-Keeps title hopes alive for the last race
-Jorge Martin leads the championship with one race to go
-Enea Bastianini finishes second
The 2024 MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona Sprint race was an absolute thriller as rivals Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin locked horns in this year's epic title decider weekend. Bagnaia on his factory Ducati was unbeatable and he needed to ride the way he did to keep his championship hopes alive.
Pecco’s masterclass
As the lights went out, Bagnaia made a brilliant start from Pole. He came under pressure from Jorge Martin and Enea Bastinini but fought hard and was in the race's lead. Jorge Martin was battling it out with Bastianinin in the initial part of the race, but he soon managed to slot into P2 and hunt Baganaia.
Meanwhile, Bagnaia was riding as if he was on rails and didn’t put a wheel wrong. Such was his pace that Martin had to avoid catching him for the risk of crashing. Perhaps he was a bit too cautious as Bastianini caught and passed him to grab P2. He perhaps played the best role as a wingman for Pecco pushing Martin down to third meant there were only 19 points that separate the title rivals instead of 21. And each point counts.
The final battle
The whole of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship season has been epic and both Martin and Baganaia have fought hard. Both have made mistakes and crashed out of races this year and that’s what has led to the duo being separated by a few points as the last race of the season takes place today.
For Jorge Martin, it’ll be a dream come true to win his first MotoGP World Championship. All that the Prima Pramac Racing rider needs to do is finish 9th or higher to bag the title. Bagnaia, meanwhile, has to win the race and hope for Martin to finish 10th or lower to win his third MotoGP World Championship.
The last race of the season will be live today at 6:30pm IST.
