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MotoGP eSports 2018 Final: Trastevere73 Becomes Double World Champion in Valencia

After several rounds of qualifying and two semi-finals, the twelve fastest MotoGP 18 riders arrived in Valencia for the final of the 2018 MotoGP eSports Championship.

Ahead of the final race of the second season of MotoGP eSports, there was a ten-minute qualifying session, in which reigning champion Trastevere73 took pole position on the factory Ducati GP18. EleGhosT555 (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda) and Cristianmm17 (Repsol Honda) joined him on the front row for the final. Meanwhile, paul_ig7 (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha), AndrewZh (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Luigi48GP (Gresini Racing Aprilia) made up row two; Vindex813 (Givi LCR Honda), ADRIAAN_26 (Pramac Ducati) and timothymcgarden (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the third row. The fourth and final row of the grid featured Davidegallina23 (Angel Nieto Team Ducati), RLLORCA26 (Reale Avintia Ducati) and XxBoMbeR_45xX (Ecstar Suzuki) who completed the grid, 0.5 seconds off pole position.
Between qualifying and the race, pole sitter Trastevere73 received his Tissot pole position watch from Jorge Lorenzo.

 

Trastevere73 receives a Tissot watch from Jorge Lorenzo. Photo curtesy of MotoGP.com

 

The start of the ten lap race was extremely action-packed, with two riders going down before the first two turns: Cristianmm17 dropping the Repsol Honda in turn one, before Davidegallina23 crashed the Angel Nieto Team Ducati on the exit of the first turn. It was unclear from the cameras, but it seemed like contact may have been involved in both of these incidents. This isn’t surprising with such a tightly-compacted group going into the opening corners, and the pressure involved in a situation like this too; a pressure which was only heightened by the addition of Marc Marquez in the commentary box.

From an early stage, it was clear that Trastevere73 and EleGhosT555 had a pace advantage on the field, maybe with the exception of AndrewZh. The gap between the Ducati Team rider and the EG 0,0 Marc VDS pilot went back and forth for the entire race, and it never looked like any other rider could get involved.

What became clear were three things: track limits, with all riders looking to maximise their lap time; the pace between all the riders was very close, as had appeared in qualifying; and that in turn caused overtaking to be extremely tough. Especially because of the incredibly short braking zones, and the high amount of time the riders were spending on the side of the tyre, at maximum lean angle.

From experience playing this year’s MotoGP game, I can say that it is not possible to brake a little bit later than your limit because you lose the front very fast and have no chance to save it. Since these riders were on the absolute limit (the front tyres were completely locked for 20 metres or more on almost every corner entry), braking later was not much of an option. The slipstream effect also seemed almost completely negligible from more than a bike length or two. So, the riders found it difficult to get alongside one another in a straight line to make a pass. EleGhosT555, therefore, spent the entirety of the MotoGP eSports Final staring down the virtual exhaust pipe of Trastevere73, unable to do anything about it.

 

Trastevere73 wins the MotoGP 2018 eSports Championship, his prize is a BMW M240i. Photo curtesy of MotoGP.com

 

So, with a lights to flag win, Trastevere73 took the second MotoGP eSports crown in history, and the second of his career. If you like, it was also Ducati’s first MotoGP World Championship since 2007, and their first win at Valencia since 2008. It also seemed like a precursor to Sunday’s premier class race, which Andrea Dovizioso won for Ducati to end the 2018 season.
EleGhosT555 was just 0.298 seconds away from the MotoGP eSports crown in second place, ahead of AndrewZh who completed the podium.

Fourth place went to timothymcgarden, ahead of paul_ig7 in fifth; then came Luigi48GP, Cristianmm17, Vindex813, RLLORCA26, XxBoMbeR_45xX, Davidegallina23 and ADRIAAN_26 who was the last of the 12 riders.

eSports tends to get flack from some motorsports purists, but whatever your opinion on it, you cannot deny that the emotion is there. Trastevere73’s celebrations were a prime example of that. For a lot of people video games are just that: games, but for the elite players, who dedicate themselves to it, it is a way to show their talent. Now with MotoGP eSports it is possible for these gamers to showcase their skills on the world stage, in front of a live audience who are the same as them: MotoGP fans (as well as people like Marc Marquez and Paolo Ciabatti).

 

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MotoGP Valencia Test, Part 2: Suzuki, KTM and Aprilia

It might feel like the 2018 season has just come to an end, but the 2019 season is well underway at the Valencia tests for Suzuki, KTM, Tech 3 KTM and Aprilia.

Suzuki’s main weakness in 2018 was straight line speed, so they had a new engine for Valencia. It has a lot of power, but currently the Ecstar squad are looking for new electronic solutions to harness those extra horses, and as of right now they are faster on the old engine. Only Alex Rins tried the new motor, as Joan Mir looked to get himself better acquainted with the GSX-RR. The 2018 Moto2 rookie of the year had ridden one day with Suzuki after the Japanese Grand Prix back in October, but still had a lot of work to do to acclimatise himself to MotoGP. He did fairly well, ending the test less than one second off the top time.

 

Alex Rins and new Suzuki teammate Joan Mir. Photo curtesy of Suzuki Racing.

 

Johann Zarco got off to a tough start with KTM. He pinpointed corner entry as a weak point on the first day, and didn’t find the improvements he expected on Wednesday, ending 1.7 seconds off the top. On the other hand, Pol Espargaro had a decent test, which he ended 0.871 seconds off front runner Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha). He had a revised version of KTM’s Yamaha-style aero fairing, as well as some new electronic solutions and no doubt a raft of different chassis’ and engine specs to try. Like Yamaha, KTM suffered with tyre wear last year, hence the electronics focus.

The Tech 3 KTM riders did not have such a great time. Miguel Oliveira highlighted braking as something he needed to work on, as he adapts to the carbon disks of MotoGP. His teammate, Hafizh Syahrin, also made some progress on Wednesday, but feels he needs more time to understand the RC16. Of course, both Syahrin and Oliveira have the additional difficulty of their team changing manufacturer.

Aprilia seemed to have a mixed test. Aleix Espargaro was quite fast, if somewhat indifferent about a new chassis from Noale. In comparison, Andrea Iannone was pleasantly surprised by his first contact with Aprilia. He was running 2017 bikes because it is from last year’s machine that the 2019 bike will derive. There were two crashes for Iannone on the second day, which he put down to him finding the limit with a new bike. Bradley Smith also got his first contact with the Aprilia, using a 2017 and a 2018 machine. He wasn’t too far from Iannone’s time which, considering his job title of test rider, should perhaps worry Aprilia a little.

As previously mentioned, Joan Mir had a brilliant debut on the Suzuki but arguably Francesco Bagnaia’s first appearance on the Pramac Ducati was even more impressive. He ended his first real MotoGP test just 0.6 seconds from the top. Braking is Bagnaia’s main focus at the moment, which is a common thing with new MotoGP riders. His competitors will hope he can’t find too much time there. Fellow rookie Fabio Quartararo also made some big improvements on Wednesday, to end just over one second from Vinales and in front of Iannone on the Aprilia.

 

Fabio Quartararo at the Valencia MotoGP tests, November 2018. Photo curtesy of SIC Racing Team.

 

Franco Morbidelli also had a stunning test; to be four tenths ahead of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) on his first day with Yamaha was really quite impressive. The young Italian was especially complimentary about the smoothness of the M1, and commented on how easy it was to ride in comparison to the 2017 Honda RC213V he rode during his 2018 season.

Although, the undisputed hero of the Valencia test was Tito Rabat. He rode his Reale Avintia Ducati to 15th on the second day, 1.1 seconds off Vinales, and completed 59 laps. The first day of the test was nothing more than exploratory for Rabat, as he looked to see if it was even possible to ride in his current condition. On Wednesday he made some more progress, but realistically it won’t be until Sepang that he will really start focusing on the setting of his GP18. The MotoGP paddock now heads south to Jerez, where they will have the final chance to define their direction before the winter break.

 

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MotoGP Valencia Test, Part 1: Ducati, Yamaha and Honda

Tuesday saw the beginning of the 2019 MotoGP season, as preseason testing started for the premier class in Valencia, following the conclusion of the 2018 World Championship on Sunday.

There was plenty to see: the Ducati GP19 had been highly praised ahead of the test; Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda) would get his first taste of the Honda RC213V; Yamaha had two new engine specs to try in their search for tyre life; Franco Morbidelli (SIC Racing Team ) took to the Yamaha M1 for the first time; Danilo Petrucci moved to factory Ducati; Johann Zarco moved to KTM, as did Tech 3; and there were four rookies getting the chance to try out MotoGP machinery for the first time.

However, things did not go the way the teams would have liked. The first part of the morning was unusable for them because of overnight rain. Zarco was the only rider to go out before the track dried, but only for a couple of laps.

Eventually, the track dried and the riders were able to get their 2019 campaigns underway.  Starting with Ducati, they did not manage to get much of anything done on the first day. Andrea Dovizioso spent the time he had making a base setting with the GP18, since he did not have the opportunity to run in the dry in the weekend. This was the same for everyone, of course, but the time Dovizioso spent on the 2018 bike meant he did not get to try the GP19 until Tuesday. It was the same situation on the other side of the garage, as Danilo Petrucci was acclimatising to his new box, and new team. That said, when they got around to the new bike, Dovizioso was enthused by what his team had discovered, and Petrucci essentially said the GP19 was perfect. Nonetheless, the next test in Jerez will be important for the factory Ducati team to confirm what they found in Valencia, and to determine their direction for the winter before Sepang.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was also highly impressed with the first version of the GP19, saying he couldn’t understand how it was derived from the GP17 he has ridden in the 2018 season. Miller noted that the biggest thing with the new bike compared to the 2017 Desmosedici was the ease with which the 2019 bike changes direction. They have only had one day on the GP19 so far, but already the three factory Ducati riders look strong for the new season.

 

Valentino Rossi during Testing in Valencia. Photo curtesy of Movistar Yamaha Factory Racing

 

The factory Yamaha squad’s entire focus over the course of the test was on the two new engine specs they took with them. On Monday, the focus was on an engine which they had already tried at Aragon. Both Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales were happy with the engine, especially Vinales who was particularly enthusiastic about the engine braking. Rossi reflected Vinales’ opinions, but was more realistic in insisting that there is still work for Yamaha to do before they’ll be in a position to fight consistently. A newer engine spec on the second day seemed indifferent to the one tried on Monday. Vinales could not decide which he preferred, whilst Rossi didn’t seem too happy with either of them. Whilst both of these engines helped in the engine braking, they were still not helping with the acceleration or the tyre life either. However, both riders were happy with the direction after a 2018 season plagued with technical issues.

Yamaha also had Jonas Folger out for his first MotoGP experience since September 2017. Whilst the German’s work in these two days was perhaps not so important, he could be critical for Yamaha come the middle of 2019.

 

Marc Marquez during the Valencia Test. Photo curtesy of Repsol Honda Team.

 

Honda face a difficult winter, and Valencia was the beginning of that. Marc Marquez is injured, as is Jorge Lorenzo (who is new to the bikes) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) who may still be unfit come the Sepang tests in 2019. Stefan Bradl was on the LCR Honda on Tuesday, but was just testing different suspension, whilst Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) got his hands on 2018 HRC machinery, and was somewhat taken aback by the progression made from 2017 to 2018. Marquez was limited in his track time, due to that injured left shoulder, but had three bikes to test. One was the 2018 spec, there for comparison, and then he had two black bikes, which were 2019 prototypes. Marquez couldn’t say much of his testing, but it seemed as though at least one new engine spec was there for him to try. There was also a new chassis for Marquez to try, but because of limited track time, he and Honda will need to use the Jerez test next week to confirm their feelings from Valencia.

 

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Moto2 Report: Oliveira Clinched Final Win After Marquez Crashes Out

After rain hampered racing all weekend, there was almost relief evident in the Moto2 riders as they lined up for the final round of  2018. All their setup time had been in the wet, so racing in those conditions was in some ways more straightforward.

That said, after the first two corners, Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) would have been extremely thankful that he had wrapped up the championship two weeks ago in Malaysia. The pole sitter, Bagnaia’s teammate Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46), locked the front tyre and his rider-less Kalex hit Bagnaia. This seemed to cause some substantial damage to the #42 bike, and later in the race (when he was riding in the lower reaches of the points positions), Bagnaia was visibly struggling with the stability of his bike. That first lap contact limited Bagnaia’s final Moto2 race into a 45-minute ride of honour.

Meanwhile, there was some strong battling out front in the early stages. Xavi Vierge, in his final race for Dynavolt Intact GP took the early lead, before Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) switched with him and took the lead.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had come up from tenth on the grid to third on the first lap, and had impressively taken the lead by lap two of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Other notable rides early on included Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) and Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrum – Speed Up) who had come from 21st and the back of the grid respectively to be within the points by the end of the first lap.

 

Marquez, Valencia, Moto2, 2018. Photo courtesy of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

 

After a brilliant start, Pasini started to fall back as the other riders at the front started to pick up the pace. However, as the veteran Italian was dropping back, Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) was steaming forward with some very impressive pace. Lecuona was coming through at the same time, and soon after Marquez passed Oliveira for the lead on lap six, the #27 was pushing the #97 of Vierge up to the back of the Portuguese rider.

Vierge, though, couldn’t maintain his pace and crashed on lap 12, unleashing Lecuona on Oliveira. For a while it looked like the 18-year-old Spaniard would find a way past the Championship runner-up rider and possibly go on to set his sights on Marquez out front. However, Oliveira responded to the pace of Lecuona, and started to pull away, catching up to Marquez simultaneously.

Marquez tried to stabilise the gap before he crashed on the final corner of lap 16 and gifted Oliveira the lead, with a monstrous gap back to Lecuona in second. Such was the pace of the top three before Marquez’ crash, and the attrition rate, that the #73 managed to remount his Kalex in third place, just in front of Pasini, who he then pulled away from.

 

Lecuona, Oliveira, Marquez. Moto2, Valencia, 2018. Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Ajo.

 

Oliveira went on to take the final win of the 2018 World Championship season; his final Moto2 race before he moves to Tech 3 KTM next season in the MotoGP class. It was the perfect way for him to end his time in the class. Oliveira’s win also meant that there has not been a single Spanish victor in the intermediate class this season. Lecuona held onto second place for his first ever podium. The ex-supermoto rider will hope to be able to use this as a springboard for 2019, in which he remains with the SII team (although it is changing its name next season) and will be aiming for even more podiums. Marquez managed to clinch the final podium spot after his crash. 2018 has not been kind to the Spaniard, and the aim for him next year will be to turn things around with the regulation change and the move to Triumph motors.

Pasini took fourth in his final GP, from Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing), Quartararo, Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40), Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) and Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) who completed the top ten. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was 11th, ahead of Tetsuta Nagashima (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), Bagnaia, and Jesko Raffin (SAG Team) who took the final point.

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Moto3 Report: Youngest Race Winner Romps To Final Victory

It was a whirlwind end to the 2018 season, and it definitely wasn’t predictable – Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was reserved and measured, John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) managed to step onto the podium and a relatively unknown 15-year-old won the race. Not your run of the mill race!

Can Oncu, Moto3, Valencia MotoGP 2018. Photo curtesy of Red Bull KTM Ajo

This race belonged to one man, and his fight for first place didn’t involve the usual competitors either – his name is Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and he left a rather big impression on Moto3 today. Starting as a wildcard rider, the youngster only managed to secure his place in the race because he won the Red Bull Rookies’ Cup and after qualifying fourth, it’s safe to say he dominated from very early on before taking Turkey’s first ever podium.

However, the race wasn’t as simple as Oncu romping to victory – Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) crashed out of second place and Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) had a mini high side which ripped first place from him.

The weather played a big part in the race, with 98 crashes taking place before the Moto3 race had even started and it’s safe to say many dashed hopes during the race too. Bezzecchi crashed twice (on the second crash both Redox PrustelGP bikes slide into the gravel trap), ending any chance of beating Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) to second place in the Championship, but that didn’t stop him trying. Rather foolishly, the Italian carried on riding even though his livery was badly damaged and scraping along the track – he pitted but his team only clipped the bodywork back in and he re-joined the race. But his misfortune didn’t end there, Oncu actually lapped him as the youngest rode away with what could have been his podium finish.

Marco Bezzecchi. Photo curtesy of Redox PrustelGP

Oncu didn’t just lap Bezzecchi though, he also lapped Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), his teammate for the race who had slide out of the race and re-joined too. Spectacular racing came from Arbolino who held his lead very well and is arguably the only person who could have stopped Oncu’s hunt for first place. McPhee also seemed to find something in himself and didn’t cecum to the wet weather condition, which due to a considerable ack of right-hand corners and cold tyres meant that many fell prey to it.

Di Giannantonio’s securing of second place in the Championship made it a Gresini 1-2 but you’d be forgiven for not noticing that due to the fanfare of Oncu’s race win. Arguably, the likes of Martin and di Giannantonio will be glad that they don’t have to race against such a talented and capable rider. Oncu, who snatched the record for youngest race winner away from Scott Redding on his final race weekend in MotoGP, and Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who finished in a respectable tenth in his first really wet race in Moto3, will be dominant next year and they’ve arrived just in time for the changing of the guards.

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Valencia GP: Dovi And Ducati Defy The Deluge

Andrea Dovizioso bested the treacherous conditions to take a brilliant victory at the Valencia Grand Prix.

Wet track conditions, as has been the case the almost the entirety of the weekend, greeted the riders on race day. In truth, jet skis would have been more appropriate at the Ricardo Tormo circuit than motorcycles, such was the almost biblical torrents falling on the asphalt

Dovizioso (Ducati) secured his third win of the season in commanding fashion. Avoiding contact at both race starts, the Italian settled into a metronomic rhythm, closing in the race leader, and passing effortlessly. As conditions worsened the Desmosedici GP18 remarkably began to perform better, the back tyre acting almost as a rudder helping its rider to square-off every corner and avoiding those treacherous painted lines and kerbs. Not once did Dovizioso put a wheel out of line, or even suffer a wobble. A true masterclass in wet weather conditions.

The result sees Ducati break their 10-year hoodoo at the Ricardo Tormo, following Casey Stoner’s victory for the team here in 2008.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had a near perfect weekend, surfing the rivers across the circuit to a brilliant second place. It was his fifth podium finish this season, and without doubt his finest to date. There will be a small air of disappointment as Rins had led for much of the curtailed race, and for the opening few laps following the restart. Once again, the fault – if any – lies in the lack of horsepower to the Ducati. Rins simply stood no chance on the main straight. If the team can coax enough power out of the engine to be competitive in a straight line, that first breakthrough win for Rins will become a certainty in 2019.  

Pol Espargaro claimed his first podium finish for the Red Bull KTM team in the premier class. It was also the Spaniard’s first rostrum finish since moving up from Moto2 in 2014. Having had to fight his way through the field twice (courtesy of the red flag delay) the 27-year old produced without doubt his finest performance to date, carving his way ahead of his rivals with what looked like astonishing ease. The result will send a wave of confidence through the team as they head into winter testing on Tuesday.

Michele Pirro (Ducati) wildcarding this weekend, led the charge for best of the rest in 4th place. The Italian led home the retiring Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda). It was fitting that Pedrosa (P5) finished the lead Honda rider home. There were emotional scenes upon his return to the team box after the race.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) claimed the best independent rider award with his 6th place finish. The young Japanese rider has steadily improved throughout his rookie season in the premier class, and brought home his best result to date in extremely testing conditions. A successful first season, and both team and rider will look to build on this over the winter.

Johann Zarco (Monster Tech3 Yamaha) and Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM) spent the entirety of the restarted race locked together in a thrilling battle for seventh place. The Frenchman eventually emerging victorious and securing for himself the top spot in the independent riders’ championship. For Smith, it was a solid result as the British rider bids farewell for now to racing full time in the premier class. In 2019 he moves to the Aprilia Gresini team to take up duties as test rider – though he will still wildcard in up to five rounds next season.

It was a case of so near again for Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha). Having produced a fine performance prior to the red flag delay – having originally started P16 on the grid – the former world champion looked set to finish on the podium, and once again spare Yamaha’s blushes. However, with just a handful of laps remaining, his bike lost all grip at turn 12, spinning him off into the sodden gravel trap. The Italian remounted and eventually finished in P13.

It was also a disappointing finish to Alvaro Bautista’s MotoGP career. The Angel Nieto Team rider, moving to spearhead Ducati’s factory effort in World Superbikes from 2019, crashed out with 6 laps remaining of the race.

Scott Redding (Aprilia Gresini) narrowly missed out on a top ten finish, finishing just behind Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) and Hafiz Syahrin (Monster Tech3 Yamaha) respectively. A solid result and relief that his annus horribilis is finally at an end. The 25-year old now bids farewell to MotoGP and begins life in the British Superbike Championship, on very competitive Ducati machinery for next year.

There was an extremely high attrition rate, due to the deteriorating track conditions. Amongst the fallers there were spectacular highside crashes for both Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) also endured a miserable race, despite starting originally from pole position. His season ending in a brutal crash with 15 laps remaining. None of the three were able to race at the restart, but all fortunately escaped injury.

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Valencia GP Qualiyfing: Top Lap for Top Gun

Maverick Vinales stormed to pole position ahead of tomorrow’s Valencia Grand Prix, after breathtaking display in drying conditions.

The rain, which had turned the three main practice sessions into more of a jet ski contest, had finally relented. With the track rapidly drying, slick tyres were finally shod for the first time this weekend as qualifying began.

It was not a straightforward hour for Vinales (Movistar Yamaha). The 23-year old, as he had to go through the first qualifying session, having not made to top 10 after the first three practice sessions. With the track drying with every lap, Vinales timed his Q1 effort to near perfection, being the last rider over the timing line, benefiting from the best possible conditions. With Q1 a rehearsal, the Spaniard nailed his final effort in Q2. Threading the eye of the needle with sheer confidence and precision (one glance of the painted kerbs would’ve ended in disaster), Vinales’ time – 1’31.312 – was good enough for pole position by 0.068s. The beaming eyes from inside the helmet, as he rode into parc ferme, said it all.   

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) secured the remaining places on the front row of the grid. Despite piloting bikes with polar opposite characteristics, both riders looked in complete control as the track constantly evolved throughout the session proving that in tricky conditions the riding style has more of an impact on lap time. Both will be expecting to deliver again tomorrow.

Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) backed up his form from practice with securing P4. The Italian has been ever present in the top 5 throughout the weekend, and with the promise of more rain tomorrow it would be a brave punter to bet against him securing at least a podium finish.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) crashed at turn 4 on his opening flying lap, dislocating his shoulder as the bike slammed itself and rider into the deck. Remarkably, the reigning world champion returned to the track with 6 minutes of qualifying remaining setting a lap time good enough for P5, and a slot in the middle of second row.

Rounding out the second row is Marquez’ compatriot Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM) – his best qualifying result since Australia 2017. He and the team will be hoping history can at least repeat itself tomorrow with a top 10 race result.

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) hooked it together in a frantic first qualifying session. The Italian mastered the drying conditions, setting the best lap time almost half a second clear of fellow qualifier Vinales. He heads up the third row of the grid tomorrow, in P7, and will be desperate to secure what is likely to be his last competitive result for some time.

It was, however, as disastrous qualifying for Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) who failed to make the cut into the pole position shoot out. The 39-year old will have to fight his way through the field tomorrow, from a lowly P16 on the grid.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) just missed out on a place in Q2, the wrist injury was ultimately still causing him just too much trouble. Nobody can fault the Spaniard’s commitment to racing this weekend. Having steadily improved session-by-session this weekend, there will be a quiet confidence in his camp tonight that he can produce one final good result tomorrow for the team, before moving to Repsol Honda in 2019.

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Moto2 Preview: Unchained in Valencia

The 2018 Moto2 World Championship heads to Valencia this weekend, for the nineteenth and final round of the season, two weeks on from Sky Racing Team VR46’s Francesco Bagnaia wrapping up the title in Sepang.

With the championship decided, the chains are well and truly off for the riders this weekend for the final race, and all of them will be eager to go into the winter with a win.

No one more so than newly-crowned champion Bagnaia who, after seeing teammate Luca Marini claim his first career GP win last time out, will be keen to return to the top step himself having not seen the chequered flag first since Thailand. On top of that, Bagnaia will want to enter his first MotoGP preseason with as much confidence as possible, and a win in his final Moto2 race will assist in that. On the contrary, he will also presumably have one eye on next week’s first 2019 preseason test for the premier class riders, and his first opportunity to get a taste of the Ducati GP18 he will race next year.

In similar positions are Bagnaia’s fellow 2018 Moto2 graduates: Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up) and confirmed 2018 Moto2 runner-up, and season-long rival of Bagnaia’s, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Joan Mir (EG 0,0 MarcVDS) is the only one of the four riders moving up to MotoGP to have not won a race this season. As a rider who is going straight into a factory team (Ecstar Suzuki), so his motivation will be high for the final race of the season, especially as he missed out on the 2017 Moto3 win in Valencia to Jorge Martin. Mir came closest to winning this season back in Australia, where he missed out on the win by just a few milliseconds to Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). He will hope to reverse that deficit this weekend, and having gone well on the anti-clockwise Sachsenring before the summer break (his final podium before Australia, also anti-clockwise), there is a good chance that Mir could be right in the mix this weekend at the (left-handed) Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Furthermore, Mir is currently third in a mathematical four-way scrap for fourth place in the championship with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) leading the way in that fight from Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Mir and Luca Marini.

There could also be a good opportunity for Fabio Quartararo this weekend, as he has excelled so far this season with the Speed Up frame in low-grip conditions. He tends to have strong drive grip, and that could be crucial this weekend on a circuit which is not famed for its stunning grip.

As for Miguel Oliveira, it is difficult to say what he can achieve this weekend. By no means have we seen the maximum from the Portuguese rider over the past few races, perhaps since as far back as Aragon, but now with the pressure of the championship lifted from his shoulders, he should be able to ride more freely, and he will certainly be aiming to end his time in Moto2 with a win before he jumps on the Tech 3 KTM next week.

Almost on the opposite end of the scale is Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). He is without a ride so far for 2019, and despite a morning of strong rumours mid-week in the build up to Valencia which suggested he could be replacing Nicolo Bulega in the Sky VR46 team for next season, those supicions were quashed by Sky Racing Team VR46 team manager, Pablo Nieto, who confirmed that Bulega will be with the Italian outfit next season alongside Marini. Valencia could prove to be Pasini’s final Grand Prix, and should that be the case he will want to go out in style.

All predictions, however, could be thrown out the window should the weather forecast be accurate. It is expected that there will be a lot of rain this weekend, and that could open an opportunity for a rider with little to lose, and a lot to gain, to put in a surprise performance.

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Moto3 Preview: The rain in Spain disrupts riding again

Can Marco Bezzecchi secure 2nd place in the Moto3 world championship?

Although the Championship might be all wrapped up for Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), the fight still rages on for his teammate Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3). He will need to produce a stellar ride in Valencia this weekend to close the nine point gap between him and fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) – 6th or better will clinch second place in the Championship for him (that is if Bezzecchi doesn’t place better than him).

That would make a Gresini top two as the team with the most dominant rider look too grow their 2018 season bragging rights. It was Martin who won in Valencia last year (his first career win), but whether the Spaniard can keep up with two hungry Italians remains to be seen as the weather grows progressively worse in Spain.

The torrential rain that has been hampering Free Practice One will throw a spanner in the works for some riders – why would Martin risk injuring himself (again this season) when he’s already won the Championship? He can take it slightly easier on Sunday but the Spanish crowd might stop him from doing that when the racing begins.

But there are riders out there with a lot to prove still. With parts of the Championship still open and several riders leaving Moto3 for Moto2 in 2019 including Martin, Bezzecchi, di Giannantonio, Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), chances are we might see some elbows out racing. Looking to put one final effort in before they have to say goodbye to their bikes, and factoring in the miserable weather, this Sunday’s race could be a chaotic one, depending on who wants it most and who braves the rain better.

The track itself though doesn’t necessarily favour the Honda. In fact, the Japanese manufacturer has only won at Circuit Ricardo Tormo once, and that was last year with Martin. Up until that point the KTMs had dominated since 2012 when the 125 cc category turned into Moto3.

Martin is still with Honda, but KTMs that could stand in his way are Bezzecchi who has a lead to maintain in the Championship for second, Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who has widely impressed as he stands in for the injured Bulega (how he’ll fair in the wet conditions will be interesting to see) and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) currently sits in seventh position in the Championship.

Although fortune favours the bold, the rain tends to strike down those who are too bold in wet conditions. It might be less a game of speed on Sunday, and more a race of tactics (and just a little luck).

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Maria Costello: “There is a path to a career in motorcycle racing for women”

A familiar name in the world of road racing, and one of the leading figures for women in motorsport – Maria Costello has become the first woman to be named president of the TT Riders Association, in the organisation’s 67-year history.

Maria took some time out to answer my questions, ranging from her new role to her racing career and more.

Maria Costello, the new president of the TT Racers Association (image: CostelloRacing)

EH: Congratulations on your appointment as President of the TT Riders Association. For the benefit of our readers, what does the organisation do and what does your role as president involve?

MC: My role is to assist them in raising their profile, encourage riders and ‘Friends of the TTRA’ to become members and support them in any
way that help them achieve their goals. You can find out more from their
Website: http://ttra.co.uk

EH: How did you become interested in motorcycle racing – and motorsport in general?

MC: It began when I left school and started working as a Trainee Veterinary Nurse and needed to get from home (which was in a village in the middle of nowhere) and get to work in Northampton and I got a Honda Melody scooter. Not the coolest of machines but I loved the freedom it gave me. Then friends of the family suggested I get a motorbike and I quite fancied their son and he took me round the motorbike dealers but ultimately I fell in love with a Yamaha TZR125 and that was my first proper motorbike. Then one day on my way to work I got knocked off by a car driver with dodgy eyesight. I was injured and my motorbikes was broken but I recovered and the compensation money from the insurance company bought my first race bike and the rest is history. You can read more about it in my book: ‘Maria Costello – Queen of the Bikers’.

EH: You have had considerable success at the Isle of Man TT – a regular top 15 race finisher in all entered classes as well, the accolade of being the fastest woman ever around the mountain course as well as a podium finisher at the Classic TT.  Very much a place that’s a sort of home-from-home for you. What does it take – both mentally and physically – to successfully compete at the world’s toughest race?

MC: Determination, preparation, respect, support and more determination.

EH: In addition to the TT, you’ve also been a regular competitor at other leading international
events – such as the Northwest 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix. What attracts you to
the road races?

MC: Road racing has become my home and I feel very fortunate to compete
on real roads. It’s where I get the greatest feeling on two wheels.

Maria Costello in action at the Leathemstown Road Race meeting. (Pic. Gary Hamilton Images)

EH: Its well known that you’re an ambassador for organisations such as “Dare To Be Different” programme. There are undoubtedly many talented women racers around, but what do you think are the main problems that are preventing them from achieving their motorsport ambitions, and what can be done to open up the sport more to them?

MC: Society and the way we perceive is largely the problem as young girls have not been considered for two wheels motorsports at a young enough age. We know the best in the world started from a super young age and that’s what needs to happen for young girls. Things are changing and I think it’s important to highlight what women can and are achieving to show that there is a path to a career in motorcycle racing for women. Role models are important and they need to be visible to the youngsters that could be the future of the sport male or female.

EH: Following on from the previous question, what is your opinion on the new ‘women only’ car racing series that’s starting up in 2019?

MC: It’s not necessary. Women can compete on equal terms and should be supported as equals.

EH: Finally, what advice can you give for all the young (and not so young)
aspiring racers out there?

MC: Just do it, it was the best thing I ever did and although I’ve broken 24 bones, it’s still the best! Follow your dreams!

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