#we could get double Espargaro podium

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How insane it'd be if Pol wins Sachenring

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Grand Prix of Doha Review

We thought there would be more drama than we saw at the last race, however no one expected a rookie to nearly win the race, and the normally calm champion to get irate at a fellow rider. Despite this the podium had a similar feel to the last race!

Yamaha played the race exactly how they needed to, even though they dropped back further than they had hoped of the line. The two factory boys gradually climbed through the pack during the race, saving their tyres for the last few laps. Yet when it mattered most, it was Quartararo and not Vinales, who was best placed to attack the Pramac Ducati’s. He flew past them and created the small gap he needed to be safe in the last few laps. Maverick was just behind Fabio; however, he may have been caught out by how fast the Ducati’s were late in the race, and struggled to pass them like his teammate did, at least he got a good haul of points. SRT had a comparatively poor day, with Rossi nowhere on pace, as he tried to fix his tyre wear issues from last race, and Morbidelli unable to get near the factory boys.

It was a mixed day for Ducati, for Pramac, they must be ecstatic with a double podium, although the main team may have wanted more, given they were beaten again by the customer team. In MotoGP the ride of the day must go to Martin, who led for most of the race, controlling the pace comfortably, so he had enough tyres left to keep Quartararo honest and almost hold off his teammate behind. Two second places and the championship lead, probably exceeds Zarco’s expectations here, it is just a question of how will the bike fair when we go to tracks which traditionally suit them less!

Miller never looked to be in a position for fight for the win, and the incidents with Mir made sure he wouldn’t have a chance. Both bits of contact are racing incidents in my view, it was a desperate dive by Mir which would have annoyed Miller, then Miller probably couldn’t see Mir on his outside coming out of the last corner. Bagnaia is likely doing better than most people predicted compared to Miller, who is out of sorts so far, but they are both being outshone by the Pramac bikes, which they need to get on top of, if they want to be in the title fight.

Suzuki were possibly the most disappointing team today, when the Yamaha riders dropped back in the first lap, and the two Suzuki’s were upfront, there was a feeling of inevitability about the race, given how good they are late in the race. Instead though, both bikes just sat in midpack, making shapes on the bikes we weren’t expecting, and struggling to fight the Ducati’s. This time Rins put his younger teammate in his place, as he could keep with the front group and only just miss out on the podium, we mustn’t forget about Alex as a contender for the title. Mir’s day was scrappy, he made two desperate moves, first on Vinales, then on Miller, which suggested he couldn’t find the amazing race pace he had last weekend. He needs to hope he can fight back soon, at Portimao or Le Mans!

There were signs of hope for KTM this weekend, with Olivera in Q2, and both bikes running in the top ten for a good part of the race. In the end only Binder could stay there, yet his eighth place is a very solid result, on a track that clearly doesn’t suit them, on top of a tyre allocation that they can’t work with. Going to Portugal next, where Olivera dominated last year, can they get their season properly underway?

Aleix Espargaro just managed to secure another top ten, solidifying what has been a great two weekends, for a team which has been through a lot of tough times. It is hard to say where they can go from here, I would expect regular points to be their target, but with how competitive this series is, it may not be easy at all.

Honda will be another team itching to leave the track, Pol couldn’t repeat his result from last week, and once again is annoyed with how he rode. Bradl is doing a stellar job considering he is a test rider, matching a world class rider on a bike which should suit him. LCR have had the worst start out of all the teams on the grid, apparently, they can’t get the front tyre to work, which is what caused all the crashes we have seen. Circuits like Le Mans, where Alex Marquez almost won, may be a blessed relief for a team not used to this kind of form.

Yamaha leave Qatar looking very ominous! On a Ducati track, they have managed to steal two wins, and both riders are on top form. For anyone to beat them, the other teams need to up their game very quickly, before it is out of reach!

-M

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Fighting talk ahead of Phillip Island MotoGP

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Ahead of track action for the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, there was one last chance for something a little more out of the ordinary as some of the grid came face to face with some locals – of the furry or scaly kind. The animals were a koala, a kangaroo and a black headed python from Maru Koala and Animal Park – guess which critter was the least popular – and the humans were Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Moto3™ title challenger Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), home riders Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) and Broc Parkes (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing). When it came down to it, only Gardner was brave enough to go face to face with the python – but there was something else bothering Petrucci, as he later explained in the Press Conference: the kangaroo was going to give him a kiss…and then got put off by his beard.

After the encounter with the wildlife, it was time to talk shop in the Pre-Event Press Conference – with Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) joined by the man who trails him by just 11 points, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), third in the Championship Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Motegi podium finisher Petrucci, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone and home hero Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who comes back from injury after missing the Japanese GP following a leg break in training.

The reigning Champion was first to talk, with the first topic the Championship and the duel last time out. “We’re at a very important moment, Motegi was a great weekend and some great last laps. We lost only five points so this was important too. Anyway, here in Phillip Island is normally a track I enjoy more than Motegi. We’ll see how the result and level are but as always try to be on top from FP1, work well for the race and then we’ll see – because the weather is also something interesting here. In Australia, I’ve had some ups and downs, especially in 2014 and 2016 when I crashed when leading with some seconds of advantage. When I win at Motegi I crash here but this time I was second at Motegi! We are fighting for the Championship so the approach of the race is much different to last year and we’ll try to compensate our level with the risk because that’s important to manage well. We’ll see after qualifying if we can fight for the victory or it’s time to think about the Championship. Dovizioso is the most dangerous rival but I still have half an eye looking at Viñales because he’s far but not far enough – so we need to control Dovi more, but the strategy and mentality is the same: push and if we can take one more point we’ll try to the final corner – like at Motegi.”

Dovizioso was the next to weigh in, also doubting the weather this weekend but marking more his speed in Japan than the win: “Eveyrbody enjoyed the battle, it was really nice last weekend the way we worked and how we arrived in the race – we arrived ready and we managed it in the best way. The fight was really nice and it’s important to continue like this and work in the same way. We know here a lot of riders are very fast and Marc especially on paper, so it will be difficult but we’re enjoying the moment and we have to work in the same relaxed way and improve in the weekend, like we have done in many weekends this year. This is the target, but like Marc says, the weather looks unstable as it can be here, the wind and the rain, everything can happen. So we have to go day by day. During the races, winning has a big effect on the rider but especially the team. Mugello was very important to win for myself but also for the team. We’ve created a really good situation in the box, small things have a big effect by the end of the season and we’re fighting for the Championship. The last race, more than the battle we won on the last lap, I was happy about the speed I had during the race, and me and Marc did different during the race. That was important for me and my team in terms of being competitive in the Championship – more than the fact that we recovered 10 points.”

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It’s not a two horse race just yet, however, with Viñales a little further back with a 41 point deficit – but it isn’t over until, mathematically, he can no longer challenge. The focus is now simply winning, with no pressure: “Here is a track I like, in preseason it was the track where I was fastest and most consistent but we arrive here in a different way with a completely different bike. I can’t wait to start and it’s a track I enjoy. I’m thinking only about riding. Motegi was a difficult race, we tried everything at 100% and finally we didn’t get a positive result but we have to forget it. There’s no pressure now. Now it’s not in our hands, our opponents would have to make a mistake so it would be difficult. Now we’ll just try to enjoy it, get the Yamaha at the maximum level and try and get another win. We hope for a dry race because it’s when we’re more competitive but in the wet we have to improve, and we do for next year. We can’t change the situation, we just have to improve it.”

Danilo Petrucci is one man who doesn’t want the situation to change – with another podium last time out; his fourth of the season. And in the wet – so would he prefer a repeat with the weather in Australia?

“I think I could be one of the happiest guys,” says the Italian. “But I would prefer a fully dry weekend and I was cold a lot during Motegi. Jokes aside, I think arriving here five days after my last podium is a good thing. I have nothing to lose! I haven’t had a good result here and the long corners don’t help me with the tyre consumption. But this situation is a bit different this year and for sure I think I can be fast in the dry, but we can enjoy it!”

Another rider whose result in Motegi was a huge boost is Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who got his best result of the season so far and the best result of 2017 so far for the Hamamatsu factory – fourth. “For sure Motegi was the best weekend of the season for us. I finished the race in fourth, we have worked hard throughout the year, especially at Aragon test. When you arrive in this position you see the hard work, but it was a strange race due to weather, I don’t know the potential in the dry. I am very charged up for 2018 because we’ve work hard.”

Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was the final man in the hot seats, as he gets ready for his home GP – and comes back from injury after missing Motegi.

“I even think I surprised myself with the turnaround,” said the Australian. “It was a small accident and it snapped. Maverick asked me just then how I broke it as he was with me at the time. It’s been a busy time for me trying to get it back to working order. I probably could’ve made it to Japan but the quick turnaround wouldn’t have been good by the time we got here or to Malaysia. I want to finish the season in the best way possible for my team and Honda.” The former Phillip Island Moto3™ winner also said he’s had some pressure to come back quickly after the incredible performance of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) after his leg break – and that two-wheel Australian legend Chad Reed had even texted him to start the countdown to beat the Italian to it. But Miller is thrilled to be able to race at home again: “It’s a great race for me, the fans are crazy, the weather is crazy. As we have seen today, it’s Baltic and yesterday it was hot. I’m really looking forward to getting the weekend underway. I sat on a bike yesterday at the pre-event and it felt good, so I think we’re in good shape.”

The Australian GP is certainly in good shape, with the Championship still a scorcher and the battle set to go down to the wire. Don’t miss another classic battle on the Island, with the MotoGP™ race set for 16:00 local time on Sunday (GMT +11).

Can Andrea Dovizioso double up on home turf?

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Trial by fire: the passion of Argentina awaits MotoGP

West of Buenos Aires and east of the Andes, MotoGP™ now touches down beyond the borders of the old Inca Empire as we gear up for the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina. It’s a stark contrast to Qatar, as the Pampa of Argentina and Termas de Rio Hondo welcome the paddock to the passion of Latin America for the second race of the year.

This is the fourth season MotoGP™ will race at Termas de Rio Hondo. With Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) taking the first win, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) the second and the number 93 hitting back last year, Argentina hasn’t yet let one clear favourite for the win emerge – but based on the winner first time out, this year that could be different.

Despite the weather difficulties of the #QatarGP, the superstar so far remains Movistar Yamaha new recruit Maverick Viñales. Topping the timesheets and then staying calm to take his first win for Yamaha, the number 25 is still ominous – and he was also in podium contention last season in Argentina, as a sophomore. 2015 winner and teammate Rossi also created some Sunday magic in Qatar, and despite some preseason struggles, the nine-time World Champion was back with a bang when the lights went out. This race is his 350th in the World Championship, and he’ll want to make it another showstopper.

His key rival on the way to the win in 2015 was Marquez. With great form and pace shown at the track, this could be time for the reigning Champion to stamp some authority on the early stages of the season. Choosing the wrong tyre in Qatar, Marquez kept it on the road and showed the same commitment to the long game that took him to the title last year – and Argentina could be a good place for a planned attack. Dani Pedrosa, on the other side of the Repsol Honda box, is a man Marquez consider a threat in Argentina, too – with Termas de Rio Hondo more suited to the bike, and the number 26 having been a quietly threatening presence on the preseason timesheets.

The layout of Argentina is also good reading for the Ducati Team. With a double podium on the cards last year until disaster struck at the final corner, the Borgo Panigale factory have shown form both at the venue and in 2017 with Andrea Dovizioso’s stunning ride to second in Qatar. Jorge Lorenzo had a difficult first race, but the five-time World Champion will have more track time under his belt after a private test in Jerez, and the conditions should be more constant than the ever-changing Qatar.

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) could be a dark horse again, after getting in the mix at Losail. At mistake cost him a result but the Italian’s pace was right up there, and the Suzuki is another bike that could gain from the Termas de Rio Hondo track. Teammate and top rookie in Qatar Alex Rins may have a harder time, after crashing in training ahead of the event and travelling to Argentina with a small fracture in his ankle.

The rookie stealing the headlines in Qatar was Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), after teammate Jonas Folger did the same in preseason. Zarco took the lead and stunned the big hitters first time out despite his crash, and both Tech 3 rookies will be looking to convert their pace into positions in Argentina.

Fellow rookie Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) expects to make a big step in Argentina, and teammate Aleix Espargaro put in a stunning ride in Qatar to complete the top six – the Noale factory’s best result since lining up in MotoGP™ in 2015 – which is a good omen for the RS-GP. Then there’s Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team)…all names with good pace, either looking to convert Qatar into momentum or make Argentina into a comeback.

The engines fire up for Termas de Rio Hondo on Friday as we return to the three-day regular schedule, with MotoGP™ on track from 9:55am (GMT -3). Maybe it doesn’t just take two – this time, it’ll take 23 to tango.

MotoGP World Championship Classification 1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) 25 points 2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) 20 points 3 – Valentino Rossi (ITA – Yamaha) 16 points 4 – Marc Márquez (SPA – Honda) 13 points 5 – Dani Pedrosa (SPA – Honda) 11 points