 | DOVIZIOSO Andrea | ITA | 8 |
22 | BINDER Darryn | RSA | 6 |
Moto2
There’s a new history maker in town, or more accurately, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again. After crashing out the lead at Le Mans, the rookie sensation reclaimed that moniker in some style as he became the youngest intermediate class winner, pulling clear in the latter stages at Mugello to take back to the top step. The previous record holder? Marc Marquez. A group fight just behind saw Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) come home second and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) complete the podium.
In doing so the Japanese rider moves up to second overall but equal on points with Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) after heartbreak at home for the Italian, with a technical problem taking him out the fight when sat behind Roberts. There was more drama too, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) sliding out of second earlier in the race, rider ok.
Canet had got the holeshot from pole position but Acosta outbraked him when they arrived at San Donato and he led the field down the hill for the first time. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) went past Canet through the Casanova/Savelli complex on Lap 1 but the Spaniard returned the favour on Lap 2, and Lowes instead found himself in a battle with teammate Tony Arbolino over third spot for several laps.
Acosta rode a composed race, his only real blemish being when he ran wide exiting Arrabbiata 2 on Lap 3 and got loose on the kerb. That moment allowed Canet back past, but he held the lead only until #51 slipstreamed back in front at the start of Lap 4. They were still first and second, having pulled around a second clear of the chasing pack, when disaster struck for Canet on Lap 13. He tucked the front going through Bucine and went sliding into the gravel trap, marking the end of his afternoon but rider ok.
That incident left Acosta on his own at the head of the field, but there were battles aplenty going on not too far behind. In addition to the intra-team battle between Lowes and Arbolino, Roberts and Ogura were going hard it for fifth position initially, while Vietti was on the comeback trail after he was swamped at the first corner of the race and had dropped to 10th.
The pre-race World Championship leader was back up to seventh, albeit one second from the group ahead of him, when he passed wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) on Lap 6, before Ogura got himself into fourth position when he got by Lowes on Lap 9 at San Donato. The Japanese rider was third when he did likewise to Arbolino on Lap 10, but the Italian got back ahead exactly a lap later.
Ogura overtook Arbolino once more into San Donato on Lap 13, just before Vietti picked off Lowes for sixth through Casanova/Savelli. With Canet out of the picture, Roberts and Vietti were third and fourth once they also got ahead of Arbolino, and then they went after Ogura. The American made a bold move at Palagio on Lap 14 which held up Ogura on exit and Vietti rode through the gap too, relegating the Honda Team Asia rider to fourth.
Meanwhile, the Marc VDS duo continued to lose touch with the four ahead as they sliced and diced with each other. Matters came to a head on Lap 19 when Arbolino had a dive at Turn 2, making contact with Lowes which caused his team-mate to crash. The Briton vented his fury from the gravel trap while Arbolino would soon be issued a long lap penalty.
It was looking like a solid recovery for Vietti, who would have extended his World Championship lead if he stayed ahead of Ogura, but then his bike suffered a problem less than three laps from home. Not only did he miss out on 16 points, the extra three which Ogura would collect by inheriting third position draws them level on points at the top of the table.
There were no such dramas for Acosta. He continued to pull away and ultimately took the chequered flag 4.051 seconds up on Roberts. Ogura finished third, and Arbolino still grabbed fourth, though just 0.015 seconds ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) after a long comeback from outside the points after a tougher qualifying and then start for the Le Mans winner.
The rest of the top 10 was Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) in sixth, from Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), impressive rookie and new full-time rider Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), and Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team). Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was a notable DNF after his spill at Scarperia on Lap 5.
Pedro Acosta – P1
“It was a long way, a long way to be here. We lost a good opportunity in Le Mans, we lost a good opportunity in America, and finally we have arrived. I think we are doing an accurate job and if we can continue in this way, we can have so much fun at the end of the season.”
Mugello 2022 Moto2 Race Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Pedro ACOSTA | KALEX | 39m35.930 |
2 | Joe ROBERTS | KALEX | +4.051 |
3 | Ai OGURA | KALEX | +6.749 |
4 | Tony ARBOLINO | KALEX | +12.312 |
5 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KALEX | +12.327 |
6 | Jake DIXON | KALEX | +12.513 |
7 | Cameron BEAUBIER | KALEX | +12.849 |
8 | Alonso LOPEZ | BOSCOSCURO | +13.314 |
9 | Marcel SCHROTTER | KALEX | +14.703 |
10 | Albert ARENAS | KALEX | +14.748 |
11 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | KALEX | +15.141 |
12 | Jorge NAVARRO | KALEX | +15.425 |
13 | Filip SALAC | KALEX | +17.254 |
14 | Fermín ALDEGUER | BOSCOSCURO | +18.069 |
15 | Mattia PASINI | KALEX | +18.750 |
16 | Barry BALTUS | KALEX | +23.969 |
17 | Jeremy ALCOBA | KALEX | +27.648 |
18 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | KALEX | +29.286 |
19 | Alessandro ZACCONE | KALEX | +30.221 |
20 | Manuel GONZALEZ | KALEX | +35.200 |
21 | Zonta VAN DEN GOORB | KALEX | +35.223 |
22 | Keminth KUBO | KALEX | +49.777 |
23 | Sean Dylan KELLY | KALEX | +49.897 |
Not Classified | |||
DNF | Simone CORSI | MV AGUSTA | 1 lap |
DNF | Celestino VIETTI | KALEX | 3 laps |
DNF | Sam LOWES | KALEX | 3 laps |
DNF | Aron CANET | KALEX | 9 laps |
DNF | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | KALEX | 10 laps |
DNF | Marcos RAMIREZ | MV AGUSTA | 11 laps |
DNF | Somkiat CHANTRA | KALEX | 17 laps |
Moto2 Championship Points Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
1 | VIETTI Celestino | ITA | 108 |
2 | OGURA Ai | JPN | 108 |
3 | CANET Aron | SPA | 89 |
4 | ROBERTS Joe | USA | 86 |
5 | ARBOLINO Tony | ITA | 83 |
6 | FERNANDEZ Augusto | SPA | 80 |
7 | SCHROTTER Marcel | GER | 64 |
8 | CHANTRA Somkiat | THA | 61 |
9 | NAVARRO Jorge | SPA | 56 |
10 | ACOSTA Pedro | SPA | 45 |
11 | DIXON Jake | GBR | 42 |
12 | BENDSNEYDER Bo | NED | 41 |
13 | BEAUBIER Cameron | USA | 38 |
14 | LOWES Sam | GBR | 35 |
15 | ARENAS Albert | SPA | 35 |
16 | ALCOBA Jeremy | SPA | 31 |
17 | GONZALEZ Manuel | SPA | 21 |
18 | ALDEGUER Fermín | SPA | 20 |
19 | BALTUS Barry | BEL | 15 |
20 | MANZI Stefano | ITA | 9 |
21 | LOPEZ Alonso | SPA | 8 |
22 | SALAC Filip | CZE | 8 |
Moto3
Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) came out on top in a last lap classic at Mugello, with plenty of drama as two title rivals failed to score and teammate Izan Guevara crossed the finish line first. The number 28 had exceeded track limits on the last lap, however, and forfeits the win to Garcia. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) completed the podium as his step back into frontrunning speed continued, the number 24 overcoming a Long Lap and still crossing the line almost in unison with the GASGAS duo.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) got the holeshot and after only a lap, there was a trio at the front: the Turk leading Guevara and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) on the chase at the front of a freight train. It didn’t stay that way for long though, with a long snake of Moto3 machines soon making their way round Mugello.
Drama then hit for Öncü as the fight lit up though, with contact from Suzuki seeing the Turk slide out. The Japanese rider was given a Long Lap to take, and Öncü was able to rejoin, facing a fight back from well outside the points.
Meawhile, Jamue Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a moment that dropped him down the order too, just as Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) had taken up the mantle at the front, the Italian starting to build a gap. It wasn’t to be this time round though, with the number 7 crashing from the lead and Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) avoiding that, just before some more drama as John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) crashed and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) went down in the incident too.
The shuffle left a gap behind the leading six of Moreira, Garcia, Guevara, Ryusei Yamanaka (CFMoto PrüstelGP), Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Migno, with Suzuki then tucked in on a mission to tag back on after completing the Long Lap. And he did it, creating a seven-rider fight for the win by five to go and then taking the lead with four to go.
On the last lap, Guevara was leading Garcia leading Suzuki, with Migno looking to attack the Japanese rider. And in classic Moto3 style it all went down to the final corner as Garcia headed up the inside and Guevara tucked into the slipstream, with Suzuki doing the same and getting some great drive to add to the grunt of his Leopard Honda.
It was neck and neck all the way to the line, but Guevara got there first… just. And then news came through the number 28 had exceeded track limits on the final lap and the victory slipped through his fingers, promoting Garcia to the win and the 25 points. Guevara is classified second, with Suzuki completing the incredibly tight podium.
Migno just lost out on home glory in fourth, with Yamanaka completing the top five and taking his best race result yet. Rossi was the last of the front group in P6 after a tangle with Moreira at the final corner. The two suffered some light contact and then, trying to recover, the Brazilian overgassed it and highsided out.
Five seconds back there was another incredibly close trio, with Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) beating Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) and Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) to seventh. Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) just pipped debutant David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) to the top ten, with Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power) a couple of tenths further back in 12th.
Kelso had qualified 20th and is still suffering from an injured sustained in Jerez, but the Aussie youngster made a strong recovery to finish in 12th position.
Joel Kelso – P12
“We suffered a lot today, it was a tough weekend, but we are happy to come away with some points. We’ll keep our focus and try to come back stronger in Barcelona!”
Mugello 2022 Moto3 Race Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Sergio GARCIA | GASGAS | 39m43.214 |
2 | Izan GUEVARA | GASGAS | +0.000 |
3 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | HONDA | +0.012 |
4 | Andrea MIGNO | HONDA | +0.137 |
5 | Ryusei YAMANAKA | KTM | +0.234 |
6 | Riccardo ROSSI | HONDA | +0.999 |
7 | Ivan ORTOLÁ | KTM | +5.387 |
8 | Elia BARTOLINI | KTM | +5.477 |
9 | Matteo BERTELLE | KTM | +5.480 |
10 | Adrian FERNANDEZ | KTM | +5.747 |
11 | David MUÑOZ | KTM | +5.751 |
12 | Joel KELSO | KTM | +5.989 |
13 | Mario AJI | HONDA | +6.109 |
14 | Lorenzo FELLON | HONDA | +12.643 |
15 | Deniz ÖNCÜ | KTM | +16.689 |
16 | Kaito TOBA | KTM | +16.738 |
17 | Jaume MASIA | KTM | +16.789 |
18 | Taiyo FURUSATO | HONDA | +19.449 |
19 | Carlos TATAY | CFMOTO | +32.404 |
20 | Xavier ARTIGAS | CFMOTO | +33.421 |
21 | Joshua WHATLEY | HONDA | +41.412 |
22 | Ana CARRASCO | KTM | +1m14.077 |
Not Classified | |||
DNF | Diogo MOREIRA | KTM | 1 lap |
DNF | Dennis FOGGIA | HONDA | 10 laps |
DNF | John MCPHEE | HUSQVARNA | 10 laps |
DNF | Daniel HOLGADO | KTM | 10 laps |
DNF | Stefano NEPA | KTM | 17 laps |
Moto3 Championship Points Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
1 | GARCIA Sergio | SPA | 137 |
2 | GUEVARA Izan | SPA | 109 |
3 | MASIA Jaume | SPA | 95 |
4 | FOGGIA Dennis | ITA | 95 |
5 | SASAKI Ayumu | JPN | 75 |
6 | MIGNO Andrea | ITA | 71 |
7 | ÖNCÜ Deniz | TUR | 71 |
8 | SUZUKI Tatsuki | JPN | 54 |
9 | TATAY Carlos | SPA | 52 |
10 | YAMANAKA Ryusei | JPN | 43 |
11 | ROSSI Riccardo | ITA | 42 |
12 | TOBA Kaito | JPN | 37 |
13 | ARTIGAS Xavier | SPA | 37 |
14 | MOREIRA Diogo | BRA | 34 |
15 | HOLGADO Daniel | SPA | 28 |
16 | ORTOLÁ Ivan | SPA | 23 |
17 | BARTOLINI Elia | ITA | 21 |
18 | KELSO Joel | AUS | 18 |
19 | MCPHEE John | GBR | 15 |
20 | OGDEN Scott | GBR | 14 |
21 | BERTELLE Matteo | ITA | 13 |
22 | FERNANDEZ Adrian | SPA | 13 |
MotoE
The win was a classic: Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) was back on top in Race 2 of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at Mugello, taking victory with a small margin over another huge group battle as the Italian played his cards to perfection on home turf. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) took second, crossing the line at exactly the same time as Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) but taking P2 thanks to setting the fastest lap. And the eagle-eyed Swiss rider spotted something else: passes under Yellow Flags earlier in the race.
After a thorough review from the FIM Stewards, changes of position were applied. For Alcoba it was three positions, demoting him from the podium and meaning Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) takes third place. For Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team) and Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) it was one position each, so Canepa is classified sixth and Granado eighth. But let’s rewind…
Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) made the best start and it was he who led the field out of San Donato for the first time, from Aegerter and Ferrari. Just behind that trio, Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) fell as he exited the corner, while Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) was also on the deck later on the opening lap. He would be taken to the medical centre with pain in his right leg, but was ultimately passed Unfit for showing he’d sustained an impact to his head, so he’ll need a check up to be passed fit for the next round.
Meanwhile at the front, Zannoni continued to lead into the second lap, but Aegerter was swamped as they all slipstreamed towards San Donato and the Swiss rider dropped back to sixth. Ferrari had taken over second spot while Pons was up to third and Alcoba fourth, a rise of six positions relative to where each had qualified.
Ferrari gained one more position – the most important one – when he outbraked Zannoni at San Donato on Lap 3, as Alcoba rode around the outside of Pons just behind them. Canepa was fifth at that point while Aegerter would soon have a battle for sixth position on his hands with closest rival in the standings, Granado.
The end of the main straight was clearly the prime overtaking zone but Zannoni found resistance when he tried to go around Ferrari in a bid to reclaim first position at the start of Lap 4. Pons and Canepa, on the other hand, were able to slip underneath Alcoba and push him back to fifth spot.
Of course, San Donato was not the only place where overtaking was coming thick and fast in MotoE, and Pons proved that when he moved ahead of Zannoni through Scarperia/Palagio on Lap 5. That promoted the Spaniard to second, and it also allowed Ferrari to stretch his advantage slightly.
Then Alcoba, who was already back in front of Canepa, passed Zannoni at Bucine. That much was straight-forward, but they nearly touched on exit and the Italian had to pick up his bike, which caused him to drop yet more positions. Zannoni was fifth when the crossed the stripe to start the final lap, and eighth by the time they were on their way out of San Donato and back down the hill.
In all of that, Aegerter had risen from seventh to fourth, but the previous day’s race winner was not done. He nabbed third from Alcoba as they went through Bucine for the final time, but it would still come down to a drag to the finish line. Ferrari won by 0.529 seconds, but it was astonishingly close in terms of who would be declared second.
Aegerter and Alcoba were separated by 0.001 seconds according to timing, then that was revised to a dead heat for second and the former was officially given second using fastest lap times as tie-break. For Alcoba, it still seemed like his first MotoE podium, but later came the heartbreak and the position penalties, giving Pons third although the Spaniard didn’t make it to parc ferme.
WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team rider Andrea Mantovani is now classified fourth after again pipping Granado on track, but with the shuffle on Saturday the Italian gains instead of losing out after the DSQ in Race 1 for low tyre pressure. Zannoni takes P5 ahead of Canepa, with Alcoba classified seventh.
Granado is classified eighth, ahead of Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE), and Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing).
With a win and a second placing at Mugello, Aegerter’s lead at the top of the World Cup standings is now 29-points over Granado and 30 over Ferrari. After six hectic races to start the season, it is time for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup field to take a break before their fourth round of the season at the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26.
Mugello 2022 MotoE Race Two Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Matteo FERRARI | ENERGICA | 12m04.368 |
2 | Dominique AEGERTER | ENERGICA | +0.529 |
3 | Miquel PONS | ENERGICA | +0.566 |
4 | Andrea MANTOVANI | ENERGICA | +1.621 |
5 | Kevin ZANNONI | ENERGICA | +1.726 |
6 | Niccolo CANEPA | ENERGICA | +0.739 |
7 | Marc ALCOBA | ENERGICA | +0.529 |
8 | Eric GRANADO | ENERGICA | +1.678 |
9 | Kevin MANFREDI | ENERGICA | +2.636 |
10 | Hector GARZO | ENERGICA | +4.586 |
11 | Massimo ROCCOLI | ENERGICA | +10.091 |
12 | Xavi FORES | ENERGICA | +10.547 |
13 | Alex ESCRIG | ENERGICA | +10.764 |
14 | Alessio FINELLO | ENERGICA | +12.165 |
15 | Maria HERRERA | ENERGICA | +17.117 |
MotoE Championship Points Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
1 | AEGERTER Dominique | SWI | 123 |
2 | GRANADO Eric | BRA | 94 |
3 | FERRARI Matteo | ITA | 93 |
4 | CASADEI Mattia | ITA | 74 |
5 | PONS Miquel | SPA | 69 |
6 | CANEPA Niccolo | ITA | 56 |
7 | OKUBO Hikari | JPN | 52 |
8 | GARZO Hector | SPA | 45 |
9 | ZANNONI Kevin | ITA | 39 |
10 | ALCOBA Marc | SPA | 34 |
11 | ESCRIG Alex | SPA | 32 |
12 | MANTOVANI Andrea | ITA | 25 |
13 | MANFREDI Kevin | ITA | 25 |
14 | FORES Xavi | SPA | 22 |
15 | TORRES Jordi | SPA | 20 |
16 | TULOVIC Lukas | GER | 10 |
17 | CARDELUS Xavi | AND | 7 |
18 | FINELLO Alessio | ITA | 7 |
19 | HERRERA Maria | SPA | 7 |
20 | ROCCOLI Massimo | ITA | 6 |
21 | RUIZ Yeray | SPA | 0 |