The title of this piece may be a tad misleading. There were no “losers” at COTA when the two-wheeled circus rolled into town. But when the Boss says, “Write a piece on the biggest winners and disappointments of MotoGP weekend,” and then he reminds you of his extensive gun collection (Publisher’s Note: We briefly talked about my arsenal, but they were two separate conversations, no threats were made) well, you start dancing your fingers on the keyboards as quick as you can because I like life! So, without further adieu, here are Austin MotoGP 2024 weekend winners and disappointments.
The biggest surprises and winners in Moto3 were the Colombian fans who watched their compatriot David Alonso wax “dat ass” in a convincing manner. The biggest surprise to some, but not yours truly, was the arrival of Angel Piqueras. If you watched The Red Bull Rookies Cup last season, you know this kid was as dominant as Shaq on an 8-foot rim. Piqueras is a rookie that will give you Pedro Acosta vibes on track. Austin MotoGP 2024 was his coming-out party. You’ve been warned!
Moto2’s biggest disappointment was Aron Canet. Fresh off his victory in Portimao, I expected Canet to be more of a factor in the chase for a podium, but could only muster a 9th. American Joe Roberts 2nd place was no surprise. Cali Cool Joe was expected to chase victory and put forth a valiant effort, just missing out on victory to Sergio “Baby Face” Garcia.
The premiere class dazzled the fans in Texas with perhaps the best race ever in the Lonestar State. Bar banging, crashes, and hold-your-breath passing made this weekend an instant classic.
Disappointments? If I had to pick, I’d say Pecco Bagnia. Bagnia finished 8th in the Sprint Race on Saturday and 5th in the Sunday race. This was the weekend the three-time World Champion hoped for, especially considering he’s a Sunday Man. He almost was a non-factor, as strange as it is to say. His teammate beat him in both races. He just didn’t seem like the ‘ole Pecco!
Biggest Surprise and winner of the weekend goes to Maverick Vinales. If Kick-Ass was a person, it was Maverick Vinales! He was virtually unstoppable! It’s one thing to win a Sprint race, but to back it up with a Sunday race win that saw him come back from 11th to win. Even the original Top Gun, Tom Cruise, couldn’t have stopped Mack, even if he had Goose by his side. Whether Maverick has turned the corner on his past woes remains to be seen, but this weekend, Maverick was untouchable.
An unfortunate crash by the race leader, Marc Marquez, prevented a classic Texas Shootout that would’ve had fans reeling in their seats. But to be honest, I really don’t think even Marquez would’ve had anything for Top Gun. Maverick was just that dominant! Kudos to Pedro Acosta for making it fun to watch as he tried to battle Vinales, but Maverick proved to be on a whole ‘nothah level as he finally disappeared into The Texas Sun!
Finally, the biggest winners this weekend were the fans. They got to witness a sport that is the best it has ever been, and it looks like it will stay that way for a while.
The traveling circus heads to Europe in two weeks, and if this past Sunday in Texas is any indication, we are in for a stellar season like we have never witnessed. And if that’s the case? Well, we’ll all be winners!!!
Kudos to the Circuit of the Americas, DORNA, and MotoGP for producing the most incredible show on two wheels!
Images: Anthony Watt
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