Roaring past the halfway point of the 2024 MotoGP season, the riders are aiming to move up the standings and knock off the big four racers at the top of the totem pole. In pole position, Spain’s Jorge Martin has been the season’s most consistent racer to this point with a narrow edge over Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia. The latter, while having the most total wins on the year, is coming off a race where he retired during the contest. Meanwhile, normal leaderboard favorites, Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini, round out the top potential picks for this race at the Misano World Circuit. Marquez just recently won the Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix and has been angling up the standings in pursuit of Bagnaia and Martin.
For this article, SBS will explore what to look for from each racer, along with more notes and information about this competition, and ultimately who will win the race as well.
| San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix 2024 |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francesco Bagnaia | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Jorge Martin | +300 | +300 | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Marc Marquez | +350 | +350 | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Enea Bastianini | +450 | +450 | +450 | +450 | +450 |
The Italian racer enters this contest looking to bounce back from a disappointing outing at the Aragon Motorcycle Grand Prix. Prior to that though he had been on an absolute tear. This season, he has won the most races of any driver to date with seven (7) total victories. This includes a stretch where he won four races in a row starting with the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix and extending to the German motorcycle Grand Prix. Currently, he is second in the MotoGP standings with 276 total points and is 23 points away from the first place Martin. The last time he retired in a race this year was way back at the start of the season in the second contest where he crashed out in Portugal.
A neck-and-neck rival with Bagnaia, the Spaniard is the current points leader and has been having a tremendous campaign. While he does not have the overall wins of his Italian foe, he has been the most consistent this season as evidenced by his overall standing in the MotoGP landscape. He currently has the most second-place finishes of any racer on the circuit with five total on the season. This year, he has scored wins at two different events, the first coming in Portugal when Bagnaia had to retire and then a couple of races later in France. Since then, he has finished in the top three of each race he has entered, except for the German motorcycle Grand Prix. Indeed, if Bagnaia cannot score the win, Martin will be there to capitalize.
Entering this race looking to spoil the party for the other two racers mentioned, Marquez is coming off an excellent win the other weekend. Another consistent racer, the Spanish driver has notched four other top-three finishes this year which currently places him in third place of the MotoGP world standings at 229. Of course, the top of the leaderboards have been dominated by Bagnaia and Martin, but do not sleep on Marquez as the Spanish racer could catch a hot streak in the latter half of the season. With only one retirement to date this year, he has done an excellent job of making sure he finishes each race he enters and is near the top of the leaderboard. With two pole position outings as well this season, the Spanish driver would like to of course extend that track record.
Coming into this race, the Italian Bastianini is aiming for his second win of the season after picking up the victory a couple of weeks ago at the Silverstone Circuit. Another solid racer, Bastianini has yet to retire from a race this year and is consistently in the top-five of each race he enters into. Including his victory at Silverstone, he has an amazing 11 top-five finishes this season which explains why he is so close to the top of the leaderboard. Of course, he would like to break through and also mitigate the advantage that Bagnaia and Martin have over him in the overall points standings. Perhaps this is the race where he does just that.
Prediction: Another wide-open contest, take Bagnaia to continue his winning ways and continue to close the gap on the first-place standings.
After you are all dialed in regards to the latest updates regarding the sport of MotoGP, make sure to check out the awesome array of stats and information for you over at SBS. For even more analysis on the topic covered here, check out the MotoGP betting sites guide which covers all of the latest updates coming from the sport along with the most recent betting markets as well. Of course, if you would like to maximize your wagers, look no further than the best bonus betting sites rundown where you can find a ton of great information. This includes a catalog of different bonus offers. Finally, for those interested in diversifying their payment options, check out the payment methods breakdown for all kinds of outlets from cryptocurrencies to more traditional routes.
About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
Read Chris's ProfileAsk Chris about this guide:
