MotoGP race Sunday in Misano – A race Sunday and way too many special moments. The double victory of Honda. The resurgent Marc Marquez, who won again for the first time on a right-handed circuit. Pol Espargaró’s first podium as a factory rider. The incredible recovery of Enea Bastianini, who started in 16th place and ended up in third. Valentino Rossi’s last race on home ground and then Fabio Quartararo’s early World Championship win. There was something for everyone and yet you had the feeling that you didn’t catch everything. You didn’t know where to look first. The production team also seemed to have a hard time showing everything and capturing it for the viewers. The race simply offered too much and even more after crossing the finish line. That would have been enough for four races.
So what should I write about first? I can’t write about all the topics and incidents, but I can pick out the most important one, Fabio Quartararo’s world championship win.
In his third year in the MotoGP class, Fabio Quartararo crowned himself MotoGP World Champion at the Misano GP. The race weekend in Misano was mixed for all riders, especially the two days of practice went under constantly changing conditions. There was no practice what took place in dry conditions. Not a good starting point for a dry race on Sunday. For Fabio Quartararo, Saturday did not go optimally, he could only get 15th place on the grid. For the young Frenchman an unusual starting situation, because from the back of the grid he went into the race for the first time. In addition, there was a problem with the front tire. The air pressure rose sharply during the race, which made braking difficult. Often Quartararo was in danger of crashing and yet the Yamaha factory rider fought his way close to the podium. The pressure from outside, the poor practice, the mixed conditions and the braking problems on his Yamaha, one of these reasons would be enough to make him nervous. Maybe even to commit mistakes. But Fabio Quartararo kept his cool and in the end benefited from the front wheel slip of his rival Francesco Bagnaia. The Ducati rider buried his own world championship hopes in the gravel on lap 22. The championship was decided at this moment, because Quartararo could have crashed now, because his lead would have been enough.
Even if it was not Fabio Quartararo preferred way to win the title, after crossing the finish line all the dams broke. The emotions overwhelmed him, even if he always fought against it. For Fabio Quartararo it was the greatest moment in his career, so it’s okay to shed a tear or two of joy.
But the gesture of Pecco Bagnaia, who welcomed Fabio Quartararo in the pit lane, was really great.
A beautiful end to a special race.
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