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Sprint Race
Follow the Grand Prix San Marino live. This MotoGP race starts at 15:00 on 7 September 2024. Find race results, calendar, standings, scores and all of this season’s MotoGP races.
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Highlights
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THANK YOU AND GOODBYE
Thank you all for following our live text coverage of the San Marino Sprint race around the iconic Misano World Circuit. An exciting race saw Jorge Martin launch off the line to jump the Italian VR46 Academy trio to take the Sprint victory, and Marc Marquez storm through the field to make up for his qualifying crash earlier today.
Come back tomorrow afternoon to watch the championship battle ensue after Martin extended his lead at the top of the table today. Can Pecco make a comeback tomorrow?
MARTIN PUT IN '13 LAPS OF QUALIFYING'
After jumping the Italians for first place off the line, Jorge Martin snatched the San Marino Sprint victory from Pecco Bagnaia on his home soil and extended his championship lead by 12 points.
Martin said: "I'm super happy, I think we did a really good job - even from practice we were trying to find perfection so it was difficult.
"Today I expected to be fighting with Pecco but I did not expect to do that from the start, and from that point I was okay.
"13 laps of qualifying pace, I was pushing and trying to not make any mistakes and be super focused.
"I have a gap to keep for the last two laps so I'm super happy, for tomorrow it's another story but I feel confident that we are super fast."
MORBIDELLI 'BUZZED' ABOUT PODIUM
Franco Morbidelli put in a spectacular qualifying performance to secure a spot in the front three for the first time in three and a half years. Even better, he converted the qualifying position to a podium spot in the Sprint today on home soil.
Morbidelli said: "Very buzzed today we were hoping and waiting for this kind of result and performance.
"Misano is the right place to do it."
BAGNAIA 'NOT HAPPY' WITH SPRINT RESULT
After losing the pole position off the line to Jorge Martin, Pecco Bagnaia was certainly not the happiest Italian on track in San Marino.
Bagnaia said: "I'm absolutely not happy. I tried, but Jorge was breaking hard and after the start it was a disaster.
"I lost the first position and from that moment it was very difficult, but in any case second position after what happened last week is okay.
"We will improve the start because it was a disaster then try to be in a better shape tomorrow."
SAN MARINO SPRINT RESULTS
MARTIN VICTORIOUS IN PECCO'S BACKYARD
Jorge Martin snatches Pecco Bagnaia's pole position with a great launch off the line and proves victorious in the San Marino Sprint.
Hopes for an all-Italian podium on home soil are lost as Martin claimed the victory and extended his lead ahead of Bagnaia in the riders' standings.
Franco Morbidelli converted his top-three qualifying slot to a podium position after holding off Enea Bastianini and a charging Marc Marquez.
Marc Marquez climbed up to fifth place after a brilliant charge through the field, clearing the KTM riders to reverse his poor qualifying result.
The Sprint sees a Ducati top-five on home soil as the Italian constructor prove their dominance around Misano.
MARTIN WINS THE SPRINT IN SAN MARINO
Snatching the Sprint victory from Pecco Bagnaia at his home race, the Spaniard claims the win and extends his championship lead.
MARTIN CLOSES THE DOOR ON PECCO
Martin closes the door on Pecco Bagnaia as he pulls 1.3s away from the reigning world champion. After a stunning start, Martin has led the pack from the very first lap and shuts any move down from Pecco.
The timesheets this weekend have so far shown the two championship contenders to be equal on pace, but it looks like Martin will run away with the Sprint win today.
MARQUEZ CLIMBS TO SIXTH
Marc Marquez squeezed around Jack Miller around the tight Turn 14, climbing up to sixth after an unfortunate crash in qualifying. The eight-time world champ dove down the inside of Miller heading into Turn 14, pulling off an impressive move to make his way back up the field.
MARQUEZ NEEDS TO CLEAR KTMs
Marc Marquez searches for a way around the KTM riders, pulling off a move around Jack Miller on Lap 7 to make his way up to seventh place after clearing Fabio Quartararo.
At the front of the pack, Martin attempts to pull away from Bagnaia but the Italian rider lingers closely behind. Just 0.4s behind, Bagnaia hopes to clear Martin and fly away in clean air.
BEZZECCHI DOWN
Searching for a way around Fabio Quartararo, Marco Bezzecchi lost control of his VR46 Ducati bike and crashes out of his home race.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez sits in eighth place as he struggles on the greasy Misano surface. Last week's double winner can't seem to replicate the dominant performance as he falls six seconds behind Martin in the lead.
BAGNAIA HUNTS DOWN MARTIN
The two championship rivals reignite their battle on track after Jorge Martin jumped the Italian trio for first place. Pecco Bagnaia storms through the field cutting the gap down to Martin to 0.2s in the hunt for those crucial points in the Championship.
ORDER ON LAP 3
MARTIN JUMPS THE ITALIANS
Jorge Martin got off to a great start, launching his bike off the line to lead the Sprint heading into the third corner. The championship leader climbed from fourth to first as Pecco Bagnaia falls to second place on home soil, jumping the three Italian VR46 Academy riders.
Brad Binder also made an excellent move to climb up to fourth, sitting behind Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli as Marco Bezzecchi drops down to eighth place. Losing last week's glory, Marc Marquez fails to make up positions on the opening lap and remains in ninth place on Lap 1.
WARM UP LAP AND WEATHER REPORT
Track temperatures at Misano have reached 42°c under the beaming Italian sun as the riders gear up for the half race distance Sprint. All riders have opted for soft rear tyres as they prepare for a short but speedy stint around the exciting circuit. The surface is hot and greasy but Misano is renowned for its excellent grip.
VR46 VISION COMPLETE?
With the top three starting grid positions snatched by VR46 Academy riders, the team’s genius vision may be nearing fruition. Pecco Bagnaia joins friends Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi in creating a new chapter for the VR46 Academy.
When Bagnaia snagged his first championship, he became the first VR46 Academy rider to do so. The very first VR46 Academy rider, Morbidelli, officially joins the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team for 2025 as Valentino Rossi’s vision continues to grow.
An Academy top-three lockout holds great news for Rossi and the future of both the team and the Academy. From VR46 rider Bezzecchi lining up third in qualifying, to the integration of Morbidelli into the team, there are great things set in store for VR46.
BAGNAIA ‘PROUD’ OF VR46 LOCK-OUT
Leading an all-Italian and all-VR46 Academy front-row lockout in San Marino, the reigning world champion Francesco Baganaia shared how proud he is to share the top three slots with his fellow academy riders.
Bagnaia said: “I’m very proud of this day because it’s a great chapter for the academy for sure, it’s good because also we train a lot here.
“It’s the first time that we can show altogether the fruits of the work we do here so I’m very happy about it.
“The pace is super good, my feeling on the bike is fantastic - I’m not 100% physically but luckily when I’m riding I feel okay so this is good.”
MORBIDELLI: ‘WONDERFUL TO GET BACK TO FIGHTING’
Franco Morbidelli stars in the all-Italian top three after putting in a brilliant qualifying performance to sit 0.285s behind Bagnaia.
‘The Doctor’ features in a top-three VR46 Academy lock-out as his third-place starting slot earns him his first appearance in parc fermé for the first time in three and a half years.
Morbidelli said: “It’s fantastic, it’s wonderful to get back to the top positions and it’s wonderful to get back fighting for interesting stuff.
“We have to keep going, got to keep on the pace and keep on working on the right things and this is the right direction.”
BEZZECCHI DEDICATES FRONT-ROW LOCK-OUT TO HOME CROWD
Marco Bezzecchi found himself on the second row for his home race around Misano after a brilliant qualifying performance placed him just 0.305s behind the polesitter.
Bezzecchi said: “I’m very happy for today’s result in qualifying, finally I’ve started to feel good on the bike and I started to enjoy the bike again.
“It’s best to do this in Misano of course, but for me it means so much and it’s dedicated to all the fans who make my heart shake.
“Misano, graze mille."
TYRE TALK
In a vastly different nature to Aragon, Misano’s track conditions are well-known due to a mixture of private testing and in-depth knowledge of the track. As MotoGP has frequently raced and tested here, there’s very little left to the imagination as tyre wear and performance can be predicted based on past data.
Michelin decided to increase the hardness of three front tyre compounds due to a huge jump in machine performance. Due to the mostly flat surface of the track, Michelin opted to offer harder tyre compounds as the mixture of slow and fast corners can burn out the tyres quicker than a track with less technicalities.
HOME HEROES
The racing Gods have gifted Italian fans with an all-Italian top three in qualifying on home soil. Francesco Bagnaia leads the Ducati boys Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi to lock out the front row for the VR46 Academy riders.
Home hero Baganaia hopes to provide the fans with some thrilling racing around Misano, starting by setting an all-time lap record of 1:30.304s on the iconic circuit. Bagnaia earned his first MotoGP podium in Misano but now looks to add to his glorious win tally at his home race.
Franco Morbidelli is another home hero searching for glory at Misano, finding himself in parc fermé for the first time in three and a half years. The Doctor put in a spectacular qualifying performance to secure the second slot on the front row, hoping to push it even further for the victory.
WHAT ARE THE STAKES?
A dramatic weekend in Aragon saw the championship title fight blown wide open after Pecco Baganaia endured a shocking crash with Alex Marquez. Jorge Martin was able to run away with a handful of points to climb to the top of the table, while Marc Marquez’s double redemption wins earned him a new spot as the third title contender.
Heading into Round 13 in San Marino, Pecco Baganaia looks to retake his lead at the top of the Riders’ standings on home soil. However, the two main title contenders have both topped the time sheets in different sessions this weekend.
Martin was quickest in Free Practice 1 but Bagnaia took the top spot in Practice this morning, meanwhile a speedy Marc Marquez lingers behind with excellent pace on the smooth circuit. Who will come out on top in the Sprint?
WHICH MOTOGP RACES ARE ON TNT SPORTS? WHAT IS DISCOVERY+?
TNT Sports will broadcast every MotoGP race, from the season opener in Qatar to the final race in Valencia on November 17.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is Discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
ALL ABOUT MISANO
The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is one of MotoGP’s most cherished circuits on the calendar. Constructed in 1972, the track is 4.2km long featuring 16 technical corners with a blend of high-speed straights and undulating terrain.
The track has undergone major development over the years to create a modern track renowned for its smooth tarmac and excellent grip levels. Riders adore racing around this track due to the silky smooth surface and the slight elevation at Turns 8 and 10.
Misano was often used as the Italian Grand Prix throughout the 1970s and 80s before establishing itself in 2007 as a MotoGP staple. Now, the track welcomes thousands of spectators each year to watch the thrilling racing.
WHAT HAPPENED IN QUALIFYING
Francesco Bagnaia gets off to a great start in San Marino, securing pole position as he looks to retake the championship lead on home soil. Marc Marquez crashed in the final three minutes of qualifying, falling to ninth while the three VR46 Academy riders banded together to lock out an all-Italian top three.
WELCOME TO SAN MARINO
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text coverage of the San Marino Grand Prix Sprint race. The grid is back in San Marino, ready to cause chaos at the iconic Misano World Circuit.
Last week in Aragon we watched Marc Marquez come back in full force to dominate the entire weekend and take his first win in 1043 days, while the reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia lost the title lead to Jorge Martin after a huge crash with Alex Marquez.
Get ready for some thrilling action in San Marino as the two championship rivals look towards a contentious battle at the top, hoping to steal Marc Marquez’s thunder.
San Marino GP Live - Can Francesco Bagnaia retake the championship lead on home soil or will his fellow VR46 Academy riders usurp the reigning champ?