Alex and Danilo get through the deluge in tricky Thailand

MotoGP’s return to Buriram was a brutal one, with the passionate fans packing the grandstands but extreme weather blighting the big race. A huge thunder storm swept through the circuit ahead of the start, delaying the off by almost an hour.

Visibility and spray were a big issue as the 25-lap race finally got underway, making it particularly tough for those further back on the grid, like Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Danilo Petrucci who started from 10th and 24th respectively. Rins ran wide a few times on the early laps as he tried to get to grips with conditions, but by the fifth lap he had climbed up into the points with 15th place. He spent the remainder of the race keeping close to the battle in front of him, carefully holding position and staying mindful of the track limits warning he’d picked up. He crossed the finish line in 13th, fractions of a second behind Franco Morbidelli, but the Italian later picked up a penalty which promoted Rins to 12th.

Petrucci’s favoured conditions are ‘the wetter the better’, but he faced a big struggle from the back of the grid. However, the stand-in rider managed to finish the race in 20th place, and he certainly enjoyed the experience.

KTM victorious in MotoGP™ again as Oliveira wins second Grand Prix of the season

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s final Japanese Grand Prix ended in disappointment as disaster struck both GSX-RRs, resulting in two non-finishes for the luckless Alex Rins and Takuya Tsuda.

MotoGP worked its way through 26 wet laps at the Chang International Circuit for the first Thai Grand Prix since 2019. As well as the physical and mental challenge, riders had to search for optimum grip after torrential showers had dowsed the track and even caused the Moto2 race to be shortened and then curtailed.

Oliveira, already a winner in wet conditions this year, was able to shine. His superior feel and speed through the final sector of the Chang layout enabled him to overtake Jack Miller and lead from the fourteenth circulation all the way to the flag.

Brad Binder, making his first MotoGP appearance on the KTM RC16 in Thailand, launched from the fourth row of the grid and from a slot next to his teammate. He was hit inside the first two laps by Aleix Espargaro and forced off the track. From that point he fought his way back to 10th.

Raul Fernandez took his Tech3 KTM Factory Racing machine to 15th and the final points-scoring berth. The Spaniard had started to feel poorly on Thursday night in Buriram but produced an admirable performance to last the distance in Thailand. Remy Gardner crashed out through the first sector at mid-race distance.

Binder, 6th, is 25 points behind Jack Miller for 5th in the world championship. Oliveira is 8th while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing is now the 3rd best team in the series and KTM are 4th in the Constructor’s standings.

MotoGP gathers again at the scenic and flowing Phillip Island circuit for a long overdue visit to the popular venue. The Animoca Brands Australian Grand Prix will take place on October 15-16.

Miguel Oliveira: “For sure that was a long race! But I cannot complain, every time we get a chance to go for it in the wet then I am super-fast. When I saw the weather I was having flashbacks to Indonesia and was trying to keep my feet on the ground. I wanted to make a good start and keep the mistakes to a minimum. I’m really satisfied with this end of season win. Yeah, it’s in the wet but I’ll take a win in any condition!”

Brad Binder: “I was really looking forward to the wet race today. I didn’t get a great start but passed a few riders and then on lap two someone hit me on the inside and I went off the track. When I rejoined deep in the pack I couldn’t see anything! When I went down the straight it was like someone had a blanket over my eyes because of the spray. Luckily, I pulled back a few positions and managed 10th place. It’s frustrating because I know I could have done a much better job today. Next stop Phillip Island.”

Raul Fernandez: “I had wished for the rain to come because I was not at my maximum physically, so I was pretty happy. I felt good at the beginning of the race but then our pace started to drop and I started losing confidence lap after lap. For this I am frustrated because I think that I could have finished in the Top 10. The track was getting worse so I had to analyze and decide how to at least finish in the points. Anyway, it was good having some battles with Brad Binder, Aprilia riders and we grabbed one point, which is very positive.”

Remy Gardner: “I enjoyed the first few laps of the race although it was difficult to have visibility on the straights with all the water. I felt really good at the start and was registering good lap times. Unfortunately, I ended up crashing, which is a shame because I think that we could have finished in the top 10. Next, Australia, so I am looking forward to racing there, and hopefully we can have a good result at home.”

Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “Miguel did an incredible job. He was 10th on the first lap but the visibility was low but he recovered and was very clever and fast with his moves. He was on a mission and we know how good he is in these conditions. Once he was in the lead he could make his pace: fast and safe. Let’s not forget that Miguel was also fast in the dry and so was Brad. He was unlucky that Aleix put him out of the track because it was difficult to recover from there. We also improved our position in the teams and recovered some ground in the Constructors standings. Three rounds to go!”

Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati take win at the Spanish GP in Jerez de la Frontera. Fifth Jack Miller

For the second year in a row, Ducati takes victory at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, stage today of the Spanish GP, the sixth round of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship. After Jack Miller’s victory last year, this time, it was Francesco Bagnaia (second in 2021) who took the Desmosedici GP to the top step of the podium, proving to be the absolute dominator of the Andalusian weekend.

The Ducati Lenovo Team rider took a record-breaking pole position yesterday, and in today’s GP, he imposed himself again, taking the lead at the first corner. Bagnaia was then able to maintain an incredible pace, managing the advantage over Fabio Quartararo until the finish line. It was Bagnaia’s fifth victory in MotoGP and his first in the premier class this year. Thanks to today’s result, the Italian rider moves up to fifth in the overall standings, which sees him 33 points behind leader Quartararo.

Jack Miller also had a good performance as he crossed the line fifth. After starting from 4th on the grid, the Australian rider immediately moved into third place, but towards the end of the race, he was overtaken first by Márquez and then by Aleix Espargaro. Miller then started a fierce duel with Márquez for fourth place, in which the Spaniard got the better of him. After the Spanish GP, Jack is eleventh in the Championship, 47 points behind the leader, while Ducati still leads the constructors’ standings by 42 points.

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st

“I am moved. The first victory last year at Aragon was certainly very important, but today’s was even more beautiful and much more difficult. We come from a tough period in which, for various reasons, we have never been able to show our real potential, but here I knew that we were in the right conditions to do well. We have been working hard since Qatar, and finally, today, we arrived ready for the race. I pushed really hard and lapped consistently throughout the 25 laps. I’m proud of the work that has been done, not only with my team, which I thank but also at home with the Academy and my family!”

Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th

“Knowing you have Marc Marquez behind you for 22 laps is definitely not an easy situation to handle, but despite the pressure, I feel I rode well today! I was with Pecco and Quartararo during the first four laps, but then I couldn’t maintain the same pace. I gave it my all and tried to focus only on my race. Right from the start, I was having some issues keeping the right line at Turn 5 and in the end, Marc passed me there. After Aleix passed both of us, Marc and I had a good battle on the last lap. I’m quite happy: we fought for the podium and obtained a positive result, and with today’s experience, we can only improve in the future. Congratulations to Pecco! He really did a great race”.

Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse)

“Pecco did an incredible race, and this victory definitely has several meanings. After yesterday’s amazing qualifying, it was important to do well again today. I’m sure he could have done well in Portugal too, but it was great to see him on form and fight for the win again. We are delighted because today, we were finally able to show the true potential of our bike. Jack also had a good race, and until five laps from the end, he was fighting for the podium. Congratulations again to Pecco, and thanks to all the Ducati Corse staff for their work!”

Tomorrow, the MotoGP riders will remain at Jerez de la Frontera for a day of post-race collective testing, while the French GP will take place from 13th-15th May at Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans.