After a long break MotoGP returned to action in Doha for an emotionally packed race.
The 2022 MotoGP season kicked off at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Sunday, and it was a dream start to 2022 for Gresini Racing as Bastianini claims an emotional win; KTM & Honda on podium.
The 2020 Moto2 world champion claimed his first victory in the premier class and the Gresini team’s first since 2006 when he stormed to the win in the opening round of the 2022 campaign on his year-old Ducati.
Bastianini took the lead from Honda’s Pol Espargaro on lap 19 of 22 and immediately had a gap of 1.3s to the chasing pack. But he was pushed hard by KTM’s Brad Binder in the final laps. Bastianini lost a tenth to Binder on the penultimate lap, the gap was 1.1s.
It was down to 0.6s heading into the final sector, but Bastianini held on. The Italian powered his GP21 out the final corner and took an incredible, emotional victory under the lights in Qatar, the perfect tribute to the late, great Fausto Gresini.
South African Brad Binder delivered an excellent performance to claim second position. Now, the local hero is looking to bag a few more podiums this season.
Binder qualified 7th on Saturday afternoon, which is one of his best qualifying performances in his MotoGP career to date. The Qatar circuit has been a challenging location for Binder’s KTM outfit, and this result is the first top-six finish for any KTM at this circuit.
Binder took advantage of his third-row start and worked his way up to third position in the first few corners. Binder subsequently took second place from Marc Marquez on lap six. Binder remained unchallenged in second place behind Pol Espargaro on the Repsol Honda until lap 14 when Ducati rider Enea Bastianini overtook him.
Darryn Binder’s first race straight out of Moto3 ended in a solid 16th from last on the grid on his year-old RNF-run Yamaha, with Gresini’s Di Giannantonio and Raul Fernandez (Tech3) the last of the classified runners.
What a night under the lights in Qatar. Surprises and drama aplenty, as The Beast delivers a beauty. The MotoGP circus travels to Indonesia next, with the second race scheduled for the Mandalika circuit on 20 March.
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