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WSBK Thailand: The ‘Destination Of Speed’ Awaits

Four weeks after the sensational opening round at Philip Island, the World Superbike paddock sets up shop this weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Ducati) scored a brilliant double last time out in Australia, and will be looking to increase his lead at the top of the championship. History has not been kind to the factory-supported Ducati team. In the previous three years that World Superbikes has been visiting the Buriram track, no rider aboard a Panigale machine has stood on the top step of the podium.  The best result by any Ducati rider here is second place, achieved by Melandri’s teammate, Chaz Davies, in 2017. Davies will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing round in Australia, and reassert himself as the team’s number one. Davies has a good record here. Despite never having yet claimed victory, the 31-year old has finished on the podium twice here (second place in 2015 and third place in 2016). 

Aruba.it Ducati will also be facing competition from their privateer counterparts. Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) was the standout independent rider from the opening round last month. The Spaniard threw the form book out of the proverbial window during the second race, to claim a remarkable third place finish just behind Melandri and Jonathan Rea (KRT) . At the Thai circuit we could see Fores feature prominently again, as the track suits the strengths of the Panigale 1199 as well as the ‘no holds barred’ style of its rider.

By their own admission the all-conquering Kawasaki Racing Team were disappointed to leave Phillip Island with two second place finishes. Despite starting the opening race from pole position, tyre trouble denied Tom Sykes. Jonathan Rea was beaten to the line in the thrilling drag race in race two. KRT have every reason to expect success this weekend. Since the World Superbike Championship first visited Thailand in 2015, the green and black machines have held an exclusive monopoly at the track with victory in all six previous races. Rea standing on the top step of the podium a staggering five times, with Sykes securing his victory in 2016.

Red Bull Honda looking to back up their strong performance from Australia. Leon Camier returned from the opening round with a solid haul of points for the team – underlining how far the team has improved since last season. The British rider defied all expectation, taking a brace of sixth place finishes. Most notably, in race 2 the Honda rider finished under 3 seconds shy of the winner. It was a challenging weekend for his teammate, Jake Gagne. The American had never before ridden the Phillip Island circuit, and the objectives were to simply learn the course, not crash and fight for points if possible. The rookie ticked all three boxes. It will be the case of “same again” this weekend as, having arrived from MotoAmerica, the 26-year old has never raced at the Buriram venue before.   

Gagne is one of five riders who will be racing a superbike around the Buriram circuit for the first time this weekend. The other four being: Loris Baz (Gulf Althea BMW), Yonny Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing), PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Kawasaki). 

The Pata Yamaha team will be looking to improve upon their solid, if unspectacular, showing in round one. In the build up to the season much had been made of the growing rivalry between the two Yamaha riders, Alex Lowes (Great Britain) and Michael Van der Mark (Netherlands). If you include qualifying performances into consideration, Lowes arrives in Thailand with a 3-0 lead over his team-mate, having out scored his teammate in both races last time out.  The Buriram circuit has not been a happy hunting ground for the team, with a best result of fourth last year for Lowes, being the highlight. Straight line speed is critical at this track, something the team spent a considerable amount of time working on during the winter tests.

Qualifying: Saturday, March 24th, 1330 Local Time (0630 GMT)

Race 1: Saturday, March 24th, 1600 Local Time (0900 GMT)

Race 2: Sunday, March 25th, 1600 Local Time (1000 BST)

 

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Australian GP: Formula One has entered a new world, but that may not mean new challengers just yet.

In Formula One, the prize may remain the same and contenders look like remaining the same as the 2018 season draws upon us.

Those aspects aside however, and the sport has taken a very different direction.

We have a new logo, a halo, no grid girls but grid kids, races at ten past the hour and who knows, maybe some Honda reliability?

We all know that you can never take testing times seriously, but even by recent standards this winter, snow and all, offered remarkably few clues as to this year’s world order.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes remain favourites this year. Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Saturday 27 May 2017.
World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _54I6817
Hamilton was well within his rights to react angrily to Vettel.

Tentative forecasts suggest that the big three teams of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are very close together, but all six of their drivers have kept their cards close to their chests and have instead lavished praise on their competitors. Oddly, that’s probably the way their employers like it.

And if you are going to use the Australian Grand Prix to look for the running order for the rest of the season, you may even end up being disappointed there too.

While Mercedes won three curtain-raisers in a row between 2014-16, Melbourne has gained something of a reputation for throwing up a surprise result.

Vettel may have won in Australia last year, but he took only one win during his dominance of the sport 2010-13 Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Sunday 26 March 2017.
World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _56I1907

Indeed, Sebastian Vettel won only one Australian Grand Prix during his four-year dominance of the sport at the start of the decade.

The battle to be best of the rest is similarly unclear.

Early suggestions are that it’s between four teams; Renault, Haas, McLaren and Force India.

If Toto Wolff is right, Haas will be the ones picking up the pieces should the top six come to blows, and the American team seemed to show good pace in the winter as they bid to improve on two successive eighth place finishes in their first two seasons.

McLaren and Fernando Alonso are desperate for a return to form after three awful Honda years
Steven Tee/LAT Images/McLaren Media

McLaren had been struggling until the final day when they finally showed something like their true pace, while Renault threatened early and went about their business quietly thereafter after hitting small technical gremlins.

McLaren are hopeful that their switch from Honda to Renault Power Units in the close season will give them around a second in pace, after three torrid years with Honda. Ironically, Honda look to have finally started to get their own act together with Toro Rosso.

All of that is helpful with only three of each of the Power Unit elements allocated for 2018.

Not all of these questions will be answered at the first race in Australia. In fact, the evidence gathering only starts now.

 

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Martin Triumphs as Bastianini Falls – Moto3 GP of Qatar

For the first race of the 2018 Moto3 World Championship, there was an air of familiarity about the first six laps. The 2013 season saw three in a league of their own: Luis Salom, Alex Rins and eventual series champion, Maverick Vinales. That season all three were on KTMs, the dominant package at the time, and shared all bar one of the wins of 2013 between them (Alex Marquez won the Japanese Grand Prix when both Rins and Salom crashed). This year, the three riders who have shown themselves to be a step ahead of the rest of the field are Jorge Martin, Aron Canet and Enea Bastianini, all on Honda machines.

This weekend, Martin looked almost in a class of his own, with only Bastianini regularly challenging him, but The Beast qualified down in tenth, and with Canet down in seventh on the grid, it looked like Gresini Racing’s Martin would have a chance to break from the group early on in Sunday’s eighteen lap race. This is what he tried to do – by the time Bastianini arrived at the head of the chasing group, in second place, Martin was already 1.5 seconds in the lead, and to make things more difficult, Bastianini would have to negotiate Canet at the same time as closing the race leader. Nonetheless, within two laps, the chasing pair had caught Jorge, and Bastianini hit the front at the beginning of lap five, breaking Martin’s leadership for the first time in the race. Entering lap six, though, and the two Spaniards re-passed Enea, and in his ambition to stick with Martin, the Italian crashed out of the race at turn six, losing the rear initially, which sent him a little offline, and then folding the front. La Bestia was unable to re-join, and so leaves the first race of the season already way off the pace in the championship.

Canet and Martin continued their private battle for the lead, and throughout the race made it increasingly more exclusive, stretching out a gap of nearly seven seconds to the chasing pack by the end of the race.

The younger of the two, Canet, made a very curious race, almost never leading, despite failing to detach himself from his compatriot’s rear tyre from the moment he gained contact. Canet would sit up at the end of the straight every lap, roll off the throttle so as to not pass Martin, and not show his hand. The one time when Aron did take over the leadership of the race, it was due to a mistake from Jorge, who ran wide at turn one, but after one lap the Gresini Honda had re-passed the Estrella Galicia Marc VDS version.

Canet was clearly waiting for the final lap, to slipstream Martin to the line, and there is a question mark over whether Canet was failing to pass his fellow Spaniard by the line on purpose to try to trick last year’s Valencia race winner into a false sense of security. Either way, the plan for Canet did not work, as Martin edged the victory by 0.023 seconds to deny Canet’s slipstream attempts. Perhaps Canet’s race was ruined by the Honda, which seems to give very little slipstream to the rider behind – this seemed visible in the race, and also through practice.

It was not just the battle for the front that was very unusual for Moto3 – the battle for the final spot on the podium was distinctly unpopulated, with only six riders fighting for third for most of the race. The six were Lorenzo Dalla Porta, polesitter Niccolo Antonelli, Gabriel Rodrigo, Jakub Kornfeil, Ayumu Sasaki and Marco Bezzecchi, but were then joined by John McPhee, Kaito Toba and Fabio Di Giannantonio in the final laps. The fight was fierce, and it was inevitable that at least one of the riders would unfortunately not make the finish. John McPhee was the victim, clipping Sasaki’s Honda in the penultimate corner, taking him out of the race.

Marco Bezzecchi also had an undeserved crash earlier in the lap at the dreaded turn six, where he folded the front. Fortunately for the big Italian, though, he was able to remount and took two points for fourteenth on his debut for the Pruestl GP team.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta won out in the battle for the podium, beating home compatriot Nicco Antonelli in the run to the line by 0.045 seconds on the 2016 Moto3 Junior World Champion’s debut for the Leopard Racing Honda team, a welcome gift after the disaster of Bastianini.

As implied it was Niccolo Antonelli who was the first of the non-podium finishers to cross the line – a positive result on his SIC58 Squadra Corse debut, and one he will hope to build from in the future.

Gabriel Rodrigo was the first KTM home in fifth, which shows the continuation of 2017’s trend of Honda dominating the lightweight class.

Fabio Di Giannantonio fought back well from a poor qualifying and underwhelming start to take sixth place, 0.030 seconds ahead of Honda Team Asia’s Kaito Toba, who sort of arrived in the battle for the podium from nowhere, but nonetheless fought well to take what is by far his career best finish.

Toba beat home fellow Japanese Ayumu Sasaki who finished seventh, ahead of the KTM of Jakub Kornfeil, who made a return to the top ten after a couple of difficult seasons with the Sepang International Circuit team.

The top ten was rounded out by another KTM (although that is still only three Austrian bikes inside the top 10 compared to seven Hondas), this time belonging to Andrea Migno, who made a decent debut for the Angel Nieto Team, finishing under one second away from the podium. He was followed sensation Jaume Masia.

2017 Red Bull Rookies Champion Kazuki Masaki took home three points on his Grand Prix debut and finished only 8.829 seconds off the win. As previously mentioned, Bezzecchi finished fourteenth, with Marcos Ramirez taking the final point in fifteenth place.

Dennis Foggia ended his full time Grand Prix debut 0.069 seconds off the final point, but will be disappointed to be 26 seconds off the win, nonetheless. Tony Arbolino was a further 6.5 seconds back of Foggia, with Nakarin Atiratphuvapat and Makar Yurchenko rounding out the nineteen finishers.

That leaves seven riders unclassified: John McPhee, rookie Alonso Lopez, Livio Loi, Nicolo Bulega who is still struggling with his ankle injury from last season, the aforementioned Bastianini, Philipp Oettl and Darryn Binder, who made contact with the German.

Whilst the opening round of the 2018 Moto3 season was by no means a classic, it perhaps did show the pattern the season will follow: three riders a step ahead of the rest of the field fighting for the championship. For sure, the other riders will be fighting also at the front of the races, but it will be Jorge Martin, Aron Canet and Enea Bastianini who will fight for the world title, and their battle will continue in Argentina in three weeks’ time.

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Australian Grand Prix: Race Preview

In a few days’ time, F1 will be back for 2018 and racing around the streets of Albert Park for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

After a fortnight of pre-season testing confused by rain and snow, this will be the first chance to see who’s settled where in the pecking order over the winter.

Ferrari Media

Much of the focus will of course be on Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, as both drivers are gunning to become the first of their generation to win a fifth world title.

After testing many are tipping Hamilton as having the advantage again, with Mercedes’ focus on long runs in Barcelona hinting at a daunting degree of race pace.

But that’s not to say Mercedes will have the race all to themselves this weekend. The record-breaking lap times set by Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen in testing may have been a little flattered by low fuel loads, but still suggest there’s enough speed in Ferrari’s SF71H to give the Silver Arrows a real challenge in qualifying.

And then there’s Red Bull, whose RB14 looked dependable on track and much closer to the top two than its predecessor. The Austrian outfit hasn’t won in Melbourne since 2011, but could Max Verstappen or homeboy Daniel Ricciardo have the machinery to buck that trend this year?

Add that to the paddock talk from Barcelona that Mercedes is once again finding it difficult to unlock pace on the softer tyres, and the reigning champions could be facing a real headache on a weekend favouring the soft, supersoft and ultrasoft rubber.

Renault Sport F1 Team

Nor is it just the top three who might be in for a tough scrap in Albert Park—the race to take first blood in the upper midfield battle looks to be equally tight.

At present, Renault looks favourite to be best-of-the-rest in Melbourne. The Enstone team has been one of the most-improved this winter, judging by a consistent presence high up the time and mileage leaderboards in testing, and their two drivers have a history of delivering good results in Australia.

But Renault aren’t the only ones expected to make a solid start to their 2018 campaign. Haas made a big impression in pre-season testing and have been tipped by champions Mercedes to be this season’s dark horse. And the hype isn’t without good reason, either—Haas ended testing as the fifth fastest team, and with Kevin Magnussen as the sixth-fastest driver.

And speaking of surprising testing performances, Honda will be hoping their respectable showing in Barcelona translates to their first points finish in the season opener since 2006.

Together with new partners Toro Rosso, the Japanese marque ended pre-season testing with the third-highest number of laps per team as well as setting some decent midfield times.

But form in testing is one thing—the true proof of Honda’s 2018 campaign will come when the STR13 takes to the race track this weekend.

Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
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Brendon Leigh interview – ‘If the right people help grow the series then it can reach the same viewership.’

Brendon Leigh made headlines last year when he won the inaugural Formula One Esports event last year. Aaron Irwin caught up with the reigning champion to discuss his way into sim racing, the Esports event, and his future.

TPCO: What got you into sim racing? Also which sim did you start off on?
BL: I started Sim racing because i watched Formula 1 on TV so when F1 2010 game came out by Codemasters it was natural for that to be my first racing simulator.
What was going through your mind when you overtook Fabrizio on the final lap of the Grand Final?
I cant fully remember as it was a long time ago.
Do you feel F1 learned from the issues faced in the Vegas eRace when staging their own Esports competition?
It is hard to say as i don’t know anything about the behind the scenes in the F1 Esports, What i do know is that experience will iron out problems so they probably did learn a little from the eRace.
With Esports continuing to grow, do you think it has the chance to be as big as the real deal?
Its possible, If the right people help grow the series then it can reach the same viewership but we will have to wait and see.
There is a now famous ‘finger wagging’ gif from the Esports competition which features you, how do you feel seeing the Formula 1 community using it on race weekends?
I highly doubt it, The finger wag is not a few thing to Formula 1 or the Motorsport world. People waving a finger is frustration isn’t a new thing so I doubt me doing will change a huge amount.
Has your life changed at all since the Esports final? 
Massively, I have gained a lot of self confidence from the Esports series and I have lost a lot of weight to go with that.
Are you a big F1 fan? If so who do you think will win the title this season?
Yes I am a big Formula 1 fan, Its hard to say who will win it. Only with pre-season testing done and none of the top teams have shown their true pace yet.
You’ve lost an incredible amount of weight since the competition, how have you managed to do it?
With the help from Esports+Cars and the amazing help from Simon who helps me train two times a week. That has been the main key to the weight loss, having the best team around you.
What are you up to currently? Racing in any leagues?
Mainly just getting my weight down and getting ready for next F1 esports series. Yes i race in the Apex Online Racing league.
Lastly, Any advice for anyone looking to get into sim racing?
Enjoy the time sim racing, You cant win every race but try to end each race with a smile.
Thanks to Brendon for giving us his time to answer the questions and we wish him the best of luck in his sim racing exploits this season.
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Qatar Race Report: Dovizioso Draws First Blood

Andrea Dovizioso, at last, got the monkey off his back at the Losail International Circuit. In the last three years, the Italian has finished in second place at this venue. Today, Sunday March 18th, his time had come.

Under the floodlights of the desert circuit Dovizioso (Ducati Team) produced a stunning performance, calling upon all of his experience (179 grands prix contested), guile and tactical nous to emerge victorious.

He had to.

Starting from the middle of the second row, the Ducati rider’s initial lunch was far from ideal. In the scramble to the first corner he was shoved and jostled down to seventh place, as the leaders initially threatened to clear off into the distance. Quickly composing himself, Dovi set about his task closing the gap back to the riders in front. Once he’d caught on he performed a series of methodical, perfectly executed overtake maneuvers. First disposing of Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) at the long, ever tightening right-handed first corner, demonstrating his immense control and precision to the full. By lap 11 he had closed up onto the back of Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), and the pair would duel it out for the honours for the remainder of the race. Not even a last corner lunge from Marquez would deny the Italian today. As was the case last season at Austria and Japan, the acceleration power of the Ducati was ultimately too much for the Honda on the long drag to the finish line.

Marc Marquez left everything on the track in his quest to end Honda’s drought at the circuit. Qatar has been a difficult place for riders charged with the RC213V machine. Since the event became a night race in 2008, the factory Honda team have only celebrated victory here twice. The defending world champion had looked strong all weekend, never outside the top ten in any of the free practice sessions, and the only factory rider to make it onto the front row in qualifying. The lack of straight line speed was always going to hinder the team, but Marquez’ commitment through the corners made up much of the deficit. There was no shortage of courage either under braking. Late in the race, the Spaniard back wheel briefly locked and skidded as he forced a way past Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech3).

MotoGP has a way of ripping up the proverbial form book from time to time, and today was no exception. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) rounded out the podium places with a stunning ride to third place. Yamaha had been struggling all throughout the weekend in the sessions building to to the race, with the team seemingly unable to find any competitive setup for their bikes. The result of which led to both factory riders languishing in qualifying, with Rossi having to settle for P8 and on the third row. However, the nine-time world champion has long prided himself on his reputation as being a ‘Sunday Man’, and proved it once again. From the start Rossi carved his way towards the front, leading the likes of Marquez and Dovizioso early on, then holding off Crutchlow and Petrucci when the Yamaha’s tyres began to grain. Although today it was impossible for Rossi to contend for the win in the closing laps, the result is still a huge boost of confidence to the Japanese factory team going forward in the season.

The fight behind the podium finishers was fierce and unrelenting throughout the race’s 22 lap duration. Crutchlow (P4) was the first of the independent riders across the line, finishing ahead of Petrucci and comfortably clear of veteran Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda). Beating the latter will be particularly sweet for the British rider, given he is now also on equal machinery for the 2018 season. Petrucci will not be too disheartened even though his challenge faded in the closing stages of the race. The Italian has been one of the standout performers this weekend, fast across all the sessions, and his part dicing with Crutchlow and Dovizioso today will be well remembered. Who knows what might have happened if the race had been on a less abrasive surface. There is reason for plenty of confidence from the Pramac team as the world championship heads to Argentina. Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki) however, will be rueing today. The young Spanish rider secured his best grid position in MotoGP (P6) yesterday in qualifying, and for all money looked like he was on course to contend for a podium today. How cruel a mistress this sport can sometimes be. On lap 13, Rins braked off the racing line and the front tyre washed out from underneath him. The plumes of dust exploding from the track surface revealed that the rider had attempted to turn in from a point where there was no grip for the tyres. Under the lights and in the heat of battle, Rins could not have expected it. A cruel penalty which did not fit the crime.  

A final thought must be spared for Johann Zarco. The Frenchman once again showed why he is rated so highly by both fans and the teams – Zarco has reportedly been approached in the last week by four different manufacturers eager for him to race for them next season. Starting from pole Zarco made the perfect launch and, although he could not break away from his pursuers, he led the way for 17 laps. Inevitably, tyre wear and fuel levels became serious issues. In the space of two laps, Zarco went from leading to P8 and having to fight off Andrea Iannone (Team Ecstar Suzuki). He did not appear overly disheartened after the race. The team know, as much as him, that it is only a matter of time before he breaks his duck in the premier class.

MotoGP Top 10 Race Results:          

1: Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) – 42’34.654

2: Marc Marquez (Honda) – + 0.027

3: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) – + 0.797

4: Cal Crutchlow (Honda)

5: Danilo Petrucci (Ducati)

6: Maverick Vinales (Yamaha)

7: Dani Pedrosa (Honda)

8: Johann Zarco (Yamaha)

9: Andrea Iannone (Suzuki)

10: Jack Miller (Ducati)

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Moto2 Qatar GP: Qualifying Report

Alex Marquez left it late to secure pole position ahead of Sunday’s Moto2 grand prix.

The remnants of the sandstorm, which plagued the Moto3 qualifying session, was one of the key challenges which greeted the riders as the intermediate class hit the track. With dust being blasted around the circuit, grip levels were inconsistent, ensuring that the competitors spent the first half of qualifying trying to create a clean racing line. There was also the matter of poor visibility in the twilight, before eventually the floodlights took over.

Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 MarcVDS) has looked imperious across the weekend so far. Fastest man throughout practice, the young Spaniard proved the master of the difficult conditions setting a best time of 2″00.299 to ensure he starts the race from the front. Furthermore, he secured pole position by 0.3s ahead of his nearest rival. An achievement which should not be overlooked, as Marquez set his time alone on track, without the aid of a slipstream tow down the 1 kilometre long main straight.

Securing the remaining places on the front row are Italian riders Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) and Francesco Bagnaia (Sky VR|46). The former has been one of the surprises of the weekend, finishing inside the top 5 across the three practice sessions and rising to the occasion under the lights in qualifying. He will start in P2 on Sunday. Bagnaia once again demonstrated his raw ability over a single lap to secure third place on the starting grid, yet also chalked up 17 laps across the session gathering invaluable data for Sunday’s race.

Undoubtedly the surprise of the session was Danny Kent (Beta Tools Speed-Up Racing). The British rider has returned for a third stint in the intermediate class, and could not have hoped for a better start to his 2018 campaign. His best time of 2″00.965 secures him P6, and a place on the second row alongside Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) in P4 and P5 respectively.

Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini) and Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) will head up the third row of the grid. Navarro has steadily been making improvements over the winter, following a testing maiden season in Moto2 last year. Pasini will not be too worried starting from P8 on Sunday. The veteran Italian traditionally almost forgoes any thought to setting the bike up for a single lap, instead focusing every practice session on getting his machine right for the 20 lap race. The pair are joined on the third row by German rider, Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP), who will start in P9.

Concluding the top ten for Sunday’s race is Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors), who will be disappointed to have only been able to secure tenth place on the grid. The 27-year old has been looking good however through the practice sessions, suggesting that he will be able to force his way up the order come race day.

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Moto3 Qatar: Qualifying Report

Words by Alex Whitworth

The conditions for today’s Moto3 qualifying session were difficult for all the riders, as a relatively thick cloud of sand descended on the Losail International Circuit. Visibility was quite poor on track, and to add to that the wind was very strong, and the track was extremely dirty.

The rider who best dealt with the conditions was Jorge Martin. He had pole in the bag, his lap was about as good as it could have been in those conditions, but he only managed second place on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Niccolo Antonelli snatched pole position at the very end to take the SIC58 Squadra Corse’s first pole position in the World Championship, and he did it with the assistance of a perfect tow down the front straight – it was this that set his and Martin’s lap apart, by the gaping chasm of 0.001 seconds. The pole position was a welcome dose of enjoyment for the team, especially after Tatsuki Suzuki had to pull out of the weekend after injuries sustained from a crash on Friday morning.. Of course, Antonelli’s most recent victory came in Qatar back in 2016, when he was considered a championship contender, but even still it is probably Martin who enters tomorrow’s race as the favourite, having been the most consistently fast rider throughout the weekend.

Gabriel Rodrigo will begin his 2018 Moto3 World Championship from third on the grid, and it must be said that his lap was not a fluke – he has been quite fast all weekend, and all through qualifying. If he can keep his right hand in check tomorrow, he could be on for a maiden podium.

The second row is headed up by Ayumu Sasaki on the Petronas Sprinta Honda. Last year, Qatar was Sasaki’s first race of his full-time Grand Prix career (he debuted at Sepang 2016, replacing Enea Bastianini at Gresini), and he looked good too, finishing inside the points and ahead of the likes of Nicolo Bulega, so tomorrow could be a very good day for the young Honda star.

Kaito Toba enjoyed his best career qualifying with fifth place. The Japanese had a tough rookie season in 2017, but looks to have started his second season in Grand Prix racing in a much better way. If he can manage to stick with the leading group tomorrow, he could learn a lot about racing at the front against the best riders in the world.

Marco Bezzecchi impressed with sixth place. The Italian has flown a little under the radar coming into this season, after a quiet 2017 aboard the CIP Mahindra, but has been floating around the top five all weekend and could provide a real upset tomorrow.

Aron Canet fronts row three in seventh place. A relatively lowly qualifying position for Canet is not the end of the world for him, considering the amount of slipstreaming that is likely to occur on the pit straight tomorrow, but he has left himself in a dangerous position for turn one tomorrow, especially with it being the first race of the season.

Eighth place is occupied by Philipp Oettl, who not for the first time paid the price for his preference for riding alone, instead of in a group. The final piece of the row three puzzle is Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who might have been higher if his teammate Enea Bastianini didn’t hit his rear wheel on the entry to turn one.

That contact between the two Leopard teammates left Bastianini without a final attempt at improving his lap time and down in tenth place with a tough first few laps ahead of him for tomorrow. Jakub Kornfeil and John McPhee join Bastianini on row four.

Jaume Masia makes his full-time Grand Prix debut from thirteenth on the grid. We know from his performances last year that Masia can be a threat at the front in the race, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him battling for the top positions tomorrow. Andrea Migno lines up in fourteenth for the first Grand Prix of the season, and in the middle of a Bester Capital Dubai KTM sandwich on row five, as Marcos Ramirez goes off of P15.

Fabio Di Giannantonio disappointed with sixteenth place, but expect to see him climb through the field tomorrow. Adam Norrodin and Livio Loi complete row six.

Reigning Red Bull Rookies champion, Kazuki Masaki, will start from nineteenth tomorrow, whilst Darryn Binder rounds out the top twenty and CEV graduate Alonso Lopez finalises row seven.

Nico Bulega was a big disappointment in 22nd. After Friday he said he was happy with the work he and his team had done, but it looks to have been to no avail, as the tall Italian’s poor form from 2017 continues. To make matters worse for Bulega, his trademark awful starts will probably mean he will be pretty much last by turn one. Albert Arenas, one of the riders who fought with Bulega for the 2015 Moto3 Junior World Championship, starts from 23rd tomorrow, and rookie Makar Yurchenko goes from the back of row eight.

Reigning Junior World Champion Dennis Foggia was another disappointment as he could only manage 25th place after his fastest lap was cancelled for track limits. Tony Arbolino was yet another Italian frustration down in 26th place, which was completely unexpected after a strong preseason on the Snipers Honda. Finally, the grid for the first round of the 2018 Moto3 World Championship is rounded off by Nakarin Atiratphuvapat .

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MotoGP Qatar Qualifying Report: Zarco Storms To Pole

Johann Zarco broke the lap record under the lights to shock the field and claim the first pole position of the 2018 season.

The qualifying format has remained the same in MotoGP for 2018 – after the first three practice sessions the riders with the ten best times given an automatic bye into the second qualifying session. The remaining fourteen riders must contest the first session, with only the top two progressing.

Aboard a 2017 satellite Yamaha machine, Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech3) shocked the MotoGP world this afternoon with a stunning performance at the Losail circuit. The Frenchman came from nowhere in the dying seconds of qualifying, setting the fastest times across all four sectors and taking pole with a time of 1”53.680. It was a brilliant ride which, considering the preseason troubles Yamaha have faced this winter, could not provide a greater morale boost for the Japanese manufacturer.

Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) was the big name who failed to make the practice top 10. It has been a difficult weekend so far for the Spanish rider, with the factory rider struggling to find any competitive setup for his bike. Vinales was forced to ride to the very limit in the first qualifying session, in order to ensure he at least guaranteed a start from the fourth row of the grid tomorrow.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati), was one of the stand out performers under the lights. The Australian rider left it late in the Q1 to stamp his authority with a time of 1:54.634, to progress into the pole position shoot out. Miller has been quietly adjusting to life aboard the Desmosedici GP17 machine, and a starting position of P10 on his debut outing for the team is a solid return. Pramac will be content with the display from both their riders today. Miller’s teammate, Danilo Petrucci, had been looking strong throughout practice and duly backed that up this afternoon. The Italian produced a best lap time of 1:53.887 to secure P3, and a place on the front row tomorrow.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) have given everyone at HRC some confidence for tomorrow. The reigning world champion will start tomorrow from the middle of the front row, and first of the riders on full factory machinery. Crutchlow will head up the second row, from P4, following a brilliant final lap on wearing tyres to pip the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso by 0.002 seconds.

Dovizioso (P5) might well be rueing a missed opportunity today. The 2017 championship runner up has held a monopoly at the top of the timesheets throughout practice. However a mistake on his opening run, and traffic on his final lap cost him a place on the front row. The consolation for the Ducati man is that there are no points handing out for qualifying, and tomorrow the Italian has the chance to reassert his dominance in the race.

KTM struggled throughout Friday practice, and today was sadly no exception for either team. The latter will have been left extremely frustrated today after it looked like both riders, Bradley Smith (P20) and Pol Espargaro (P22), suffered technical failures during Q1 and were unable to progress. The Austrian factory team will no doubt be hoping for a trouble free race on Sunday.

Qualifying Results: Top 10

1: Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech3) – 1’53.680

2: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) – +0.202

3: Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) – +0.005

4: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol)

5: Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team)

6: Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar)

7: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda)

8: Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP)

9: Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team)

10: Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati)