Viewers on DStv can look forward to the fifth round of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, the Grand Prix of Portugal, live from the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao on the afternoon of Sunday 24 April 2022 at 12:55pm on SuperSport Action (DStv channel 210).
To watch the Grand Prix on the go, download the MyDStv app to subscribe or upgrade or set up Auto-Renewal to stay connected without interruptions. Customers can also dial *288# to recharge.
The previous round in Austin, United States, saw Eneas Bastianini of Gresini Ducati take his second victory of the season to climb to first place on the Riders’ Championship standings. He leads Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro by 16 points, with Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder seven points further back in third.
“It’s a fantastic day. [Jack] Miller had fantastic pace in the first part of the race, then I felt like I had to push, I accelerated like crazy and I won,” said Bastianini. “Winning here in America is fantastic. Now we can eat some burgers!”
Yet the big news from the Circuit of the Americas was the form of Marc Marquez, who had a poor qualifying and then endured a dreadful start – dropping down to last place – only to put together a storming ride in which he ended in sixth place, just over six and half seconds behind race winner Bastianini.
“On one hand I am disappointed because it is clear we had the speed. I was able to enjoy the race a lot, coming through from the back, but 25 points were possible,” Marquez explained.
“We had a technical problem,” Marquez said of the slow start off the grid. “Honda is investigating, but they know more-or-less already [what it is]. Since I arrived on the start I saw some alarm [warning light on the dash]. I tried to start, but the bike was crazy and I thought it was something big because until the first corner there was no [power] from the bike.
“I even checked, ‘did I put the pit limiter?’ but no. The alarm stayed [on] for all the race but luckily after the first corner, when the holeshot devices disengaged and everything, the bike worked more-or-less in a good way. It was not perfect, because there was something still wrong, but it worked in a good way. And from that point, we started another race.
“Even like this I was able to ride in a good pace. Okay, the result is not the one that we expected, but if we check how we started and where we were at the first corner, with how we finished, we can say that we built a lot of confidence.”
And Marquez will hope to take that confidence to the Portuguese GP, an event he has not won in the premier class (though he has won it in Moto3 and Moto2). This year will be the third at the Algarve Internation Circuit, with the previous MotoGP races in Portimao won by home favourite Miguel Oliveira on a Red Bull KTM (2020) and the reigning World Champion, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo (2021).
