Bagnaia Signals Title Challenge with motegi Practice Pace
Motegi, Japan – septemberโฃ 26, 2024 – Francesco Bagnaia delivered a commanding โฃperformance in Friday’s practice sessions at theโฃ Motegi MotoGP,โข reigniting hisโ championship hopes after a recent โฃdip in form. Theโค Ducati rider topped both FP1 and โFP2,โข demonstratingโข aโค pace that suggests he is back to his competitive best as the title fight intensifies.
Bagnaia’s recent struggles, โparticularly in sprint races โ- historically a weakness – have allowed Marc Marquez to close the gap โฃin the championship standings. While theโ Italian expressed optimism โfollowing setup โimprovementsโ tested at the Aragon test and โrefinedโฃ during the Hungarian โขGrand Prix, those gains proved temporary. โnow, with aโ strong showing in practice, Bagnaia aimsโ to translate that speed into success during saturday’s sprint raceโ and Sunday’s main event, crucial steps in โdefending โhis crown.
The championship battle has become increasingly tight, withโค Marquez mounting a serious challenge. Bagnaia’s performance in Motegi is โtherefore โpivotal, not onyl for his own title โขaspirations but โคalso for the dynamic โคof the entire MotoGP season. A accomplished weekend in Japan โcould re-establish his โคdominance, while any further โsetbacks would hand Marquez a meaningful advantage as the season nears itsโ conclusion.