2024 Barcelona MotoGP: Nakagami leads FP1, Bagnaia suffers late crash
LCR rider b🌟egins his final MotoGP weekend fastest in col♔d FP1
LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakgamai topped FP1 at the𝓡 2024 MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix while Francesco Bagnaia crashed during the practice start session.
MotoGP’s second visit to Barcelon🦄a in 2024 comes in the wake of the devastating flooding in Valencia that led to the grand prix at the Ricardཧo Tormo Circuit to be cancelled.
The Solidarity GP is named as such to honour the peopl𒆙e 𒁏of Valencia.
The championship bat🧜tle 🍰between Jorge Martin and Bagnaia comes down to the wire this weekend, with the former leading the way by 24 points.
After the opening 45-minute practice, Martin held the advantage over his r♕ival in fifth, while Bagnaia was seve𓃲nth.
Top honours went to Nakagami and Honda, with the Japanese rider set to retire from full-time ra𝓰cing at the end of this weekend to take up a new role as an HRC development rider.
Fitting a fresh medium rear tyre for his final run, Nakagami shot to the top🅺 of the order on his LCR-run RC213V with a 1m40.501s in the final moments to lead the way by 0.411s.
He headed Tech3 GASGAS roo♌kie Pedro Acosta, who was involved in a scary collision with team-mate Augusto Fernandez f♎ive minutes into the session.
The pair exited Turn 5 side-by-side and made contact on the exit, with 𒆙both riders going down and the red flag brought oཧut to clear up the debris.
Both riders were unhurt in the collision and were able to get back🌳 on track for the🀅 restart.
When action resu♓med, Martin set the early pace with a 1m41.820♌s, with Bagnaia edging ahead moments later with a 1m41.798s.
Top spot would chan𝄹ge hands to Pramac’s Martin again, with Gresini’s Alex Marquez and Acosta taking turns 🐻leading the way.
Acosta took over top spot with a 1m40.912s with just under half an hour remaining, and would stay at the head of the pack until Nakagami - who crash꧋ed at Turn 2 during the session - fired in a 1m40.501s with just over two minutes to go.
Alex Marquez completed the top thre🌠e behind Nakagami and Acosta, while KTM’s Brad Binder was fourꦿth and Martin was fifth.
He headed the factory team Ducati duo of Enea Bastianini and Bagnaia, who was involved in an odd incident at the end of the session during the practice s🅷tart phase.
On the approa🏅ch 𒁃to Turn 1, Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales swooped ahead of Bagnaia into the braking zone.
There was no contact, but Bagnai♎a crashed under braking and was livid with Vinales, who was eighth at t🎶he chequered flag.
KTM’s Jack Miller and Marc Marquez (Gresini) completed the top🍨 ꦐ10.
Fabio Quartararo was the leading Yamaha i𓃲n 11th, while Augusto Fernandez was 18th after his early tangle with Acosta.
Michele Pirro was 20th as he stands in for Fabio Di Giannantonio at VR46, while Miguel Oliveira headed Tra🌺ckhouse teaꦡm-mate Raul Fernandez in 21st on his return from injury.
