Barcelona Valencia Grand Prix Quote Machine Final
Trackhouse novel at no extra charge
by the Osceola Brothers
Sunday, November 17, 2024
These just in: 
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion! Having taken a 24-point lead into the title-deciding weekend at the Motul Solidarity GP of Barcelona, the Spaniard held his nerve to perfection to win his first premier class title by 10 points and become the first Independent Team rider to win the title in the MotoGP™ era.
Martin made his debut on the world stage in 2015 with Mapfre Mahindra, moving up after taking the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He scored his first point in the season opener in Qatar and became a regular top 15 contender, ending his rookie year in 17th overall. The following season, the rider from Madrid took another step forward – including his first podium in the wet at Brno – but he also missed a couple of races through injury, therefore ending the season just one place further forward in 16th overall.
Jorge Martín rode brilliantly to stay out of trouble and finish third behind winner Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez at the Solidarity GP on Sunday in Barcelona to join them in becoming a MotoGP world champion after a superb, consistent season. Here is all you need to know:
- The Spanish rider, who finished second behind Bagnaia overall last season, went into the last race weekend of the season on his Ducati with a 24-point lead over reigning two-time champion Bagnaia.
- The Italian cut that lead down to 19 points with victory in Saturday's Sprint race to take the title race to the final Sunday, however Martín was not going to let that stop him from realising his MotoGP title dream.
- The Madrid native started fourth on the grid behind Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaró - in his final career factory race - and six-time MotoGP world champion Márquez and made sure not to get too close to other riders.
- The 26-year-old kept his cool on his Prima Pramac Racing bike to eventually move up to third with Bagnaia banking his 11th race win of the year and Márquez ending in second to cap a great comeback season.
- Martín becomes the first independent team world champion in the modern era with Pramac after winning seven sprints and three races in a wonderful, steady 2024 campaign.
- After winning the Moto3 title in 2018 on a Honda, this is also Martín's first MotoGP world championship title in his final race for both Ducati and Pramac before switching to a factory Aprilia bike in 2025.
- Martín, who finished 10 points clear of Bagnaia overall, said: "It sounds amazing (to be called world champion). I am completely shocked. This is for my people and my family. The last laps I started crying a bit. It was an emotional race. It has been a long journey, lots of crashes and big injuries. Thanks to all the fans. Live in the present and enjoy the moment."
- Márquez, 31, said: "Today was a good race, but first of all I want to congratulate the world champion Jorge Martín. To finish on the podium was the best way to say thank you to my incredible family (team)."
- Bagnaia, 27, said: "I think Jorge is deserving of what he achieved and this day is for him. My team did an incredible job. Congratulations to Jorge."
- Spaniard Álex Márquez finished fourth for Gresini Ducati with Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder ending in sixth to finish fifth overall ahead of rookie Pedro Acosta who finished 10th for an excellent sixth overall in 2024.
- Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira finished in 12th, Australian Jack Miller 13th for Red Bull KTM with Frenchman Johann Zarco 14th and Spaniard Augusto Fernández 19th for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3.
2024 Solidarity GP result
1. Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo 40m 24.74s
2. Marc Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati +1.474s
3. Jorge Martín SPA Pramac Ducati +3.810s
4. Álex Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati +5.322s
5. Aleix Espargaró SPA Aprilia Racing +5.753s
2024 MotoGP World Championship final standings
1. Jorge Martín SPA Pramac Ducati 508 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo 498
3. Marc Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati 392
4. Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati Lenovo 386
5. Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM 217
3 million+ – the weekend crowd of 134,848, with all availability sold out for the finale, means MotoGP has set a new season record of more than 3 million spectators through the gates in 2024: 3,033,255.
508 – 2024 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martin is the first rider to reach the milestone of 500 points in a single premier class season: 508.
150 – Marc Marquez finished P2, which is his 150th Grand Prix podium, just two fewer than Jorge Lorenzo, who is fourth on the list of riders with most podiums. This is also his 111th premier class podium, one fewer than Dani Pedrosa, who is third on the list of riders with most premier class podiums.
19 – This is Ducati’s 19th win so far this season, extending the record in a single premier class season by a manufacturer. It’s their 17th win in a row which is a new personal record for the Bologna factory. Ducati is the first manufacturer with 17 MotoGP wins in a row since Honda’s run of 22 from Malaysia 1997 to Assen 1998.
16 – Since the opening Grand Prix of the season in Qatar, Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have both scored 16 podiums, both beating the record of the most podiums in a single season by a Ducati rider set by Bagnaia last year.
14 – David Alonso took his 14th win of the year, which is a new all-time record in any class. No one has ever achieved 14 wins in a single season. He is also the first rider to finish in the points in every race in a Moto3TM season since Maverick Viñales in 2013.
11 – This is Bagnaia’s 11th win of 2024, making it his best premier class season in terms of wins. The last rider who scored 11 (or more) wins in a MotoGPTM season is Marc Marquez with 12 in 2019. The club of riders who have 11 or more wins in a single MotoGPTM season currently only comprises Marc Marquez (13 - 2014, 12 - 2019) and Valentino Rossi (11 - 2002, 2005).
Who won what: Solidarity GP
MotoGP World Championship: Jorge Martin took his first premier class world title with a P3 GP finish. Moto2TM Rookie of the Year: Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira won the fight for the Rookie of Year by taking his first Moto2TM podium.
2017 saw Martin cement his place at the front as he moved to Del Conca Gresini Moto3, beginning the year on the podium in third at Qatar. He took nine pole positions and eight further podiums that season – but it was a long wait for one to be a maiden win. The Spaniard wrapped that up in the season finale at Valencia; his first trip to the top step setting him up perfectly for an assault on the crown the following year and seeing him take fourth overall in the standings.
2018 began perfectly as Martin won in Qatar, and it was a year that saw the Spanish star really make a name for himself on the Grand Prix scene. Seven wins were secured while he also set a new Moto3™ pole position record (11), but it was the Moto3™ World Championship crown that counted most. For the first time, Martin was a World Champion, as a move to Moto2™ with Red Bull KTM Ajo beckoned for 2019.
A difficult year for rider and machine followed in his rookie intermediate class season, and it wasn’t until the Japanese GP that we saw Martin return to the podium. That P3 was backed up by a P2 in Australia, as a good end-of-season run set up 2020 nicely for one of Grand Prix racing’s brightest prospects.
Three podiums in the first six races in 2020 included a debut Moto2™ win in Austria. But when sitting just eight points back from title leader Luca Marini, Martin then had to miss the San Marino and Emilia-Romagna GPs after testing positive for Covid-19, and two more 0s cost him dearly in his quest to become Moto2™ World Champion.
2021 was when the Prima Pramac Racing and Jorge Martin story began as the combination teamed up in the premier class. And the first chapter was one to remember! Martin stuck it on pole in just his second outing and went on to claim P3 in the Doha GP to immediately raise eyebrows in MotoGP. However, a big crash at the next race in Portimao left Martin with eight fractures and forced him to miss four races. Nevertheless, Martin banished those demons to win the Styrian GP from pole position, and backed that maiden victory up in style the following weekend with a P3 from pole.
Capping off a rollercoaster rookie MotoGP™ season with a second place finish in Valencia, 2022 promised a lot – but delivered a little less at times. It was a tougher start with Martin unable to unleash his full potential, but his sophomore season ended with four podiums – none of them wins.
After that more difficult-than-expected 2022, Martin came into 2023 hunting a much more consistent campaign. The year didn’t get off to the cleanest of starts though as two Sunday DNFs came in the first three races, before a P4 on home soil in Jerez got the ball rolling. A debut Tissot Sprint win arrived in France, and that was backed up with a double podium in Italy at Mugello. And from there, Martin’s title challenge against Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was born. Martin went on to become the Sprint King in 2023 as the #89 won seven of the last nine Saturday outings, and having won three Sunday races in the second half of the season, Martin landed in Valencia 21 points adrift of Pecco.
After winning the Sprint, Martin cut the gap – but Sunday saw the home hero suffer a DNF. Martin agonisingly missed out on the MotoGP™ title last season, but that only added fuel to the fire in his pursuit of going one better in 2024.
A Sprint win and Sunday P3 in Qatar was a solid start to the year, and that was followed up by a first 25-point haul in Portugal. Leaving Round 2, Martin led the Championship and from there, he’s only lost it to Bagnaia once. The key to Martin’s success in 2024? Consistency. Between Round 5 and 18, Martin only missed out on a Sunday podium twice – once was in Germany when he crashed out of the lead with two laps to go, and once at the San Marino GP when a tyre switch gamble didn’t pay off.
After six P2 finishes in that stretch, a return to winning ways on Sunday in Indonesia – following a Sprint crash – saw Martin start to become the favourite for the title. A P2 in Japan, a Sprint win and P2 in Australia and a pair of P2s in Thailand saw Martin land in Malaysia with a 17-point lead over Pecco.
In the Sprint, Martin was superb to claim a crucial 12 points as Pecco, dramatically, crashed out of P2. That meant Martin had a 29-point lead coming into Sunday’s 20-lap race in Sepang and with a P2 finish, Martin made sure he held a healthy 24-point advantage over Pecco ahead of #TheRematch decider.
In Barcelona, Martin qualified fourth and finished P3 in the Tissot Sprint to head into Sunday's race with a simple objective - finish P9 or better. And that's exactly what he did. Despite Bagnaia's perfect weekend, Martin claimed a safe P3 in front of his home fans to become the 2024 World Champion - a year on from missing out on the crown in Valencia. A phenomenal job from the #89 as he became a MotoGP™ World Champion, and two-time World Champion too, before he leaves Ducati for Aprilia in 2025.
Congratulations to Jorge and Prima Pramac Racing on a stunning campaign!
How were you feeling ahead of the Grand Prix with a 19-point advantage and during the first few laps?
"It was difficult, the conditions were difficult, so the tyre choice was not easy. There were some hard tyres, some soft tyres and some medium tyres, so I was looking at my opponents, and I was like, ‘Wow, they are all good’. I mean, I thought it was really easy for me to finish 10th if they had a good race. I was scared, but I thought the medium was the most conservative tyre choice. It wasn’t easy, and I don’t think it was the correct one, maybe the soft was a little bit more competitive. I had trust in myself, and I had a lot of confidence in myself that even with the worst tyre, I could be inside the top nine, so I was super focused on the race."
Talk us through the explosion of emotion when you knew you were the World Champion?
"Seven laps to go was the difficult point, I was so focused today, and I think even if it was a normal race in May, I would have finished third because Marc and Pecco were stronger. I did my best. For sure, the last seven laps were difficult, I started to remember a lot of moments throughout my career, I remember my dad helping me after work and all of the weekend, my mum cooking when I was in pocket bikes and my grandfather, who is not here and was watching me from the sky. I was remembering a lot of moments, but then I had to refocus and remain in the moment but then once I crossed the finish line, I started to cry. Already on the last lap, I felt that I was starting to cry; it was so emotional, and then I became happy and started to cry again once I remembered my family. I am so happy that almost all my family is here and all my close friends are here, so tonight will be good."
How special will it be to put your name at the top of the Tower of Champions?
"Last season, I remember with Pecco when I was doing the filming, I was looking at the trophy, and I wasn’t prepared. I was scared, but this year, I didn’t even look at the trophy while we were filming, but I thought I would put my name in its place. Today, I enjoyed the race. I was touching my elbow and shoulder on the ground, like a training session. I am so happy that I could enjoy the moment as I remember in 2018 when I won the Moto3™ World Championship I was already thinking that I wanted another one in Moto2™, so I didn’t enjoy it. Now I can enjoy the moment, and whatever comes in the future will be a gift, I will try and be my best version and try and win with Aprilia, but right now, I will enjoy this moment."
Jorge Martín and the Desmosedici GP are World Champions for 2024 in another record-breaking season for the Italian manufacturer
On Sunday in the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, Ducati wins MotoGP World Title for the third consecutive season with Jorge Martín aboard the Desmosedici GP24 of the Pramac Racing team.
The Spanish rider secures his first World Title in the premier class of the top international two-wheel racing competition, in a 2024 season marked by an absolute domination of the Ducati bikes and its riders with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) making up a dream Top-4, all Ducati, in the overall classification.
Ducati's technical supremacy in this MotoGP season is reflected in its record numbers , which improve on those of the already sensational 2023 season. The Italian manufacturer managed the extraordinary feat of improving the all-time record for season victories (19 out of a total of 20 races), setting a new record for monopolized podiums (14) and in 6 of these Grand Prix races, Ducati's hegemony has extended to the entire Top-5.
For Ducati, the only non-Japanese brand capable of winning a World Championship in MotoGP and the only European brand capable of achieving the milestone of 100 victories in this category, the one won together with Jorge Martín and Pramac Racing is the fourth Riders' Title after those of Casey Stoner in 2007 and Francesco Bagnaia in 2022 and 2023.
The MotoGP World Championship crowns another extraordinary racing season in which the Bologna-based manufacturer also won the Constructors' and Teams' Title with the Ducati Lenovo Team, the Manufacturers' and Teams' Title in WorldSBK with the official riders of the Aruba.it Racing Team Nicolò Bulega and Álvaro Bautista on the podium of the overall classification, and the Riders' and Manufacturers' Title in WorldSSP, thanks to the performances of the new World Champion Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WSSP Team) and the podium finish of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO
“The dominance expressed by Ducati with its bikes, its riders and its technicians in the 2024 MotoGP season will remain forever in the hearts of fans of this sport. I am very happy for Jorge, an incredibly talented rider who grew up with Ducati and together with us realized the dream he had since he was a child. After the crazy joy of 2022 and the ‘victory of awareness’ of 2023, today we want to celebrate the triumph of a system: the “Ducati System”. A system inspired by the teachings of Galileo Galilei, the inventor of the scientific method and modern science. A system that has led us to be the best in track-racing competitions, and which we also apply in the research, design and development of our products, proudly bringing Made in Italy engineering all over the world. I would like to congratulate all the Ducati riders: certainly the World Champion Jorge Martín, but obviously also Pecco, who never gave up until the very end, and then Marc and Enea, who contributed to a record-breaking MotoGP season for our Company. In particular, the top 4 in the overall standings expressed a technical level and a harmony with the Desmosedici GP that was at the limits of imagination. In this scenario, Jorge and Pecco made even more of a difference by staging a duel for the title that was even more balanced than last year. Pecco won more, but Jorge was more tenacious and in the end he is rightly the Champion. The World Title won by Jorge is a beautiful demonstration that love stories can end with a wonderful finale and I struggle to think of a better way to celebrate the work done in recent years with Jorge and with Pramac Racing, which I would like to thank especially in the person of Paolo Campinoti. Thanks to all the people at Ducati and Ducati Corse who made all this possible, being a Ducatista is increasingly a source of pride”.
Luigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager
“Winning the third World Riders’ Title in a row is fantastic. It confirms once again the strength of the Ducati project, with the commitment and team spirit of all those, riders and Team, who have contributed to making it a winner with incredible continuity, as demonstrated by the numbers of these years. In particular, another page of history is deservedly written today by Jorge Martín at the end of an amazing season, which is the essence of all the work done together. A big round of applause goes to Pecco Bagnaia, because his was also an extraordinary year and the challenge on the track improved both riders: exactly what we believe in. Today’s victory is also, or rather above all, the best way to say goodbye to Pramac Racing, a formidable group of professionals with whom we have worked in harmony for 20 years: to each of them a very strong hug, starting with our friend Paolo Campinoti. 2024 was a stratospheric year for Ducati, in which we broke the record for victories and the record for podiums, with the cherry on top of having placed 8 Desmosedici GP in front of everyone in the Sprint Race in Thailand. I want to thank all the men and women of Ducati Corse who work hard and with passion every day to achieve great results like the one we are celebrating today. Forza Ducati!”
Jorge Martín (#89, Pramac Racing)
"The dream has come true, I am World Champion! It is very difficult now to realize that it is all true, but I am fully aware of what we have achieved because ever since I was a child I have been chasing this goal. This is the final result of all the work done over the years, but also of the sacrifices of my family, my parents, my brother and all my team who have supported me unconditionally. Last year I promised myself that I would try again and here I am, reaping the rewards of an entire life dedicated to this wonderful sport. I want to thank Team Pramac and Ducati for giving me the opportunity to arrive in MotoGP and grow up together. And in particular, a big thank you to Paolo Campinoti and Gigi Dall’Igna for their trust since day one and for providing me with all the resources I needed to become World Champion. The work we have done together with Ducati Corse in these last years has been incredible: we have won the Constructors' Championship 4 times in a row and together we have achieved 8 victories, 32 podiums and 20 pole positions. The World Title won together is really the best way to say goodbye".
Ducati is now preparing to celebrate the World Titles won in 2024. The ‘Campioni in Festa’ event will be held on December 3rd in Bologna, where the protagonists of this extraordinary sporting season will celebrate their successes. Further details on the event will be announced in the coming days.
The numbers of Ducati domination in the 2024 MotoGP season:
19 – Wins achieved by Ducati riders in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship - All Time MotoGP Record
14 – Races of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship in which the podium was made up entirely of Ducati riders – All Time MotoGP Record
53 – Podiums achieved by Ducati riders during the 2024 season with 6 different riders
16 – Pole positions obtained by Ducati riders during the 2024 MotoGP season
66 – Consecutive MotoGP races in which at least one Ducati rider placed in the Top 3 (all the Sprint Races of the 2024 season also ended with at least one Ducati rider on the podium)
106 – Victories in MotoGP for Ducati, the only European motorcycle manufacturer to surpass the milestone of 100 wins
The 2024 MotoGP World Championship season came to a close after 20 rounds, 40 races and countless hours of work and with it, the end of the most iconic partnership in all of motorsport.
After 30 years, 15 World Championships, 183 Victories and 455 Podiums in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, the Solidarity GP marked the end of motorsport’s most iconic collaboration between Repsol and Honda HRC. Achieving immediate success in their very first race together with Mick Doohan back in 1995, the Repsol Honda Team has witnessed the likes of Doohan, Alex Criville, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez lift World Championships with countless other riders clinching wins, poles and podium finishes.
The final race of the year brought with it a sombre mood as the paddock gathered together one last time to race for the people of Valencia. Determination remained as high as ever inside the Repsol Honda Team garage as both riders left pit lane just ahead of the last 24-laps of the year.
A content Luca Marini left the final race of his debut season as a Repsol Honda Team rider reflecting on the progress made over the course of the year. With this in mind, his 16th place finish was proof of this progress at a track which has always been a challenge for the Honda RC213V. Marini’s first year as a factory Honda rider can be marked proudly with his improvement and growth throughout the season.
Joan Mir was again impressive as the lights went out, charging ahead from 13th on the grid to throw himself into the midst of the top ten battle. Leading the chasing group and pushing his limits to close the distance to the riders ahead. Unfortunately, a fall while pushing hard under braking would end his race. He was unharmed in the crash.
Honda HRC would like to thank everyone from Repsol who has been involved in the project for their 30 years of hard work, support and collaboration. Honda HRC wishes Repsol all the best in their future business and sporting endeavours.
Luca Marini
16th
“The key point of today is to compare our performance from May to today, and I think when we do that, we can see that we have made a good step forward. Barcelona is always a tough circuit for us, so this limited our performance a bit today. This year has been all about making progress, both with the bike and with myself – there is still more to do but we are going in the correct direction. I am looking forward to this winter to keep working on the project that we have started and attacking again in 2025, to help Honda return to the top.”
Joan Mir
DNF
“I was pushing incredibly hard during the race after making a good start, I was feeling good and doing everything I could to close to the group in the top ten. Finally, I pushed too much, and I fell which is a big shame because we can see that there were good points on the table. Everyone is working hard to come back, and today I wanted to show that I am 100% committed to being fast and to fighting for everything possible. We now start to look to 2025 already, first with the test on Tuesday before some more outings before the end of the year. Our work does not stop, we keep on doing everything we can.”
The last race of the year saw Stefan Bradl guide his 2024 Honda RC213V home in 22nd place, collecting valuable data ahead of the first pre-season test of 2025. Another season of hard and diligent work for the German and the Honda HRC Test Team, a point scoring ride during a complicated San Marino GP was a highlight and small rewards for their efforts.
Stefan Bradl 6
Rider – MotoGP
“Today I feel has been my last race as a MotoGP rider and I am happy with everything that I have accomplished here in the World Championship. I have a lot of good memories and moments from all these years and it was nice to come full circle at the track I made my debut at. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey as I enter a new stage. I am eager to continue working with the Test Team to improve the performance of Honda and I’m looking forward to working closely with Aleix and Taka.”
Conditions on track were warmer by the time the Grand Prix grid began to form and starting from the lower end of the grid, #88 Miguel Oliveira in 14th and #25 in 17thpositions, meant that making progress into the points would be tough. Both riders elected to run Michelin’s hard tire compounds on both front and rear of their Aprilia prototypes for the final 69 miles (111 kilometers) of the 2024 season.
As the lights went out, Miguel got away well and after holding 14th place through lap 1, he started making places – 13th on lap 2 and then 12th on lap 7. Running in traffic, he could not make further progress but, given it was his first long race back from injury and a six-week recovery, running the pace of the pack around him was a major effort for his final outing aboard a Trackhouse Racing bike.
For #25 Raul Fernandez, the start was not what he wanted. Crossing the line for the first time, he had dropped four places to 21st, leaving himself a lot of work to get back to the points in the next 23 laps. He immediately went to work though and after the second circulation was up to 20th and then he gained two spots for 18th by lap 4. Gaining another place the next lap, he jumped to 15th and the first points scoring place on lap 7.There he stayed until half distance when he gained another spot to 14th, a position that he held for 3 laps before he dropped back a place and then, ultimately, fell to 18th where he stayed until he crossed the stripe at the end of the race.
The final result meant that Miguel took 4 World Championship points while Raul came home frustrated and out the points. While not results that Trackhouse were hoping for last time out in 2024, the team has navigated its first season at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and extends its thanks to everyone who has supported its efforts in year one - especially both riders, #88 Miguel Oliveira who leaves the team for a new challenge and #25 Raul Fernandez who will stay to ride the Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25 in 2025 alongside reigning Moto2 World Champion, #79 Ai Ogura, who makes his MotoGP class debut in the official pre-season test, at the Barcelona track, on Tuesday – just two days after he finished his intermediate campaign.
Over the course of the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, almost 135,000 fans packed the Catalunya circuit grandstands – over 62,000 of those to see the 2024 MotoGP World Championship decided. As the checkers flew for the final time of the year, it was Jorge Martin who took the #1 plate for 2025, a title he will bring to Trackhouse Racing’s partner Team, Aprilia, for the coming year. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing extends their congratulations to Jorge and his team, for a job well done throughout the season. Well done!
WEEKEND SUMMARY:
The disastrous flooding that hit Valencia two weeks before the final round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship was due to take place, meant a hasty re-location of the event to Barcelona. Named the Solidarity Grand Prix, a major fund-raising effort through multiple initiatives, before the final weekend and during the event, was one of the main support aims of the event with all proceeds going to aid recovery for Valencia.
Just two weeks on from the last round in the heat and humidity of Malaysia, the Trackhouse Racing Team landed in Europe to lower temperatures than experienced on the trip around Asia and also, compared to the last time the team visited the track for the Catalunya Grand Prix, in late May. After a strong weekend for both #88 Miguel Oliveira and #25 Raul Fernandez at that round, the team approached the return to Catalunya with a strong baseline to start but aware of the scale of the task to reach top ten finishing places, after a challenging second half of the season.
The return of Miguel to the final round is a major positive for the American team. Forced to miss the previous five rounds of the Championship through his wrist breaking accident in Indonesia, Miguel brought his #88 back to the Trackhouse pit garage, hoping to find himself riding fit and get one, final, shot at scoring World Championship points before moving on from the team for 2025.
Friday’s running was largely about Miguel working his way back up to speed and Raul finding a good set-up on his #25 Trackhouse Aprilia. Although neither made the cut-off for direct entry into the second Qualifying group session, the team made some steps towards improved race pace. Saturday dawned bright and cool conditions meant low track temperatures and morning Free Practice 2 brought improved performance from Friday. Raul finished the session in P6, a major step and Miguel found greater comfort and pace for P16. Qualifying 1 needed a top two result to progress to Q2 and a shot at the front end of the grid which proved beyond reach for both riders. Miguel managed P4 in the session and Raul P7 which placed them in 14th and 17th respectively for the afternoon Sprint and Sunday’s main Solidarity Grand Prix.
Trackhouse Racing’s final Sprint race of its debut season in MotoGP arrived with air and track temperature barely improved for the afternoon start and faced with the cool conditions, all important tire choice was a split decision. Miguel went with Michelin’s hard front compound slick rubber and soft rear tire, while Raul opted for the same front but matched to the medium option rear. When the two of them saw the lights go out for the 12-lap race, Raul got a good launch and completed the first lap in 11th place. Miguel did not get away quite so well and suffered a technical ‘glitch’ to cross off lap 1 in 17th spot. From that point on, Raul lost a few spots over the next three laps, settling in 14th overall for the remainder of the race, unable to make an impression on the runners ahead. For Miguel, his fall down the running order to 21st was steadily recovered as the race unfolded and he bought his bike home in 18th at the checkers.
Sunday, Grand Prix race day, started with Warm Up and early morning mist still lingering. Despite the coldest track temperature of the race meeting, Trackhouse Racing #25 Raul Fernandez set fastest time in the short session with teammate, #88 Miguel Oliveira in P6, consolidating the improvements in pace that the team have discovered as the weekend has progressed.
The 24-lap final Grand Prix of 2024 looked promising for Trackhouse Racing’s two riders in the early stages and Miguel rode a strong race, particularly as he is still in recovery from the wrist fracture he sustained in Indonesia, to finish 14th and add four World Championship points to the final count. Unfortunately, for Raul, his run of frustrating races continued as he came home in 18th spot and out of the points.
Raul continues with Trackhouse Racing for a further two years, at least, with work starting almost immediately on Tuesday, in Barcelona, at the opening 2025 pre-season test. He will be joined by the new Moto2 class World Champion, #79 Ai Ogura, who makes his premier class debut on the Trackhouse Aprilia, to start his initial two-year stint with America’s only MotoGP outfit. #88 Miguel Oliveira, leaves Trackhouse for a new challenge in MotoGP and everyone at the Charlotte, North Carolina, based team extends its grateful thanks for his faith in the project from before a wheel even turned and all his efforts since with best wishes for his future.
Trackhouse Racing also extends its congratulations to 2024 World Champion, Jorge Martin and his Team, Prima Pramac Racing, on an awesome campaign throughout 2024. Well done!
2025 kicks off at the first official day of testing, back at the Catalunya track, with #25 Raul Fernandez and our new rookie #79 Ai Ogura. – Tuesday, November 19. Starting a new chapter for Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team – its second season in the premier class of the World Championship – we extend a massive thank to all our fans and followers who have given such great support in our first season. We are looking forward to continuing the journey with you – bring on 2025!
WILCO ZEELENBERG - TEAM MANAGER
“The last round is done. Congratulations to Jorge Martin for winning the title. I think it was a hard battle with Pecco, both deserve it, but it’s nice to see a new World Champion in MotoGP. Looking into our own garage - Raul struggled big time. He had a difficult start, was back in 21st, made a good race in the beginning, but then he lost the feeling with the hard rear. He didn’t have massive grip but it was a good performance until half race, I’d say. Miguel actually had a good start and was very consistent. We were hoping he could battle with Fabio (Quartararo) and for a long time he had the same pace and the same rhythm and we hoped with the hard rear tire he could fight back at the end of the race. But, finally, grabbing 12th position with four points with the situation he is coming out of after Indonesia, is a very good result.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO - TEAM PRINCIPAL
“We are really happy to finish the season with Miguel back on his bike. I think he had a great race today as he came back from injury, wasn’t at 100% and I think he rode very well. He showed great performance considering everything; his starting position, his condition and all. So, thank you very much again to Miguel and of course all the best for his future! Raul didn’t have a great race on the other side. We are checking what we can improve and having used this race again to pick up more information we will try to make gains again on Tuesday and look at where we can improve and what we can do for 2025. This season is over and in the test on Tuesday we will restart. Our mind is already going into next year and onto the preparation for the test and we will keep working.”
MotoGP 2024 - Round 20 of 20, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 pulled the curtain down for 2024 with a fast-paced and action-packed performance by Pedro Acosta to claim 10th position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Spaniard grabbed six points to end his rookie season with 6th in the championship and a total of nine podiums between Grands Prix and Sprints. Teammate Augusto Fernandez was 19th for round twenty. In Moto3™ Daniel Holgado ended the year with the silver medal after a rampaging quest to seal P2 in Catalunya.
Acosta caps an educational and attention-grabbing debut MotoGP term with a top ten at the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona
Fernandez battles for the most effective grip during the 24-laps and finishes his second year in the premier class with 19th and 20th in the standings
Moto3™ glory for Daniel Holgado thanks to a determined charge to 2nd through the 18 laps on Sunday. Jacob Roulstone matches a personal best result with 8th and ranks 15th in his first season in Grand Prix racing
A special late autumn light shone down on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the finale of 2024 MotoGP and the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona: the twentieth round of the world championship campaign. Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez faced the last 24-laps of a long term by starting from 6th and 21st positions on the grid and in full knowledge that tire-wear and preservation would be critical around the slippery 4.6km layout.
Acosta, who was unlucky to have podium contention in the Sprint on Saturday ended by contact from another rider, swept into the top six from the outset. Pedro drilled the GASGAS RC16 but then suffered with a brake issue in the closing stages and soldiered on to 10th. He has managed points in 14 from 20 races. 2024 was the best season for GASGAS red in the series.
Fernandez tried a set-up adjustment for the race and his last outing with the team in the pursuit of more adhesion and a better feeling. Augusto reached a highest position of 14th before then managing his speed to take 19th. He ended 2024 with seven points-scoring outings and 20th in the list.
Pedro Acosta, 10th: “I had to manage the situation with my brakes and it made the race more difficult. It was a 50-50 season. Many mistakes but also many good moments where we were fighting for victories and we improved a lot. We also understood more about MotoGP and how it works. We had some super-nice races so we have to be happy with 2024.”
Augusto Fernandez, 19th: “A hard day. We expected a bit better after warm-up because we’d worked a lot to turn things around and I had a good start but when it came time to make the pace I just didn’t have it. A strange feeling all race with the lack of grip. I’m looking forward now to what will come with my future.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “It’s been an unbelievable season with Pedro. His rookie year has been amazing and we finished with five podiums and four Sprint podiums. A season full of emotion and Pedro showed us his fantastic speed and how he is a great champion. We wish him all the best and we feel we achieved our targets with him and helped him to become a fast MotoGP rider. A frustrating day for Augusto. He showed some speed at one point but could not convert this into a good position. It’s been a difficult championship for him but he always fought to regain the confidence and we wish him all the best. Thanks to the entire Red Bull GASGAS team and now we’ll look to the last test of 2024.”
MotoGP 2024 - Round 20 of 20, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing obtained two points-scoring performances to close the MotoGP season in fine style at the twentieth and last round of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Brad Binder raced the KTM RC16 to a brilliant 6th place from P18 on the grid and finished top five for 2024. Jack Miller scored 13th as KTM is confirmed as the second-best Constructor. Meanwhile the KTM GP Academy sealed the campaign with a best result of 4th by Jose Rueda Antonio in Moto3™ and with Celestino Vietti 7th in the Moto2™ championship for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Binder rounds-out the year with 5th in the championship and a total of five top-five finishes
Miller ends a two-season term with the crew with a hard push to 13th and is 14th in the standings
Jose Antonio Rueda scores 4th the KTM RC4 in Moto3™ to claim 7th in the championship as Alvaro Carpe makes his debut and Celestino Vietti is also 7th overall in the Moto2™ standings
Sunshine blanketed the 14-corner layout outside the Catalan capital and the Grand Prix arranged in solidarity for the flood victims of the Valencia region; home of the last round that was cancelled just over two weeks ago. Binder and Miller both had their work cut out with grid slots of 18th and 19th but Brad had already made a nine position gain to grasp the last Sprint point on Saturday and edge to within two points of 5th in the championship standings.
The Grand Prix ran for 24-laps on Sunday afternoon and both Binder and Miller could rely on the usual starting prowess of the KTM RC16 package. Grip and traction were issues that had to be managed across the notoriously slick Catalan asphalt.
Binder ended the first lap already inside the top ten. Miller gained ground to 15th. Brad fought hard and grabbed more positions as he extended his race pace while others suffered with grip. He reached 6th and was just 7 seconds away from the winner. Jack also combed the limits and banked 3 points for 13th.
Red Bull KTM drew a line under their eighth year in the premier class with a podium trophy and a top five finish in the championship as well as standing P2 in the Constructor’s contest. 2025 testing begins on Tuesday with Pedro Acosta stepping into the crew alongside Binder.
Brad Binder, 6th: “I was happy with today’s race. I knew it was really important to get the tire until the end so I tried not to get too carried away at the beginning. I was quite pleased; I would have liked to have been a bit further forward but coming from 18th it is hard to ask for much more. Thank you to my team. It’s been challenging this year but we always tried to make the best of every situation and to finish 5th in the championship is cool.”
Jack Miller, 13th: “I had a good start, settled in there and the tires stayed good but I just couldn’t push much and got stuck behind some guys. We signed-off by finishing the race and putting some points on the board. I think both KTM and I wanted more but I gave my all from the first laps of testing until the last laps today. Onto the next chapter.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A strong way to finish the season: 6th place in the race and 5th in the championship. Our initial target was different but we have to be happy. Jack had good race pace today but starting from the back of the grid meant it was hard to recover and gain more. I would like to thank the riders, the technicians and all the team staff for the season. It was a challenge, but we made some progress and we’re looking to Tuesday to start the next one.”
Team Director
First of all, I want to congratulate Jorge Martin and Pramac on winning the title.
Overall, the Solidarity GP has been a difficult round for us, but there are some silver linings. If we compare the gap to first in today's Race with the gap to first at the Catalan GP Race, we have halved the distance, which is showing promise. The same can be said about yesterday's Sprint, so in general, the gap to the front has gotten smaller in the last few rounds of the year. It was unfortunate that Fabio got stuck behind Mir in the beginning, which compelled him to stay in the second group. The gap to Bezzecchi was pretty big, but he was able to make up 2 seconds. In the end, the Race was maybe 1 lap too short for him to be able to really join the battle for ninth. All in all, Álex had a day to forget. We will analyse today's data to understand what didn't work and prohibited him from riding like he wanted to. We want to close this season and immediately start thinking about 2025 with our new colleagues.
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
We tried the hard tyre, which we never tried during the weekend, but I had nothing to lose and only good information to gain. I think it was the correct choice, but we did lack grip. We know what we need to improve, but I do think I did one of my best races. We finished only 10s from the top, even if my position isn't super good. I think that we can be happy with the race we did.
Jorge Martín is third at the line and clinches the Riders’ World Championship title with the Ducati of the Pramac Racing Team. Marc and Alex Márquez (Team Gresini Racing MotoGP) are second and fourth, respectively
Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team have wrapped up the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season atop the podium by winning the 24-lap race at the ‘Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’. Enea Bastianini crossed the line in seventh place.
Bagnaia had the perfect start from pole position and stayed in the lead up to the chequered flag aboard his Desmosedici GP machine. Thanks to today’s result, Pecco brings his tally of Sunday race wins up to eleven (on top of seven sprint race wins), as he finishes the 2024 edition of the MotoGP World Championship in second place, 10 points away from title winner Jorge Martín.
Bastianini enjoyed a good start from row three and made his way back to fourth place. At the start of lap eight, Enea went wide at turn one and lost several places and was eventually seventh at the chequered flag. Bastianini completes his season in fourth place, with two Sunday race wins - and one win in Saturday’s sprint encounter.
Ducati ends the season with the Manufacturers’ Championship title, with Ducati Lenovo Team victorious in the Teams World Championship.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action this Tuesday at Montmeló for the first official test of the 2025 season, with the new rider line-up of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“We knew from the start that it would have been difficult to turn things around, but we still did what we had to do. Jorge did a good job and the centre stage is all for him today, he really is a great rider. We proved our worth this year and our numbers confirm it; in the future we will surely have to minimise the mistakes and DNFs, which are in any case a part of this sport. Each season is important and there’s nothing wrong with losing; it was still a 2024 full of satisfaction, despite the final result. We’ll give it another go next year.”
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 7th
“It was a challenging race from the start as I struggled especially with the full-lean grip. It happened many several times this year that I wasn’t able to be as competitive on Sunday, in comparison to the sprint race performance. I still tried to push but I wasn’t in the right condition to do well today. I feel I’m a very different rider compared to the start of the season: we improved a lot throughout the year and I hope I can take this important experience with me and make it count in the future. I’d like to congratulate Jorge (Martín): he really did a great season as he managed things the best way. He also did well today, as the conditions were not easy. I’m happy for him.”
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager
“It was a really incredible season for Ducati, one in which countless records were broken; this is proof of the excellent work done by everyone, both at the track and back ad the HQ in Borgo Panigale. As easy as it may have looked on paper, Jorge (Martín) did a wonderful job in keeping it together and bring the title home after what was a near perfect season. I’d like to congratulate him and thank him for taking a Desmosedici GP to the ultimate goal once again. Pecco’s numbers have been fantastic this year and his talent is unquestionable: unfortunately, things sometimes don’t go as we’d liked, and results are never a given, but this is the beauty of racing. I’d also like to thank Enea for these two seasons together, and I’m happy he was able to get back to display all his potential once again, after what surely wasn’t an easy 2024. Now it is time to celebrate, before starting preparations for the new season, with the goal to continue to improve and remain as the reference point constructors-wise in MotoGP.”
MotoGP Press
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion! Having taken a 24-point lead into the title-deciding weekend at the Motul Solidarity GP of Barcelona, the Spaniard held his nerve to perfection to win his first premier class title by 10 points and become the first Independent Team rider to win the title in the MotoGP™ era.
Martin made his debut on the world stage in 2015 with Mapfre Mahindra, moving up after taking the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He scored his first point in the season opener in Qatar and became a regular top 15 contender, ending his rookie year in 17th overall. The following season, the rider from Madrid took another step forward – including his first podium in the wet at Brno – but he also missed a couple of races through injury, therefore ending the season just one place further forward in 16th overall.
Red Bull
Spaniard finishes third behind winner Bagnaia and Márquez at Solidarity GP to realise his MotoGP dream.Jorge Martín rode brilliantly to stay out of trouble and finish third behind winner Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez at the Solidarity GP on Sunday in Barcelona to join them in becoming a MotoGP world champion after a superb, consistent season. Here is all you need to know:
- The Spanish rider, who finished second behind Bagnaia overall last season, went into the last race weekend of the season on his Ducati with a 24-point lead over reigning two-time champion Bagnaia.
- The Italian cut that lead down to 19 points with victory in Saturday's Sprint race to take the title race to the final Sunday, however Martín was not going to let that stop him from realising his MotoGP title dream.
- The Madrid native started fourth on the grid behind Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaró - in his final career factory race - and six-time MotoGP world champion Márquez and made sure not to get too close to other riders.
- The 26-year-old kept his cool on his Prima Pramac Racing bike to eventually move up to third with Bagnaia banking his 11th race win of the year and Márquez ending in second to cap a great comeback season.
- Martín becomes the first independent team world champion in the modern era with Pramac after winning seven sprints and three races in a wonderful, steady 2024 campaign.
- After winning the Moto3 title in 2018 on a Honda, this is also Martín's first MotoGP world championship title in his final race for both Ducati and Pramac before switching to a factory Aprilia bike in 2025.
- Martín, who finished 10 points clear of Bagnaia overall, said: "It sounds amazing (to be called world champion). I am completely shocked. This is for my people and my family. The last laps I started crying a bit. It was an emotional race. It has been a long journey, lots of crashes and big injuries. Thanks to all the fans. Live in the present and enjoy the moment."
- Márquez, 31, said: "Today was a good race, but first of all I want to congratulate the world champion Jorge Martín. To finish on the podium was the best way to say thank you to my incredible family (team)."
- Bagnaia, 27, said: "I think Jorge is deserving of what he achieved and this day is for him. My team did an incredible job. Congratulations to Jorge."
- Spaniard Álex Márquez finished fourth for Gresini Ducati with Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder ending in sixth to finish fifth overall ahead of rookie Pedro Acosta who finished 10th for an excellent sixth overall in 2024.
- Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira finished in 12th, Australian Jack Miller 13th for Red Bull KTM with Frenchman Johann Zarco 14th and Spaniard Augusto Fernández 19th for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3.
2024 Solidarity GP result
1. Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo 40m 24.74s
2. Marc Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati +1.474s
3. Jorge Martín SPA Pramac Ducati +3.810s
4. Álex Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati +5.322s
5. Aleix Espargaró SPA Aprilia Racing +5.753s
2024 MotoGP World Championship final standings
1. Jorge Martín SPA Pramac Ducati 508 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo 498
3. Marc Márquez SPA Gresini Ducati 392
4. Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati Lenovo 386
5. Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM 217
A D V E R T I S M E N T
MotoGP Press:
THE SOLIDARITY GP IN NUMBERS3 million+ – the weekend crowd of 134,848, with all availability sold out for the finale, means MotoGP has set a new season record of more than 3 million spectators through the gates in 2024: 3,033,255.
508 – 2024 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martin is the first rider to reach the milestone of 500 points in a single premier class season: 508.
150 – Marc Marquez finished P2, which is his 150th Grand Prix podium, just two fewer than Jorge Lorenzo, who is fourth on the list of riders with most podiums. This is also his 111th premier class podium, one fewer than Dani Pedrosa, who is third on the list of riders with most premier class podiums.
19 – This is Ducati’s 19th win so far this season, extending the record in a single premier class season by a manufacturer. It’s their 17th win in a row which is a new personal record for the Bologna factory. Ducati is the first manufacturer with 17 MotoGP wins in a row since Honda’s run of 22 from Malaysia 1997 to Assen 1998.
16 – Since the opening Grand Prix of the season in Qatar, Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have both scored 16 podiums, both beating the record of the most podiums in a single season by a Ducati rider set by Bagnaia last year.
14 – David Alonso took his 14th win of the year, which is a new all-time record in any class. No one has ever achieved 14 wins in a single season. He is also the first rider to finish in the points in every race in a Moto3TM season since Maverick Viñales in 2013.
11 – This is Bagnaia’s 11th win of 2024, making it his best premier class season in terms of wins. The last rider who scored 11 (or more) wins in a MotoGPTM season is Marc Marquez with 12 in 2019. The club of riders who have 11 or more wins in a single MotoGPTM season currently only comprises Marc Marquez (13 - 2014, 12 - 2019) and Valentino Rossi (11 - 2002, 2005).
Who won what: Solidarity GP
MotoGP World Championship: Jorge Martin took his first premier class world title with a P3 GP finish. Moto2TM Rookie of the Year: Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira won the fight for the Rookie of Year by taking his first Moto2TM podium.
2017 saw Martin cement his place at the front as he moved to Del Conca Gresini Moto3, beginning the year on the podium in third at Qatar. He took nine pole positions and eight further podiums that season – but it was a long wait for one to be a maiden win. The Spaniard wrapped that up in the season finale at Valencia; his first trip to the top step setting him up perfectly for an assault on the crown the following year and seeing him take fourth overall in the standings.
2018 began perfectly as Martin won in Qatar, and it was a year that saw the Spanish star really make a name for himself on the Grand Prix scene. Seven wins were secured while he also set a new Moto3™ pole position record (11), but it was the Moto3™ World Championship crown that counted most. For the first time, Martin was a World Champion, as a move to Moto2™ with Red Bull KTM Ajo beckoned for 2019.
A difficult year for rider and machine followed in his rookie intermediate class season, and it wasn’t until the Japanese GP that we saw Martin return to the podium. That P3 was backed up by a P2 in Australia, as a good end-of-season run set up 2020 nicely for one of Grand Prix racing’s brightest prospects.
Three podiums in the first six races in 2020 included a debut Moto2™ win in Austria. But when sitting just eight points back from title leader Luca Marini, Martin then had to miss the San Marino and Emilia-Romagna GPs after testing positive for Covid-19, and two more 0s cost him dearly in his quest to become Moto2™ World Champion.
2021 was when the Prima Pramac Racing and Jorge Martin story began as the combination teamed up in the premier class. And the first chapter was one to remember! Martin stuck it on pole in just his second outing and went on to claim P3 in the Doha GP to immediately raise eyebrows in MotoGP. However, a big crash at the next race in Portimao left Martin with eight fractures and forced him to miss four races. Nevertheless, Martin banished those demons to win the Styrian GP from pole position, and backed that maiden victory up in style the following weekend with a P3 from pole.
Capping off a rollercoaster rookie MotoGP™ season with a second place finish in Valencia, 2022 promised a lot – but delivered a little less at times. It was a tougher start with Martin unable to unleash his full potential, but his sophomore season ended with four podiums – none of them wins.
After that more difficult-than-expected 2022, Martin came into 2023 hunting a much more consistent campaign. The year didn’t get off to the cleanest of starts though as two Sunday DNFs came in the first three races, before a P4 on home soil in Jerez got the ball rolling. A debut Tissot Sprint win arrived in France, and that was backed up with a double podium in Italy at Mugello. And from there, Martin’s title challenge against Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was born. Martin went on to become the Sprint King in 2023 as the #89 won seven of the last nine Saturday outings, and having won three Sunday races in the second half of the season, Martin landed in Valencia 21 points adrift of Pecco.
After winning the Sprint, Martin cut the gap – but Sunday saw the home hero suffer a DNF. Martin agonisingly missed out on the MotoGP™ title last season, but that only added fuel to the fire in his pursuit of going one better in 2024.
A Sprint win and Sunday P3 in Qatar was a solid start to the year, and that was followed up by a first 25-point haul in Portugal. Leaving Round 2, Martin led the Championship and from there, he’s only lost it to Bagnaia once. The key to Martin’s success in 2024? Consistency. Between Round 5 and 18, Martin only missed out on a Sunday podium twice – once was in Germany when he crashed out of the lead with two laps to go, and once at the San Marino GP when a tyre switch gamble didn’t pay off.
After six P2 finishes in that stretch, a return to winning ways on Sunday in Indonesia – following a Sprint crash – saw Martin start to become the favourite for the title. A P2 in Japan, a Sprint win and P2 in Australia and a pair of P2s in Thailand saw Martin land in Malaysia with a 17-point lead over Pecco.
In the Sprint, Martin was superb to claim a crucial 12 points as Pecco, dramatically, crashed out of P2. That meant Martin had a 29-point lead coming into Sunday’s 20-lap race in Sepang and with a P2 finish, Martin made sure he held a healthy 24-point advantage over Pecco ahead of #TheRematch decider.
In Barcelona, Martin qualified fourth and finished P3 in the Tissot Sprint to head into Sunday's race with a simple objective - finish P9 or better. And that's exactly what he did. Despite Bagnaia's perfect weekend, Martin claimed a safe P3 in front of his home fans to become the 2024 World Champion - a year on from missing out on the crown in Valencia. A phenomenal job from the #89 as he became a MotoGP™ World Champion, and two-time World Champion too, before he leaves Ducati for Aprilia in 2025.
Congratulations to Jorge and Prima Pramac Racing on a stunning campaign!
Jorge Martin:
"Thanks to everybody, it is a nice feeling but I am in shock I don't know what to say, the emotions are high and I cried a lot, so maybe now I am more relaxed. I spoke a lot with the media, it has been an emotional hour after the big moment, I just want to celebrate, I just want to be with my team, my family and my friends. It has been emotional; it has been a long journey as my career has not been easy. For sure, I have had good opportunities in front of me, but I think I have built off them. I worked hard, and I have made a lot of sacrifices at home every day to try and become a better man. Last season, I had the opportunity, but I think I was not prepared to win but this year I felt it. I felt it was my year, so thanks to Pramac, to Ducati for giving me the opportunity to have an amazing bike these four years and to give me the opportunity to fight until the end with Pecco, who was amazing."How were you feeling ahead of the Grand Prix with a 19-point advantage and during the first few laps?
"It was difficult, the conditions were difficult, so the tyre choice was not easy. There were some hard tyres, some soft tyres and some medium tyres, so I was looking at my opponents, and I was like, ‘Wow, they are all good’. I mean, I thought it was really easy for me to finish 10th if they had a good race. I was scared, but I thought the medium was the most conservative tyre choice. It wasn’t easy, and I don’t think it was the correct one, maybe the soft was a little bit more competitive. I had trust in myself, and I had a lot of confidence in myself that even with the worst tyre, I could be inside the top nine, so I was super focused on the race."
Talk us through the explosion of emotion when you knew you were the World Champion?
"Seven laps to go was the difficult point, I was so focused today, and I think even if it was a normal race in May, I would have finished third because Marc and Pecco were stronger. I did my best. For sure, the last seven laps were difficult, I started to remember a lot of moments throughout my career, I remember my dad helping me after work and all of the weekend, my mum cooking when I was in pocket bikes and my grandfather, who is not here and was watching me from the sky. I was remembering a lot of moments, but then I had to refocus and remain in the moment but then once I crossed the finish line, I started to cry. Already on the last lap, I felt that I was starting to cry; it was so emotional, and then I became happy and started to cry again once I remembered my family. I am so happy that almost all my family is here and all my close friends are here, so tonight will be good."
How special will it be to put your name at the top of the Tower of Champions?
"Last season, I remember with Pecco when I was doing the filming, I was looking at the trophy, and I wasn’t prepared. I was scared, but this year, I didn’t even look at the trophy while we were filming, but I thought I would put my name in its place. Today, I enjoyed the race. I was touching my elbow and shoulder on the ground, like a training session. I am so happy that I could enjoy the moment as I remember in 2018 when I won the Moto3™ World Championship I was already thinking that I wanted another one in Moto2™, so I didn’t enjoy it. Now I can enjoy the moment, and whatever comes in the future will be a gift, I will try and be my best version and try and win with Aprilia, but right now, I will enjoy this moment."
Ducati
Ducati dominates the MotoGP and wins the World Title for the third consecutive yearJorge Martín and the Desmosedici GP are World Champions for 2024 in another record-breaking season for the Italian manufacturer
On Sunday in the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, Ducati wins MotoGP World Title for the third consecutive season with Jorge Martín aboard the Desmosedici GP24 of the Pramac Racing team.
The Spanish rider secures his first World Title in the premier class of the top international two-wheel racing competition, in a 2024 season marked by an absolute domination of the Ducati bikes and its riders with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) making up a dream Top-4, all Ducati, in the overall classification.
Ducati's technical supremacy in this MotoGP season is reflected in its record numbers , which improve on those of the already sensational 2023 season. The Italian manufacturer managed the extraordinary feat of improving the all-time record for season victories (19 out of a total of 20 races), setting a new record for monopolized podiums (14) and in 6 of these Grand Prix races, Ducati's hegemony has extended to the entire Top-5.
For Ducati, the only non-Japanese brand capable of winning a World Championship in MotoGP and the only European brand capable of achieving the milestone of 100 victories in this category, the one won together with Jorge Martín and Pramac Racing is the fourth Riders' Title after those of Casey Stoner in 2007 and Francesco Bagnaia in 2022 and 2023.
The MotoGP World Championship crowns another extraordinary racing season in which the Bologna-based manufacturer also won the Constructors' and Teams' Title with the Ducati Lenovo Team, the Manufacturers' and Teams' Title in WorldSBK with the official riders of the Aruba.it Racing Team Nicolò Bulega and Álvaro Bautista on the podium of the overall classification, and the Riders' and Manufacturers' Title in WorldSSP, thanks to the performances of the new World Champion Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WSSP Team) and the podium finish of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO
“The dominance expressed by Ducati with its bikes, its riders and its technicians in the 2024 MotoGP season will remain forever in the hearts of fans of this sport. I am very happy for Jorge, an incredibly talented rider who grew up with Ducati and together with us realized the dream he had since he was a child. After the crazy joy of 2022 and the ‘victory of awareness’ of 2023, today we want to celebrate the triumph of a system: the “Ducati System”. A system inspired by the teachings of Galileo Galilei, the inventor of the scientific method and modern science. A system that has led us to be the best in track-racing competitions, and which we also apply in the research, design and development of our products, proudly bringing Made in Italy engineering all over the world. I would like to congratulate all the Ducati riders: certainly the World Champion Jorge Martín, but obviously also Pecco, who never gave up until the very end, and then Marc and Enea, who contributed to a record-breaking MotoGP season for our Company. In particular, the top 4 in the overall standings expressed a technical level and a harmony with the Desmosedici GP that was at the limits of imagination. In this scenario, Jorge and Pecco made even more of a difference by staging a duel for the title that was even more balanced than last year. Pecco won more, but Jorge was more tenacious and in the end he is rightly the Champion. The World Title won by Jorge is a beautiful demonstration that love stories can end with a wonderful finale and I struggle to think of a better way to celebrate the work done in recent years with Jorge and with Pramac Racing, which I would like to thank especially in the person of Paolo Campinoti. Thanks to all the people at Ducati and Ducati Corse who made all this possible, being a Ducatista is increasingly a source of pride”.
"After the crazy joy of 2022 and the ‘victory of awareness’ of 2023, today we want to celebrate the triumph of a system: the “Ducati System”. A system inspired by the teachings of Galileo Galilei, the inventor of the scientific method and modern science. A system that has led us to be the best in track-racing competitions, and which we also apply in the research, design and development of our products, proudly bringing Made in Italy engineering all over the world." -- Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO
“Winning the third World Riders’ Title in a row is fantastic. It confirms once again the strength of the Ducati project, with the commitment and team spirit of all those, riders and Team, who have contributed to making it a winner with incredible continuity, as demonstrated by the numbers of these years. In particular, another page of history is deservedly written today by Jorge Martín at the end of an amazing season, which is the essence of all the work done together. A big round of applause goes to Pecco Bagnaia, because his was also an extraordinary year and the challenge on the track improved both riders: exactly what we believe in. Today’s victory is also, or rather above all, the best way to say goodbye to Pramac Racing, a formidable group of professionals with whom we have worked in harmony for 20 years: to each of them a very strong hug, starting with our friend Paolo Campinoti. 2024 was a stratospheric year for Ducati, in which we broke the record for victories and the record for podiums, with the cherry on top of having placed 8 Desmosedici GP in front of everyone in the Sprint Race in Thailand. I want to thank all the men and women of Ducati Corse who work hard and with passion every day to achieve great results like the one we are celebrating today. Forza Ducati!”
Jorge Martín (#89, Pramac Racing)
"The dream has come true, I am World Champion! It is very difficult now to realize that it is all true, but I am fully aware of what we have achieved because ever since I was a child I have been chasing this goal. This is the final result of all the work done over the years, but also of the sacrifices of my family, my parents, my brother and all my team who have supported me unconditionally. Last year I promised myself that I would try again and here I am, reaping the rewards of an entire life dedicated to this wonderful sport. I want to thank Team Pramac and Ducati for giving me the opportunity to arrive in MotoGP and grow up together. And in particular, a big thank you to Paolo Campinoti and Gigi Dall’Igna for their trust since day one and for providing me with all the resources I needed to become World Champion. The work we have done together with Ducati Corse in these last years has been incredible: we have won the Constructors' Championship 4 times in a row and together we have achieved 8 victories, 32 podiums and 20 pole positions. The World Title won together is really the best way to say goodbye".
Ducati is now preparing to celebrate the World Titles won in 2024. The ‘Campioni in Festa’ event will be held on December 3rd in Bologna, where the protagonists of this extraordinary sporting season will celebrate their successes. Further details on the event will be announced in the coming days.
The numbers of Ducati domination in the 2024 MotoGP season:
19 – Wins achieved by Ducati riders in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship - All Time MotoGP Record
14 – Races of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship in which the podium was made up entirely of Ducati riders – All Time MotoGP Record
53 – Podiums achieved by Ducati riders during the 2024 season with 6 different riders
16 – Pole positions obtained by Ducati riders during the 2024 MotoGP season
66 – Consecutive MotoGP races in which at least one Ducati rider placed in the Top 3 (all the Sprint Races of the 2024 season also ended with at least one Ducati rider on the podium)
106 – Victories in MotoGP for Ducati, the only European motorcycle manufacturer to surpass the milestone of 100 wins
Repsol Honda
The End of an EraThe 2024 MotoGP World Championship season came to a close after 20 rounds, 40 races and countless hours of work and with it, the end of the most iconic partnership in all of motorsport.
After 30 years, 15 World Championships, 183 Victories and 455 Podiums in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, the Solidarity GP marked the end of motorsport’s most iconic collaboration between Repsol and Honda HRC. Achieving immediate success in their very first race together with Mick Doohan back in 1995, the Repsol Honda Team has witnessed the likes of Doohan, Alex Criville, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez lift World Championships with countless other riders clinching wins, poles and podium finishes.
The final race of the year brought with it a sombre mood as the paddock gathered together one last time to race for the people of Valencia. Determination remained as high as ever inside the Repsol Honda Team garage as both riders left pit lane just ahead of the last 24-laps of the year.
A content Luca Marini left the final race of his debut season as a Repsol Honda Team rider reflecting on the progress made over the course of the year. With this in mind, his 16th place finish was proof of this progress at a track which has always been a challenge for the Honda RC213V. Marini’s first year as a factory Honda rider can be marked proudly with his improvement and growth throughout the season.
Joan Mir was again impressive as the lights went out, charging ahead from 13th on the grid to throw himself into the midst of the top ten battle. Leading the chasing group and pushing his limits to close the distance to the riders ahead. Unfortunately, a fall while pushing hard under braking would end his race. He was unharmed in the crash.
Honda HRC would like to thank everyone from Repsol who has been involved in the project for their 30 years of hard work, support and collaboration. Honda HRC wishes Repsol all the best in their future business and sporting endeavours.
Luca Marini
16th
“The key point of today is to compare our performance from May to today, and I think when we do that, we can see that we have made a good step forward. Barcelona is always a tough circuit for us, so this limited our performance a bit today. This year has been all about making progress, both with the bike and with myself – there is still more to do but we are going in the correct direction. I am looking forward to this winter to keep working on the project that we have started and attacking again in 2025, to help Honda return to the top.”
Joan Mir
DNF
“I was pushing incredibly hard during the race after making a good start, I was feeling good and doing everything I could to close to the group in the top ten. Finally, I pushed too much, and I fell which is a big shame because we can see that there were good points on the table. Everyone is working hard to come back, and today I wanted to show that I am 100% committed to being fast and to fighting for everything possible. We now start to look to 2025 already, first with the test on Tuesday before some more outings before the end of the year. Our work does not stop, we keep on doing everything we can.”
HRC
Stefan Bradl concludes 2024 season at Solidarity GPThe last race of the year saw Stefan Bradl guide his 2024 Honda RC213V home in 22nd place, collecting valuable data ahead of the first pre-season test of 2025. Another season of hard and diligent work for the German and the Honda HRC Test Team, a point scoring ride during a complicated San Marino GP was a highlight and small rewards for their efforts.
Stefan Bradl 6
Rider – MotoGP
“Today I feel has been my last race as a MotoGP rider and I am happy with everything that I have accomplished here in the World Championship. I have a lot of good memories and moments from all these years and it was nice to come full circle at the track I made my debut at. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey as I enter a new stage. I am eager to continue working with the Test Team to improve the performance of Honda and I’m looking forward to working closely with Aleix and Taka.”
Trackhouse
The final day of the season and Trackhouse Racing’s last race of its rookie MotoGP year. #25 Raul Fernandez got the day off to a good start with P1 in the morning Warm Up, the short session run on the coldest track surface temperature of the weekend. #88 Miguel Oliveira, commenced his last day on the Trackhouse RS-GP24 not far off his teammate, finishing the session in P6.Conditions on track were warmer by the time the Grand Prix grid began to form and starting from the lower end of the grid, #88 Miguel Oliveira in 14th and #25 in 17thpositions, meant that making progress into the points would be tough. Both riders elected to run Michelin’s hard tire compounds on both front and rear of their Aprilia prototypes for the final 69 miles (111 kilometers) of the 2024 season.
As the lights went out, Miguel got away well and after holding 14th place through lap 1, he started making places – 13th on lap 2 and then 12th on lap 7. Running in traffic, he could not make further progress but, given it was his first long race back from injury and a six-week recovery, running the pace of the pack around him was a major effort for his final outing aboard a Trackhouse Racing bike.
For #25 Raul Fernandez, the start was not what he wanted. Crossing the line for the first time, he had dropped four places to 21st, leaving himself a lot of work to get back to the points in the next 23 laps. He immediately went to work though and after the second circulation was up to 20th and then he gained two spots for 18th by lap 4. Gaining another place the next lap, he jumped to 15th and the first points scoring place on lap 7.There he stayed until half distance when he gained another spot to 14th, a position that he held for 3 laps before he dropped back a place and then, ultimately, fell to 18th where he stayed until he crossed the stripe at the end of the race.
The final result meant that Miguel took 4 World Championship points while Raul came home frustrated and out the points. While not results that Trackhouse were hoping for last time out in 2024, the team has navigated its first season at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and extends its thanks to everyone who has supported its efforts in year one - especially both riders, #88 Miguel Oliveira who leaves the team for a new challenge and #25 Raul Fernandez who will stay to ride the Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25 in 2025 alongside reigning Moto2 World Champion, #79 Ai Ogura, who makes his MotoGP class debut in the official pre-season test, at the Barcelona track, on Tuesday – just two days after he finished his intermediate campaign.
Over the course of the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, almost 135,000 fans packed the Catalunya circuit grandstands – over 62,000 of those to see the 2024 MotoGP World Championship decided. As the checkers flew for the final time of the year, it was Jorge Martin who took the #1 plate for 2025, a title he will bring to Trackhouse Racing’s partner Team, Aprilia, for the coming year. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing extends their congratulations to Jorge and his team, for a job well done throughout the season. Well done!
WEEKEND SUMMARY:
The disastrous flooding that hit Valencia two weeks before the final round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship was due to take place, meant a hasty re-location of the event to Barcelona. Named the Solidarity Grand Prix, a major fund-raising effort through multiple initiatives, before the final weekend and during the event, was one of the main support aims of the event with all proceeds going to aid recovery for Valencia.
Just two weeks on from the last round in the heat and humidity of Malaysia, the Trackhouse Racing Team landed in Europe to lower temperatures than experienced on the trip around Asia and also, compared to the last time the team visited the track for the Catalunya Grand Prix, in late May. After a strong weekend for both #88 Miguel Oliveira and #25 Raul Fernandez at that round, the team approached the return to Catalunya with a strong baseline to start but aware of the scale of the task to reach top ten finishing places, after a challenging second half of the season.
The return of Miguel to the final round is a major positive for the American team. Forced to miss the previous five rounds of the Championship through his wrist breaking accident in Indonesia, Miguel brought his #88 back to the Trackhouse pit garage, hoping to find himself riding fit and get one, final, shot at scoring World Championship points before moving on from the team for 2025.
Friday’s running was largely about Miguel working his way back up to speed and Raul finding a good set-up on his #25 Trackhouse Aprilia. Although neither made the cut-off for direct entry into the second Qualifying group session, the team made some steps towards improved race pace. Saturday dawned bright and cool conditions meant low track temperatures and morning Free Practice 2 brought improved performance from Friday. Raul finished the session in P6, a major step and Miguel found greater comfort and pace for P16. Qualifying 1 needed a top two result to progress to Q2 and a shot at the front end of the grid which proved beyond reach for both riders. Miguel managed P4 in the session and Raul P7 which placed them in 14th and 17th respectively for the afternoon Sprint and Sunday’s main Solidarity Grand Prix.
Trackhouse Racing’s final Sprint race of its debut season in MotoGP arrived with air and track temperature barely improved for the afternoon start and faced with the cool conditions, all important tire choice was a split decision. Miguel went with Michelin’s hard front compound slick rubber and soft rear tire, while Raul opted for the same front but matched to the medium option rear. When the two of them saw the lights go out for the 12-lap race, Raul got a good launch and completed the first lap in 11th place. Miguel did not get away quite so well and suffered a technical ‘glitch’ to cross off lap 1 in 17th spot. From that point on, Raul lost a few spots over the next three laps, settling in 14th overall for the remainder of the race, unable to make an impression on the runners ahead. For Miguel, his fall down the running order to 21st was steadily recovered as the race unfolded and he bought his bike home in 18th at the checkers.
Sunday, Grand Prix race day, started with Warm Up and early morning mist still lingering. Despite the coldest track temperature of the race meeting, Trackhouse Racing #25 Raul Fernandez set fastest time in the short session with teammate, #88 Miguel Oliveira in P6, consolidating the improvements in pace that the team have discovered as the weekend has progressed.
The 24-lap final Grand Prix of 2024 looked promising for Trackhouse Racing’s two riders in the early stages and Miguel rode a strong race, particularly as he is still in recovery from the wrist fracture he sustained in Indonesia, to finish 14th and add four World Championship points to the final count. Unfortunately, for Raul, his run of frustrating races continued as he came home in 18th spot and out of the points.
Raul continues with Trackhouse Racing for a further two years, at least, with work starting almost immediately on Tuesday, in Barcelona, at the opening 2025 pre-season test. He will be joined by the new Moto2 class World Champion, #79 Ai Ogura, who makes his premier class debut on the Trackhouse Aprilia, to start his initial two-year stint with America’s only MotoGP outfit. #88 Miguel Oliveira, leaves Trackhouse for a new challenge in MotoGP and everyone at the Charlotte, North Carolina, based team extends its grateful thanks for his faith in the project from before a wheel even turned and all his efforts since with best wishes for his future.
Trackhouse Racing also extends its congratulations to 2024 World Champion, Jorge Martin and his Team, Prima Pramac Racing, on an awesome campaign throughout 2024. Well done!
2025 kicks off at the first official day of testing, back at the Catalunya track, with #25 Raul Fernandez and our new rookie #79 Ai Ogura. – Tuesday, November 19. Starting a new chapter for Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team – its second season in the premier class of the World Championship – we extend a massive thank to all our fans and followers who have given such great support in our first season. We are looking forward to continuing the journey with you – bring on 2025!
Trackhouse Racing
– Team World Championship Final Standing: 9th – 141 pointsWILCO ZEELENBERG - TEAM MANAGER
“The last round is done. Congratulations to Jorge Martin for winning the title. I think it was a hard battle with Pecco, both deserve it, but it’s nice to see a new World Champion in MotoGP. Looking into our own garage - Raul struggled big time. He had a difficult start, was back in 21st, made a good race in the beginning, but then he lost the feeling with the hard rear. He didn’t have massive grip but it was a good performance until half race, I’d say. Miguel actually had a good start and was very consistent. We were hoping he could battle with Fabio (Quartararo) and for a long time he had the same pace and the same rhythm and we hoped with the hard rear tire he could fight back at the end of the race. But, finally, grabbing 12th position with four points with the situation he is coming out of after Indonesia, is a very good result.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO - TEAM PRINCIPAL
“We are really happy to finish the season with Miguel back on his bike. I think he had a great race today as he came back from injury, wasn’t at 100% and I think he rode very well. He showed great performance considering everything; his starting position, his condition and all. So, thank you very much again to Miguel and of course all the best for his future! Raul didn’t have a great race on the other side. We are checking what we can improve and having used this race again to pick up more information we will try to make gains again on Tuesday and look at where we can improve and what we can do for 2025. This season is over and in the test on Tuesday we will restart. Our mind is already going into next year and onto the preparation for the test and we will keep working.”
A D V E R T I S M E N T
Gas Gas
6th in the championship as Acosta and GASGAS sign-off 2024 MotoGP™ in BarcelonaMotoGP 2024 - Round 20 of 20, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 pulled the curtain down for 2024 with a fast-paced and action-packed performance by Pedro Acosta to claim 10th position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Spaniard grabbed six points to end his rookie season with 6th in the championship and a total of nine podiums between Grands Prix and Sprints. Teammate Augusto Fernandez was 19th for round twenty. In Moto3™ Daniel Holgado ended the year with the silver medal after a rampaging quest to seal P2 in Catalunya.
Acosta caps an educational and attention-grabbing debut MotoGP term with a top ten at the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona
Fernandez battles for the most effective grip during the 24-laps and finishes his second year in the premier class with 19th and 20th in the standings
Moto3™ glory for Daniel Holgado thanks to a determined charge to 2nd through the 18 laps on Sunday. Jacob Roulstone matches a personal best result with 8th and ranks 15th in his first season in Grand Prix racing
A special late autumn light shone down on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the finale of 2024 MotoGP and the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona: the twentieth round of the world championship campaign. Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez faced the last 24-laps of a long term by starting from 6th and 21st positions on the grid and in full knowledge that tire-wear and preservation would be critical around the slippery 4.6km layout.
Acosta, who was unlucky to have podium contention in the Sprint on Saturday ended by contact from another rider, swept into the top six from the outset. Pedro drilled the GASGAS RC16 but then suffered with a brake issue in the closing stages and soldiered on to 10th. He has managed points in 14 from 20 races. 2024 was the best season for GASGAS red in the series.
Fernandez tried a set-up adjustment for the race and his last outing with the team in the pursuit of more adhesion and a better feeling. Augusto reached a highest position of 14th before then managing his speed to take 19th. He ended 2024 with seven points-scoring outings and 20th in the list.
Pedro Acosta, 10th: “I had to manage the situation with my brakes and it made the race more difficult. It was a 50-50 season. Many mistakes but also many good moments where we were fighting for victories and we improved a lot. We also understood more about MotoGP and how it works. We had some super-nice races so we have to be happy with 2024.”
Augusto Fernandez, 19th: “A hard day. We expected a bit better after warm-up because we’d worked a lot to turn things around and I had a good start but when it came time to make the pace I just didn’t have it. A strange feeling all race with the lack of grip. I’m looking forward now to what will come with my future.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “It’s been an unbelievable season with Pedro. His rookie year has been amazing and we finished with five podiums and four Sprint podiums. A season full of emotion and Pedro showed us his fantastic speed and how he is a great champion. We wish him all the best and we feel we achieved our targets with him and helped him to become a fast MotoGP rider. A frustrating day for Augusto. He showed some speed at one point but could not convert this into a good position. It’s been a difficult championship for him but he always fought to regain the confidence and we wish him all the best. Thanks to the entire Red Bull GASGAS team and now we’ll look to the last test of 2024.”
KTM
5th in the championship as Binder says high-speed ‘adios’ to 2024 MotoGP™ in BarcelonaMotoGP 2024 - Round 20 of 20, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing obtained two points-scoring performances to close the MotoGP season in fine style at the twentieth and last round of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Brad Binder raced the KTM RC16 to a brilliant 6th place from P18 on the grid and finished top five for 2024. Jack Miller scored 13th as KTM is confirmed as the second-best Constructor. Meanwhile the KTM GP Academy sealed the campaign with a best result of 4th by Jose Rueda Antonio in Moto3™ and with Celestino Vietti 7th in the Moto2™ championship for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Binder rounds-out the year with 5th in the championship and a total of five top-five finishes
Miller ends a two-season term with the crew with a hard push to 13th and is 14th in the standings
Jose Antonio Rueda scores 4th the KTM RC4 in Moto3™ to claim 7th in the championship as Alvaro Carpe makes his debut and Celestino Vietti is also 7th overall in the Moto2™ standings
Sunshine blanketed the 14-corner layout outside the Catalan capital and the Grand Prix arranged in solidarity for the flood victims of the Valencia region; home of the last round that was cancelled just over two weeks ago. Binder and Miller both had their work cut out with grid slots of 18th and 19th but Brad had already made a nine position gain to grasp the last Sprint point on Saturday and edge to within two points of 5th in the championship standings.
The Grand Prix ran for 24-laps on Sunday afternoon and both Binder and Miller could rely on the usual starting prowess of the KTM RC16 package. Grip and traction were issues that had to be managed across the notoriously slick Catalan asphalt.
Binder ended the first lap already inside the top ten. Miller gained ground to 15th. Brad fought hard and grabbed more positions as he extended his race pace while others suffered with grip. He reached 6th and was just 7 seconds away from the winner. Jack also combed the limits and banked 3 points for 13th.
Red Bull KTM drew a line under their eighth year in the premier class with a podium trophy and a top five finish in the championship as well as standing P2 in the Constructor’s contest. 2025 testing begins on Tuesday with Pedro Acosta stepping into the crew alongside Binder.
Brad Binder, 6th: “I was happy with today’s race. I knew it was really important to get the tire until the end so I tried not to get too carried away at the beginning. I was quite pleased; I would have liked to have been a bit further forward but coming from 18th it is hard to ask for much more. Thank you to my team. It’s been challenging this year but we always tried to make the best of every situation and to finish 5th in the championship is cool.”
Jack Miller, 13th: “I had a good start, settled in there and the tires stayed good but I just couldn’t push much and got stuck behind some guys. We signed-off by finishing the race and putting some points on the board. I think both KTM and I wanted more but I gave my all from the first laps of testing until the last laps today. Onto the next chapter.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A strong way to finish the season: 6th place in the race and 5th in the championship. Our initial target was different but we have to be happy. Jack had good race pace today but starting from the back of the grid meant it was hard to recover and gain more. I would like to thank the riders, the technicians and all the team staff for the season. It was a challenge, but we made some progress and we’re looking to Tuesday to start the next one.”
Yamaha
MASSIMO MEREGALLITeam Director
First of all, I want to congratulate Jorge Martin and Pramac on winning the title.
Overall, the Solidarity GP has been a difficult round for us, but there are some silver linings. If we compare the gap to first in today's Race with the gap to first at the Catalan GP Race, we have halved the distance, which is showing promise. The same can be said about yesterday's Sprint, so in general, the gap to the front has gotten smaller in the last few rounds of the year. It was unfortunate that Fabio got stuck behind Mir in the beginning, which compelled him to stay in the second group. The gap to Bezzecchi was pretty big, but he was able to make up 2 seconds. In the end, the Race was maybe 1 lap too short for him to be able to really join the battle for ninth. All in all, Álex had a day to forget. We will analyse today's data to understand what didn't work and prohibited him from riding like he wanted to. We want to close this season and immediately start thinking about 2025 with our new colleagues.
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
We tried the hard tyre, which we never tried during the weekend, but I had nothing to lose and only good information to gain. I think it was the correct choice, but we did lack grip. We know what we need to improve, but I do think I did one of my best races. We finished only 10s from the top, even if my position isn't super good. I think that we can be happy with the race we did.
Ducati
Francesco Bagnaia wins the Solidarity GP of Barcelona to complete the double. Bastianini is seventhJorge Martín is third at the line and clinches the Riders’ World Championship title with the Ducati of the Pramac Racing Team. Marc and Alex Márquez (Team Gresini Racing MotoGP) are second and fourth, respectively
Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team have wrapped up the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season atop the podium by winning the 24-lap race at the ‘Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’. Enea Bastianini crossed the line in seventh place.
Bagnaia had the perfect start from pole position and stayed in the lead up to the chequered flag aboard his Desmosedici GP machine. Thanks to today’s result, Pecco brings his tally of Sunday race wins up to eleven (on top of seven sprint race wins), as he finishes the 2024 edition of the MotoGP World Championship in second place, 10 points away from title winner Jorge Martín.
Bastianini enjoyed a good start from row three and made his way back to fourth place. At the start of lap eight, Enea went wide at turn one and lost several places and was eventually seventh at the chequered flag. Bastianini completes his season in fourth place, with two Sunday race wins - and one win in Saturday’s sprint encounter.
Ducati ends the season with the Manufacturers’ Championship title, with Ducati Lenovo Team victorious in the Teams World Championship.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action this Tuesday at Montmeló for the first official test of the 2025 season, with the new rider line-up of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“We knew from the start that it would have been difficult to turn things around, but we still did what we had to do. Jorge did a good job and the centre stage is all for him today, he really is a great rider. We proved our worth this year and our numbers confirm it; in the future we will surely have to minimise the mistakes and DNFs, which are in any case a part of this sport. Each season is important and there’s nothing wrong with losing; it was still a 2024 full of satisfaction, despite the final result. We’ll give it another go next year.”
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 7th
“It was a challenging race from the start as I struggled especially with the full-lean grip. It happened many several times this year that I wasn’t able to be as competitive on Sunday, in comparison to the sprint race performance. I still tried to push but I wasn’t in the right condition to do well today. I feel I’m a very different rider compared to the start of the season: we improved a lot throughout the year and I hope I can take this important experience with me and make it count in the future. I’d like to congratulate Jorge (Martín): he really did a great season as he managed things the best way. He also did well today, as the conditions were not easy. I’m happy for him.”
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager
“It was a really incredible season for Ducati, one in which countless records were broken; this is proof of the excellent work done by everyone, both at the track and back ad the HQ in Borgo Panigale. As easy as it may have looked on paper, Jorge (Martín) did a wonderful job in keeping it together and bring the title home after what was a near perfect season. I’d like to congratulate him and thank him for taking a Desmosedici GP to the ultimate goal once again. Pecco’s numbers have been fantastic this year and his talent is unquestionable: unfortunately, things sometimes don’t go as we’d liked, and results are never a given, but this is the beauty of racing. I’d also like to thank Enea for these two seasons together, and I’m happy he was able to get back to display all his potential once again, after what surely wasn’t an easy 2024. Now it is time to celebrate, before starting preparations for the new season, with the goal to continue to improve and remain as the reference point constructors-wise in MotoGP.”
— ends —
