Jorge Martin wins Indian GP’s first Tissot Sprint Race

New Delhi, 23 Sept. 2023: Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing won the Tissot Sprint Race in the MotoGP class of the Indian Oil Grand Prix of India at the Buddh Interational Circuit in Greater Noida here on Saturday.  

Marco Bezzecchi of Mooney VR46 Racing Team took pole position for Sunday’s race, while Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing will start second and Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo Team will start third on the grid.  

Stefan Bradl, Luca Marini and Pol Espargaro crashed at the start of the race, with Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing taking over the lead. Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo Team was second, while Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was third. Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was in fourth place.  

Even as the riders battled it out, soon it was time for Joan Mir of Repsol Honda Team to crash out.  

The gap between the riders was pretty much consistent as the race wore on. But soon after, Marquez and Binder got into a battle to make a claim for the third place, but the positions did not change as Martin took victory in the Tissot Sprint Race. 

Though the temperature and humidity remained high, there was rain in the afternoon that brought proceedings to a halt during the Moto3 qualifying Number One. After a delay of about 45 minutes and the safety car making laps of the track, action resumed at 2:35 pm.  

In the first qualifying session for the MotoGP class, Raul Fernandez of the Cryptodata RNF MotoGP Team topped the timecharts with figures of 01:44:4100, while Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing MotoGP did 01:44:5190 and Fabio Di Gannantonio of Gresini clocked 01:44:5290. He was followed by Brad Binder and Takagi Nakagami.  

In the second qualifying for MotoGP, Marco Bezzecchi of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team topped the proceedings with a time of 01:43:9470, while Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing was 01:43:9900 and Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team came in third with a time of 1:44:2030.  

In the first qualifying session for Moto2, Zonta Van Den Goorbergh of Fieten Olie Racing GP topped the charts with a time of 02:02:6140, while Sergio Garcia of Pons Wegow Los40 made it to the second spot with 02:02:9590 and Barry Baltus of Fieten Olie Racing GP was third with 02:03:1110. In the second qualifying session, Jake Dixon of GASGAS Aspar Team was first with a time of 02:01:9240, Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Ajo was second with 02:01:9560 and Sergio Garcia of Pons Wegow Los40 was third with 02:02:1920.

In the first qualifying session for Moto3, Deniz Oncu of Red Bull KTM Ajo topped the timecharts with a time of 1:59:0700, while Ryusei Yamanaka clocked 1:59:9300 and Scott Ogden of the Vision VisionTrack Racing Team timed 1:59:9690. In the second qualifying session, Jaume Masia timed 02:09:3360, while Matteo Bartelle registered 02:10:0630 and Ayumu Sasaki of the Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP was third at 02:10:1040. 

Earlier, Diogo Moreira of MT Helmets-MSI topped the third practice session in Moto3 with a top time of 1:59:3750, while Manuel Gonzalez of the Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team topped the Moto2 third free practice with a time of 01:51:6080. In the MotoGP free practice session two, Marco Bezzecchi of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team topped with a time of 01:45:3980. 

The first corner was deemed to be tricky by the riders. Even a bit of delay in braking would result in a disaster as several riders had already suffered crashes there.  

Mike Webb, race director said, “Due to the feedback from the teams and riders and considering the heat and humidity, the race distances will be shortened.” 

The Tissot Sprint race was of 11 laps, while the Moto3 will be of 16 laps, the Moto2 will be 18 laps and the MotoGP will be 21 laps.