Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. Austin, Texas. 10th April 2022
Qualification:
It was a Ducati lockout as they made the front row their own with Jorge Martin on pole, Jack Miller, P2 and Francesco Bagnaia, P3. World Champion Fabio Quartararo was P6, once again finding the Ducati top speed advantage too much on this occasion. Captain America, aka Marc Marquez, was back from resting the double vision he suffered from the high side in Indonesia, but could only manage P9, Marc may sometimes be down, but he is never out.
The Race:
Jack Miller used all his experience and the launch control of the factory Ducati to get off the line just ahead of the Pramac bike of Jorge Martin, with Francesco Bagnaia putting the second factory Ducati into P3. Fabio Quartararo managed to take one Ducati to put him in P5, but, the shocker was Marc Marquez, who ended up last on the first lap, a mechanical or electrical issue with the Honda perhaps.
Lap two and Miller was still leading with Jorge Martin chasing hard in P2 and Enea Bastianini P3. Marco Bezzecchi was an early retirement, to some sort of mechanical problem, with smoke out of the back of the bike, after a crash. Marquez, meanwhile, had made his way to P13 in five laps after the start line incident. With Ducatis in the first five places, it was up to Alex Rins on the Suzuki to try and break the domination.
This was not the most interesting MotoGP race by a long way unless you are a Jack Miller fan, Miller held the lead until lap 16 when Enea Bastianini took it from him, Alex Rins now in P3 and Marc Marquez in P7, having made his way steadily through the field from his last position at the beginning of the race.
On the last lap, it look settled, as Enea made his way to the line, but in a last couple of corners dash, Alex Rins passed Miller to take P2.
The Results:
Enea Bastianini, Gresini Racing MotoGP, Ducati, P1. Alex Rins, Team Ecstar Suzuki, P2. Jack Miller, Ducati Lenovo Team, P3.
It was a solid result for Alex Rins, and Joan Mir, the Suzuki boys taking it to the Ducati riders. Marquez was superb, and of course, we all speculate what could have happened if the start was not such a disaster.
Author: Martin Northern
Founder of Bike Directory
