The 2024 MotoGP season featured many memorable moments, however one race particularly stands out.
Throughout a 20-round calendar, 40 races have been run, with Ducati dominating the bulk on its method to the world title.
The Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez was no totally different, with Francesco Bagnaia popping out on prime so as to add to his haul of 11 Sunday wins in 2024.
However he was pushed laborious all the best way by Gresini’s Marc Marquez, who – on a 2023-spec Ducati – was nonetheless in his adaptation section of the bike after his large transfer from the manufacturing unit Honda squad on the finish of the earlier season.
Marquez and Bagnaia got here into the Spanish GP having clashed within the Portuguese GP only a few weeks prior, including to the strain of these ultimate laps.
For Crash.web’s social media supervisor Jordan Moreland, the celebs aligned to make the Spanish GP 2024’s most memorable race.
“Persons are going to be shouting right here ‘it’s clearly bought to be Sepang’,” he stated within the newest Crash MotoGP Podcast.
“Effectively, that was the primary 4 laps. You’d quite have that on the finish. I believe the most effective races we’ve seen all-time have seen issues occur all in direction of the top.
“I believe the race that delivered that this yr, and I believe form of gave us an perception into what may occur subsequent yr, is Jerez.
“I believe Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia going up towards one another, I assumed it was simply the one level of the season the place I used to be sat watching it and I bought actually excited. I may really feel the strain once you’re watching it.
“Marquez is searching him down, he makes the overtake, Bagnaia will get again beneath him, they make contact, Marquez has a go at him the subsequent lap. After which they’re with one another proper to the top.
“The ambiance after it, the celebrations even from each of them, Marquez was so pleased to be again on the rostrum.
“It form of gave that new Marquez take that he had for 2024. Bagnaia displaying his true grit towards somebody like Marquez once they’d beforehand come collectively at Portimao. I assumed it was a correct MotoGP race. It jogged my memory of ones years in the past.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Ducati, 2024 Spanish MotoGP
© Gold and Goose
Crash Senior Journalist Lewis Duncan echoes Moreland’s sentiments, including: “My drawback with Sepang is these first three laps, sure, have been implausible. However the remainder of that race was boring, it was absolute rubbish. It was not even price being up for.
“And if anybody needs to complain to me, by all means. A race isn’t concerning the first three laps. The race is concerning the finish of it. Should you take a look at all these nice battles from the previous: Barcelona 2009, all these Austria battles with Marc and Dovi [Andrea Dovizioso], Silverstone 2019.
“Sepang was an important first three laps however the remainder of it, I don’t assume was good, as a result of I don’t wish to see every part finished initially.
“You don’t wish to watch a movie the place the most effective of it’s the first 10 minutes and you then’ve bought two hours of nothing.
“In order that’s why for me I believe Jerez has to have it as a result of it was like MotoGP at its finest, it was like these outdated battles and battles from only a few years in the past that we rant and rave about nonetheless.
“And clearly you throw within the facet of Marc on an older bike, the place perhaps on the time its deficiencies weren’t as prevalent because it may need appeared towards the GP24.
“However the GP23 even at that time wasn’t an important package deal. To have that as properly, and that was his fourth weekend on the bike and to be preventing with the man who everybody thought was going to be world champion, you’ve bought to offer Marc numerous credit score for that.
“And, such as you say Jordan, it was this preview for subsequent yr – hopefully – coming off the again of Portugal.
“It simply had all of these parts: the needle from Portugal, the long run state of affairs wasn’t actually identified on the time, ready to see if Marc could possibly be again up the entrance.
“And I believe Jerez delivered all of these issues.”
Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren felt a number of races deserved a nod when reflecting on 2024’s prime moments.
“It’s powerful, is not it?,” McLaren says.
“Sepang does spring to thoughts due to every part that was at stake, as a lot because the battle as properly. However sadly it didn’t final past the early phases. The standard problems with tyre stress and many others, and many others.
“I assumed the Misano races for drama have been each up there, each of them, should you have been on the lookout for drama. COTA, perhaps once we look again and say ‘who spoiled that good Ducati season’ we’ll consider that one win and the best way he [Maverick Vinales] did it from eleventh was an important trip as properly.
“I suppose one different to throw in there may be the Catalunya dash. The drama that went on in that one, however racing drama with 5 leaders in 12 laps, I believe three totally different bike manufacturers main at one stage, then Bagnaia falls, Aleix [Espargaro wins] a number of days after asserting retirement at his dwelling observe.
“I believe that was one other one which jumps to thoughts. However actually I’d give it to any of these. I suppose Le Mans was additionally an excellent battle between the 2 title contenders and Marc Marquez as properly.
“We’ve form of bought a bit disenchanted with races within the center a part of the season, as a result of the motion wasn’t nice, however there was some good racing there.”
