Category: MotoGp

Valentino Rossi put in a great ride on Sunday evening from a diabolical 10th on the grid to reach 3rd, racking up his 222nd podium in all forms of GP racing. The veteran Italian overcome a tricky pre-season and build up to race day and now has a solid platform to build on.

Valentino began by thanking his team, saying how the support and trust helps to his performance. “My secret is my team, it’s Yamaha. We never give up and we always keep up our concentration. I always feel the support and the trust from all the guys around me, which is great.”

The 38-year-old nine time champion also said how he had already settled when he got to 5th place. ”We know our potential and we know we have a great bike and race rider. Sincerely, when I was in the top five I already said “this is OK”, but arriving on the podium is something even better.”

The Doctor continued, saying, “I’m very happy to start the season like this, because the podium is always better and like was said, it comes after a difficult period. We have to continue like this. This result is very good for us, both for our feeling and also for the technical side, because we now understand a lot of things.”

Rossi has two weeks off now to prepare for a track which he won at in 2015, with Termas De Rio Hondo coming up for the Argentine round of the championship. Rossi has scored the most points out of any rider on the grid in Argentina, with 58 accumulated over the past three season. Next up in joint 2nd is Marquez and Zarco, who have 50 (including Zarco’s 2 wins in Moto2).

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Maverick Vinales backed up his pre-season form by taking the win at the Qatari Grand Prix at Losail on Sunday evening. The Spaniard repeated Valentino Rossi’s achievement of winning first time out on the Yamaha, after coming from as low as 5th to beat Andrea Dovizioso. Teammate Valentino Rossi also put in a super-human effort, coming from 10th on the grid to finish 3rd. This makes it the first time that the Factory Yamaha team have had a double podium at Losail since Lorenzo and Rossi achieved a 1-2 in 2013.

The race got underway after a delay of around 40 minutes, as the weather – like on Saturday – proved to be havoc for the premier class. Andrea Iannone got the drop on the field, as the Suzuki breezed into the lead. However it was Johann Zarco who made an aggressive start by swerving across the track to take 2nd position, ahead of Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso. Pole-sitter Vinales was 5th with Dani Pedrosa leading Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista in 6th, 7th and 8th.

At turn six on the opening lap, it was Johann Zarco who took the lead. Barging his way passed Iannone who in turn was lifted up by Marquez. The incredible sight of a Tech 3 Yamaha leading and if we’re honest, it wasn’t the one we had expected through pre-season given Jonas Folger’s incredible form.

As the race progressed, so did the Frenchman, opening up a 1.7 second advantage over the battling Dovizioso, Iannone and Marquez. However, disaster was about to strike for the #5. Into turn 2, Zarco’s front end washed out, dumping the Frenchman unceremoniously on the deck as his Tech 3 Yamaha bounced through the Qatar sandpit. The success was only short-lived but Zarco was a hero in Qatar. He’s made his mark and will be up the sharp end regularly very soon. The crash came as BT Sport’s Keith Huewen said, “So then, Zarco’s leading, Dovizioso in 2nd”. A true commentators curse if ever I’ve heard one.

Dovi was now the race leader and my five pound bet with a chef at my workplace suddenly started to have a little bit more meaning. Dovi wasn’t escaping though, with Marquez, Iannone, Vinales and a rapidly-closing Rossi all in pursuit. Alvaro Bautista was a solid 6th on the Aspar Ducati. I say “was” for a reason. The Spaniard crashed out at the final corner but like Zarco, Bautista has made his mark and will be in that top 10 on other occasions this year.

You’re probably wondering where Jorge Lorenzo is. Having run off the track at turn four on lap one, he found himself down in 15th, although the five-time champion was recovering, up to 8th at one point. He was in a ferocious battle with Dani Pedrosa and Aleix Espargaro who was riding the wheels off the Aprilia on his debut for the team.

Back at the sharp end and there was another casualty. On lap 11, Andrea Iannone’s front tyre also decided enough was enough, putting the feisty Italian on the deck at turn five in the middle of the corner. He and the bike stayed together until they both reached the gravel trap and for the 2nd consecutive season, Iannone crashed out of the Qatari GP whilst looking on for a podium at least.

Vinales was closing the gap to Dovizioso too and Valentino Rossi had also caught Marc Marquez as we came to the end of lap 11. Rossi took Marquez for 3rd at turn 15 and although Marquez fought back, Rossi had the inside for the right handed turn 16. The Doctor was third from 10th on the grid and given his woeful pre-season form, I’d say that was pretty remarkable.

Vinales took the lead from Dovizioso on lap 13, as Rossi closed ever so slightly on the leading duo. Dovizioso had chosen the soft front tyre option but that was starting to wear. Behind Rossi and a remote 4th belonged to Marc Marquez and behind that, Aleix Espargaro had got passed Dani Pedrosa and was in 5th position.

Dovi retook the lead on lap 18 but it was to prove pointless, as Vinales fought straight back, holding on for the remaining two laps to take the victory. Dovizioso took 2nd place for the third consecutive season and it was Valentino Rossi who took third – becoming the oldest rider on the podium since Australian Jack Findlay won the Austrian Grand Prix of 1977, which was boycotted on safety grounds by top riders. 4th place went to Marquez who just held off Dani Pedrosa and a heroic effort by Aleix Espargaro, who took Aprilia to new heights as they achieved their best ever MotoGP result! Britain’s Scott Redding capped a great weekend with a late charge to 7th ahead of Jack Miller in 8th, with rookies Alex Rins and Jonas Folger completing the top 10. Jorge Lorenzo suffered a terrible start to his Ducati career as he finished 11th, just a second-or-so ahead of Frenchman, Loris Baz, who continues to recover from injuries sustained last season. Hector Barbera, Karel Abraham and Esteve Rabat rounded out the points.

A scintillating start to the MotoGP season with four different leaders at one point in the race. Comebacks through the grid and shocks in the top 10, how can you not want to watch MotoGP in 2017? The next round is the Argentine Grand Prix from the Termas De Rio Hondo circuit. For the last two seasons, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez have done battle so will it be the same again in 2017 or will we see a changing of the guard?

By @MotoGPKiko

@PitCrew_Online

It. Is. Back. MotoGP returns this weekend for round one of the championship, coming from the Arab Gulf State of Qatar. The Losail International circuit has been a permanent feature on the ever-expanding MotoGP calendar for 13 years now and since 2007, it has hosted the first race of the year. The only race to be held under floodlights, the Qatari Grand Prix looks set to be yet another cracker, with rider and team changes abundant.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez hasn’t won at Losail since 2014, starting what would be a run of 11 Grand Prix victories for the five-time champion. A 3rd place in the race last year was a solid platform for his title challenge and nothing less than a podium will suffice again. Looking for his 56th win and Honda’s 3rd at the track, Marc will want to kick off his season just as a reigning world champion should. However, the 24-year-old has experienced some struggles in testing, only shadowing Maverick Vinales at the Phillip Island test. A war of words has begun between the two, suggesting that 2017 will not be without it’s intense rivalries. Will Marc deliver on Sunday? Only two wins suggest not, however, he’s only been off the podium four times at Losail in his illustrious career. Just what will happen come race day?

Runner up in the championship for the past three seasons, Valentino Rossi still hasn’t given up the dream of title number 10. He arrives at Losail off the back of a pretty tricky pre-season test, although as we all know, The GOAT is a Sunday man. Four victories at Losail see Valentino as one of the favourites to win at the weekend, although it was only 4th for the Italian in the race last year. He has never won from pole at the Qatari Grand Prix and his last pole came in 2007, when he finished 2nd. Rossi hasn’t started two consecutive seasons with 4th place finishes in his whole career and that stat could all change when the chequered flag drops on Sunday evening. There are also new factors in the Yamaha team, such as Maverick Vinales, the wing ban and the absence of Jorge Lorenzo. Could the change suit Rossi? After all, he has a reputation for reinventing himself each year. Don’t discount The Doctor in Doha just yet.

Jorge Lorenzo joins Ducati for 2017 and whilst the team haven’t won at the Losail circuit since 2009, – with Casey Stoner – Jorge Lorenzo has won six times at the venue throughout his career, with three of them coming in MotoGP. The Spaniard could be set to update the records too: having won the last race of 2016 with Yamaha, if he wins the Qatari GP on the Ducati, he will replicate Valentino Rossi’s record breaking achievement with Honda and Yamaha in 2003 and 2004 – and nothing would get the GOAT’s goat more than Jorge pinching one more achievement. Lorenzo is the only rider on the grid to win at the track in all three classes and will want to join Casey Stoner as the 2nd rider to win there on two different makes of bike. Can Jorge kick-start his championship challenge in the same way as last year or will he and the Bologna Bullet bite the Arabian dirt under the night sky? Time will most certainly tell.

Maverick Vinales took 4th place in the championship last season, with four podiums – including one win at Silverstone. Sixth in the race last season, Vinales will be looking to start the Yamaha chapter of his career in the finest style, meaning nothing less than a win will do. Just one win throughout his career at the track – 2012 in Moto3 – mean that he may not have the race form but he has the pace from testing to counter that. Topping all four tests on the Yamaha, including the Losail test earlier in the month, Vinales must be one of the favourites. His youthful exuberance will be exploiting the Yamaha to the maximum, potentially firing him into the distance in the points standings or into the distance in the gravel. One thing is for sure, Vinales will be there on Sunday. His pre-season form indicates he’s ready and it might be a situation that the only person that will beat Maverick is Maverick himself. Will he be Yamaha’s new Top Gun in Qatar?

Andrea Iannone always goes well at Qatar. But of course, we’ve only seen him on the Ducati in the premier class. How about the Suzuki? Will the combination of an Italian who rides with his heart on his sleeve and a bike that allows you to take liberties with it work under the artificial lighting? Form suggests that Suzuki as a manufacturer will not enjoy the Qatari Grand Prix, having never had a podium at Losail. But Iannone at least has pace around the tight and twisty venue. He got to 4th before crashing in 2014, he took a third in 2015 and crashed out of 2nd in the race last year, not to mention a win in 2009 in the 125cc class and two other podiums in Moto2. Iannone’s form is slightly woeful however, with just 49 points collected in the 2nd half of last year (injury was a major factor in that). Will a change of surroundings help or hinder the seagull-hating Italian? Personally, I think we have another title challenger. But what do I know?…

Now if you fancy a dark horse for a victory at Losail, look no further than Andrea Dovizioso and his Factory Ducati. The partnership has seen two – 2nd place finishes in the last two seasons, with the huge kilometre long front straight working well for the rocket-ship Ducati. Dovizioso doesn’t just have race pace either, having taken pole in 2015 and finishing the first test day at Losail this season on top. With no bowling ball teammates in the shape of Andrea Iannone knocking him down this season, a solid start in Losail could be the start of some serious momentum from Dovi if previous years are to go by. I’ll have a fiver one him for a win on Sunday.

Away from the big six and you have Dani Pedrosa, who comes to a circuit he has never won at in any class of racing. In fact, there has been no pole for Pedrosa at the track and only a fastest lap in 2005’s 250cc is his race showings. But Pedrosa does have six podiums to his name at the venue but not one of them have come from the last two seasons. It may well be a tricky start to the year yet again for little Dani. However, big changes have happened on his side of the Repsol Honda garage. He has brought in former MotoGP championship contender and fellow Spaniard Sete Gibernau as a rider coach. This follows suit with other riders, such as Valentino Rossi hiring Luca Cadalora. The word is from inside Honda that Dani is reinvigorated for 2017 and that he has quietly gone about his business, potentially ready for a title scrap. It may well be his year if he can keep it all together.

Don’t forget LCR’s Cal Crutchlow either. The Brit has a best of 4th place at Losail, coming in 2012. The double race winner comes into the 2017 season off the back of a great 2016, although he failed to finish the last couple of races in Malaysia and Spain. Whether Cal can launch a serious title challenge is questionable but podiums are possible and Cal knows it. Will he bring Britain some much needed good news in Qatar?

Don’t discount Aleix Espargaro from springing a surprise either. The Aprilia rider was on form throughout testing and as the bike improves, he too becomes quicker and more accustomed and confident with his package for 2017.

The biggest shock could be set to come from Alvaro Bautista. The 32-year-old has been flying throughout pre-season testing onboard his GP16 Ducati. He has one win at Losail, which came in 2006 on his way to the 125cc title. He is one of only three riders on the grid to finish in the points for the last seven races of 2016 – the other two are Vinales and Dovizioso.

Don’t discount the Tech 3 Yamaha pairing either. Jonas Folger has been sublime through testing and outperformed reigning double Moto2 champion and teammate, Johann Zarco. Tech 3 are fielding a brand-new line up for 2017 and the first time they’ve ever fielded a line-up consisting of two rookies. Can they be a surprise in Losail. Crutchlow, Dovizioso, Edwards, Toseland and Spies are all former team riders who have glistened in Qatar.

Other mentions through the field include the other two rookies – Sam Lowes and Alex Rins. Lowes rides an Aprilia in 2017 but his form in Losail isn’t particularly great. A crash out of 2nd in 2015 and a jumpstart in 2016 mean he hasn’t had the best of relationships with the track. Alex Rins on the other hand joins Suzuki, who, like mentioned before haven’t had great successes at the track. But Rins has had a podium, in Moto3. He has also never finished lower than 10th at the track and he’ll be looking to keep that statistic going on Sunday.

KTM also return to the championship with Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro piloting the Austrian machine. Both riders know this will be a development season but that’s not to say they won’t want points from the off in Qatar. Bradley Smith started from the front row back in 2014 and ran with the leaders until crashing out of 5th. Pol Espargaro has one win at the track, in 2013 on a Moto2 Kalex. His best finish has been 7th in the premier class at the track but that might be an end of season goal for the team more than a wishful thinking start.

Other riders making up the grid include 2016 revelation Hector Barbera and his teammate Loris Baz, who is yet to score points in Qatar. Esteve Rabat and Jack Miller on the Marc VDS Honda will want to get their season off and running, although Rabat is carrying an injury from the Sepang test in February. Karel Abraham returns from an appalling season in WSBK, partnering Bautista at Aspar Ducati, albeit on a GP15 Ducati. Pramac Ducati have an unchanged line up, with Danilo Petrucci on the factory GP17 whilst Scott Redding rides the GP16 model.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The Gresini Aprilia Team had a fairly successful season in 2016, picking up a best result of 7th by both Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl. However, with both former champions moving on from Aprilia, 2017 could be a bit more of a learning year for the team. Aleix Espargaro comes across from Suzuki and Sam Lowes graduates from Fausto Gresini’s Moto2 outfit. A great mix of experience and excitement could see Aprilia produce something a little bit special this year and how good would it be if they could step on the podium?

Aleix Espargaro had quite a fall out with Suzuki last season, particularly when it came to a contract renewal. Having been with Suzuki since their return, the Catalan was unceremoniously dumped by the Japanese manufacturer, leaving him with no ride. After speculation about replacing Tom Sykes at Kawasaki, Aleix signed for Aprilia – staying in the paddock for two more years. Aleix has been one of the unluckiest riders in MotoGP but a 4th last year has been his best result of the last two seasons. Yet to get a podium since his incredible Aragon performance in 2014, Aleix has looked good in testing, putting the Aprilia in the top half-dozen during the Phillip Island test. The 27-year-old has a wealth of knowledge and could improve the Aprilia, having ridden a Ducati, Suzuki and ART Aprilia. Can Espargaro take Aprilia to their first ever podium in MotoGP?

Sam Lowes joins Aleix in the Factory Aprilia set up, having finished 5th in last year’s Moto2 championship, with two wins and a further four podiums. The former World Supersport champion has been doing the most of his testing on the old bike, leaving it more-or-less up to Espargaro to test the new machine – as Lowes gets used to riding a MotoGP prototype. The big question for Sam will be whether he can calm his aggressive riding style. Six crashes last season meant that Lowes’ otherwise consistent performances just didn’t amount to a title challenge. He will be looking at Bautista and Bradl’s data from last year to see if he is in the same ball park but also to see if the bike can be improved. The Pramac Ducati’s have to be the target come the end of the year for Sam, whether or not he takes points early on is yet to be discovered but I think he could be a bit of an underdog.

The Aprilia has been a bit of a dog over that last two seasons. However, Alvaro Bautista made the bike shine on many occasions towards the end of the year, putting it in the top 10 to be seeded into the 2nd round of qualifying in both Japan and Malaysia. The bike cracked the top 10 14 times with both riders breaking into the top 10 at the same time on four occasions. The bar has definitely been set high for the team but the team will be more concerned with the distance to the winner than their actual track position. It has been developed from cumbersome to nimble rather rapidly and the top speed of the bike is now 350kmh or 218mph to us Brits. The bike could then be rather rapid when we get to Mugello.

The Aprilia definitely got stronger throughout the year but there are a few circuits it seems to be able to do well at. Catalunya has been good to Bautista, finishing 10th in 2015 and 8th in 2016 – just 1.5s off Andrea Dovizioso’s Factory Ducati. The team have a pretty good record at Aragon, with a double top 10 finish in 2016, as well as Motegi. Phillip Island was kind to them, with their best qualifying since their return to the series. The pattern seems to be that circuits with long, sweeping corners suit the bike, maybe because it is rather long, allowing for stability.

After taking their first win nine years last season, Suzuki haven’t come into a year as strong as they do in 2017. Although losing Maverick Vinales who joins Yamaha, the Ecstar Suzuki team have found a race winner to replace him, with Andrea Iannone heading up 2nd new signing, Alex Rins – who replaces Aleix Espargaro who departs for the Gresini Now TV Aprilia outfit. Will Suzuki build on their 2016 performance, stagnate and remain a threat at some rounds or, will they go backwards as Ducati and Aprilia up the effort?

One thing for sure is that Andrea Iannone didn’t reluctantly choose Suzuki. The Italian, who won at the Red Bull Ring last season, has been impressive in testing, consistently being in the top five or six on certain days. Iannone’s switch did come at a slight shock, as rumour has it that Aprilia did try and sign him – which would make sense seeing as it’s an Italian manufacturer. With Iannone joining a team as number one rider that may also help his confidence. He will be the one that takes Suzuki’s first podiums of 2017 and who’s to say that he won’t go on to take wins?

Talking off wins… Alex Rins partners Suzuki’s all new star-studded line up for 2017 and 2018. The former Moto3 and Moto2 Grand Prix winner and championship challenger is one of four riders to graduate from the intermediate class to the premier class. Undoubtedly quick on his day, Alex Rins’ form has been fluctuating more than the British Pound post-Brexit. 2nd at Brno, 7th at Silverstone, 2nd at Misano, 6th at Aragon and a 20th at Motegi were his mid – to – end season results last year. One may argue that he’s consistently in the top 10, however, to have such fluctuating form can be worrying. Maybe MotoGP will sort Rins out – surely he could take a podium this season?

The Suzuki squad returned in 2015 but it took them to the French Grand Prix last season to take a podium, with Vinales. It was at Silverstone where the team took their first win though, highlighting the fact that the bike likes cool temperatures and also quite fiddly circuits, with a lot of point and squirt corners and fast direction changes. The bike is by no means the fastest in a straight line but that can be countered in the corners. Maverick Vinales showed last year just how many liberties you can take with the bike. If it had a bit more power, it’d be a threat all season round.

So what circuits does the bike go well at? It’s very hard to say given it only really came good last season, although Le Mans was good for them – as they achieved a double top six and a podium with the aforementioned Vinales. The win at Silverstone was backed up with a 7th by Aleix Espargaro, who battled with Jorge Lorenzo for most of the race. The Japanese GP was also kind to them, with Vinales 3rd and Aleix 4th. Could they be a more prominent threat throughout 2017?

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko