Next stop Spain: who s coming out on top at the carnival? A fiesta like no other awaits as the hillsides of Jerez prepare to come alive with MotoGP™ Monday, 22 April 2024 COTA promised a lot and it certainly delivered, but maybe not in the way most were expecting. After the rollercoaster ignited the Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) vs Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) rivalry, saw Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) get on the podium AND Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) head into Round 3 with a very nice lead indeed as heartbreak hit for Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), it seemed Texas could stage a showdown between a few candidates. But the biggest answer of all after drama on the Algarve came from Viñales, who came out the blocks with an almighty advantage in Austin. And he converted that into a triple: pole, Tissot Sprint win and Grand Prix victory, becoming the first rider in the MotoGP™ era to win with three diff
First Person/Opinion: by Michael Gougis Walking back to the media center after the post-race podium ceremonies at Valencia, I heard a cheer go up between the Ducati transporters parked behind the garages. I looked down from the walkway and I saw Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi “Gigi” Dall Igna in the midst of a crowd of admirers. Several of them were hugging him. Others held up the banner that identified them as the Gigi Fan Club. Let s go over that one more time: Ducati racing s general manager has his own fan club. You might write this off as a manifestation of the gloriously abnormal passion of Italian fans for motorsport. It is, much like in Spain, one of the major national sports, part of the broader culture. I was in Italy earlier this year and walked into a tiny roadside café on a Sunday afternoon. Two old, old men were watching the Formula One race on a big TV. When the