The new MotoGP season will start at Losail International Circuit this weekend.
World's best riders are eyeing to start their season on a high as Qatar's Losail International Circuit is set to kick start the 2017 MotoGP season this weekend.
The year 2016 was a history maker of nine different winners, Independent Team glory and another incredible Championship win for Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez – despite what had seemed like an incredible hurdle to climb as preseason came to a close.
But 2017 is the deepest grid ever, with ten World Champions sharing 29 titles between them - some gearing up to add to their legends, some wanting to start writing them – and an unbelievable total of 197 premier class victories shared by the class of 2017.
Last year was then, and this is now.
Pre-season has given some incredible indications of the new season.
Stealing the headlines has been Movistar Yamaha MotoGP newcomer Maverick Vinales – who topped every test – as team-mate Valentino Rossi seemed to struggle more to unlock the potential of the package, with a deficit to his team-mate on the timesheets. Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) has made huge leaps forward in red, “aero-fairings” have come calling as wings get banned, and there has been a rider shuffle across half the grid.
Rewind a year and Repsol Honda Team were facing down what looked like would be a tough season.
This year, both reigning champions Marc Marquez and team-mate Dani Pedrosa have been much happier in preseason, despite some crashes for the rider from Cervera. Marquez’ record at Losail is good – two podiums and a win from four races in the premier class – but the Spaniard says the track is not suited to the Honda, and wrapped up the test in Qatar wanting to fight for the podium under the floodlights.
Team-mate Pedrosa has had a tougher time at Losail, but the ‘Baby Samurai’ shone during testing throughout winter.
With Vinales out front in every test, only one other rider has been in the top five overall at Sepang, Phillip Island and Losail – Pedrosa.
After a tough start to 2016 followed by that stunning win in Misano, progress for the Spaniard is still very much an upward curve.
An upward curve is something mirrored by old nemesis Jorge Lorenzo. Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso has concentrated on development and testing parts for the new campaign – with positive results – whilst Lorenzo has simply focused on adaptation.
That has paid off, with the ‘Spartan’ moving up from well outside the top ten to complete the top four overall at the close of action in the #QatarTest. ‘DesmoDovi’ has a good podium record at Losail International Circuit and the Desmosedici goes well at the venue – but Lorenzo is the king of the desert.
Six victories for the ‘Spartan’ – half of which have been in the premier class – make for good reading ahead of the season opener.
Rossi’s last win at Losail was in 2015 in a stunning season opener. After a difficult preseason, the ‘Doctor’ will be hoping for the hand to fall as it did on Day 2 of the Qatar Test, which saw the Italian shoot up the timesheets as track conditions were favourable.
The timesheets aside, the rider from Tavullia is also a Sunday specialist – and always has been. Points are awarded on race day, and the veteran of the field knows that fact well.
Vinales is at the other end of the spectrum of experience. But with two seasons in the premier class under his belt and a full house of being the fastest man in testing, the young gun seems one to beat. On potential alone, the trophy has a name penciled on it.
Some of the others making a switch for 2017 are former Losail podium finisher Andrea Iannone and rookie Alex Rins at Team Suzuki Ecstar, Aleix Espargaro and rookie Sam Lowes at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini , and reigning Moto2 Champion Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 as the Independent Team take on two newcomers to the premier class.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are also ready to race, after a long period of testing and a huge amount of data gathered in preseason. The Austrian factory now look down the barrel of their first outing with Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith as they line up full time – also becoming the only manufacturer to have a presence on each grid – MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3.
It’s been a long winter, but 2017 really does start now. The lights go out in Qatar on Sunday – when the flag drops, and the talking stops.
Moto2 is another strong field once again in 2017, with a huge amount of competition ready to hit the gas in Qatar.
Last year’s title contenders like Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) will be looking to get off to a flier first time out, as well as the guys who are looking to join that fight: Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) and 2014 Moto3 World Champion Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). 25 points per race starts at Losail, regardless of the pressure that amps up throughout the season.
With Brad Binder gone to Moto2, there will be a new champion in the lightweight class in 2017 – and the impressive rookies of 2016 are sure to be some of the first to get in gear when the lights go out in Qatar.
Rookie of the Year Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and podium finishers Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), and Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) are now sophomores spoiling for a fight – as well as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), as the Italian comes back from a collarbone break in pre-season.
