Category: Crew On Two

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WSBK Qatar Preview: The Final Outing

One last time in 2017, WSBK take to the Losail circuit to finish the season.

The final round of the 2017 World Superbike championship comes from Losail, in the Qatari desert. Like the MotoGP event, the races will be held under floodlights, although one takes place on Friday evening and the other on the Saturday. This is to respect what is traditionally known as the Qatari weekend. MotoGP previously adopted this format, between 2004 and 2007. Jonathan Rea has never won a World Superbike race in Qatar and will be hoping that he can end that run. The battle for 2nd in the championship is also raging between Welshman, Chaz Davies and Huddersfield’s Tom Sykes. Will we see team order tactics from Kawasaki like last season, to deny Chaz Davies a chance of the silver medallist position?

2nd and 3rd last season are Jonny Rea’s best results in Qatar. The Kawasaki rider has already took wins at 9 out of 12 rounds this season and he will be hoping to make it 10 from 13. Rea has won the last two races and if he was to win the final two races of the season, it’d be the first time ever that Kawasaki have ended the season with four consecutive race victories. It would also be the first time since 1996 that a Kawasaki had done the double in the final round of the season, with Anthony Gobert being the last rider to achieve that. Rea will be hoping to pass Troy Bayliss’ tally of wins, a number at which he is currently level on with the Australian.

Chaz Davies is 2nd in the championship, on 363 points. This is the same number of points as Tom Sykes but Davies is ahead of him on the virtue of race wins countback. The Ducati ace has had a mixed season, blighted by errors which has subsequently led to his demise as a championship challenger once again. Chaz Davies did the double in Qatar last season and was 4th and 2nd in 2015. Back in 2012, Davies’ 363 points would’ve given him the championship, so he is by no means slow or slacking, it is just the inconsistency that has hindered him this year. Chaz Davies last had a pole position at Imola, at which he achieved a double win that weekend too. Can he repeat that achievement?

Tom Sykes is dead level with Davies in the points so that really could be the big focus this weekend. Sykes has had just two wins this season, his worst tally since his sole victory back in 2011, the year he started winning. Kawasaki as a manufacturer haven’t had a 1-2 since race two at Laguna Seca and will be desperate to sign off on a high. Sykes’ last win came in race one at Misano and his last fastest lap was at the Lausitzring, race one. Sykes, like his teammate, has never won at Losail before and had a best result of 2nd at the circuit in race two last season. The last time he won the last race of the season was in 2012 at Magny Cours – the same statistic applies for Kawasaki; the last time they won the final race of the year was the same year.

Marco Melandri has hit something of a run of form towards the back end of 2017. Leading the first Jerez race until a mechanical breakdown four laps from the end wasn’t ideal, however, the Italian fought back in race two and finished 2nd. It was his 12th podium of the season, which stands him in good stead for 2018. Melandri has great form at Losail too, battling with Valentino Rossi in the 2005 Qatari Grand Prix until just a few corners from home. He was only 8th and 4th in 2014 on the Aprilia but on a bike that he is starting to like, he could be a surprise. He qualified on pole for Jerez and if he does the same again at Losail, it will be the first time ever that Melandri has achieved back-to-back poles. Will he continue to set records?

Alex Lowes sits in 5th place on his Pata Yamaha. The British rider comes to Qatar 16 points ahead of his teammate, Michael van der Mark. Lowes hasn’t finished outside of the top 5 in the last four races and will be hoping to extend that run to 5 – something he hasn’t done before. The Yamaha R1 achieved a podium at Losail last season, with Sylvain Guintoli and they will be looking to repeat that achievement this weekend. Lowes’ best result in Qatar is 7th, from race one last year. Although he can’t reach 4th in the championship, the ex BSB champion will be wanting to come away from Qatar with nothing less than at least one podium. This would be the ideal platform for him to start next season from.

Michael van der Mark returns from his MotoGP commitments in Malaysia and will be doing everything possible to try and catch his teammate for a top 5 slot in the championship. The Dutchman had a 5th and 4th at Losail in 2015 but only a 9th and 11th last season – both occasions, for Ten Kate Honda. The 25-year-old did however win a World Supersport race at the circuit in 2014, so he has winning pedigree. ‘Magic Michael’ has been in the top 10 since leaving Germany and will hope to put together a strong end to his season. Will he shine brightly under the floodlights in Qatar?

It is the final round of the championship and although it has already been decided, you’d be wrong to think that there is nothing to look out for. As said above, the battle for 2nd in the series is well and truly alive and kicking. MV Agusta’s Leon Camier is also in a tight fight for 8th in the championship with Althea BMW’s Jordi Torres and Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty, with just 19 points covering them all. With Leandro Mercado not riding due to his Ioda Racing team pulling out, Lorenzo Savadori needs just three points to overhaul the Argentine rider.

Image by Ducati

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Mir Wins in Moto3 with Martin and Bastianini in 2nd and 3rd

Newly crowned Moto3 champion Joan Mir backed up his victory and from Phillip Island with another sensational display at Sepang, taking the win after he caught and passed early pace-setter, Jorge Martin. Martin – yet to win a race – finished second, fractionally ahead of Enea Bastianini, after the two had a battle. Bastianini was just 0.039 behind the pole-master over the line to round off the rostrum. Mir now has 11 wins in Moto3, 10 of which have come this year. If he wins in Valencia, he will equal Valentino Rossi’s record of 11 in a season, set back in 1997. Mir is the first rider to win ten races in a year in the lightweight category since Marc Marquez in 2010.

It was Jorge Martin who got the hole-shot from second on the grid; the Spaniard not wasting tines as he bolted into the lead early on, having half a second on everyone by turn 4. It seemed it could be a done deal as he had broken the slipstream of his pursuers but Mir was soon on the Spaniard’s case, as he gave chase to his fellow countryman.

The new Champion reeled in his compatriot and sliced past as soon as he was able to, into turn 9, an overtaking hotspot at Sepang. Despite his superior pace to close to Martin, he didn’t pull away like we thought he would. Bastianini was then able to catch both run-away Spaniards and the three were together on track until a moment between Bastianini and Martin allowed Mir to run free.

Mir was then able to hold onto it and leave the pair behind to tussle it out for the final spots on the podium, with that decided at the final corner in favour of Martin.

Livio Loi put in another great ride after coming back from a broken collarbone earlier in the season. The Belgian had a lonely ride to fourth but demonstrated to doubters and critics that he belongs in the class. He was ahead of an incredible battle for fifth which was won by John McPhee. He made his move late to take the place without allowing his competitors to fight back, crossing the line in P5 ahead of a late-charging Andrea Migno

Romano Fenati fought back and took seventh ahead of his rival for second in the standings, Aron Canet. The result meaning that Fenati is runner up in 2017. Fabio Di Giannantonio was able to improve to ninth, with Dutchman Bo Bendsneyder completing the top ten.

Adam Norrodin had an eventful home race as he was running 4th before a small crash at turn one. Despite the cries from the crowd, Norrodin was back on in no time and was initially fourteenth. By the end of the race, the Malaysian was able to take eleventh and just keep rookie teammate Ayumu Sasaki behind him at the line – but it was a great double points finish and a highly positive home weekend for the Sepang International Circuit Racing Team, as the outfit moves into Moto2 in 2018 with Hafizh Syahrin.

RBA Racing Team duo Juanfran Guevara and Gabriel Rodrigo took P13 and P14 respectively, with Manuel Pagliani completing the points finishers.

Tatsuki Suzuki had a huge high-side crash at turn 15 on lap one. He was joined by Darryn Binder and Niccolo Antonelli in the turn 15 tea-party club.

Image by MotoGP.com

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WSBK Calendar Released – Brno Returns, Jerez Out and Another Lengthy Summer Break

The 2018 World Superbike calendar has been released and it sees some small changes in comparison to this season’s.

The first round will be in Australia at Phillip Island, the typical starting point for the season. We then have to wait 1 month before the next round of the championship, in Thailand, at the Chang International Circuit, Buriram.

The first European round of the year is in Spain, at Aragon before Assen one week later. We then wait 3 weeks until Imola and then two weeks until Donington Park. Two weeks later sees a return to the Czech Republic and Brno – the first time since 2012 that the circuit has featured on the calendar.

Two weeks after the Czech round, WSBK goes State-side and heads to Laguna Seca before Misano – again, two weeks later. This is the last round before yet another, lengthy summer break. There will be no racing in August and the gap itself is 10 weeks long.

After the 10-week hiatus, WSBK heads to Portugal and the Portimao circuit – more of a success in 2017 than in many years before. The series stays in Europe for the French round of the championship at Magny Cours two weeks later.

The final two rounds of the season are both fly-away races. Argentina has been pencilled in for mid-October – two weeks after Magny Cours – and will come from the new Vilicum circuit, although that remains subject to homologation. The final round of the championship will take place in the Middle East in Qatar, at the Losail International Circuit, under floodlights on the 25th – 27th October.

Image by Yamaha WSBK

 

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Oliveira Wins in Malaysia as Morbidelli is Crowned Champion

Two great winners and two exceptional sportsmen

Miguel Oliveira took KTM to their 2nd consecutive victory on Sunday in the Moto2 race, beating teammate Brad Binder to give the Austrian manufacturer their first ever back-to-back 1-2. Franco Morbidelli was crowned champion before the race even got underway, due to Thomas Luthi being ruled out but he still celebrated in style, as he mono-wheeled across the line for 3rd.

The race started and initially, it was Miguel Oliveira who led from Morbidelli and Alex Marquez, with Pecco Bagnaia pushing his way into 4th place. Carnage erupted at the back of the field though, as Andrea Locatelli knocked off Luca Marini who then took down Axel Pons and local hero, Khairul Idham Pawi. Simone Corsi also went ride to avoid disaster. Over at turn 2, Alex Marquez had crashed out, topping a difficult weekend for the Spaniard.

More drama unfolded at turn 6, when Sandro Cortese got his Dynamo Intact GP Suter completely crossed up, ramming the back of Japanese rider, Takaaki Nakagami. Both riders cartwheeled through the gravel trap, with Cortese’s Suter catching fire. Nakagami rode his bike back to the pits and retired from the race. Both Idemitsu Kalex bikes had been innocently taken out in the first half a lap, in what was one of the team’s most important races of the season.

Back at the front, Oliveira had already pulled out an early advantage over Morbidelli, Bagnaia, Brad Binder and local rider, Hafizh Syahrin. Front row starter, Fabio Quartararo, had dropped to 6th but it was the 7th place rider who gained much interest. Up from 17th on the grid, Stefano Manzi had made a sensational start and had got ahead of the likes of Marcel Schrotter and Mattia Pasini.

By the end of lap 8, we saw our first change at the front of the field. Brad Binder forced his way past Francesco Bagnaia for 3rd and kept the position. He then set his sights on Italian, Franco Morbidelli. Further down the field, Xavi Vierge and Mattia Pasini were moving forward, demoting Marcel Schrotter and also Isaac Vinales.

It wasn’t until lap 16 where we saw our 2nd change at the front. Brad Binder moved ahead of Franco Morbidelli, sending KTM into a frenzy in pit lane, as the rookie team now looked like they could be on for yet another 1-2 finish. Back in 4th, the battle was starting to close up, with Bagnaia being hunted down by a resurgent Fabio Quartararo and a hard-changing Matti Pasini. Isaac Vinales had also fought his way back through the field, as he occupied 7th.

As the rain began to fall, Bagnaia was caught, passed and left behind by Fabio Quartararo and Matti Pasini. However, the rain didn’t last and before long, ‘Pecco’ was back ahead and it was Quartararo being dragged back into the clutches of first, Pasini and then, Vinales.

As the rain dissipated, it was Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira who took the win ahead of his South African teammate, Brad Binder. Yet another win for Miguel and another 1-2 for KTM. This is the first time that a manufacturer other than Kalex has won back-to-back races in Moto2 since Suter in 2012, with Marc Marquez at Misano and Brno. Franco Morbidelli came home in 3rd to take his long-awaited Moto2 crown, with Mattia Pasini fighting to 4th.

Image by: MotoGP

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Quick 10 With……James Whitham

His Twitter bio reads “Ex bike racer . . have been skilfully avoiding a proper job for 30 years .. stunt dad”

Prior to gracing our screens, he has won the 80cc British Championship, the 1300cc Production British Championship and the TT Superbike Challenge.

He is a British Superbike Champion having won the title in 1993, was BSB runner-up in 1996 and raced in World Superbikes from 1994 to 1998, a team mate of Carl Fogarty. He competed in World Supersport from 2000-2002 and held the track record at Donington Park until 2007.

He runs trackdays with Paul Drinkwater Sports Motorcycling and his famous “6T9” logo can be seen on the leathers of big names in bike racing and around the circuits all over the UK.

British and World Superbike viewers will recognise him from Eurosport as a TV commentator and pundit. His quick wit, humour and amazing technological insight into bikes is without doubt the best you will find on television. His commentary partnership with Jack Burnicle for British Superbikes is quite possibly the most entertaining TV motorsport duet on air.

He is a true legend, a fantastic bike rider, a respected man on and off the circuit and a genuinely top bloke. His biography ‘What A Good Do!’ is a brilliant read (I highly recommend it).

These are his Quick 10 questions and he is……James Whitham.

What is your favourite racing circuit?

You tend to favour the tracks you go well at, regardless of whether they’re interesting to ride . . my fave UK circuit is Cadwell Park and worldwide is Monza

Who was your racing idol?

Mike Hailwood

Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

Carl Fogarty

Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

Mike Hailwood and Jarno Saarinen

If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Nando Parrado and Muhammad Ali

Your personal racing number? What was it and the reason behind it?

69 – reads the same either way up !

What is the best race you have been involved in?

’01 World Supersport race Monza . . . 6 of us glued together for the whole race

Is there a race or series you have not competed in that you would like to or had wanted to?

I would’ve loved a season on a 250cc (2 stroke) GP bike

How did you get interested in motor racing? What ignited that spark?

My dad was a motorcyclist and took me to spectate at some race meetings as a kid . . . I was doomed from there really !

What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

Mick Grant always said that I should leave a team or sponsor on the best of terms . . . Don’t burn your bridges I suppose . . . good advice.

 

I have said this before, but when you get to interview somebody who you are a fan of and have great respect for then as a writer it is a dream come true.

In this instance I am truly thankful for James taking the time out from his busy schedule to answer the Quick 10 and can’t wait to see him and hear his funny, intelligent and interesting insight on BSB next season. I want to wish James all the best of health and thank him and Paul Drinkwater for this opportunity.

For more information on James and the track days on offer please visit http://www.jameswhitham.com/ and you can follow him on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/Jimwhit69

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Title Fight Goes to Valencia as Dovi Wins in Malaysia Again, Marquez 4th

Incredible from Dovi. Against the odds in Malaysia but now, can he overcome them in Valencia?

The 2017 MotoGP champion will be decided in Spain at the final round of the season, after Andrea Dovizioso won the Malaysian Grand Prix and Marc Marquez finished 4th, enough to prevent the Spaniard winning his 6th world title. Dovizioso scored 12 points more than Marquez, enough to bring the deficit to the defending champion down to just 21 points.

After a downpour between the end of Moto2 and start of MotoGP, the premier class race got underway in terribly wet conditions, similar to that of 12 months before. Marquez ambitiously bounced down the inside at turn one from row 3 but ran out wide with Jorge Lorenzo, leaving Johann Zarco to lead for Tech 3 out front. By the end of lap 1, Lorenzo recovered to 2nd with Marquez 3rd. Championship challenger Dovizioso was 4th with pole-man Dani Pedrosa 5th.

On lap 5, Andrea Dovizioso made his first move. He passed Marc Marquez to take third but that was not enough: the Italian needed to take 8 points or more away from Marquez; at the time, it was a mere 3. Marquez never looked like fighting back but he maintained the pace and held onto the shirt tails of the leading three at the time.

With Zarco’s lead whittled down to virtually nothing, it was time for the Ducati of Jorge Lorenzo to move ahead. He made short work of Zarco and before long, Andrea Dovizioso followed his so-far-winless teammate, taking 2nd. This now meant that Dovi was taking 7 points off Marquez, 1 shy of the crucial 8 required. This introduced the possibility of two scenarios for the title to be kept alive: Marquez would have to drop back, which would include teammate Dani Pedrosa passing him – an unlikely scenario. The other scenario was Andrea Dovizioso passing his teammate, who, as we have already alluded to, is winless. Would Dovizioso be helped to keep the title alive by Lorenzo? The same multi-million Euro investment Jorge Lorenzo, who is the team’s number 1?

Dovizioso pushed Lorenzo all the way, with the Bologna Bullets blasting off into the distance – over three seconds clear of Johann Zarco who in turn had a massive lead over series leader Marc Marquez.

Perhaps the shock of everything was the fact that there were less riders interfering with Marquez and packing out the places in the order. Back in 2015, Rossi and Lorenzo, as close as it was come the end of the season, hardly met on circuit – either because they were too far out front from each other or there were riders separating them – Silverstone and Phillip Island examples of the latter. On Sunday, there were no signs of Rossi, who looked good in the dry. Likewise, for Petrucci, a demon in the wet – although he suffered a breakdown on the sighting lap. The Suzukis weren’t in the mix and Jack Miller was also out of the top 6. How vital will the lack of interference be at the end of 2017?

We then saw a message from Ducati’s pit crew appear on Lorenzo’s dashboard. “Suggest mapping 8” it read. Whilst we all took to Twitter to ‘suggest’ what “suggest mapping 8” meant, Jorge Lorenzo lost the front of his Ducati at the re-profiled turn 15, allowing Dovizioso to power past Lorenzo and lead across the line. Dovizioso was now in a position where he would take a whole 12 points off Marquez, enough to keep the championship alive.

Dovizioso won for a 6th time in 2017 and Ducati got their first 1-2 since Austria last season, as Lorenzo came home in 2nd – his best result on the GP17. Johann Zarco got his 2nd podium of the season, as he completed the top 3, giving Tech 3 their first taste of champagne in Malaysia.

The championship moves on and heads back to Europe, where all is to play for in what is set to be some of the most high-pressured racing of the season. Who will be the winner of an incredible championship?

Image by: MotoGP

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Moto3 Malaysian Grand Prix Preview: All For Glory and Pride

A magical Joan Mir wrapped up the title Down Under with victory on ‘The Island’ after rain stopped play in the Moto3 race, with his focus now on beating Valentino Rossi’s total number of victories during a single season in the lightweight class.

Joan Mir crashed out of last season’s Malaysian Grand Prix, at turn 7 with four other riders. At the time of the crash he was leading, although it was on a KTM. Mir will be looking to convert his first pole-position of the season on Sunday and hopefully, take his 10th win of the season. Honda haven’t won a lightweight class race at Sepang since 2014, with Efren Vazquez – also the last time a Spaniard won the Moto3 event.

It was only a matter of time before the Spaniard took his first ever championship win and where for fitting to do it than at the track he made his GP debut in 2015. His teammate then? That years world champion Danny Kent of course, on board the same bike.

The Leopard team couldn’t have wished for a better weekend, as Livio Loi came home second to get the team’s first 1-2 finish in the Moto3 class. After his monumental crash at Misano, which left him with a broken collarbone, it was a massive result for the Belgian rider who has had a difficult start to his GP racing career.

So, the pressure is off for Mir as we head to Sepang. Good news for Fenati and co for the rest of the season? I don’t think so. The new world champion will be riding like he has nothing to lose (because he doesn’t), which will only make life harder for the rest of the field.

Moto3 and Sepang then, arguably one of the best tracks on the calendar mixed with a series that never disappoints come race day makes for a very tasty encounter.

Words by Elliott York

Image by MotoGP.com

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MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix Preview: Match Point

Image by HondaProRacing

The Malaysian MotoGP gets underway this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2017 season, at Sepang, approximately 35 miles away from the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Since the switch back to 1000cc motorcycles, Dani Pedrosa has won three times from five races, although last season, it was Italian and current championship challenger, Andrea Dovizioso who took honours. The Malaysian GP has been hosted at three venues in total: the current Sepang circuit since 1999, Johor in 1998 and Shah Alam from 1991-1997. Marc Marquez comes into the weekend with a 33 point lead, after a disastrous Australian GP for rival Dovizioso. This means that a finish in the top two will be enough for Marc Marquez to win the championship, regardless of what ‘Dovi’ does.

With Marquez leading the championship by 33 points, he has to be favourite to take the championship, whether it be in Malaysia or at Valencia in Spain. The Spaniard hasn’t been lower than 2nd since Misano and if you take out Silverstone, the last time he was off the podium would be at Mugello, in June. Marquez won the Malaysian GP in 2014 and also won the 125cc race at Sepang in 2010. However, Marquez crashed in 2015 after him and arch-rival Rossi came to blows and last season, he crashed but remounted to finish 11th. One mistake for Marquez could swing the championship wide open.

Andrea Dovizioso has a simple task: he must beat Marc Marquez by 9 points to keep the championship alive until the Valencian Grand Prix. A race winner at Sepang last season, Dovi has just two other podiums in the premier class at Sepang: in 2008, which was his first ever premier class podium and in 2010, when he was 2nd to Valentino Rossi. Dovizioso hasn’t had back-to-back finishes outside of the top 10 since 2002, at the Sachsenring and Brno. That is a record he will not want to update. Between 2010 and 2016, Dovizioso’s best finish at Sepang was 8th, so it is a track that he hasn’t particularly shone at in the past. Will that change this weekend?

Maverick Vinales returned to the podium at Phillip Island, having been missing from the top three positions since Silverstone in August. The Spaniard was 8th and 6th in 2015 and 2016 respectively at Sepang but will want to consolidate his podium pace this weekend. The last time he had back-to-back podiums was at Le Mans and Mugello, in the first third of the season. Vinales is a winner at Sepang too, taking victory back in 2011 – his first season of racing and his first visit to the track. He also won the Malaysian Moto2 race in 2014 so that proves that he could be a race winner this weekend as well. If he was to win, he’d be the first ever premier class winner at Sepang who has also won a Moto2 race. Vinales can’t mathematically win the championship but he could be just as big an upset.

Valentino Rossi’s heroic ride to 2nd in Australia was his first podium since Silverstone. ‘The Doctor’ hasn’t had back-to-back podiums since the opening three races of the season, an incredible statistic given Valentino still holds 4th in the championship. He has won at Sepang a total of six times in the premier class and won at Shah Alam in 1997. Rossi made his GP debut in 1996 and that was also at Shah Alam, where he finished 6th. Yamaha haven’t had a race win at Sepang since Rossi won their in 2010 but they have also never had a 1-2 at the venue. Rossi is 31 points behind Vinales, meaning he needs to score 7 or more points than him to keep the race for 3rd in the title alive. He is 48 points behind Dovi, meaning nothing less than two wins in the final two races will give Rossi 2nd overall – an unlikely outcome.

Dani Pedrosa was demoted from 4th to 5th in the standings after a dire Australian GP, in which he was 12th. It was the 3rd time in 2017 that Pedrosa had finished a race outside of the top 10, eliminating him from the championship race. Pedrosa has won three times in the past five races at Sepang, making him a hot favourite this weekend. A win for Pedrosa would match Valentino Rossi’s current record of six wins at Sepang. The last time Honda had a double podium was in 2013, a performance they will seek to repeat. Dani Pedrosa hasn’t had back-to-back finishes outside of the top 10 since Donington Park and the Sachsenring in 2001 and he will not want to update that fact. Pedrosa is 14 points behind Rossi.

Johann Zarco has won at Sepang twice, in 2015 and 2016 in Moto2. He was the first rider since Hiroshi Aoyama to achieve this feat. If Zarco was to get on the podium on Sunday, he would be the first Frenchman to stand on a premier class podium at the Malaysian GP since the event started back in 1991. The reigning double Moto2 champion is yet to DNF since the Qatari Grand Prix at the start of the season and has finished every Malaysian GP since 2013 in the points. Tech 3 haven’t had a podium at Sepang in MotoGP, with their best result being 4th, with Ben Spies, back in 2010.

Jorge Lorenzo somehow retains 7th in the championship, despite the Spaniard finishing 15th at the Australian GP. Lorenzo has never won a premier class race at Sepang and will be hoping to become the 4th Ducati rider to win in Malaysia, joining Capirossi, Stoner and Dovizioso. Lorenzo did however win the 2006 250cc race, although that is his only win at the circuit.

Danilo Petrucci missed a huge opportunity to close in on Lorenzo at Phillip Island, with his dire 21st place finish. Petrucci hasn’t had back-to-back finishes outside of the points since Catalunya and Silverstone in 2012, his first season of GP racing. Petrucci was 10th at Sepang last year and 6th in 2015. Teammate Scott Redding has finished every Malaysian GP in the points since 2011 and will yearn for that run to continue.

Cal Crutchlow is 9th in the championship and his 5th place in Australia helped him close in on the battle for 7th overall. Crutchlow has never scored a podium at Sepang and his last back-to-back top 5 finishes came at Aragon and Motegi last season. His best result at the Malaysian GP remains a 5th, from 2015.

10th place in the championship belongs to Jonas Folger but once more, he isn’t racing due to his virus. Michael van der Mark gets his long-awaited opportunity to ride a premier class MotoGP prototype machine and is the German’s replacement this weekend. The Dutchman has been to Sepang before, on a World Superbike Honda Fireblade, where he achieved a 7th and 6th last season and a 5th in 2015.

The factory Aprilia team will be hoping for a change of luck this weekend, as their lead rider, Aleix Espargaro, recovers with a fractured hand and does not take part. That means all eyes will be on Sam Lowes, who has a best result of 13th at Sepang, back in 2015. Last year, Aprilia had a 7th place finish from a row three start, with Alvaro Bautista.

Andrea Iannone’s return to form over the last two GPs have been a welcome return to form for Suzuki too. Iannone hasn’t finished three consecutive races in the top 10 since Brno, the Red Bull Ring and the Sachsenring last year. Suzuki in turn haven’t had three double-top-10s on the bounce since Mugello, Le Mans and Jerez last season.

KTM come off the back of an incredible Australian Grand Prix, where they had their first ever double-top 10. The Austrian manufacturer will be looking to achieve their first back-to-back double-top 10s and possibly even break into the top 8 for the first time ever. Pol Espargaro will be looking to continue his run of top 11 placings and Bradley Smith will hope to achieve his first back-to-back top 10 since Losail and Termas de Rio Hondo in 2016.

Aspar Ducati will be looking to have a change of fortunes after a difficult Australian GP, endured by all Ducati teams. It was the first time Alvaro Bautista had finished a race outside of the points since Brno last year. If he finishes outside of the points again at Sepang, it will be the first time since Austria and the Czech Republic last season that he has done it on consecutive occasions. Karel Abraham was 14th at Phillip Island and has a best finish of 10th at Sepang, back in 2012.

Marc VDS made a welcome return to form at Phillip Island – or one of their riders did. Jack Miller lead the opening laps at home in Australia to the delight of the 36,000 people trackside. His 7th place meant he kept hold of 12th in the championship. Tito Rabat will be hoping to get his first top 10 of the season at Sepang. He won in Moto2 in 2014 and was 3rd in 2015.

Last but by no means least, Avintia Ducati come to Sepang in search of returning to point scoring ways. Both riders were in the top 5 last season, with Barbera beating Baz. The last time the team failed to finish a race in the points on two consecutive occasions was in 2014, at Aragon and Misano.

The championship could be won this weekend with Marc Marquez looking odds on to wrap it up, now he has a 33 point lead. However, as we have seen in British Superbikes this season, a 33 point lead could be slashed if bad luck falls in order. Vinales, Rossi and Pedrosa could all be massive championship upsets on Sunday and after a hardcore ride at Phillip Island, Johann Zarco will be more determined than ever before to mount the podium, after coming so close Down Under. What the weather will do on race day is another question? Could the heavens open and give us a championship fight or will we see Andrea Dovizioso’s championship dreams become drowned out? Time will tell.

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Exclusive: Fraser Rogers Q&A: I Wouldn’t Say I’ve Under Achieved

Back at Brands Hatch, I caught up with ex-Morello Kawasaki rider, Fraser Rogers, to chat to him about this season and his split from the Norfolk-based team. As well as this, he talks of possibly returning to the World Championships and also opens up about whether he has under achieved in 2017.

How has 2017 been – aside from your split with Morello Kawasaki?

It’s been tough; in fact, very tough. I’ve shown that I have the pace to be at the front. I want to stay in the National Superstock 1000 championship in the UK or move up to the European Superstock 1000 class next season. I have some really good offers and I know that I can run at the front. I just need the right people and the right package to make it all come together and make everything work well. I have shown my speed this year but unfortunately, I’ve suffered a lot of bad luck.

Do you think you could go stronger in 2017, given 2016’s stellar season?

I know what Morello will say but if you actually look through the results properly, then you will see that I went faster at near enough every circuit this season than I did last year. If you take out Thruxton and Cadwell Park, then I think you’ll find that I went faster everywhere else. With the likes of Danny Buchan and Richard Cooper dropping down and some of the fast boys coming up, then you will also notice that the overall pace is faster and the depth of talent in the field is a lot stronger.

Did you feel any pressure from Danny Buchan when you was riding at Morello Kawasaki?

I’ve ridden in GPs and world championships and the National Superstock 1000 class and it doesn’t really bother me. Everyone forgets that I’ve known Danny since I was 12-years-old. I’ve raced with him before. He is just a step ahead of me at the moment but that doesn’t mean to say that it won’t change in the future. It has been good being teammates with him this year; there’s been no animosity with him, it’s just been a healthy rivalry. He’s not got to me all season. I’ve had other established teammates in the past.

Do you agree with Steve Buckenham (Morello Kawasaki Team Owner) that you have under achieved in 2017?

I wouldn’t have said that I have massively under achieved. I finished 3rd in the first part of the Donington Park race and I beat Danny Buchan – my teammate – at Silverstone. I also had the fastest lap at Oulton Park earlier in the year. Like I said earlier, I have improved my lap times in 2017 but I’ve had a lot of bad luck this year too.

We didn’t do a lot of testing pre-season, we had four days in Spain but that was it. The four day test was cut short to 1 and a half anyway. I had a some problem and the chain split the engine casings. The team lent my engine to another rider but that also meant that I couldn’t continue, so we just packed up our stuff. We have done the official test this season but not massive amounts of testing elsewhere.

I don’t agree with what Steve has said. I have had a lot of problems this year. I crashed out at Snetterton all on my own but I could’ve been on the podium because my pace was strong. At another round this year, we had a fuel leak. That meant that with three laps to go, I ran out of fuel and then dropped a load of positions. I had a clutch let go on me at Donington Park Part 2 of the 100 mile race whilst running third & at another round, rain cost me a race win whilst I was out on dry tyres. At another round, results were poor due to some other things going on behind closed doors in the team.

I wouldn’t say I’ve under achieved because other wise, I wouldn’t be in the position with the offers that I have on the table now. I have good British offers and offers also in the world championships and also in Moto2. I went to IDM and on a Superstock bike with treaded tyres, I was able to be competitive against Markus Reiterberger who is an ex WSBK rider. My results could’ve been a lot better but I know, in myself, I am good enough to be in a top team. Things just haven’t fallen into place.

After three DNFs before Brands Hatch, or four because I wasn’t riding there, I am 7th in the championship. I went into Brands Hatch knowing that I couldn’t be beaten for 7th in the championship so how does that add up to me under achieving? Especially, in one of the most competitive stock championships in Europe. Steve is a great guy and Morello Racing are a great team but sometimes I just think ‘they aren’t for me’.

What are the reasons behind the split between yourself and Morello Racing?

I don’t really know. The moment I knew about it most was after the Cadwell Park or Silverstone race. Obviously, some things were said by Steve and I kind of knew then that things had run their course.

Morello Kawasaki have been brilliant with me this last 18 months and I would like to thank them for that chance. Chris Sayle gets on with me really well and that is a shame when myself and Steve just didn’t see eye-to-eye most of the time. It wasn’t very harmonious at all and the short and the long of it was I just wasn’t enjoying riding the bike or being in and around the team anymore, at which point its best to go our separate ways.

What does the future hold for Fraser Rogers now?

I’ve had a really good offer in National Superstock 1000 and likewise in the European Superstock 1000 championship. With Moto2 being confirmed for 2018, that is also an option, especially after I rode for the Fab Racing guys at Brands Hatch. If I can prove myself on a GP-spec bike then that is also an option. I want to end up back in the world championships so it is a logical step.

I would also like to thank all my sponsors for making this season happen, as without them I wouldn’t be racing so I cant thank these guys enough. Simon Whatley from SRS Rail Systems UK,
Matt and James Cox from Swindon Karting Arena, Fibros Promotional Print, Gary from Planet 4, my family and everyone else thats helped me along the way. 2018 awaits us!

Image by: Peter Backhurst

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Moto2 Australian GP Review: Oliveira and Binder make History

Miguel Oliveira took the Australian GP by storm, taking his first Moto2 victory by three seconds to take KTM’s first win in Moto2. The record breaking continued behind, as teammate Brad Binder took his first ever podium in the intermediate class as his rookie year continues to get better, following a tough, injury-hit start to the season. This was South Africa’s first podium in the intermediate class since Mario Rademayer in 1985, in South Africa. Franco Morbidelli was third and maintained his title aspirations, extending his lead in the title race on main rival Tom Lüthi, who had a tough day to come home tenth, following two big crashes through the weekend.

Oliveira who took the hole-shot down to turn one, with pole-sitter Mattia Pasini losing out and Binder moving up into second. Pasini was as low as 7th after a tentative start. Morbidelli slotted into third, with Dominique Aegerter moving into fourth. Lüthi got a good start and shot up into sixth, moving around the outside as he attempted to get in the fight at the front of the field from way down on the grid.

The pack then started to swap places but a massive crash for Marcel Schrötter collected Pasini and sent Aegerter out on the grass – as Oliveira started pulling away at the front. The crash continued Pasini’s run of never scoring a point at Phillip Island in the intermediate class. Morbidelli’s teammate, Alex Marquez, had a huge moment as Lüthi began to struggle. The top three of Oliveira, Binder and Morbidelli found themselves in clear air. Morbidelli and Binder started swapping places, handing Oliveira an advantage of six seconds with seven laps to go.

Takaaki Nakagami was the man on the charge in the middle of the race, closing in on the leading three before passing both Binder and Morbidelli. The South African and the Italian exchanged some tough passes and spectacular moves yet again, in what looked set to be a hard-fought battle over the last place on the podium. However, it began to rain, meaning the rain flag came out near the end of the race. Oblivious to the situation, Nakagami slid out at Lukey Heights as he chased down Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese rider crossed the line almost three seconds clear, with Binder setting the fastest lap on the penultimate lap to take second and Morbidelli a safe third.

Jesko Raffin was an extraordinary surprise in fourth, ahead of yet another fine performance from Motegi podium finisher, Xavi Vierge. Alex Marquez recovered from his moment early in the race to take sixth, ahead of veteran Italian, Simone Corsi. Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter rode a solid race after drama early on, finishing ahead of Sandro Cortese and a struggling Lüthi.

Axel Pons, Francesco Bagnaia and fellow VR46 rider Stefano Manzi were 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. 2016 San Marino GP winner, Lorenzo Baldassarri was 14th, despite dislocating his shoulder (again) on Saturday. Remy Gardner completed the points, giving the home fans something to cheer.

Image by: MotoGP

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