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The Show Begins: Qatar FP1 Already in the Books as We Sort Out the Contenders

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Several riders have told the media in Qatar that this could be the most competitive MotoGP series in a long time.  Not only have new faces appeared near the top of the time sheets in testing, a single second blankets 10 riders, or more, in much of the pre-season testing.

Round 1 in Qatar is already underway with the first free practice completed earlier today. Tomorrow, more free practice will be followed by qualifying for the race on Saturday.

So many interesting stories will play out this year. How does Marc Marquez follow last year’s act … a record 13 wins? Can anyone keep pace with Marquez after the shock of his dominance has worn off?

While Rossi and Lorenzo have been the obvious rivals to Marquez in the past (with Pedrosa sometimes in the mix), the riders themselves expect some new faces to join the battle at the front this year.

Everyone is talking about the remarkable resurgence of Ducati during pre-season testing, taking the first and third fastest laps at Qatar a couple of weeks ago. Suzuki is in the mix, as well, reaching into the top 10 lap times more than once. Both of these teams will have a huge advantage during qualifying when they can run a softer rear tire than the full factory teams. We may see a Ducati on pole quite frequently, beginning in Qatar.

The problem for Ducati in the past has been tire life during the race.  There is some indication that they have solved this with the new GP15 bike beneath Dovizioso and Iannone, who did their fastest laps during testing on the harder tire (a medium, actually) available to all teams. The Qatar race should tell us whether this is the case, or not.

Two riders get factory Honda MotoGP bikes this year for the first time in their careers, and each of them believes they should be fighting at the front. Those riders are Cal Crutchlow and Scott Redding. Although Crutchlow and Redding may not quite be ready to battle for a podium in Qatar, you can bet they will become more familiar with their new machines, and faster, each week.

Interesting sub-plots include the battle of the Espargaro brothers (elder Aleix on the new Suzuki and Pol on a factory-level Yamaha), and the battle to be quickest on the “Open” class Honda led by Nicky Hayden, rookie Jack Miller and Karel Abraham (who has been surprisingly quick in testing).

Rookies Jack Miller and Maverick Viñales (aboard a Suzuki) are each just 20 years old. Miller jumped all the way from Moto3 to MotoGP, and Viñales has been nearly as quick as Aleix Espargaro on the other Suzuki.

Although Marquez was quickest in FP1, most of the riders completed less than 15 laps, and many clearly were not going for a quick time (tuning their race set-up). We will publish the times recorded in qualifying Saturday.

19 Comments

  1. mickey says:

    3 Ducatis in first 5 including pole
    2 hondas 2 nd and 3rd
    Yamahas 6,7 and 8

    Can’t wait for tomorrow

  2. Norm G. says:

    desmo dovi on pole…!

    (asterisk, soft tire)

    • Martin says:

      So will it come down to the tire, or the skill of the rider, that determines the winner? Hours away from the start of the race and I’m already on the edge of my seat!

      • VLJ says:

        The skill of the rider can’t overcome a shot tire. Dovi often qualified well last year, too, only to fade mid-race. He won’t fade as badly or as often this season, but his qualifying times relative to the Factory rides must be taken with a grain of salt. His soft tire does give him a beneficial starting position, though. You can be certain that Rossi and Lorenzo would love to have the benefit of a front-row start, never mind pole.

        • Norm G. says:

          VLJ, you’re a gentleman and a scholar, and not only do you have you’re index finger on the “mechanics of racing”…? but also the bloody “submit comment” button. 🙂

      • Norm G. says:

        Q: “So will it come down to the tire, or the skill of the rider, that determines the winner?”

        A: well, my Law of NATCORK teaches us the folly of continuing to place emphasis on “human factors”, when here in 21st Century MotoGP the machines they circulate on now cost upwards of $5 million dollars.

        that points then to the “inanimate objects”, ie. to the tyre.

        since the Hondas have proven at Qatar (much like Indianapolis) they are the only chassis that can fit the new Hard “heat resistor” compound and make it work. that means come 1/2 race distance, though visually you might SEE a dozen or so bikes on the track and in the camera shots…? the Repsols (and thus the people on them) are actually the only bikes left in the “race”.

  3. Martin says:

    Any passing at turn 1 during the race should be interesting. With the top guys going 215mph down the straight, “late on the brakes” takes on new meaning!

  4. Marty O says:

    At least Moto GP is on TV:) Not live, but hey, it’s on! Yeah baby. Don’t tell me who wins 🙂

  5. mickey says:

    Lot of talent right there. Impressive.

    If free practice is any indication of what we can look forward to, it’s going to be exciting indeed.

    Qualifying tomorrow… Yea baby!

    Btw the race is on Fox Sports 2 at 2:00 pm in my time zone

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “Btw the race is on Fox Sports 2”

      cue huddle masses discovering this is not Fox Sports 1.

  6. Vrooom says:

    Just having Ducati on the podium will add some excitement to the mix. The Honda/Yamaha dominance gets a bit old. Suzuki seems like they’ll be there soon enough too, maybe not so much this year and likely the lowest step.

  7. Norm G. says:

    Q: Can anyone keep pace with Marquez after the shock of his dominance has worn off?

    A: no.

  8. Norm G. says:

    re: “Several riders have told the media in Qatar that this could be the most competitive MotoGP series in a long time.”

    blah, blah, blah, if had a nickel. no worries, been participating/watching for decades. no “artificial incentives” are needed to get me to tune in from one year to the next.

    • Brian says:

      based on the results of the race, care to consider retracting that comment at least for 1 weekend?

  9. Bill says:

    No mechanical malfunctions, no injuries, just good close racing as a function of skill, luck, and determination…..setting DVR season pass now

  10. Alex says:

    I envy these lads. What else rivals the piloting of these bikes around these tracks? What’s a bigger thrill? Perhaps the IOMTT and other road races like it? Regardless, it’s a living dream to be at this level. I hope everyone stays healthy and can participate to their full potential. As they say, the stage is set…”

    • bikerrandy says:

      Racing in the IoM Manx TT is a death wish…….proven way too many times. Maybe as a spectator it’s great, but as a participant…………?

      • Scotty says:

        Most racers at the TT will survive it- its a unique challenge thats unmatched anywhere. I rode around the course a few times in 2000 and saw some of the greatest racers everthere. It calls for different skills from MotoGP and thats to be respected, just like climbing Everest without oxygen requires different skills from climbing El Capital.

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