Austin GP 2023 – Alex Rins and Wilde 13 / MotoGP

Before one, MotoGP saw the extraordinary US Grand Prix at the “Circuit of the Americas”. Without Marc Márquez, Honda still won, points for substitute Jonas Folger up and the world champion angry down. We hit the back button again and stop at the main points of curiosity.

Last year the Austin GP was also the third stop on the calendar, after Portugal and Argentina. The two injured factory drivers Marc Márquez and Pol Espargaró were both replaced by German drivers. For Stefan Bradl, representing the king of Austin on the Respol Honda was already normal, with Jonas Folger holding the handle of the RC16 in GASGAS livery for the first time under racing conditions.

Training and qualifying sessions on the slopes in Texas did not produce any major surprises. Four Ducatis in the top five and world champion Bagnaia in first place on the grid. In addition, both factory Aprilias and factory KTMs were both in the top 12. On the other hand, the good performance of Alex Rins already in the second place and, in a negative sense, the 12th place of the strong qualifying pilot Jorge Martin caused little surprise. .

The latter then cleaned up properly in the first Texas race in history and returned to the podium in third place. But it was not enough for the Pramac athlete to beat his teammate Alex Rins. He is very well placed on an excellent technical track. Second place gives his LCR Honda team a big prize on Saturday. But Pecco Bagnaia is unbreakable. He crossed the finish line as the winner with a lead of about 2.5 seconds. In the first three races of the race, Aprilia with Aleix Espargaró (4th) and KTM with Brad Binder (5th) are also interesting. Ducati rider Luca Marini and Yamaha ace Fabio Quartararo are still missing during the short break.

As befits an American script, the original GP directs the drama in film format. Despite the perfect conditions, the 20-lap race turns into a ruthless elimination match. The race is 30 seconds long when the Ducati of Jorge Martin and Alex Márquez jump off the track. Aprilia star Espargaró also did not survive the first lap without crashing. Jack Miller manages at least five rounds. Then the factory Aussie KTM crashed on American tarmac.

Just one lap later, world champion Bagnaia, who has had a faultless weekend so far, causes a scream of terror in the Ducati Lenovo pit.
Number 1 is obviously leading. A rare error, which, however, has no consequences due to the departure of the “Martinator”. Even more important – with a quick departure, Pecco Bagnaia is still unscathed.

Even before the middle of the race, several contenders for the win are out of contention with Honda Rins leading the way. However, one can only talk about the victory of inheritance on a very small scale. Rins was in good form all weekend and the #42 can also claim the best lap of the race. Historically, things are also going on behind the Spanish winner in the Italian team on a Japanese bike. Like Rins, Luca Marini also had a good day. Second place means a first podium in MotoGP for Rossi’s half-brother.

Fabio Quartararo can also descend from the podium at a high height. The United States remains one of the few attractions this season for the 2021 world champions.

There were other important parts of the 2023 vision. Despite LCR Honda’s success, the factory team’s Texas trip ends in double frustration after Bradl and Mir crashed.

Jonas Folger has a completely unprofessional attitude when it comes to his racing returns. The brave Bavarian finished 13th and last, 68 seconds behind Alex Rins. The 2023 US GP won’t just be stored in the KTM/GASGAS test rider’s personal media library for a while. The possibility of a no less exciting continuation in a few days is excellent. Not only because Marc Márquez will be at the start on Ducati.