Category: Crew On Two

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Moto2 Argentina Preview: KTM duo look to avenge Qatar disappointment

The 2018 Moto2 World Championship heads to Argentina and the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit for round two of the season, after what was a bit of a chess dual between Sky Racing Team VR46’s Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and Pons HP40’s Lorenzo Baldassarri three weeks ago for the season opener.

It was an interesting dynamic in the battle for the win in Qatar, not just because both riders were Italian, or even that they both ride for the same academy, but because they used to share a flat together (and they may still do). It would have been an interesting Monday dinner if Baldassarri overcooked his last minute move at the penultimate corner, but as it was the race stayed clean and it was Bagnaia who came out on top.

Perhaps that was not a surprise. Everyone’s preseason favourite was Bagnaia, and all of the other agreed championship contenders picked Bagnaia as the main threat. But it was certainly somewhat of a surprise to see Balda as his main threat in the race. The pick of the bunch outside of Pecco was Miguel Oliveira (KTM Ajo Motorsport), mostly because of the form of both him and teammate Brad Binder in the last three races of last season, all of which were won by the Portuguese.

For Oliveira though, only fifth place was possible in Qatar. The start was not ideal and perhaps that was what cost him the race, but it was still surprising to see him fail to cut through the pack to arrive on the podium. This weekend the riders will be dealing with a new track surface in Argentina, and maybe it will be that which plays into the hands of the KTM Moto2 chassis, which is known for being generous to the rear tyre. Of course, it was at Termas last season that the Portuguese rider claimed KTM’s first podium in Moto2 in just their second intermediate class race, even then showing strong pace at the end of the race to being to close down the leading pair of Franco Morbidelli and Alex Marquez who crashed on the last lap. Miguel might be the favourite for this one.

If Oliveira is the favourite, then surely Brad Binder will not be too far away – if his qualifying doesn’t let him down. Throughout the 2017 season Binder was hampered compared to his teammate, not just by his broken arm, but by average-at-best qualifying performances which left him a way down the order in the initial part of the race. Sure, he would fight through, and after re-breaking his arm at Termas last year Binder fought through from 17th to 9th in the race, but the time loss at the beginning of the race meant that his podium pace could only get him a top eight at best. That changed in the last three races, where he made the podium on each occasion, but in Qatar the poor qualifying returned and it limited him to P6. If he can make the front two rows on Saturday then he can be in contention for the victory just as much as his teammate. A first Moto2 win for the South African?

Of course, after second place in Losail it would be foolish to discount Baldassarri from victory contention this weekend, and in conjunction with current form, Lorenzo made his best result of the season in 2017 at Termas de Rio Hondo with a fourth place. Another podium could ease the one-time Moto2 winner into the championship picture, and of course if there is a team with Kalex bikes who can make the rear tyre last, it is the Pons team.

The final rider on the podium in Qatar was the aforementioned Alex Marquez. It was not a straightforward race for the Spaniard, who began to suffer with a severely overheating rear brake towards the end of the race. He managed it well, though, and hung onto third from Mattia Pasini to get his season off to a good start, which could be crucial come the end of the season. Marquez had a very nearly fantastic race at Argentina last season, but high sided whilst fighting for the win on the final lap. For certain, Marquez will hope to repeat a lot of last season’s race this Sunday but for sure he will hope to change the final lap, and maybe that change will have him atop the podium.

As mentioned, it was Pasini who was chasing Marquez down at the end of the race in Losail but had to settle for fourth in the end. It was a positive start to the season for the Italian, who came into this year once again with the ItalTrans team as a slight dark horse for a title shot this season, and he will be aiming to continue that for this weekend.

As is the state of the Moto2 field this season, there are plenty of riders who could be in with a shout this weekend who have not been mentioned thus far, such as Sam Lowes, Xavi Vierge, Luca Marini, Joan Mir and a variety of others, but ultimately Bagnaia and Oliveira would be where the smart money goes. The fifth Moto2 Grand Prix in Argentina is looking about as unpredictable as you would expect, and the weather forecast only adds to that, with the weather being far from stable. Rain in the air and many potential winners are setting this up to be a pretty spectacular Argentinian Moto2 Grand Prix.

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Ray Takes First Win as Haslam Spins to Ninth

Firstly, before we get into the opening race of BSB 2018, some housekeeping. To start, the race took place on qualifying day due to the unfavourable weather forecast for race day at Donington, with snow expected. Second, despite a crash and a discovered broken neck vertebra, Glenn Irwin qualified and raced aboard the Be Wiser Ducati.

The drama started before the race, though, as Sylvain Barrier failed to make the warm up lap because he didn’t have his gloves on, which is quite an embarrassing mistake to make on your debut with a new team, and so it was a pit lane start for the Frenchman.

But it was Leon Haslam off pole position on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki with his teammate Luke Mossey and PBM’s Shane Byrne joining him at the head of the grid.

Haslam made a good start, and Mossey’s was okay too, but Byrne had a nightmare, as the front wheel leapt in the air, meaning he had to shut the throttle before he could get going. This cost him many positions, and he ended the first lap back in tenth after both the Tyco BMWs of Michael Laverty and Christian Iddon made it past the reigning champion.

But it was Haslam leading them out of turn one, with Jason O’Halloran also making a great start from row two to move into second place, with James Ellison and Bradley Ray slotting into third and fourth initially, but a poor exit from turn one left the number 22 Honda reversing back to fourth place, and under pressure from the impressive returnee, Danny Buchan. Ellison passed Haslam at Starky’s to assume the lead, and the rest of the lap was pretty processional amongst the front runners, apart from Mossey passing Buchan for fifth, and then O’Halloran for fourth in Goddard’s. However, Mossey got a poor exit from the final corner, and allowed O’Halloran, Linfoot and Buchan back through, only to make a huge lunge up the inside of the number 4 Honda at Redgate.

By the start of lap two, Ellison had started to pull away from Haslam and Ray behind, with the Buildbase Suzuki rider apparently being held up by the ex-World Championship man. Mossey had cut past O’Halloran once more, but this time away from the glare of the cameras and down at the Old Hairpin. It must have been another tough move from the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider as Linfoot also found himself ahead of his teammate.

Fourth placed Buchan got out of shape on the exit of Goddard’s to complete the second lap, which allowed Mossey up the inside at Redgate at the start of lap three. Meanwhile up ahead Brad Ray made the same pass on Leon Haslam for second.

Halfway round the third lap of eighteen and Tommy Bridewell had somehow managed to find himself crashed on the inside of McLean’s along with Kyle Ryde. The assumption is that the pair came together through the Schwantz curve and went straight on to end up where they did. A seemingly apologetic hand wave from Bridewell as he was getting up after the crash would seem to suggest that it was the Halsall Racing rider who was at fault.

By the start of lap 5, Linfoot had joined Mossey in moving past Buchan, and taken fifth place with it, meanwhile Byrne had started to make some progress, and was in seventh in front of O’Halloran.

The start of lap six saw Ray take the lead from Ellison with a sublime out-braking move once again at Redgate. On the same lap at the Foggy Esses, Byrne moved past Buchan, who by this point had developed tyre woes. Like everyone else apart from Gino Rea, Buchan picked the harder option rear tyre, but by lap six he ran out of grip.

By lap eight the gap between Ellison in second and Haslam in third had started to grow – not significantly, but enough for questions to be asked about the Kawasaki rider’s winning potential. The same could also be said for his teammate, Mossey, who, after a flamboyant start, had begun to look as though he was struggling too. Later in the lap, down at the Melbourne Hairpin, and Ray made his first mistake of the race, allowing Ellison an opportunity as he ran wide, but managed to regain control by making an inside move at Goddard’s. Although no positions were lost for the youngster, the mistake allowed the rest of the pack to close up, and it was now affirmatively a twelve-wheeler which led the opening race of the 2018 British Superbike Championship.

Haslam then had a go at taking Ellison’s second place at Redgate, sensing his opportunity after the minor squabble between the leading two, but Ellison had the grip to hold the Anvil Hire Tag Yamaha around the outside of turn one to hold his position, whilst Linfoot displaced Mossey at the same turn to snatch fourth momentarily before they returned to their previous positions when Luke stuffed the ZX10-RR down the inside of Linfoot’s Fireblade at the Old Hairpin.

At the beginning of lap ten there was now a real gap forming between second and third place, as Haslam’s rear grip diminished. It was visible how little corner speed he was carrying compared to his rivals, and also how much he was standing the bike up to get it driving – but even then it just sat down and span. Leon’s race was over at this point. This point was compounded when Mossey passed him at Starky’s and swiftly began to steam away, leaving Linfoot to pass his teammate at the Melbourne Hairpin, and Byrne made his move at Redgate when Haslam missed the corner completely. Then O’Halloran and Irwin were through, and the existence of an issue was beyond doubt. After the race, Leon explained that he had no grip from lap one, and that it was strange because he had completed a long run on the same spec tyre as he ran in the race, with all the laps in the 1’29s – the pace of the leaders. The number 91 was quick to avoid blaming Pirelli as he warned that there could have been an issue with the rear of the bike. But, for sure, something was not correct with the number 91 Kawasaki.

Onto lap twelve and Byrne briefly passed Linfoot, before the Honda rider responded at the top of Craner Curve. But, with a certain inevitability, Byrne was back through, and this time for good, at Goddard’s at the end of lap 12, as Brad Ray set a new race fastest lap, opening the gap out front to 0.775 seconds.

Things got worse for Linfoot on lap thirteen when his teammate passed him at the Foggy Esses, as Byrne was eyeing up a move on Mossey for third. Such a move came at the Melbourne Hairpin, and it forced Mossey wide, meaning he couldn’t respond.

Lap fourteen began, and it saw Linfoot pass O’Halloran back at turn one, as the Honda pair chased after Mossey, whilst swapping positions once more down at the Old Hairpin, which gave O’Halloran the prime opportunity to pass the number twelve at the Foggy Esses, before Linfoot also moved through on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki at the Melbourne Hairpin. It is probably worth pointing out at this point that Mossey was suffering a similar issue to Haslam, but not as severe, and it saw him haemorrhage positions through the remaining four laps of the race.

By now, lap fifteen, Ray had opened a 1.3 second advantage over Ellison, with Byrne a similar amount behind the number 11 Yamaha. Also, Linfoot passed O’Halloran back, but it was clear at this point that the Honda battle was going to the end.

The 1.3 second lead of Brad Ray was beginning to diminish by lap 16, and Byrne was coming along with Ellison, to build up to a last lap battle for the win.
And, sure enough, as the final lap began, Ellison was with Ray, and Byrne was close too, and lapping one second faster than the leader. A moment for Ray on the exit of the Foggy Esses perhaps gave Ellison a chance to attack, but it was in fact Byrne who put a move on Ellison for second. Shakey then tried to move past Ray at the final corner, but was too far away, leaving 20-year-old Bradley Ray to take a stunning debut victory from Shane Byrne and James Ellison.

Dan Linfoot won the Honda civil war, and his teammate ran on at the Melbourne Hairpin to gift fifth place back to Luke Mossey, and sixth to Glenn Irwin, who had a solid ride full stop, let alone with consideration to his injuries from Saturday. That left the second factory Honda in seventh, ahead of Peter Hickman in eighth, the grip-less Leon Haslam in ninth and Michael Laverty to round out the top ten.

Eleventh place was taken by Jake Dixon, twelfth by Josh Brookes who was suffering with rear vibrations of unknown cause; thirteenth was taken by Danny Buchan, 14th by Christian Iddon, and the final point was claimed by Moto Rapido Ducati’s Taylor Mackenzie. Richard Cooper finished his return to BSB in 16th, Gino Rea completed his class debut in 17th (perhaps down to his choice of a soft rear tyre, but he was also sore after a qualifying crash), Taz Mackenzie took eighteenth, Sylvain Barrier finally put his gloves on for nineteenth and Mason Law completed the top twenty on his BSB debut.

A fantastic, if cold, way to start the 2018 British Superbike season, and there is more to come tomorrow, providing the precipitation remains unfrozen.

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BSB 2018: Six To Watch

The 2018 British Superbike Championship promises to be one of the best yet, with a line-up of established stars mixed with young talent which have accrued the experience necessary to warrant serious consideration for this year. But still, there can only be six riders who make the Showdown for the final three races, and here we will be discussing who they might be.

For this list there is only really one option when choosing where to start, and that is with the reigning champion: Shane Byrne. The six-times British Superbike Champion is, as ever, the benchmark for this season, the target. Last season he finally defended a title successfully, beating Leon Haslam against the odds in the Brands Hatch finale. In the build up to this season, Byrne has targeted Niall Mackenzie’s record of three championships back-to-back. Since his return to BSB back in 2011 after a two-year stint in the World Superbike Championship, Byrne has failed to finish outside the top three in the standings, and claiming the title on four occasions: 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Those four add to his titles in 2003 and 2008, to make him by far the most successful rider in British Superbike history, and with the PBM Be Wiser Ducati underneath him, the number 67 has to be the favourite for the title this season.

However, that is not to say that Byrne has the championship in the bag, not by any means. The list of riders wishing to dethrone the reigning champion in 2018 is pretty extensive. Still, there can only be five to make the list.

It makes sense to start with Leon Haslam. The ex-500 GP and World Superbike rider is still yet to win a championship since he won the National Scooter Championship back in 1997. He came agonisingly close to the BSB crown last season, with a comfortable margin in the championship heading into the last round at Brands Hatch. But a weekend of discomfort with the bike and finally a catastrophic brake failure in the final race of the season, ejecting himself from the bike at over 170mph at Hawthorn Bend. The crash gifted the 2017 title to Byrne, but Haslam is certain that escaping it without serious (by motorcycle racing standards) injuries has given him the motivation to build another title challenge in 2018, in which he will compete once again with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki squad. With the continuation in the team from the last two seasons, the familiarity with the bike and the added motivation of the way last season ended for Haslam, it would be remarkable to see him not make the Showdown, or fight for the championship. Will 2018 finally be his year?

A third rider who is considered a shoe-in for a title shot is 2015 champion Josh Brookes. That title came after six seasons of failed attempts, and was partly the result of the then-brand-new Yamaha R1, which he rode for Shaun Muir. Back then he had about as much factory support as you might expect in a national championship. Last year, though, was not the same. After he came back from a disappointing year aboard BMWs for the same SMR outfit he won the BSB title with, he teamed up with Anvil Hire Tag Racing to pilot one of their R1s for 2017, notably without the factory status he perhaps enjoyed in 2015. Even still, he managed to take second in the championship, partly as a result of Haslam’s final race crash, and three wins through the season at Thruxton, Silverstone and Brands Hatch. This year Brookes joins the team who now have the official support of Yamaha: McAms Yamaha, and the expectation will be a repeat of the results of 2015, or at least the final result of the championship.

It is fair to say that the three riders mentioned so far have been fairly safe choices. Of course, it is motorcycle racing, so as we all well know anything can happen, but nonetheless there would be a lot of surprised people if the aforementioned three do not make the top six. However, the remaining three spots in the Showdown are less straightforward to predict.

We will start with Jake Dixon. The RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki rider made a huge breakthrough last year, as he took his first win in BSB at Knockhill, went on to convert it to a maiden double, went on to make the showdown and finish the championship in sixth place – all in his first full-time campaign in the category. Dixon also made his Grand Prix debut last season at Silverstone, where he replaced Marcel Schrotter at the Dynavolt Intact GP squad in the Moto2 class. For 2018 Dixon will be remaining aboard the RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki that propelled him to the front of the pack last year, with the hope that this season it can take him all the way to the top.

The other two prime candidates for this season’s Showdown are the Honda Racing pair of Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot. 2017 proved a tricky campaign for the official Honda squad, with the 2017 Fireblade taking a while to bed in, but nonetheless it eventually powered Linfoot to his first BSB victory in the pouring rain at Silverstone, and then again at Oulton Park a few weeks later. But whilst Linfoot failed to make the Showdown in 2017, O’Halloran did, and finished the championship in fifth place. The dynamic between the pair has been an interesting one since their battle for the win at Snetterton in 2016, and perhaps this year we will see that dynamic go to new levels, perhaps with them fighting each other for the British Championship thanks to the development of the 2017 CBR1000RR SP2.

Of course, these are not the only riders to watch this season, and will not be the only ones to fight at the front. There is plenty of young talent on the grid this year, such Taz Mackenzie, Taylor Mackenzie, Brad Ray and Kyle Ryde, plus newcomers like Gino Rea and others such as Luke Mossey and James Ellison who have just as much of a chance of making the Showdown as any of the riders mentioned. 2018 is going to be a great season for BSB, and it would be a surprise if the six riders mentioned here were the ones who made the Showdown such is the unpredictability, and that is why each and every round, starting with Donington this weekend, is going to be critical to making the cut.

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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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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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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)

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Moto2 Qatar Preview: All Set for the Duel in the Dusk

The intermediate class has garnered a reputation over the past few seasons as the hardest category to succeed in. How appropriate then should the new race schedule see the Moto2 field commence battle in the most challenging conditions of the weekend.

The race at the Losail International Circuit is set to begin at 1720 local time on Sunday, with sunset due at 1744. As such, we can expect a dramatic loss of track temperature during the closing stages of the grand prix, and ever changing levels of visibility with the setting sun before the floodlights take over.

The 2018 season looks set to begin with a plethora of riders all with realistic ambitions and expectations of being crowned world champion.

After a solid maiden campaign with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team last year, Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira arrives at Qatar in the eyes of many as the favourite for the championship.  Having finished 2017 with a hat trick of victories at the final three rounds both he and the team have steadily made progress throughout the winter, with the focus been on gleaning an ideal race setup. This has been backed up by his teammate, the 2016 Moto3 world champion Brad Binder. The South African endured a troublesome campaign last year, owing much of this to an unfortunate series of injuries. However, following a full winter testing program he looks ready to join his teammate as a front running contender this season.

Francesco Bagnaia (Sky VR|46 Racing Team) stole the headlines during the winter, not just for his out right pace in testing. The Italian announced last month that he will be moving up into MotoGP from 2019. The move will see the 21 year-old become the second man from Valentino Rossi’s academy (after 2017 Moto2 Champion, Franco Morbidelli) to make it into the premier class. How we dearly wants to arrive there as a world champion, already.  Bagnaia is joined this season by compatriot Luca Marini, who moves across from the Forward Racing Team. Marini endured a difficult two years at his former team, and will be looking to make 2018 somewhat of a breakthrough season for him. Yet to feature on the podium in Moto2, the 20 year-old from Urbino needs to hit the ground running if he is not to be overshadowed by his teammate.

With Franco Morbidelli having moved up to MotoGP during the winter, Alex Marquez will be expected to deliver the title for the EG 0,0 Marc-VDS team. Inconsistency plagued the young Spaniard’s title ambitions in 2017, but the word from the team is that he has made a considerable effort this winter to curb his tendency to ride beyond the limit of the bike’s capabilities. There is no doubt he is extremely talented and is rightly considered a genuine front runner for this season. Despite a slow start to his Moto2 career, the 21 year-old has made significant improvements in his three years in the class. A strong winter has left both he and his team confident that the world championship could be theirs for the taking in 2018. Marquez is joined by rookie Joan Mir this season. The current Moto3 world champion signed a 4-year contract with the MarcVDS outfit late last season, leading many to speculate that he has his future sorted all the way into MotoGP. There is no denying he is an extremely talented rider, but will take time to adjust to the physical demands of the 600cc prototype, having moved up from the 250cc machines used in the junior class. Perhaps not a championship contender for this year, but definitely one to watch as the season progresses.

Sam Lowes returns to the intermediate category after a tough debut season in MotoGP with Aprilia. The British rider joins the Swiss Innovative Investors team for the 2018 season. Winning the championship with the team being the clear intention. The Lincolnshireman has looked strong throughout the winter testing, looking comfortable on the bike and setting headline lap times from the start. There is undeniable pressure on his shoulders. It is fair to say he did not get a fair opportunity last year in the premier class, and desperately wants to return. To do that, race wins and a strong challenge for the championship can be the only objectives he is striving towards this season.

Lowes is not the only British rider who faces pressure this season. Danny Kent (Beta Tools Speed-Up Racing) returns for a third stint in Moto2. For many reasons, Kent’s grand prix career has not managed to kick on properly, following winning the Moto3 crown in 2015. A third new team in as many seasons perhaps already puts the 24 year-old at a relative disadvantage to most of his competitors, as he has to adapt to a new machine. Kent still has the self belief that he can and will succeed. A good start this weekend in Qatar might provide the launch pad for his best season yet in the intermediate class.

Finally, it would be wrong to ignore Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). The veteran Italian racer broke his duck last season with a breathtaking victory at his home grand prix in Mugello. A regular contender for podiums last season, and never outside of the top 5 in winter testing, makes it impossible to ignore that Pasini has as good a chance as the likes of Oliveria, Bagnaia and Marquez of becoming world champion in 2018. Especially impressive when one considers he is riding a customised Kalex machine with left-hand braking, to compensate for an old MX injury which has left the Italian unable to use a conventional right-hand braking system.

The Moto2 QatarGP race begins at 1420 GMT on Sunday, March 18th. 

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