Thailand MotoGP, Buriram – Free Practice (3) Results

* Rookie

Official Buriram MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Fabio Quartararo FRA Yamaha 1m 29.719s (2019)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 30.904s (2019)

Jorge Martin heads Jack Miller during a dry Free Practice 3 for the Thailand MotoGP at Buriram, while the likes of Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro miss out on a top ten place and will need to fight for the final two Q2 places in Qualifying 1.

Marquez had remained comfortably inside the combined top ten until the late time attacks, when the Repsol Honda rider got out of shape into the final corner on his final flying lap.

Jack Miller, just behind the #93, cut around the RCV on the exit to claim second place behind Martin, before the Australian lost the front of his factory Desmosedici a few turns later at the hairpin.

Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia took third and fourth on combined practice times despite being among almost half of the grid that failed to improve this morning.

Yamaha’s world championship leader Fabio Quartararo was third in the session and fifth, behind the Ducatis, on combined times. KTM’s Brad Binder, Suzuki’s Alex Rins and then satellite Ducati riders Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini complete the direct Qualifying 2 rider.

After a difficult Friday fighting grip problems, Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales continued to battle grip issues this morning, Vinales visibly frustrated as he repeatedly ran wide.

Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow, taking part in the third event of his six-race comeback in place of the retired Andrea Dovizioso at RNF, injured his right ankle in a huge Friday afternoon highside.

Danilo Petrucci began his second day on the Suzuki MotoGP machine by cutting the gap to 1.6s.

Raul Fernandez did not ride did to sromach problems.

Fabio Quartararo takes an extended 18-point world championship lead over Francesco Bagnaia into the final four rounds, after the Italian’s last lap accident at Motegi.

The Japanese Grand Prix was also a race to forget for Aleix Espargaro, who has slipped 25 points from the top after technical issues forced a last-minute bike swap, leaving him 16th.

The last time MotoGP raced at Buriram, in 2019, Marc Marquez – on pole at Motegi last weekend – narrowly held off then rookie Quartararo to wrap up his eighth world title, with Maverick Vinales completing a podium covered by just 1.3s.

MotoGP welcomes back Danilo Petrucci this weekend. Fresh from finishing runner-up in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship, the double premier-class winner (with Ducati) is stepping in at Suzuki for the injured Joan Mir.

Petrucci won’t be the only substitute on track, with HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, who ed out of a MotoGP race debut last weekend at Motegi, called up in place of injured countryman Takaaki Nakagami at LCR Honda.

Wet weather is forecast throughout the Buriram event.

As with the other end of season ‘flyaways’, absent from the calendar since Covid restrictions in 2019, ten riders have no prior experience of racing in MotoGP at Buriram: Brad Binder, Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, plus this year’s rookies Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio di Giannantonio, Darryn Binder, Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez.

Friday September 30

3am – Moto3 FP1

3.55am – Moto2 FP1

4.50am – MotoGP FP1

7.15am – Moto3 FP2

8.10am – Moto2 FP2

9.05am – MotoGP FP2

Saturday October 1

3am – Moto3 FP3

3.55am – Moto2 FP3

4.50am – MotoGP FP3

6.35am – Moto3 Q1

7am – Moto3 Q2

7.30am – Moto2 Q1

7.55am – Moto2 Q2

8.25am – MotoGP FP4

9.05am – MotoGP Q1

9.30am – MotoGP Q2

Sunday October 2

4am – Moto3 warm-up

4.20am – Moto2 warm-up

4.40am – MotoGP warm-up

6am – Moto3 race

7.20am – Moto2 race

9am – MotoGP race