The MotoGP season is off and running and the riders are all jostling for position at the top of the standings as they head to Portugal. In last week’s showdown in Qatar, Jorge Martin won the pole position in the race, but his main rival, Francesco Bagnaia was crowned as the winning rider in this race. Additionally, Pedro Acosta notched the fastest lap in this showcase. Regarding the other favorites in this race in Portugal, both Martin and Bagnaia are among the top picks after finishing third and first, respectively. Moreover, Another player to watch is Marc Marquez who finished in fourth place last week in Qatar. Finally, Enea Bastianini is the final athlete to watch in this race as he finished in fifth place last week but is one of the stars of MotoGP.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from each racer, a predicted winner of this contest, and also some additional notes and info about MotoGP.
| MotoGP Grand Prix moto du Portugal 2024 |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francesco Bagnaia | +120 | +120 | +120 | +120 | +120 |
| Jorge Martin | +275 | +275 | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Marc Marquez | +300 | +300 | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Ena Bastianini | +400 | +400 | +400 | +400 | +400 |
As noted in this space before, Bagnaia is the reigning MotoGP World Riders Champion, winning the title in both 2022 and 2023. Last week, the Italian racer continued his winning ways, notching the crown at the 2024 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix. He has had success at this racetrack before, winning the race in 2023 along with a second-place outing in 2021. However, he did finish in eighth place back in 2022, but of course is still one of the most consistent racers in all of MotoGP. Last year, he won seven races, including the Grand Prix in Portugal. In addition to his victories, he is usually a consistent threat to finish in the top three of each race, which he has done so 36 times in 87 starts.
During last week’s race, Martin finished in third place after notching the pole position. Of course, the Spanish rider would have liked to have held on to the lead in this race, but still finishing on the podium is not the worst outcome. Last season, Martin was able to accrue four victories en route to a second-place overall finish in the 2023 MotoGP standings. In an interesting twist, the Portugal race track has not been kind to the Spanish racer in years past as he retired at the track in both 2023 and 2022, while not starting in 2021. Perhaps this is the year he bucks that trend and earns a much-needed victory in Portugal.
The next racer on our list, Marquez is a six-time MotoGP World Champion and has been one of the most accomplished racers of the last decade-plus. In his career, he has notched 59 wins to go along with a sensational 101 podium finishes in 170 starts. The last couple of years though have been erratic for the former world champion. Since he won the World Championship in 2019, he has finished in seventh (2021), 13th (2022), and also 14th (2023). Of course, he would like to change things this season after finishing in fourth place last week. He has won the Portuguese Grand Prix twice in his career.
Our final racer showcase, Bastianini won the 2020 Moto2 World Championship and has been a fixture around the top of the leaderboard in his young career. With five career victories along with nine podium finishes. Last season, he finished in 15th place overall but was also banged up for the first part of the year. However, he was able to get things going down the stretch, including winning one race, the 2023 Malaysian Grand Prix. While 2023 was a mixed bag, his prior season, 2022, was great for the racer. During that season, he won four races but ended up retiring during the outing in Portugal. Perhaps this is also the year he puts together a strong performance and follows up his fifth-place showing last week with an even better outing.
Prediction: Another excellent showcase race, the 2024 Portugal Grand Prix should be a must-watch race. Of course, the quartet up top all present intriguing options, but take Martin to finally break through in Portugal and score the victory.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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