At the start of the year, MotoGP riders were asked who would be the rider who would best adapt to the sprint race format that will be released in 2023. driver, very decisive when it came to overtaking and who knew better than anyone how to use the new tire for the first few laps, without having to think about managing the tires at the end. And they all had a name in mind: the sprints seemed designed for Marc Márquez. It is true that the man from Cervera was only able to drive one sprint in 2023 and finished third. Without him on track, the one who got the best results on Saturday is Brad Binder, winner in Argentina and who repeated his victory this Saturday in Jerez. Binder’s success was also the success of KTM, who took a double on the podium with Jack Miller and put three riders in the ‘top 6’ thanks to Dani Pedrosa’s sixth place. The Catalan was facing the first sprint of his life and on Saturday could see how they spent it in the new MotoGP. “At the first start I saw that there was already enough aggressiveness”, he reacted with a still surprised face. And it is that he narrowly escaped a multiple accident in turn two, just starting the sprint, which caused a red flag. Álex Márquez, Franco Morbidelli, Augusto Fernández and the leader Marco Bezzecchi were involved in a crash with no consequences apart from the delay it caused, the race stopped for a few minutes and was shortened by a lap. The four riders were able to make it to the pits in time to start their second bikes and complete a second start, where Binder’s and Miller’s KTMs took over immediately after the start and the morning’s pole sitter, Aleix Espargaró, were relegated to third position. A seven-rider breakaway formed, which included the Ducatis of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín, alongside Miguel Oliveira and a Dani Pedrosa who set the fastest lap of the race on lap two that no one would take away from him. Another milestone reached by the Spanish driver in a comeback much better than expected in the absence of next Sunday’s race. Aleix Espargaró’s fall on the sixth lap left Jorge Martín the only Spanish asset in the fight for victory, as Pedrosa was trapped behind Oliveira and unable to overtake him. But the battle for the win was between the two KTM men. A winning pass from Binder to his teammate on the penultimate lap of turn six (officially dubbed the ‘Curva Dani Pedrosa’) left the South African in the lead. And a mistake by Miller a lap later at that same point allowed Bagnaia to get between the KTMs and prevent a historic 1-2 victory for the Austrian marque. Martín eventually crossed the finish line in fourth place, ahead of Oliveira and Pedrosa. The Spanish driver, who received love in front of the stands all day, described his return to competition as follows: «For me it was a very special race because it was the first one in a long time. The one on Sunday will be different, although it will also depend on the temperature. And he no longer ruled out fighting for a podium that would drive the Jerez circuit crazy: “Maybe, I don’t really know what to say. If I improve my output a little…«. Espargaró’s pole position A chaotic MotoGP qualifying session was held ahead of the sprint race, with the only cloud around the circuit causing a downpour minutes before the final session started. The drivers started the 15 minutes of Q2 on wet tires and finished on slicks, with times very close to the track record. The best performer in these conditions was Aleix Espargaró, who took pole position which is also valid for next Sunday’s race. Miller and Martín will join him on the front row, while Binder, Bagnaia and Pedrosa will start from the second row. Aleix’s was the only Spanish pole at Jerez, since the Moto3 pole was taken by Turkish rider Deniz Öncü, with Iván Ortolá in second; and in Moto2 pole went to Britain’s Sam Lowes, with Pedro Acosta second. Coinciding with the Formula 1 race in Baku has changed the schedule of this Sunday’s races, which will be postponed by one hour from their usual schedule, i.e. Moto3 starting at 12 noon, Moto2 at 1.15 pm and MotoGP at 3:00 pm: 00 am.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
