From Criticism to Enjoyment: MotoGP Sprint Race Now a Thrill Ride

Jakarta –

The first MotoGP Sprint Race was successfully held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve Circuit on Saturday (25/3/23). The race, which originally drew criticism from the MotoGP riders, was in fact fierce and still presented a fun spectacle.

Long before the first race was held, several riders had criticized the MotoGP Sprint Race which was feared would make them prone to injury and fatigue due to the busy racing schedule.

“The positive thing is that nobody likes FP3! But now Saturday will be stressful. When the riders say we are not sure about sprint races, it’s not that we don’t like racing. But 42 starts in MotoGP is very dangerous,” said the Aprilia Racing rider, Aleix Espargaro quoted from Crash.

Marc Marquez’s younger sibling also criticized the racing event this Saturday. According to Alex Marquez, doing 42 races in one season doesn’t make sense.

“It’s going to be a bit crazy with 42 races, but in the end we (MotoGP riders) will get used to it. In Superbike alone they make three (races at the weekend). The way to face the weekend will change a little and then it will be very normal,” said Alex Marquez .

Yamaha factory team boss in MotoGP, Lin Jarvis also said the same thing. According to him, the rider will push the motorbike beyond its limits and the risk of injury is wide open.

“You might crash when you go over the limit. In fact, there will be a lot of new things that will happen in the race. Maybe one problem we will face is driver injuries. Because in my opinion, the risk of injury in the sprint race will be bigger than before,” said Lin .

However, after the first MotoGP Sprint Race event was held, not a few racers said this race was fun. One of them came from Alex Marquez’s teammate at Aprilia Racing, Maverick Vinales.

“I had a lot of fun in the race. We had a really fast race, especially in the second part. Unfortunately, I lost a bit of time after an incident happened in front of me. From that moment on, I just focused on keeping my position and giving my best. I can,” said Vinales.

“From this first Sprint Race, we learned that starting from the front is crucial, because in the beginning I had a lot of contact with other riders and it can’t help. In the end, I got a lot of rubber on the jersey. On the other hand, we came here with a bike that is very ready to work well! That is the most important thing, “he continued.

The Australian racer who is now wearing the KTM uniform, Jack Miller, was excited after carrying out the MotoGP Sprint Race. According to him, the race this time was fierce and many maneuvers were carried out by the racers.

“Lots of fun. (It’s like) a full-contact sport out there. I really enjoy it,” said Miller.

“The boys kept the race track clean. It was a good race. I think we enjoyed it as much as you do,” he said.

The young rider from the Mooney VR46 Racing team, Marco Bezzecchi also enjoyed the MotoGP Sprint Race. According to him, this is a fun new format.

“I think the Sprint race format is good, I also like the new schedule. About today’s race, apart from the first 3-4 corners, I feel all good. Because when I crashed, I was able to return to 7th position and racing back quickly,” said Marco.

Watch Video “Jack Miller masters the second practice of the Portuguese MotoGP“

(mhg/rgr)