MotoPod

Jim and Rich get together to discuss Round 20 of the MotoGP World Championship from the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. This was the much-disputed round in terms of team attendance, with all but Yamaha deciding to make the trek to Doha. In the end, the weekend went off without major incidents or problems and, once again, Marc Marquez demonstrated his innate ability to maximise the points on offer to him.  Across the classes, the racing seemed to sum up the subdued nature of the event this year, with the main talking point being the clash between Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi in the Saturday Sprint. Despite the protestations of Aprilia, the contact was deemed to be a racing incident. Bez would make up for it in the main GP but Marc bagged the points again with second and with Martin bravely riding through the pain of his fractured wrist but unable to make major impact, Marc sits on the brink of that all-important 8^th premier class world title when the paddock rocks up to Portimão in 1 weeks time.

In Moto3, Almansa ran away from the field to dominate from Fernandez and Quiles. With Quiles already crowned 2026 Moto3 World Champion and Almansa seemingly secure in 2nd, the main interest switches to the 3^rd to 5^th championship positions, with Carpe, Uriate and Fernandez locked in battle for the important 3^rd place finish in the final standings. Moto2 offered a bit more in terms of wheel to wheel action, with Danny Holgado working through to the win, from the ever impressive Ivan Ortola and Alex Escrig. Moto2 is the last championship to be decided, with Izan Guevara suffering a major set-back following a mechanical retirement. This leaves Manuel Gonzalez with a slender but slightly increased 13.5 point lead with Portimão and Valencia still to go.

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