Second MotoGP victory for the Spaniard, ahead of world champion Francesco Bagnaia. 233,196 set a new crowd record at the Sachsenring. Thrilling finish in Moto3: Maiden win for Deniz Öncü from Turkey.
An unforgettable MotoGP race was the absolute highlight of the LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany 2023. After 30 exciting laps, a delighted Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac Racing) claimed his second Grand Prix victory in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. The Spaniard emerged triumphant from a thrilling battle with fellow Ducati rider and world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), crossing the finish line just 0.064 seconds ahead of the Italian. This made it the second-closest finish in 25 years of MotoGP at the new Sachsenring.
“That is a very emotional moment for me. After all, it is almost two years since my last Grand Prix win. I have had my struggles during that period, but it has finally worked out again,” said a beaming Martín. “That was a really tough race, as Pecco put me under a lot of pressure. Towards the middle of the race, I lost a bit of grip on the rear wheel and had to be a bit more cautious. I gave it absolutely everything on the last two laps. On the whole, Pecco was a little stronger. However, because I had looked after my tyres better in the first half of the race, I did enough. Hopefully that was just the first step on the way to the top. We are ready for anything now!”
A weekend of superlatives drew to an end with the race in the top MotoGP class. 233,196 spectators across the three days of the event set a new crowd record. And there was a new record on the track too: Martín’s team-mate Johann Zarco, who finished third in the Grand Prix, broke the previous lap record. The Frenchman’s fastest lap time was 1:21.225 minutes, or an average of 162.7 km/h.
After his two victories in Saturday’s sprint race and the main race on Sunday, Martín leaves the Sachsenring in second place in the overall standings, 16 points behind Bagnaia. Spanish superstar Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crashed during warm-up on Sunday morning and suffered an injury that kept him out of the race. Local favourite Jonas Folger (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) was 17th.
Maiden win for Deniz Öncü in Moto3
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) dominated the Moto2 race, leading from start to finish and setting a new lap record (1:23.673 minutes) on his way to victory. After 25 laps of racing, the 19-year-old Spaniard took the chequered flag 2.730 seconds ahead of the runner-up, world championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). Victory for Acosta, second in the overall standings, sees him close to within 15 points of the Italian. In the closing stages, Arbolino managed to keep Jake Dixon (Polar Cube GASGAS Aspar Team) in check, with the Brit having to settle for third place. Local favourite Lukas Tulovic (LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP) crashed out early on in the race.
“If I had stayed behind Tony, it would have been a tough race. His start was incredible. He was very strong in the first section of the track, but I just had to go for it. After that, it was not so easy to pull away. The team once again did an outstanding job this weekend,” said Acosta, delighted with his fourth win of the season.
There was excitement right down to the last second in the Moto3 class: in a breath-taking finish, Turkey’s Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) came out on top in the very last corner against Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki (LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP). Sasaki had led for much of the race, before Öncü managed to catch up. On the line, 19-year-old Öncü had a 0.095-second lead over his rival. This was the Turk’s first Grand Prix win at the 63rd attempt. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who came home third, remains the championship leader. The Spaniard set a new lap record of 1:25.694 on his way to third place.
“Unbelievable, I have waited so long for that! I pushed as hard as I could in the race. It was a particularly difficult race for me, because I had cramp in my leg. Despite that, I still managed to finish and even take the lead in the final corner. It is simply unbelievable that I won the race! It is great to see the Turkish flag flying highest,” said Öncü, celebrating his maiden victory.
Advance ticket sales for the 2024 LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring begin at 16:00 on Sunday. Tickets for one of the biggest individual sporting events in Germany are available from the online ticket shop at adac.de/motogp. The 2024 MotoGP event takes place next summer. The exact date will be announced later.
