Dre’s Race Review: MotoGP’s 2024 Thailand Grand Prix

“Swings and Roundabouts: The Weekend”

Hey folks, with MotoGP on their flyaway game once again it’s time for another moment where the two-wheeled world kicks off the DRR doubleheader.

With just three races left in the MotoGP season, every point matters so much more, and Thailand provided the backdrop for a dramatic weekend where contrasting fortunes swung on a dime, and how a very different Sprint and GP turned the tables twice more. Let’s get into it.

Punch…

The Sprint Race was born on the backdrop of yet more messy riding in Qualifying. Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez both crashed in qualifying again, but this time from much stronger positions compared to previous rounds like Japan. This opened the door for Francesco Bagnaia to take pole position and set a new lap record in the process.

When the Sprint landed, Enea Bastianini took the holeshot after Martin ran himself wide at the opening corner trying to take the holeshot, and the Italian never looked back from there. Behind him was the drama, with Bagnaia not looking comfortable chasing the Beast, and Martin hit him with a surprise pass at Turn 7, slamming it down the inside of the World Champion en route to finishing second, with Pecco third.

The vibes at the podium were off. At that point, that overtake was worth a 4-point swing, extending Martin’s Championship lead to 22. But more significantly, with three GP’s and two Sprint’s left, it also meant that the World Champion no longer controlled his destiny. If Martin follows Pecco home from that point onwards, he wins the title by one point. And Bagnaia’s camp knew it. The glum faces in Pecco’s camp from Gigi Dall’Igna. Davide Tardozzi telling the media that if Martin wins the GP he deserves the title. It looked like the first real hammer blow in the title race this late on. If Martin wins the GP on top of it, he has a Match Point at Sepang. Enter Sunday…

…Meet Counter-Punch

And Sunday had another element thrown into the mix – Once again in Thailand in October, the rain came down. It had stopped by race time, but enough so that we got a wet race in full with no chance of a flag-to-flag switch late on.

Pecco Bagania took advantage of an early Jorge Martin mistake as he ran wide at Turn 3 and well, Pecco did what he does so well as the field’s best front runner, run laps and bully the field into going with him. The only person at the front who could match him was Marc Marquez. He tried a couple of hellacious sends into the final corner trying to park the bike at the apex, but both times he tried, Bagania was there to counter-attack. Eventually, Marc tried too hard to stay with Pecco, and in classic Ducati fashion, he tucked the front and crashed out of second place, ending his slim Championship hopes. 

At this point, I’d be more critical of another Marquez mistake, but this was a race where Franco Morbidelli punted Fabio Quartararo before crashing himself, Alex Marquez crashed on the sighting lap, and Marco Bezzecchi tipped it at Turn 1, so I guess it was one of those days for the Ducati brand. More opposite stuff, as you’ll see in the Lightning Round shortly.

At the front, Pecco was unchallenged the rest of the way, with Martin taking the 20 points in second safely. For all the narrative talk of this being a Championship of mistakes (And there is some merit to that), both protagonists kept their calm and held their nerve in difficult conditions and both did what they needed to do. It was a good showing for both parties. Bagania won to add pressure to the title chase, and Martin takes one round off the list of races between him and the title he’s still on course for. 17 points is the gap, with two rounds to go. With everyone else officially out of the running, The Rematch is on.

The Lightning Round (This a better colour combo on the eyes? Let me know – @DreHarrison101)

Fun Fact: The Sprint was the first time since 1996 that a manufacteur had locked out the Top 8 of a race. I know, not a Grand Prix, but still.

Worth pointing out in that title chase as well – For all the talk that Jorge Martin doesn’t know how to take the points. Thailand was the 15th time he’s finished a race in second this season (9 GPs, 6 Sprints). It’s the podiums he didn’t have last year that’s kept him in front.

Rider of the Day for me – Pedro Acosta. This was a man under pressure. After his highside led him to miss the Australian GP, Acosta was on a run of five-straight races without a finish after crashing out in the Sprint. It took him a while to find his footing in what was his first-ever wet MotoGP race, but once he found his rhythm, he was the fastest man on track down the stretch, pushing past the factory KTM’s for his fifth podium of the season. Only one other non-Ducati rider has even one, and that was Maverick Vinales after his win in Austin. PS: Stunning fight with Jack Miller for third at the end, bonus half point there for that alone.

Sincere question – What was the difference between Marc Marquez’s pass on Joan Mir, which ended up with a position drop, and Ai Ogura’s on Darryn Binder, which didn’t? Spencer… *shakes fist*

Speaking of which, congratulations to Ai Ogura on winning the Moto2 Championship in a rain-shortened affair. All he needed was a Top 5 finish to seal the title, and second place was more than enough after Aron Canet pulled away for his third series win. It’s been a heck of a journey for Ogura, who arguably should have won this Championship two years ago when his discipline fell apart down the stretch. His wrist injury heading into 2023 derailed his season, but he’s come through brilliantly this year as a model of consistency when everyone around him in the class hasn’t. And it’s a brilliant endorsement for the Asia Talent Cup, who have their first-ever World Champion and I’m delighted they were there to congratulate him on the way to the crown. Can’t wait to see what he does with Trackhouse next season.

And more history was made as David Alonso became the first rider in history to win 12 races in a Lightweight class season with another outstanding win. His racecraft is just on another level compared to the rest of the field and they do not have an answer for him. Another brilliant celebration with the Guinness World Records book and all 11 of his other wins in it. Also, glad Taiyo Furusato was okay after being barged out on the final straight into a crash by Colin Veijer in an unfortunate accident. He was also allowed to keep his fifth place given his bike did just about make it over the line. Phew.

Dre’s Race Rating: 5.5/10 (Meh) – Yeah, Marc Marquez as he so often does, provided the entertainment here, until he crashed and that left the front of the race largely quiet. There was some late fun with Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannatonio’s late pushes but overall, not exactly 2023’s instant classic (No, Christian Cage). See you in Sepang.