Quartararo is now 52 points clear after pipping Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to second in Austin and the Frenchman also, in doing so, halted what had been some serious momentum for Pecco after back to back wins for the Italian.
But now it is the turf that saw the two so closely matched on our last visit, it could be a hard-fought duel for the race and, potentially, the crown.
Fireworks? There may well be plenty, and the magic number is 50: if Quartararo is that far ahead – or more – by the flag, he is the 2021 MotoGP world champion.
If he wins, he is the champion. If he’s second and Bagnaia behind him, he’s champion. From there the gaps in the points awarded get smaller and the possibilities more varied, although it would seem unlikely they’d both finish and finish far from the podium. On the other side of the coin, if Bagnaia is far enough ahead and gets the gap to below 50 again, he stays in the game and the battle rages on to the Algarve GP. Does that guarantee a gloves off tussle for glory? It could be quite the showdown.
By definition, all those lining up for the Emilia-Romagna GP are at least one of those three, and it will mark a moment in time for Rossi and, potentially, for a new world champion too.
Make sure you don’t miss a minute as MotoGP returns to the Misano World Circuit Marco Somoncelli, with the lights out for Quartararo’s first match point and the Doctor’s last dance at 2pm local time (5.30pm IST) on Sunday.
(By a special arrangement with Dorna Sports)
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