The Malaysian Grand Prix certainly felt like a throwback race to about ten years ago; Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was leading until four laps to go and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was riding better than he has almost all season.
The only thing missing was Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) – who withdrew from the weekend following Friday practice, still very much struggling with injury.
It was a race that most dream of seeing, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) was chasing down Rossi who had a great start and managed to thunder past Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) but the gap between the two was lengthening. It felt like Rossi had the race in the bag until he slid out with four laps to go and then Marquez romped to the finishing line. Zarco was over taken by a keen Alex Rins (Suzuki), and Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) rather predictably had late race pace so only really performed near the end of the race.
It was a long race for most, there were no huge jumps like in Moto3, so instead it felt like riders would pick off a rider with each lap and slowly climb the leader board. It wasn’t fast paced, even though Marquez did set a new circuit record. Even though the Championship is all tied up for Marquez, Rossi would need to win in Valencia to secure second in the Championship, while Vinales could beat his team mate to third if he scores 3 points or more than Rossi does in the final round. So, there is still a lot to play for as the MotoGP class rolls into Spain one last time in 2018.
An area of great concern during the race however, was that Marquez had really abused his back tyre to gain on Rossi, so had Rossi finished the race – would Marquez be able to keep up or would his tyre have lasted at all until the end? Exploding tyres is not totally unheard of, but for someone as light as Marquez, it is rather surprising that the wear and tear was so evident. Repsol Honda probably would have looked into this but they’re most likely too busy celebrating their Constructor’s Championship title and Rider’s Championship.
Although, it was Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who put in a stellar performance in front of his home crowd. The Tech 3 rider is the first Malaysian rider in MotoGP to race at the Sepang International Circuit, and to be in the top ten and the best Rookie is a feat in itself. He was probably hoping to secure more points again Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) who is ten points ahead of him in the Rookie standings.
All in all, it was a memorable race for Marquez and Rossi fans alike, albeit for very different reasons but the Malaysian fans got something truly special out of their home favourite. But if you felt like this race lacked anything, it was a good old fashioned fight for the podium, unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be this time around.
Andrea Dovizioso secured yet another podium finish this season, with a hard fought third place during the Australian Grand Prix. Such were the scenes of celebration beneath the podium and back in the team garage, a casual observer could be forgiven for thinking they’d won the championship.
The celebratory scenes from Sunday starkly contrast with last year’s corresponding Grand Prix, which was a complete disaster for Ducati. Slow times during the practice and qualifying sessions resulted in the humiliation of both factory riders, Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, having to start from the fourth and sixth rows of the grid respectively. The race fared even worse as between them they could only manage a frankly woeful three points. It effectively killed all realistic possibility that the Italian rider could become world champion that season.
Dovizioso demonstrated serious front running pace all throughout the weekend, rarely being found outside the top 5 of the timesheets. A remarkable feat in itself as, traditionally, the Phillip Island circuit is one of the worst for Ducati. Without any long straight to blast away from the pack, and a plethora of fast sweeping corners (so long the nadir of all Desmosedici machines), the Italian team generally grit their teeth and pray for the round to end quickly. To negate the severe loss of lap time due to the above reasons, riding style – and commitment – becomes of paramount importance.
It cannot be underestimated how brave Dovizioso is under braking, regularly being given the title of ‘Last of the Late Brakers’. Although there is no official measurement as to the stopping points of each rider, from the TV images the Ducati man does visibly brake later than the rest of his rivals. In addition to this, he possesses pinpoint accuracy with both his corner entry and exit lines. All of which results in an extremely competitive performance regardless of the circuit.
Speaking after the race, Dovi was beaming in the winners’ enclosure: “Phillip Island was a fundamental test to understand our level of competitiveness and now we know we have made a good step forward over last year.” Typically understated as always. Ducati have made an enormous step with the development of their bike.
Andrea Dovizioso battles with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for podium honours. Such a thing was not even remotely possible last year.
Across the garage, there were equally joyous scenes. Standing in for the injured Jorge Lorenzo, 33-year old Alvaro Bautista enjoyed a brilliant first weekend on the Desmosedici GP18. Having not ridden this year’s machine at all before the Friday practice sessions, the Spaniard went to considerable length in the build up to the weekend, stating that Ducati “had no real targets to aim for”.
Perhaps predictably as a consequence, he took a few tumbles during the early stages of the weekend as he learnt where the performance limits of the factory bike were. Despite this, Bautista produced a faultless race day performance, looking completely at one with the factory bike – and racing it as if he had been for a full season. His riding style – comparable to that of Casey Stoner – suits the Desmosedici, and the Spaniard relishes the physicality required to haul and wrestle the bike through the faster corners. Having started from P11 on the grid, Bautista charged through the pack, dicing for a place on the podium alongside his teammate for almost the entirety of the race before falling back to consolidate fourth place.
Speaking after the race, Bautista explained the reason for dropping behind his teammate: “In the last few laps I made a few small mistakes and lost contact with Dovizioso and Iannone, but in any case I’m very happy with my overall result, especially for the team and for Ducati, whom I would like to thank once again for the trust they have shown in me.” Any disappointment for not making the podium quickly evaporated, having achieved a lifetime ambition to race for the factory team.
Having taken some time on Friday to adjust to the GP18 performance limits, Alvaro Bautista produced a stunning ride on race day.
Despite not taking the race victory, Dovizioso has nevertheless demonstrated to the full just how far Ducati have developed the Desmosedici this season. It is still a rocket down a long straight, but crucially they have now made a bike that is stable enough at most circuits to enable the riders to attack the faster corners with confidence.
As for Bautista, he has almost certainly secured the factory ride now for as long as Lorenzo remains out injured. The result for the Spaniard could not have come at a more opportune moment ahead of his move to World Superbikes next season, with the factory supported Aruba.it Ducati team. A clear statement of intent to the established front runners of the series, watching on from their hotel rooms in Qatar.
Maverick Vinales ended the longest winless streak in the history of the Japanese manufacturer with a blistering ride, at the Phillip Island circuit.
Having qualified in the middle of the front row Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) was a constant presence at the front during the opening stages. This in itself was an early warning sign to the field, as the young Spaniard has routinely dropped back through the pack at the start of most races this season.
After a few laps, in which to allow the tyres to warm up on the cool track surface, Vinales forced his way to the front with some brave manoeuvres at the Hayshed and over the top of Lukey Heights. Once in the lead the Yamaha man pulled clear from his rivals with ease, setting a series of fastest lap times until he’d opened up a more than manageable lead of 4 seconds…
There was a ferocious race-long battle for the remaining podium places. Andrea Iannone (Team Ecstar Suzuki) eventually secured second place, after holding off the ever-present Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) in third. The two Italians wound back the clocks to Austria 2016, when (then as Ducati teammates) they’d diced it out for victory.
Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) first weekend on the 2018 factory Desmosedici machine, secured a brilliant fourth place. Replacing the injured Jorge Lorenzo, the achievement of Bautista cannot be understated. Prior to this week he had never ridden the 2018 Desmosedici before, perhaps reflected in his relatively modest starting place on the grid – P12. Powering his way up the order and once settled into his rhythm, he was not be moved outside of the top five, even leading his team leader for multiple laps. A strong display from arguably the most underrated rider on the grid.
Alvaro Bautista stormed through the field at Phillip Island on his debut appearance for the factory Ducati team.
Although Bautista eventually dropped back from Dovizioso and Iannone in the closing stages, he had more than enough in hand to fend off Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki). Both men had fancied their chances in the run up to this weekend of emerging with at least a podium finish to their names. Rins will not be too disappointed with his fifth place as in truth his Suzuki, whilst working well through the faster flowing corners, struggled visibly down the main straight with a lack of power. Rossi, despite wringing every ounce of performance from his M1, will leave the circuit tonight wondering how on earth his teammate could cruise to victory whilst he could only manage P6.
Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati) was the first independent rider under the chequered flag, giving the passionate and knowledgeable home crowd yet another reason to cheer. On an old GP17 machine, the popular Australian gave it everything – even leading on the opening laps as he had done so this time last year. Although disappointed in his personal result, his team were in a very celebratory mood after the race and with good reason – Two Ducatis in the parc ferme winners’ enclosure (Miller and Dovizioso). Additionally, five riders aboard Desmosedici machines scored points – compared to this time last year when the best finisher for the manufacturer was Scott Redding in a very modest fourteenth place.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Johann Zarco (Tech3 Monster Yamaha) involved in a frightening collision on the entry to turn 1 early in the race. Approaching the fast right hand bend, Marquez moved across to the left hand side of the track to open up the corner entry. However, unsighted for the Spaniard, was Zarco’s Yamaha. With nowhere to go, and no time to take any evasive action, the Frenchman struck the back of the Honda and speared off into the gravel – reportedly at around 280kph. The Yamaha was completely wrecked in the aftermath, but thankfully Zarco walked away shaken but not stirred. True testament to the both the trackside safety measures, and the air-bags inside the riders’ leathers. Marquez retired from the race soon after, but both will be fit to fight it out again next week in Malaysia.
Bradley Smith secured a solid finish in tenth place for the Red Bull KTM team. Prior to the race it had been another difficult weekend for the 27-year old, but dug in once again dragging the RC18 kicking and screaming into a very respectable position.
Finally. a mention for Belgian rider Xavier Simeon (Avintia Reale Ducati) who scored his first point in the MotoGP world championship with fifteenth place. It has been a difficult debut season for him, having spent the majority of it aboard the outdated GP16 Desmosedici. However, since Tito Rabat sustained his broken leg at Silverstone, Simeon has been on a GP17 machine and today he showed he can be competitive in the premier class.
The 2018 MotoGP Championship rumbles on this weekend to the spectacular Phillip Island circuit, just off the mainland of Australia.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) is now freed of the pressure to secure the championship, having secured the title last time out at Motegi. As such, the 25-year old has licence to throw all caution to the wind in pursuit of yet another victory. It has been another remarkable season in the career of the Spanish rider, who has become the youngest 7x world champion (and youngest 5x premier class champion).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) is looking to make it a second victory in three years at the circuit. The British rider has been in excellent form this year, piloting the factory-supported satellite Honda to fifth place in the championship – including victory in Argentina and podium finishes at Misano and Japan. Crutchlow is under no illusions that victory (or even a podium finish) will come easy, despite his strong record at this track. In the Thursday press conference he was reported saying as many as ten different riders all have a realistic chance to take the spoils on Sunday.
Cal Crutchlow destroyed the field to win the 2016 Australian Grand Prix
The characteristics of the Phillip Island circuit may benefit the teams which are traditionally more stable handed through long, sweeping corners. As such, both Team Ecstar Suzuki and Movistar Yamaha have potentially much to gain. The latter will particularly be determined to produce a strong result, having struggled throughout the season. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Suzuki) respectively will be expected to lead the charges for their teams again this weekend. Rossi will be desperate to not only break Yamaha’s duck for the season, and end the team’s winless drought which stretches back to Assen, 2017.
For Rins, there is now the feeling it is just a matter of time before the Catalan rider wins his first grand prix. The 22-year old has secured multiple podium finishes this season – his most recent being a hard fought 3rd place last time out in Japan. In addition, he has been a regular presence inside the top 5 since the summer break. Phillip Island presents him with perhaps the best chance of the season to claim victory, and become the first Suzuki rider to win a grand prix since Maverick Vinales at Silverstone in 2016.
Alvaro Bautista makes his bow as a factory Ducati rider, this weekend. The former 125cc world champion is standing in for the injured Jorge Lorenzo at Phillip Island, and could potentially be doing the same next weekend in Malaysia. Bautista has comprehensively outperformed the GP16 and GP17 Desmosedici machines, regularly finishing races inside the top 10. The promotion to the factory team is also a very public ‘thank you’ from Ducati Corse, before he moves to World Superbikes in 2019 for the Aruba.it Ducati squad on the new V4 Panigale.
Local rider Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati) will be hoping to give the partisan home crowd something to shout about this weekend. The Australian has, by his own admission, struggled for consistency on the year-old GP17 Desmosedici machine. His best result this season was a fourth place finish at the Argentinian Grand Prix, a round which also saw him secure his maiden pole position. However, one need only cast their mind back to this time last year when, aboard the truly uncompetitive MarcVDS Honda, Miller took and held the lead of the race during the opening laps at the island. Now on a Ducati, there is every possibility of at least a podium finish should he keep the bike on the tarmac.
Finally, MotoGP welcomes back another Australian rider this weekend. Mike Jones is stepping in at the Angel Nieto Team, whilst Bautista is at the factory Ducati team. Jones is a familiar name to the paddock, having ridden for Avintia Ducati back in 2016 and scoring a championship point. A former Australian Superbike Champion, another chance to perform in front of his home crowds is a self-confessed dream come true for the affable 24-year old from Queensland.
After a few years of vying for a place on the MotoGP calendar, the Chang International Circuit in Thailand finally got its slot for the 2018 season, and this weekend the paddock will arrive in Buriram for the first ever Thai round of the MotoGP World Championship.
The Thailland GP infographics. Image courtesy of Michelin Motorsport.
The circuit is largely uninspiring, with a 90-degree right hander opening up the lap, to launch you down a long straight. At the end of said straight lies a (probably) second gear hairpin which is very wide on entry, making the line choice quite interesting. On the other side of the hairpin lies another long straight, which this time has a very fast (third or fourth gear) left-hander at the end. A short stretch follows, but merely acts as a braking zone for turn five, a slow left-hander, which leads into a slightly faster left-hander where the bikes will be spinning and using those Michelin rears, before flicking it right and down another short chute, and into another 90-degree corner, this time on the right side. Turn nine is a corner which seems like it could have some different approaches, because it leads straight into the medium-speed turn ten, which in turn feeds directly to turn eleven, a fast, fourth gear right hander which will be essential in the race because a good exit could allow a rider to set themselves up for a pass into the final corner – tight, bottom gear hairpin – whilst a poor exit could leave you vulnerable on the final lap.
Ultimately, the layout in Buriram is indicative of the way track design is going, because tracks are being built with the fans in mind, to create good overtaking opportunities in a small space which can be viewed almost in its entirety from the main grandstand.
Of course, MotoGP has already once been to Thailand, back in February for a preseason test, and whilst the layout on paper lends itself perfectly to the Ducatis, it was the Hondas which came out on top eight months ago.
Admittedly, much has changed in those eight months: Ducati has refined its GP18 and made it into what is now the best motorcycle on the grid, although that has not been enough to stop Marc Marquez romping away with this year’s championship.
Marc Marquez. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing
And the last round in Aragon was a big part of Marquez’ current championship challenge. For sure, he had the title all but wrapped up even as far back as the summer break, but to defeat the Ducatis for the first time since Sachsenring, and to do it in his own backyard, was something which you could sense was quite important for the reigning champion – he had to stop the building momentum in the Italian camp, and he shut it down fairly brutally, beating the Desmosedici GP18s (or, one of them) at their own game: tyre management.
The 2018 champion elect will also be fairly confident coming into the Thai round this weekend. He was ‘only’ third on the timesheets after the three days of testing back in February, but the only people ahead of him were Dani Pedrosa and Johann Zarco, who have both seen significant drops in form in the time since. There were also three Hondas in the top four in the test, with Cal Crutchlow 0.095 seconds slower than Marquez in fourth place. Meanwhile, the top Ducati was Jack Miller in sixth spot, and Andrea Dovizioso was 0.411 seconds off the pace in seventh. There are, then, reasons for Marquez to be hopeful about his chances this weekend – on paper.
However, a different sheet of paper, primarily the one with the track map on it, suggests otherwise.
The heavy acceleration zones, long straights and heavy braking zones play perfectly into the hands of Ducati, who have the best aero and electronics for anti-wheelie and traction, the most power, and the most braking stability of all the bikes out there.
Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso – Aragon GP. Image courtesy of Ducati Media
It is likely that only one of the two Bologna Bullets will be able to fight for the victory this weekend, as Jorge Lorenzo is suffering from the injuries he sustained in Aragon in his first corner high side. So the responsibility falls at the door of Desmo Dovi to bring the Italian marque back to the top step.
In reality, the track is split in two, the first half suiting the Ducati and the second suiting the Honda. The way the final corner is makes it the ideal place for a block pass, so come final lap time on Sunday, be ready for a Marquez divebomb if he’s anywhere within range of the #04.
What about the rest?
Well, it makes sense to start with Suzuki. They had a brilliant Aragon, and the words which came from the mouths of their riders afterwards suggested they know what to do to go from +2.6 to -2.6 at the end of the race. That is, they have to run less corner speed. The GSX-RR could suffer this weekend. The heat and humidity of Thailand will mean the bikes produce less power, which puts the more powerful machines at a bigger advantage compared to the lower-powered bikes. A such, the Suzuki will suffer in the first part of the lap, but on the contrary, its sweet-handling chassis should excel in the second half of the lap.
Alex Rins. Image courtesy of Suzuki Racing
Whilst the heat could be a problem for Suzuki, but it could be a disaster for Aprilia. They have been famed for their unreliability this season, so much so that their riders have struggled to contain themselves at times, and Scott Redding’s emotions even boiled over in Austria when he unleashed an almighty outburst to the press. But with Aleix Espargaro’s sixth-place finish in Aragon two weeks ago, they arrive in Buriram with some rare optimism.
The same cannot be said for Yamaha, however, who will roll out of the pits in Thailand on Friday morning knowing they shall likely be in for yet another difficult weekend. Whilst the long straights and hard accelerations should suit the Ducati well, the M1 will no doubt struggle a lot in these sections, scrabbling for traction which it simply doesn’t have. On the face of it, this weekend could perhaps be even worse than Aragon for the Iwata marque.
And that’s if it remains dry. We saw in Austria how the M1 can suffer in the wet, its acceleration deficit exaggerated by the lack of track grip, and MotoGP heads to Thailand in the rainy season. In fact, when you consider that, the weather could play a decisive role in this weekend’s Thai MotoGP, in that it could decide how much racing we actually see.
The Aragon Grand Prix marked the high point in the championship for Team Ecstar Suzuki as riders Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins secured the team’s best result of the season so far.
All the talk in the build up to the weekend had been positive. Knowing that they cannot compete yet with the likes of the factory Repsol-Honda and Ducati teams with straight-line speed, Suzuki focused all their set up work on two objectives: cornering speed and suspension.
With the circuit being composed of 17 corners – a perfect blend of high, medium and low speed and considerable changes in undulation – setting a bike up to glide through each apex would significantly compensate for time lost on the 1 kilometre back straight. Additionally, with the Spanish climate boasting sunny skies and hot temperatures, ensuring the bike would be kind to its tyres would be critical.
It cannot be underestimated how much the physical loads forced onto the tyres through the front forks and rear shock spring affect the set up. In an ideal world suspension would be set as softly as possible, allowing the front forks to absorb every bump and vibration, enabling the tyre to ‘float’ over the track. The reality however, is that setting the suspension too soft reduces the feeling the rider receives as to what that tyre is doing – which ultimately affects confidence in both attacking corners at speed, and how much braking the rider feels they have to do. Effectively, they are simply reduced to blind guesswork.
In contrast, set the suspension as stiff as you can, and the rider will feel everything the tyre is doing. They will also feel every bump and vibration too to the point where all the feelings merge and no clear distinction can be made. It is what is referred to in the industry as the dreaded ‘chatter’. Additionally, setting up the suspension in such an aggressive way, is a guaranteed way to destroy the tyres within a handful of laps.
Alex Rins (above) had the confidence to push the limits of the Suzuki this weekend, thanks to the feedback and stability generated from the suspension.
Finding an optimal balance between the two settings, is somewhat of a ‘holy grail’ for riders and teams alike. Indeed, this very thing hampered the Suzuki team all throughout 2017 as both riders regularly bemoaned a lack of ‘front end feel’.
Having spent both Friday practice sessions working tirelessly to find such a balance, which involved customary excursions to the gravel traps, both Iannone and Rins had clearly found something to work with. The laps times tumbled, and off-track escapades became fewer and further between. Most tellingly of all, the times didn’t fall away during long runs. Qualifying saw both riders secure top ten grid positions, but it was in the race where the hard labour on the set up came to fruition.
Iannone (P3) and Rins (P4) diced with each other throughout the 23 laps, with the pair battling each other all the way to the chequered flag. However, as a complete demonstration of their success, it was the gap to race winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and second-place man Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) – just 1.26 seconds. Testament to how far Suzuki has improved their GSX-RR machine this season.
Andrea Iannone (above) scored his third rostrum finish of the season. Suzuki now have five podium results between their riders.
The podium for Iannone also means that the team have lost their concessions for the remainder of the season. For those unfamiliar with how this works, every factory team who did not score a podium finish (in dry conditions) during the 2017 season was given a much larger allocation of test days, plus slightly relaxed regulations on fairing homologations and engine allocations.
To offset this, a points system is used during the season to gauge the competitiveness of those teams with concessions – 3 points for a win, 2 points for a 2nd place, and 1 point for a 3rd. Scoring 6 points across the season will see the factory ‘lose’ its concessions as they are now deemed competitive enough to no longer require them.
Suzuki are not expecting quite as strong a result next time out, in Thailand. The layout of the Buriram circuit makes it a Mecca for those with serious speed on the straights. However, with more technical tracks such as the Twin-Ring Motegi (Japan) and Phillip Island (Australia) on the horizon – there is still the likely result of more podiums for the smallest of the Japanese factory teams.
In the heart of the Spanish desert, the destiny of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship has become a little closer to being decided this afternoon, after a thrilling grand prix at Aragon Motorland.
It was an explosive start from the lights as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) crashed out at the first corner. The pole-sitter ran in hot under braking and brutally high-sided out of the grand prix, completely wrecking his championship hopes. The Spaniard has looked strong all weekend, particularly over the long runs during Friday practice, and was considered the pre-race favourite. It is the first time that Lorenzo has crashed out in two consecutive races was in 2011, at Malaysia and Valencia.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) therefore inherited the early race leader with Marquez (Repsol Honda) behind. Marquez had gambled pre-race by electing to run a soft slick rear tyre. Once settled into their rhythm, the two pushed on hard enough to comfortably clear their nearest pursuers, but still being slow enough to not burn out their tyres either. Once the rear tyre loses grip around Aragon and starts spinning, it’s generally game over for the rider.
Dovizioso and Marquez diced with each other throughout the race. The pair, reigniting memories of last season’s thrilling championship duel, put on a masterclass in racecraft this afternoon. The overtakes were hard won, and every last inch of tarmac would be used in the process. But each move was clean. Make no mistake, these are two riders at the very pinnacle of their trade.
Defying the recent convention of the long left-handed final corner being the prime overtaking spot, this contest was at its hottest through the highly technical corners of the opening sector. The Ducati would storm ahead through the sweeping right-hander at turn 2, whilst the Honda would have the edge through the fast left-hander at turn 5. All of which resulting in the two, more often than not, being locked next to each other as they dropped through the corkscrew section.
Marquez was finally able to break free after setting a scorching time on the penultimate lap. Having forced his way back into the lead at turn 12, the Spaniard used every ounce of rubber left on his tyres to prize himself away from his closest championship challenger. Such was the equality of performance between the Honda and the Ducati, the slender advantage of just 0.3 seconds was ultimately enough of a buffer.
Hunting in pairs – Alex Rins (#42) and Andrea Iannone (#29) gave Team Ecstar Suzuki their best finish of the year.
Team Ecstar Suzuki firmly enjoyed their day in the sun as Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone engaged in an equally thrilling battle for the final podium spot. The pair nearly came to blows early on, as Iannone forced his teammate to the edge of the track down at turn 12. Once the early race nerves had abated, the duo showed a remarkable turn of pace to always keep the race leaders within touching distance. The duo regularly traded places across the 23 laps sometimes cleanly – sometimes considerably less so. The gestures made to Dorna’s world feed cameras by team boss Davide Brivio aptly summed up the drama.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Aleix Espargaro (Gresini Aprilia) both enjoyed a timely return to form this afternoon. The duo, although never in contention for the podium, spent the race locked together scrapping over fifth and sixth places. On this occasion, it was Pedrosa who took the bragging rights. Nevertheless, sixth place is the best result for Aprilia so far this season. To say 2018 has been a slog for the Noale factory team would be an understatement, but today is proof that progress with the RS-GP is being made.
Yamaha’s woes continued today. Valentino Rossi (P8) and Maverick Vinales (P10) was all that the factory team could manage. For Rossi, the result however should be classed as a recovery job well done, having started the race from the sixth row of the grid, in P18. Coming into this round it was clear to everyone that it would be difficult weekend for the factory team. However after testing here a few weeks ago which was reportedly very positive for the team, overall the Aragon GP will go down as yet another dark chapter in their Annus Horribilis.
The European leg of the season has now been concluded. In two weeks’ time the MotoGP circus will make its debut at the Buriram circuit, Thailand.
You never say never in this sport, especially in grand prix racing, but with a lead of 72 points over his rivals, it is now very hard to see anyone other than Marc Marquez from being crowned 2018 world champion.
Qualifying for the 2018 MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon got underway under glorious Spanish sun, giving almost ideal conditions for racing motorcycles, with forty-five degrees of track temperature, next-to-no cloud cover and essentially negligible wind.
And once Q2 rolled around, it was Jorge Lorenzo who took pole position. Whilst the other riders got caught up in the waiting game of “who blinks first”. Lorenzo found himself some good space on the track, and he set about going quickly. After his first run, he had one tenth to find compared to Marc Marquez’s provisional pole time from the first run, so he knew his third consecutive pole position was well within reach, and despite his teammate Andrea Dovizioso setting provisional pole moments before the Spaniard crossed the line, Lorenzo was indeed the rider to reign supreme on Saturday. Added to that is his race pace, from which you can deduce that Jorge Lorenzo has a reasonable opportunity to take his fourth win of 2018 tomorrow.
Jorge Lorenzo takes Pole at Aragon GP. Image courtesy of Ducati
But perhaps the rider with the best chance to win tomorrow is the one starting from the middle of the front row, Lorenzo’s Ducati teammate, Andrea Dovizioso. His final lap was far from perfect, as he had some traffic throughout, and faced the disturbance of having to bail out of his first lap of run two, also for traffic, before it even began. In addition to this, Dovizioso went into his final attempt at pole position knowing that Marc Marquez was somewhere behind him, as they had been trying to get behind each other for the two laps previous. But Dovizioso was able to put that out of his mind, and take second on the grid, knowing that he could have had pole, had he had some decent track position, and that he has an incredibly strong race pace for tomorrow.
Marc Marquez missed out on pole, like Dovizioso, for traffic. The Spaniard ran wide in turn eight on his final lap in Q2, but somehow gained time doing so (that is a mystery which sums up Marquez quite perfectly), only to lose half a second in turn twelve where he was distracted by traffic ahead do him, who were scattered across the width of the circuit. That was the verdict of Cal Crutchlow, anyway, who crashed due to this scattered traffic moments after Marquez and Dovizioso passed through it. Ultimately it was third for Marquez, and staying with the Ducatis tomorrow seems as though it will prove a difficult, if not impossible task. That said, Marc has not won since the Sachsenring, and in his home circuit will be desperate to end Ducati’s winning streak. Expect something quite spectacular from the #93 tomorrow.
Marc Marquez at Aragon GP. Image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Despite his crash, Crutchlow did enough earlier in the session to take fourth on the grid, as the ‘best of the rest’ behind those riders who are almost 2018’s ‘aliens’. Like Marquez, Crutchlow will have a tough time hanging with the Ducatis tomorrow, his weekend made no easier by the fact that the hardest of the three front tyre compounds is too soft for his style with the Honda.
It was a decent qualifying for Andrea Iannone, who was clearly excited to be back in Q2 after missing out for the first time in 2018 back in Misano. He took fifth place, lapping only 0.288 seconds slower than Lorenzo’s pole time, but with that being said, it would be a surprise to see the Italian fighting for the podium tomorrow – the Suzuki, at least in his hands, simply does not have the tyre life.
Dani Pedrosa is getting somewhere close to being ‘back’. Despite his ongoing corner speed issues, Pedrosa took sixth on the grid today, after advancing to Q2 directly from FP3 for the first time since he announced his retirement. If things go his way, he could see his first podium of 2018 tomorrow, the soft front tyre compounds mean that he has some good confidence with the front, and that is helped by the high track temperatures the riders are experiencing this weekend.
The race tomorrow looks like it could be a difficult one for Danilo Petrucci, who qualified seventh, and is likely to struggle with tyre wear. He is one of the riders who stresses the tyre the most, because he rides the Ducati, with a lot of power, and he also has a lot of weight. Everyone is struggling a bit for tyre life this weekend, Davide Tardozzi in fact thinks tomorrow’s Grand Prix could be similar to that of Brno, with a large period of tyre saving in the first part of the race, before pins are pulled in the final laps.
The middle of the third row belongs to Alvaro Bautista, who impressed again for the Angel Nieto Team, and qualified ahead of Alex Rins who was ninth and completed the third row.
The top ten was rounded out by Jack Miller, which was something of a surprise because he had looked stronger than that through free practice. Maverick Vinales and Takaaki Nakagami – both of whom came through Q1 – completed the fourth row.
Eleventh might seem like a disaster for the factory Yamaha of Vinales, but with Johann Zarco in fourteenth and Valentino Rossi in eighteenth, it looks like he was getting the most and more out of the M1, whose manufacturer seems to be in absolute crisis this weekend. If Austria was ‘rock bottom’, then Aragon is proving positively subterranean.
Valentino Rossi coming 18th for the Aragon GP grid. Image courtesy of Yamaha.
That said, for all the flack Yamaha have taken in the past two years, Valentino Rossi has to take some blame for his performance today. His perpetual positivity seems to have run its course. The day started badly with a crash in FP3, and in Q1 he posted only one competitive lap time, otherwise being distracted by his want to get a tow, specifically from his teammate.
Rossi was out-qualified by Franco Morbidelli on last year’s Honda, Johann Zarco on last year’s Yamaha, Aleix Espargaro on an Aprilia which is worse than last year’s, Bradley Smith on an under-developed KTM and Karel Abraham on a 2016 Ducati in Q1. Perhaps the worst part is that tomorrow could yet be worse still.
In nineteenth place was Hafizh Syahrin, 0.3 off Rossi, ahead of Tom Luthi and Scott Redding who completed row seven.
Only two riders will be on row eight tomorrow, because Pol Espargaro further damaged his already-broken collarbone. This means that Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres (replacing Tito Rabat) are the only riders on the back row of the grid.
The MotoGP circus rumbles into the heart of the Spanish desert this weekend, as the championship battle resumes at the breathtaking Motorland Aragon circuit.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) arrives at his home round with a 67-point lead at the top of the standings, and perhaps with one hand already on the world championship crown already. The Spaniard has been formally recognised this week by the Motorland circuit, having had the sweeping left-hand turn 10 named after him. Form at this circuit is good for the four-time premier class champion, having claimed three victories here in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
That said, Marquez has not taken victory since the German Grand Prix back in July. Failure to win this weekend, would see him equal his longest winless streak in MotoGP (4 races Malaysia, Valencia (both 2017), Qatar and Argentina (both 2018). Whilst this is still a record which most mortals will dream they had, at this stage of the season – and with the world championship at stake – this is the sort of thing that could seriously test his mental resolve.
This weekend’s grand prix presents Ducati with its ultimate ‘litmus test’. The Desmosedici-GP18 is a missile in a straight line, much like its predecessors. However this year, the Italian team has been very vocal about the performance gains they have made with the stability and cornering ability of their machine. Aragon-Motorland will provide a thorough examination for these claims, with the circuit boasting numerous ‘S’ bend switchbacks, and long medium to high speed corners. It is a test which Ducati riders must not only pass, but completely out-perform their rivals if they are to realistically keep up the fight for the championship.
Expecting to lead the way for the factory team this weekend is Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian reasserted his position as Marquez’ closest title contender, having taken victory last time out at Misano. Motorland Aragon has not traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Dovi, having not finished on the podium here since 2012 with the satellite Tech3 Yamaha team. Nevertheless, he is confident that he will be able to continue his championship resurgence this weekend having spoken yesterday in the press conference that: “The bike is fine, it is now about setting a good rhythm”.
Andrea Dovizioso last featured on the podium at Aragon in 2012, for the Tech3 Yamaha team (above).
Behind the main battle for the championship, there is the increasingly thrilling on-track scrap for the best of the independent riders. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) currently leads the way on 119 points, after a strong ride in Misano saw him finish on the podium. Johann Zarco (Monster Tech3 Yamaha) and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) are both hot on his heels with 110 points each. Petrucci, buoyed by increasing support from the Ducati factory (in preparation for his arrival at the factory team in November), believes this weekend he will have the pace to push the frontrunners all the way: “We have same support as they (Dovizoso and Lorenzo) do. For sure we will have pace to fight for podium. Maybe more.”
For the Movistar Yamaha factory team however, this weekend is expected to be another painful experience. Although considerable progress has been made with the electronics since the summer break, the Aragon circuit relentlessly targets Yamaha’s other main deficiency – engine power. With three long straights around the course, a bike which is sluggish under acceleration will be severely exposed against the competition.
Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales know this, and as such will be focusing the M1 to perform as smoothly and efficiently as possible through the track’s 17 corners in order to recover as much lap time as possible. Such is the way the season has unfolded for the team, just having one bike in the top five here will be considered a good result.
Finally, there is a newcomer to the championship this weekend. Jordi Torres will be make his MotoGP debut for the Reale Avintia-Racing Ducati team, standing in for the still injured Tito Rabat. Torres will be most familiar to followers of World Superbikes, with the Spaniard riding in the series for MV Agusta. He is no stranger to the grand prix paddock, having ridden for multiple seasons in the old 125cc category and the Moto2 class. In the latter he had considerable success, being a multiple podium finisher and a race winner back in 2014.
Andrea Dovizioso wins the San Marino Grand Prix. Image courtesy of Ducati
The MotoGP San Marino Rimini Riviera Grand Prix was set to get underway in blazing sunshine after a changeable weekend in regards to the weather, and after the washout that was the British Grand Prix race day two weeks previous, the glorious Italian sun was more than welcome (for most).
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) was starting from pole position for the second time this season, and looked strong heading into the 27-lap race (shortened by one lap compared to 2017). Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and the two factory Movistar Yamaha riders – Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales – looked as though they could contend for the podium.
Sure enough, Lorenzo made the holeshot. Misano is in many ways the birthplace of Jorge Lorenzo’s lights-to-flag victories, after he made one of his best ever back in 2013, igniting that stunning championship fightback which led to the title being contested all the way down to the final race in Valencia.
Marquez also made a good start, moving up from fifth on the grid to be third after the opening corners with Jack Miller (Alma-Pramac Ducati) ahead of Dovizioso. Dovi dealt with Marquez almost immediately, on the first approach to turn eight, and then made quick work of Miller to take second place. Marquez also quickly dealt with the Australian, knowing he couldn’t afford to let his rivals escape if he wanted to have a chance at victory.
Dovizioso then studied Lorenzo, with a safe distance to Marquez behind, for the next four laps, finally making his move for the lead in turn eight on lap six, and this move would go without reply. A look at the lap time analysis from the race and you can see the control that Dovizioso had over the race. He passed Lorenzo on lap six, setting the race lap record (1’33.224) in the process. It was a masterfully controlled race from Dovizioso, managing the time gap to his pursuers. Although Lorenzo began to close the gap down late in the race, the Italian was not flustered and upped his pace to negate any serious inroads. Crucially, this result has elevated him back into contention for the championship.
Andrea Dovizioso celebrates winning the San Marino Grand Prix. Image courtesy of Ducati
In total contrast to Dovizioso, championship leader Marquez was over the limit keeping up with even Lorenzo, let alone the eventual race winner. As has been commonplace throughout the season, the Spaniard elected to run the hard front tyre because the medium was too soft for the Honda riders. However, the left side of the hard front was not giving enough grip, making a race distance difficult to manage. However, if anyone is capable of riding over the limit for forty minutes, it is Marquez. Even though he could not pass Lorenzo outright, he was able to pressure his future teammate into a couple of mistakes.
The first error of Lorenzo came in turn fourteen on lap fourteen, and allowed Marquez through for second place. A decent fight between the pair then erupted, with Lorenzo making several attempts to pass Marquez, especially in turn eight. Finally, the Ducati rider made it stick, but whilst the pair were trying to close back down on Dovizioso, he pushed too hard in turn eight and folded the front. He wasn’t off line, he was simply in too hot, and trailing too much front brake. Lorenzo blamed the medium front tyre for his crash – the same compound which Dovizioso chose – and described it as “rock-like” after the race. Lorenzo would have preferred to use the soft front tyre, just like Marquez would have like to have used the medium, but quite simply the track temperature was too high, they made the only choice they could; for Marquez it cost him the win, for Lorenzo could well have cost him his hopes of being the 2018 world champion.
Lorenzo’s crash let Marquez ease off, knowing he had a safe second place. It also allowed Cal Crutchlow onto the podium for the second time this season, as he gave LCR Honda a trophy in their home race. It was another solid ride from the Briton. Knowing he did not have the pace to challenge for the lead, he consolidated fourth position and ensured he profited from Lorenzo’s misfortune. Crutchlow’s first podium at Misano, continuing his highly impressive season.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was first home of the chasing pack in P4. Early on in the race, the Spaniard was told to go to “Mapping 2”, and the lap after he lost his position to Crutchlow. Exactly what this setting is (a traction control setting, engine mapping, engine brake etc.) remains unclear, but Crutchlow commented on his surprise at the ease with which he was able to pass. It is possible that Rins let Crutchlow go, knowing he couldn’t match the Honda rider’s pace, and chose to ride the fastest race he could, with minimal interference. Whatever the tactics were, they worked extremely well, as he took his fourth top five finish of the season and heavily out-performed his out-going teammate, Andrea Iannone, finishing seven seconds ahead of the Italian.
Alex Rins behind Cal Crutchlow. Image courtesy of Hondanews.eu
1.4 seconds back of Rins was the first Yamaha, the factory bike of Maverick Vinales, who was 16.016 seconds from the leader after the 27 laps. After Saturday, things looked good for Yamaha, and especially Vinales. They had a strong test in Misano three weeks before the GP, and after a strong Silverstone weekend were hopeful of a good result in San Marino. However, from Saturday to Sunday, something changed for the M1, as both of the Movistar bikes went from being podium contenders to being slumped in the pack. Both Vinales and Rossi – who finished seventh, a further three seconds behind Vinales – were at a loss to explain the loss of pace. The fact that Yamaha do not know what the problem is, why they always seem to struggle more on a Sunday – even with minimal changes in track temperature – is alarming. They are now twenty-two races without a win, and as Rossi pointed out after the race, the Yamaha is likely to struggle more at Aragon next time out.
Sandwiched between the two Yamaha riders was Dani Pedrosa. The retiring Spaniard had seemed to find something over the course of this weekend, posting some decent results, especially in morning warm up. But his usual problems of corner speed and acceleration remained in the race. Spending the race around a pair of M1s is perhaps not the best way to allay fears of corner speed issues, but to feel like you’re missing out on acceleration when you are racing against a motorcycle which – according to its riders – has acceleration as its weakest point is rather alarming. There was positive news for Pedrosa this weekend, though, as he was confirmed to be riding the KTM from next year as a test rider.
Nearly three seconds back of Rossi was Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who appeared in Q1 for the first time in 2018 on Saturday, and also missed Q2. His race didn’t go much better, as he was unable to get the speed nor the life out of the soft rear tyre that Rins did on the sister Suzuki. A home weekend to forget for The Maniac.
Alvaro Bautista took yet another top ten in ninth place, further affirming the notion that what is MotoGP’s loss at the end of 2018 is most certainly WorldSBK’s gain.
The top ten was rounded out by Johann Zarco, who suffered similarly to the factory Yamaha riders on Sunday, being unable to get out of corners, nor hold onto the tyre.
Danilo Petrucci’s race was done before it started. His pace was nothing special throughout the weekend, but his race day got worse when mechanical problems on the grid forced him to fall behind he safety car on the warm up lap, and thus he had to start from last. He made a decent race, though, and climbed to eleventh where he finished. But his day became even worse when he got back to the garage and discovered his pushbike had been stolen. He and the team will be praying that the next round at Aragon is less stressful.
Bradley Smith took sixteenth place, but even still it was a positive weekend for the Brit, who announced he will be Aprilia’s test rider next year, in a deal that includes the potential for five wildcard rides throughout the season. On the subject of Aprilia. It was another difficult weekend for Scott Redding, on his RS-GP18. He said after the race that he was missing the line by “5 or 8 metres” due to the front tyre collapsing whilst under braking.
