Latest news with #FrenchMotoGP
The Citizen
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Ruché Moodley hopes low-key return puts him in good stead
Moto3 star rides through the pain at British Grand Prix after undergoing arm operation. Teenage Moto3 sensation Ruché Moodley hopes to bounce back strongly in Aragon next weekend after a rather low-key return from injury at the British Grand Prix. The 18-year-old BOE Motorsport rider suffered a fractured radius in his right arm during practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix last month. He had to undergo an operation which included a titanium plate and half a dozen screws. He watched the French MotoGP on television before getting the green flag to race at Silverstone last weekend. Moodley kept a low profile at the end of the field at Silverstone. He was still regaining his fitness and served two long-lap penalties for causing the collision at Jerez which caused his injury. He qualified in 21st place and rode through the pain to finish 20th. ALSO READ: Binder: Sleeping at home and racing at Kyalami will be 'sick' Ruché Moodley plays it safe 'We made a decision that I would stay out of trouble on the opening laps. If I crashed or was taken out, my penalty laps would be carried over to the next race. So I took it easy at the start and dropped a few positions on the opening lap,' Moodley told Double Apex. 'I took my penalty laps early in the race, on lap two and three, as I figured the field would be most bunched up then. I struggled later on because I lost a lot of feeling in my arm. It started to feel numb so it was difficult to feel what the bike was doing. 'I don't have the strength that I had before to muscle the bike around, since I could only start moving my arm in the week leading up to the race. It lost strength after being immobilised for three weeks.' ALSO READ: Who is Ruché Moodley? Meet South Africa's new Moto3 sensation The Gqeberha-born Moodley made a sensational start to his Moto3 career by finishing 11th in his first race in Thailand to earn five points. He went on to finish in the points in three of his first four races before missing the fifth and sixth rounds of the season. He is 23rd in the championship on nine points and is confident he can fight for points again at the Aragon Grand Prix. 'The plan now is to build up the strength in my hand,' he continued. 'I will be much stronger in two weeks when we get to Aragon. I am looking forward to riding that incredible circuit.'
France 24
24-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Alex Marquez beats brother Marc in British MotoGP sprint
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Duvati-VR46) took third at the seventh race weekend of the 2025 season with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) in fourth. Alex Marquez, on a Ducati satellite Gresini bike, finally topped the podium after finishing second in all six previous Saturday sprints. It moved the Spaniard to within 19 points of Marc Marquez ahead of Sunday's main event. "We did everything in the best possible way, even if the start wasn't the best," said the winner of the 10-lap dash who set off from second on the grid. Marquez senior, who qualified in fourth and led the sprint early on, said: "I took risks on the first lap because from the second row on the grid, it was the right thing to do". "Then I made a mistake (on the second lap) which played into the hands of Alex," added the six-time elite class champion. Former two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia (sixth on Saturday), the Ducati factory teammate of Marc Marquez, is placed third in the standings, 56 points off the lead. France's Fabio Quartararo, who had earlier taken his third successive pole with a new Silverstone lap record, had to settle for seventh on his Yamaha. His compatriot, Johann Zarco, came in fifth after his Le Mans heroics when he became the first home rider to win the French MotoGP since 1954 a fortnight ago.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Difficult weekend for Brad Binder at French MotoGP
Brad Binder did not finish the race because of the crash in the French MotoGP. | Red Bull South African MotoGP rider Brad Binder did not finish the French MotoGP after he crashed the RC16 at turn 14 at the Bugatti Circuit. Red Bull KTM Racing confirmed that he was okay after the crash, but his Championship fight slipped further and further away from him. Binder's teammate Pedro Acosta took home a superbly raced P4 for the team, their highest of the season so far, and some valuable points towards the team championship. Italian racer Johann Zarco stunned the MotoGP world to pull off an incredible victory at home, robbing team Ducati of the opportunity to rewrite history. But while Ducati leads the way, Red Bull and Binder have yet to find their way this season. The South African started Sunday's main race from P13 and did well to fight up the pack to sixth position before crashing out. Both Red Bull drivers have found a quicker pace from what they first started the season with, which could be owed to improvements on the RC set up. The Potchefstroom-born racer made the best of his situation, even with the wet weather on Sunday making conditions even more difficult. The intensity of the rain had increased by the time the race was about to begin, causing all riders to pit at the end of the original warm-up lap, delaying the start. Binder was one of the 13 riders to get back onto the dry bikes for the race, but had to serve a double long lap as a penalty. The team's financial woes have added a layer of difficulty for them to compete against highly funded teams like Ducati and Yamaha, regardless, Binder and Acosta have made the most of their position and have been putting up a decent fight. It wasn't the first crash Binder experienced this weekend, which seemed to be tainted with a bit of bad luck. Binder crashed during the time attack session on Friday and crashed four laps into the French Sprint. 'One of the strangest crashes I've had… front locked up straight and that was that. Otherwise I felt good all day, just didn't come together. We will go again tomorrow. Plan is to get off the line clean and try to make something of it,' Binder said. As far as points go, Binder dropped down to 14th on the rider standings with his 32 points, while Acosta jumped to 9th place after his stellar ride on Sunday. He will now look to Silverstone in two weeks for the British MotoGP and hopefully get back to the top of the pack where he feels comfortable.
Daily Tribune
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Zarco first home winner of French MotoGP since 1954
Johann Zarco produced an outstanding ride in difficult wet conditions at Le Mans yesterday to become the first home winner of the French MotoGP in 71 years. Riding in his 150th MotoGP, the 34-yearold Honda LCR rider hit the front after eight laps and held his position through to the end of the race to become the first Frenchman to take the chequered flag in the top category race since Pierre Monneret in 1954. In front of the biggest-ever attendance at a MotoGP event and with his mother watching him for the first time ever, Zarco finished 19.907 seconds ahead of six-time world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati) with 20-yearold rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Ducati-Gresini) claiming a first podium in just his sixth race. Zarco was in tears before he was even off his bike and immediately celebrated with his team and, after the crowd had offered an impromptu rendition of La Marseillaise, he performed a back flip off a wall, his favourite celebration since his two Moto2 world titles in 2015 and 2016. 'It's incredible, I can hardly believe it,' said an emotional Zarco whose only previous MotoGP win came in Australia in 2023. 'I always give my best but I never thought I'd win. The way I won was very special. I had to be in control and almost wait for victory to come.' There were no points for Alex Marquez, Marc's younger brother, who went sliding off four laps from the finish, the last of the day's six non-finishers, all victims to the filthy weather which made the track so treacherous.
Gulf Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Zarco first home winner of French MotoGP since 1954
Johann Zarco produced an outstanding ride in difficult wet conditions at Le Mans on Sunday to become the first home winner of the French MotoGP in 71 years. Riding in his 150th MotoGP, the 34-year-old Honda LCR rider hit the front after eight laps and held his position through to the end of the race to become the first Frenchman to take the chequered flag in the top category race since Pierre Monneret in 1954. In front of the biggest-ever attendance at a MotoGP event and with his mother watching him for the first time ever, Zarco finished 19.907 seconds ahead of six-time world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati) with 20-year-old rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Ducati-Gresini) claiming a first podium in just his sixth race. Zarco was in tears before he was even off his bike and immediately celebrated with his team and, after the crowd had offered an impromptu rendition of La Marseillaise, he performed a back flip off a wall, his favourite celebration since his two Moto2 world titles in 2015 and 2016. Johann Zarco sits on his bike as he celebrates winning the the MotoGP France. 'It's incredible, I can hardly believe it,' said an emotional Zarco whose only previous MotoGP win came in Australia in 2023. 'I always give my best but I never thought I'd win. The way I won was very special. I had to be in control and almost wait for victory to come.' There were no points for Alex Marquez, Marc's younger brother, who went sliding off four laps from the finish, the last of the day's six non-finishers, all victims to the filthy weather which made the track so treacherous. Marc Marquez, who won Saturday's Sprint, now has 171 points in the championship, increasing his lead at the top of the championship to 22 points ahead of his brother. With the rain coming down, there was mayhem from the opening lap as the riders struggled with their slick tyres, Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir sliding off on turn 4. Mir was out but Bagnaia, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, rejoined the race. Ahead of him, however, there was plenty more trouble as pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo, another home favourite, tangled on lap 5 with Brad Binder sending both of them into the gravel. Johann Zarco celebrates on the podium. Photos: AFP A couple of laps later, Binder went off a second time to end his race with Jack Miller, one of just four riders to start on wet tyres, also crashing out. The early stages saw championship leader Marc Marquez overtake Quartararo and then battle for the lead with his brother. Along with a number of others, the Marquez siblings had come in to swap to dry bikes at the end of the warm-up lap after the original start was aborted which meant, under new rules, they had to serve a double long-lap penalty. That slowed them up and when they both came into the pits to change bikes and take on the wet tyres, Zarco took over the lead. 'That double long lap was the only small mistake I made,' said Marc Marquez. Zarco's emergence at the front, however, was greeted with a roar from the French crowd which has packed the Le Mans circuit over the race weekend, with organisers putting the overall attendance as 311,797. Agence France-Presse
