As Riders Claim their Prizes, the Circuit Steals the Spotlight

Sunday, March 6, 2022 – Doha, QatarrnThe momentum built-up during the two previous days of the Qatar Grand Prix had fans flooding to the venue to watch the main event.rnSunday’s first competition was race 2 of the Idemitsu Asian Talent Cup (IATC) during which Amon Odaki secured the first position by maintaining a healthy lead in the last lap, while Qatari racer Hamad Al-Sohti fought an intense battle against Malaysian rider Amir Danish after reaching the last corner only to come out on top and claim the second position of the race, and at a fraction of a second away from the finish line,  Indonesian sensation Vega Ega Pratama managed to pull ahead of the Malaysian rider to snatch away the 3rd position for a very tight finish. “It was a very hard-fought battle, but I felt I could do better after placing 4th yesterday, and thankfully, I maximized my on-track efficiency and managed to place second.” stated the young Qatari rider when asked to comment on the outcome of the race.

After a set of warm-up rounds, MotoGP riders shifted gears and went all-out for the first full race of the season. Starting with Moto3, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) stood on top of the podium for the first time since the 2017 Italian grand prix after beating Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) by an unbelievably close 0.037s lead amid fan excitement. The 3rd spot was claimed by Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) who managed edge out Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) at the very last minute. Moving on to the Moto2 race, Italian wonder Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) took advantage of the pole position to dominate the track from start to finish, leaving 2nd place holder Aron Canet (flexbox HP40) 6.154s behind, while Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) profited from the late drama between Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) to seize the 3rd place of the race. Finally, with fan anticipation reaching a notable peak, the MotoGP race kicked off with a poor start from polesitter Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) grabbed the holeshot from the outside of the front row. However, both early time leaders fell off in ranking as the race progressed, and eventually it was Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) that claimed P1 after delivering a tremendous performance at the Grand Prix of Qatar. South African rider Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took everyone by surprise and homed in on P2 being only 0.3s away from the top spot, and Spaniard Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) had a very solid showing throughout the race which allowed to place 3rd amid fierce competition. Last year’s champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had to settle for a disappointing P9, while eight-time champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crowned his first race since 2019 with a strong P5.

During the day, as riders were showcasing their talents and skills on the racing track, the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF)was demonstrating its prowess in aviation during a stunning exhibition that featured extremely difficult and impressive maneuvers. 

Racing events were followed up by a concert organized by the event’s sponsor Qatar Tourism. The concert featured Badr Al-Shuaibi who entranced the crowd with his unique voice. The night ended with fireworks covering the skies above Lusail International Circuit in a mesmerizing and artful show celebrating the season open of the 2022 MotoGP Championship.rn