First Ever ‘Ride of the Race’ Crowned in MotoGP, but was it a Surprise?
The first-ever ‘Rider of the Race’ fan vote in MotoGP took place on Sunday at Jerez, but who won the fan engagement vote?
The first ‘Rider of the Race’ fan vote in MotoGP was introduced this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, but it was a surprising name that took the award.
Mimicking the F1-like driver of the day vote, MotoGP introduced its own version at Jerez on Sunday, with fans able to vote on their favourite rider in the race.
Had this vote been around in 2021, then Sunday’s winner of the fan engagement, Fabio Quartararo, would have been a consistent name featuring in the poll, however, with Yamaha’s struggles over the last few years, Quartararo would have been a name on very few minds.
But after storming to pole for the first time since 2022, Quartararo delivered a stunning performance in the Grand Prix as he held off Francesco Bagnaia for second place, making him a deserved winner.
Quartararo was not the only rider worthy of winning the vote, as Alex Marquez secured the first MotoGP win of his career on Sunday, and in doing so, regained the championship lead for the second time this season.
Quartararo secured his best finish in a race since claiming third place at the 2023 Indonesian MotoGP. Speaking after his surprise return to the podium, an unsurprisingly elated Quartararo said: “It's incredible! I am over the moon! To be on the podium is something super special.”
The fan vote will continue going forward, but it is strictly related to Grand Prix races, not sprints on Saturdays. The next event is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans on 9-11 May.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
