The Spanish Jorge Martín (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) added this Saturday his sixth pole position in the category, with a new circuit record includedbeing the fastest in the second classification for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas, after having even had to dispute the first classification and leading the abusive dominion of the Ducati riders.
Up to five riders placed Ducati in the top five positions (Jorge Martín, Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia, Johann Zarco and Enea Bastianini), as the first non-Ducati rider was the reigning MotoGP world champion, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1), with sixth place, and Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda RC 213 V), who had to “abort” up to two fastest lap attempts during the session, in ninth position.
Martin got a new category record by rolling in 2:02.039 to beat the previous record, held by his compatriot Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda RC 213 V) since 2015, with a time of 2:02.135.
Álex Márquez (Honda RC 213 V) did not have much luck, who as soon as the fourth free practice begins, before the official classifications, He had problems with one of his motorcycles and was forced to push it to try to return to his workshop as soon as possible, although the mishap did not prevent him from continuing with the test session without major complications.
Meanwhile, in that session there was an alternation in the lead, first with Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda RC 213 V) -who in the final stretch of the session once again tested his fast lap rhythm-, then with Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP) y los italianos Enea Bastianini (Ducati Desmosedici GP21) y Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP21).
In any case those trainings are the perfect showcase to showcase the race rhythms and the conditions in which each driver finds himself, with no more relevance than that but clearly defining the potential of the drivers for the race, so once the procedure was completed, the first classification began, in which some of the clear favorites were the Spanish Alex Rins (Suzuki GSX RR) and Aleix Espargaró ( Aprilia RS-GP), although the manufacturer’s representative from Noale crashed on the last track and was left without the possibility of accessing the second classification.
The winner of Argentina must start from the thirteenth positionfifth row of the starting formation, just ahead of his teammate, Maverick Viñales.
Before, they both came from behind another Spaniard, Jorge Martín (Ducati Desmosedici GP22), who beat them by a wide margin, than two tenths of a second, to be one of the two drivers who managed to pass to the second classification together with Alex Rins.
Marc Márquez and Fabio Quartararo were among the last to go out on the track at the start of the second classification and that the Spaniard had to stop almost dry at turn one of the track when he realized that the Italian Enea Bastianini had “hung” from his rear wheel, He had no choice but to overtake the Repsol Honda rider and leave him behind, but shortly after the Italian crashed, although he was able to continue on his bike.
After a first launch lap, the first valid reference of the definitive session was carried out by the Australian Jack Miller, while Marc Márquez had to abort his first attempt when crossing the yellow flag zone where Bastianini had gone down the drain.
Miller set a best time of 2:02.327, pursued by fellow Ducati riders “Pecco” Bagnaia and Jorge Martín, with world champion Quartararo in fourth place, although on the next lap he crashed at turn nineteen and had to run back to his workshop for the second moto after what was his first crash of the season.
The Repsol Honda rider was tenth at the time, but one lap later he was already in sixth place and hung up to go into his shop and do one last rear tire change.
by thenMiller was the leader, ahead of Bagnaia and Martín, and Quartararo He had already arrived at his workshop to practically without catching his breath left with the second bike and just over four minutes ahead.
It was in that last outing that Bagnaia took first place from his teammate Miller by lapping 2:02.167, shortly before Marc Márquez started his last fast lap attempt and that the Australian broke the track record by lapping in 2:02.042, when Márquez had lapped in 2:02.135 in the 2015 classification.
But from behind Jorge Martín unseated Miller from the “Pole position” by just three thousandths of a second, 2:02.039, with four more Ducati behind him, those of Miller, Bagnaia, Johann Zarco and Enea Bastianini, with the first ” not” Ducati, the Yamaha de Fabio Quartararo.
After the French, in the third line, the Spanish Alex Rins and Joan Mir with Suzuki GSX RR lanes, and Marc Márquez’s Repsol Honda, ninth.
The last line of the starting formation of the second classification, the fourth, will be occupied by the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami (Honda RC 213 V), the Italian Luca Marini (Ducati Desmosedici GP21) and the Spanish Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda RC 213 V). .
