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The Le Mans GP once again saw Ducati assert its supremacy by placing no less than four bikes in the lead at the end of the race. A Sunday on the French circuit that once again saw the protagonists of this 2024 season collide and cross paths. On the one hand a Martin at 120%, mature and able to wait for the right moment to launch the assault on Bagnaia, leading the race until that moment. On the other a Bagnaia gritting his teeth despite the weekend's less than optimal premises after a black Saturday that had forced him to retire.
Between the two litigants a still extraordinary Marc Marquez, who since his landing in Gresini seems to have found the tranquility, but above all the speed to return to compete at the highest level. As he showed this weekend despite the difficult qualifying that saw him 13th on the grid, the Spaniard was able to shine by taking the second step of the podium in both races, taking it away on Sunday from that very Bagnaia who is the reference point among the Ducati riders. A Ducati that by Mugello will have to decide who to put alongside the two-time champion, and the latest races only make that decision even more critical and difficult. A bitter Sunday instead for the French GP darling Quartararo, who, net of a good qualifying, however, failed to close the race in front of his fans in his home GP. In the KTM house, with Acosta's fall, results are latent, Aprilia is struggling to find that spark, while Honda is sinking into the quagmire of development.
Carlo Pernat's words:
"It was a show within a show here at Le Mans. We saw 300,000 fans in 3 days, a record, along with one of the best races of this season.
Three riders fought hard, with a Marquez who revitalized these GPs by just being himself and dueling with his rivals. He still needs confidence, an out-of-this-world Martin who is 100 percent, making no mistakes and going for the win at all costs. Marquez also caught by surprise a Bagnaia who expected to finish at least 2nd, but overall it was a well fought battle between the three. Too bad for Bastianini who received a long lap penalty for a shortcut, he signed the lap record but was angry, if not for that he could have stayed with the three. As usual, Ducati placed four bikes in the top positions, at this point the supremacy of Borgo Panigale is a determining factor. KTM seemed lost, the moment Acosta crashed, Binder and Miller were nowhere to be seen. As for Aprilia, something more was expected, neither Aleix nor Vinales managed to give that little touch that was needed to get better results. Of course, the season is still long, but for now the supremacy of Ducati is huge, maybe even too much. Quartararo in his home GP gave 120 percent until, unfortunately, he prematurely ended the race with a crash, while Honda, on the other hand, is still missing. If the next GPs continue to be this close, this season will be a real show. The riders kept us in suspense until the last corner. This will be of great benefit to the sport, we only missed Enea in the fray, through no fault of his own, he had a technical problem, but he will recover. Martin on the other hand is leading the championship, while Marquez Bagnaia and Bastianini are all close within a few points. It will be a great season, we will have a lot of fun, we are just at the beginning, imagine what we will see at the end."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
