MotoGP 2011

In recent years there has been drudgery from certain quarters associated with the start of a new MotoGP season. The successes of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa led to many taking the approach that races would be dominated by the quartet and that no one else would have a chance of challenging even for the podium.

The normal service of recent years could be easily forgotten once the season starts with the MotoGP class now dominated by change rather than the uniformity of recent years. These changes have seen Rossi and Stoner, the two most successful riders of the 80cc era, change teams and a genuine belief that riders such as Ben Spies and Marco Simoncelli can ruffle some feathers at the front of the field.

The summer of last year was dominated by the exciting news that Rossi was to leave Yamaha and join Ducati in a marriage of Italian motorcycling royalty. Winter testing though has shown that the honeymoon is already over and that a challenging year is set to ensue for Valentino. After dominating the premier class for the best part of a decade Rossi has left the familiar confines of Yamaha, his home from 2004, and jumped into the pressure cooker that is life with Ducati.

Since coming into the 500cc class, in 2000, Valentino has been working with Jeremy Burgees and their relationship is one of the most successful in racing history. The transformation that ensued when Rossi joined Yamaha, from also ran to world champions in just one season, has led many to believe that a similar story of success can occur at Ducati. With the severe testing restrictions in place, not to mention that Rossi is still far from 100% fitness, it is likely that while he will win races the title will be a step too far in his quest for a tenth world title.

Last season was dominated by Rossi’s former teammate, Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard added the premier class title to his brace of 250cc crowns but this year will be a much greater struggle for the maturing Majorcan. In his first two seasons in MotoGP Lorenzo was rightly viewed as an exceptionally rapid rider but his inability to consistently grind out results was also apparent.

Crashes were part and parcel of the Lorenzo experience. His huge high sides as a rookie were some of the most incredible images in the history of the sport but last season he turned a corner and was metonymically consistent. He took nine wins and stood on the rostrum in all but two races. The tendency to crash was almost completely eradicated from his season with just three crashes throughout 2010.

The development of Lorenzo as a racer was almost complete but the next chapter of his career will give a much greater insight into whether he can continue to win titles in such style. For the first three years of his MotoGP career Lorenzo has been able to count on Rossi and Burgees to develop the M1 but that responsibility will now fall firmly on his shoulders. Can he handle that pressure? For fans of Lorenzo that is the biggest question in their minds.

There is no doubt that he has the speed and ability to understand what his bike is doing but to drive the development of a factory team is a laborious task and while Lorenzo is an intelligent and thoughtful person only time will tell if he has the ability to develop a bike. Until he can prove this ability the shadow of Rossi at Yamaha will loom large for Lorenzo.

Ben Spies will also be looking to loom large in the mind of Lorenzo. The Texan had a superb rookie season in 2010; able to tick numerous boxes, pole position, podium finishes etc, in his development as a Grand Prix racer. The reward for his successful adaption to prototype machinery was a factory Yamaha contract in place of Rossi.

Spies still has a lot of room for improvement but his rookie season was one of the most impressive in recent years. Just like Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo Spies showed that he had the speed to race at the front of the class but unlike Stoner and Lorenzo he also displayed terrific consistency with top five finishes in all but one race during the second half of the season. He still needs to improve his pace at the start of races but there is little reason to believe that the former World Superbike champion cannot make that adjustment in the coming year.

Race wins seem all but inevitable for the number 11 Yamaha who has long been viewed as a potential front runner in the premier class but it is how he compares to Lorenzo that will give the best indication as to whether Spies can join the elite crowd at the front of the field.

That elite crowd looks set to be headed by a pair of Repsol Hondas. Stoner has been exceptionally fast throughout winter testing and the newly developed RCV212 looks to be the pacesetter heading into the new season. Stoner’s reputation has taken a battering in recent years. His bout of illness in 2009 led many within the sport to question his toughness while last season was punctuated with a series of high speed crashes that robbed him of a chance to compete for the title.

I have long believed that Stoner is the fastest rider in the MotoGP paddock and that it was grossly unfair that his health problems were viewed negatively by so many respected in the sport. His trials of last season will not be quickly forgotten but it is worth remembering that Casey dominated at times last season aboard the difficult Ducati.

Armed with a lightening quick Honda the 2007 world champion will be very tough to beat. He is ready to add to his only title and the speed and consistency of 2007 could easily be repeated this season. Stoner, for me at least, starts the season as the title favourite and the man to beat. He looks as confident as ever and is riding beautifully. Last season he reached a point where he clearly started to think that “I’m racing to win, podiums do not matter to me unless I am on the top step.” He showed breathtaking speed at some of the closing races, Philip Island in particular, and that is the Casey Stoner that will be racing this year. Fast, committed and hard to beat.

Pedrosa will face the biggest challenge of his career. In the past he was clearly viewed as HRC’s chosen son and was given every opportunity to succeed for the Japanese firm. Consistently he was found wanting in terms of winning the title but last year the diminutive Spaniard clearly turned a corner and looked to be a much more complete racer.

The manner in which Pedrosa overcame the early season handling problems that afflicted him in 2010 to mount a serious title challenge is very encouraging for the year ahead. Throughout last summer Pedrosa was able to stalk Lorenzo and consistently draw closer to his compatriot at the head of the standings. His crash at Laguna Seca gave Lorenzo breathing room and the crash at Motegi, after a mechanical failure, effectively sealed the title for Yamaha rider.

This season will give Pedrosa the chance to go toe to toe with Stoner once more and whereas in the past it would have seemed inevitable that Pedrosa would not be able to mount a season long challenge, now it is far from unthinkable. Pedrosa has always had the ability to win on any bike but now he has the mindset to challenge consistently. He could challenge for a first premier class title this year but, as things stand right now, Stoner has the edge in the Repsol squad.

It is easy to forget that Andrea Dovizioso is also racing alongside Stoner and Pedrosa for Honda. The Italian will start his fourth season in the class under a terrific strain. His form in 2010 was solid but it was also clear that he was unwanted by Honda’s top brass for this year with only his performance clauses allowing him to stay in Repsol colours instead of moving to the Gresini squad as HRC had wished.

Dovizioso is a talented racer but the speed of his development in the top class has been found wanting. The upcoming year will make or break his career. If he can prove that he spent the first three years honing his craft he could still have a future with Honda. If however he continues to prove that he is only capable of finishing in the top five he will have no future with a factory team and will be moving down the grid next season.

The Italian’s form in MotoGP is very different to what was expected of him. He dominated 125cc racing and took the 2004 world title before moving to the 250cc class and competing with Lorenzo for the title even though the Honda was utterly outclassed by the Aprilia. When he came to MotoGP much was expected of him, to have won only once is a shocking performance from a rider with genuine talent and ability.

While Dovizioso’s star is on the wane with Honda Marco Simoncelli’s is most certainly on the rise. The former 250cc champion started last season looking as wild as ever but by the mid summer break he looked much more confident and finished the year in fine style with a string of strong performances.

Winter testing has seen his good form continue, including topping the Sepang test times, and the Gresini rider looks set to have a competitive year aboard a full factory Honda. Simoncelli has the potential to make riding a MotoGP bike look effortless but whereas at times in the past he has looked restless on the bike as he harries and hustles it around a track, now he is riding with precision. The change has seen him become a dark horse to contend for race wins and challenge Spies as the next rider to join the “fab four” at the front of the field.

Simoncelli will be joined at Gresini by his former 250cc sparring partner, Hiroshi Aoyama. The Japanese rider had a fraught rookie season in MotoGP with injuries forcing him to miss numerous races. This season will give a much greater indication as to whether the likeable Japanese rider can compete in MotoGP. If he can stay injury free there is no doubt that he will have some strong races but it is likely that he will be outclassed by his teammate throughout the season.

Inaugural Moto2 champion, Toni Elias, will return to MotoGP with the LCR Honda team. Elias went to Moto2 with a reputation as a fast but unreliable rider. He returns to the premier class with a new found respect within the paddock after dominating the new intermediate class. In the past Elias had shown flashes of his talent, most notably his 2006 Portuguese GP victory, but last year consistency was the hallmark of his title success.

The Spaniard will replace Randy de Puniet at LCR and he will have some substantial boots to fill. Last year De Puniet was one of the year’s surprise packages with a series of incredible qualifying performances and strong races. An unfortunate crash at the Sachsenring saw Randy suffer a broken leg and ended any hopes of continuing his season in such strong form. The Frenchman will move to the Pramac team this year and ride a Ducati. In many ways it can be viewed as a backwards step but when you factor in that the Ducati will be developed by Rossi and Burgees it is clear that Randy has potentially made a superb decision to defect from LCR to Pramac. His talent went unrewarded for years but now he is getting the recognition that he deserves and this season could offer the 30 year a great opportunity to cement his position as one of the fastest riders in the world.

There are just two rookies in the class this season with the majority of attention focused on former World Supersport champion, Cal Crutchlow. The Englishman will replace Spies at Tech 3 and much will be expected of him. His adaptation to a World Superbike last year was impressive and included taking a string of pole positions but the move to GP racing is a huge step.

Crutchlow will be under pressure to follow in the footsteps of Spies, and not fall into the traps that claimed James Toseland. It will be exceptionally difficult for Cal to make the move into MotoGP but throughout testing he has looked assured on the bike and displayed the raw speed that has always been evident. It would be asking far too much for him to have a rookie year like Spies, the Texan had the benefit of a lot more Superbike experience, but if Crutchlow can show his true potential in some qualifying sessions and races he will have done enough to show that he belongs on the MotoGP grid.

When Karel Abraham announced that he was moving to MotoGP there was a wide held belief that it was another illustration of how much money talks in the GP paddock at present. The Czech rider had done absolutely nothing to show himself as anything more than a wealthy racer but at the last five races of the year he showed a huge amount of progress and took a stunning first victory at the final race of the season at Valencia. He will face a huge uphill task to be competitive in MotoGP but at least he showed that he has enough talent to win a Grand Prix.

The new season will kick off this weekend under the lights of Qatar with an expectation for a return to form for the premier class. There is no reason why this should not be one of the best seasons in recent years with numerous interesting storylines set to play out.

Angel Nieto, Carlo Ubbiali, Jorge Martinez, Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and a host of motorcycle racing’s biggest names all were crowned champions in the 125cc class. This year the venerable class will get its own chequered flag before morphing into the new four-stroke Moto3 class in 2012.
The new season will see 26 permanent riders take to the grid when the season opens in Qatar with last season’s vice champion, Nico Terol, staying in the class for one last shot at winning the world title. Terol is an exceptionally gifted rider and possibly the most intelligent racer of the smallest class in recent years.

Consistency has long been a trademark of the Spaniard with 14 podium finishes in the 16 races that he contested in 2010 a testament to his ability to grind out results. Last year much was expected of the former Spanish champion and if not for a crash in the Catalan Grand Prix he would have been well placed to pip Marc Marquez for the crown.

That crash in Barcelona was the only retirement of his season and in the only other race that he failed to finish on the podium, the British Grand Prix, Terol finished fourth. If he can carry that speed and consistency into the coming season there is no one in the class with the experience to match Terol.

Riding once more for the Aspar team Terol will be armed with the best bike on the grid. His economical style is not as flamboyant as some on the grid but the character of Terol’s racing is in the detail. His constant ability to get the very maximum out his machine has always been apparent and while many felt it was inevitable that he would move to Moto2 the draw of winning the final 125cc title proved too much.

The weight of expectation has weighed heavily on riders who stay on 125’s for too long but it would be a huge upset if anyone can stop a third consecutive Spanish 125cc title winner.

Sergio Gadea has won three times in the 125cc class and the Spaniard will step down from Moto2 for the chance to challenge Terol for the title. Gadea is a talented rider who has finished fifth in the championship standings twice. His experience will be hugely beneficial and he should be able to consistently race at the front for the Paris Hilton backed Blusens-SMX team.

Sandro Cortese looks ready to make the next step in his career but the German will need to iron out his consistency issues if he is to stand a chance in challenging the likes of Terol for the title. Speed is not an issue for Cortese but he has consistently found a way to come up short during races. That will need to change this year for him to have even a chance of competing. He has the potential to challenge for the title but it is more likely that he will take a few race wins but fail to maintain a title assault.

Frenchman Johann Zarco ended 2010 with three non-finishes but the 20 year old showed flashes that he could be a title contender in 2010. Even though he has still to stand on a GP podium he will replace Marquez aboard the Ajo Derbi and as a result is not a contender to be taken lightly. The squad has also taken Mike di Meglio to the title in recent years and clearly know how to get the maximum from a 125cc machine.

Zarco, and teammate Efren Vazquez, showed a lot of improvement last year and the pair look primed to have a very good season. If they can get their season off to a strong start in the opening four rounds they will be a consistent challenger to Terol.

The Ajo team will also race Danny Kent and Jonas Folger in the class. The pair are two of the most exciting youngsters in the GP paddock and Kent looks like he could be a terrific asset to the team. Last year, racing the woefully uncompetitive Lambretta, Kent caught the eye with a series of strong performances in the last five races of the season. In 2009 Folger looked unbelievable but the young German struggled to adapt to life in his second year on the Grand Prix trail. He will come to Ajo armed with more experience and ready to race at the front. He will be a contender for race wins but he does not have the consistency to match the likes of Terol over the course of a full season.

The 125cc class has always been great for unearthing talent. Whether it was the likes of Pol Espargaro or Marc Marquez in recent years the class allows young riders to shine. Terol will, rightly, start the year as title favourite but in the pack of riders unknowns will emerge and become stars. The issue for the youngsters will be to do it on a consistent basis and with that in mind it is all but impossible to look past Terol when one thinks of who will end the year as the final world champion that this terrific class will produce.

pdbhp wrote: »

Pedrosa, gonna be fast as usual but his inconsistancy throughout the yeard will tell again this season.

I think last year Pedrosa showed a lot of people, including myself, that he can have a complete season and challenge for the title. In the past he always had a tendency for having an off weekend but last year he was pretty impressive.

If you look at where he was in Qatar-the bike was clearly struggling-he turned it around very quickly and by the summer he was the form man in the championship. He made a few mistakes, Laguna Seca being the obvious one, but apart from that I cant recall any other significant mistakes. Last year Lorenzo was incredibly conisistent but in any other year Dani's performances would have seen him run the champion very close

pdbhp wrote: »

Dovisoso, sorry to see him demoted from the full factory Honda team but his pace in ore season shows real promise and he could do well this season

Dovi is still a factory Honda rider, Repsol has expanded to three bikes for this season.

pdbhp wrote: »

Last year he was more consistant and true enough the start of the season was not good to him, its just that I feel he has underperformed for far too long, his attitude and sour face don't help him either.
I was at Donington Park in 2006 when he won the race, he didn't seem over extactic about it and there was a fair few Pedrosa fans there.

He definitely has underperformed in MotoGP, i remember him in 250s especially and he is probably the best 250 rider I have ever seen, but I think this year he could be a real contender. Its his last chance to win it with Honda, they will clearly support Casey going forward, so motivation shouldnt be an issue this year for him!

I'd definitely agree about his attitude, I think that Alberto Puig puts too tight a leash on Dani and I'd love to see more of his personality shine through.

pdbhp wrote: »

Yes but he's been demoted to third rider with the other two riders probably getting first dibs on new parts (even thought that doesn't always equate to success).

Regardless of previous results / opinions it's looking like it could be a great year, anyone of the front 6 or more could challenge for the championship.

Dovi, and probably Simoncelli, will be a step behind Dani and Casey but neither has showed that they deserve to get first dibs on anything. Dovi has shown flashes but in his first three years in the class he has always looked good but not exceptional. Simoncelli showed a lot of promise at the end of last year and he is clearly much higher on Honda's list of priorities. Its unfortunate for Dovi because in 125 and 250s he looked like he could be a real contender in MotoGP but you have to get the results to get to the head of a factory queue.

Gotta agree with you about the coming season it's going to be fantastic!

It's just been confirmed that the Japanese round has been postponed due to the earthquake and tsunami. It should be rearranged for October though

This is my race preview for this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix, in relation to the predictions part anyone that knew the week I had at Cheltenham would be advised to take these tips with a silo full of salt!!

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The winter wait is almost over and on Sunday the Losail International Circuit will play host to round one of the MotoGP season.

Qatar held its first MotoGP in 2004 and since then it has become a permanent fixture on the calendar. While the circuit has failed to win the hearts of local fans, attendance was a paltry 7302 in 2010; the organisers have been able to win over Dorna with large cheques and the unique spectacle of night racing.

The circuit measures 5.38km but in all that length there are very few true tests for riders. The majority of the lap is spent short shifting from second to third gear as riders drive out of one bland corner into another. The challenge therefore is find a setup that allows the rider to get on the power smoothly and keep tyre wear to a minimum.

The main overtaking points are at the end of kilometre long front straight into the second gear first corner. There are also genuine opportunities to pass into the double apex right hander at turn four and five. The other opportune overtaking area is into the slowest corner of the track, turn six.
When you think of Qatar and MotoGP one man stands out above all others: Casey Stoner. The 2007 world champion absolutely loves the Losail circuit and a cursory glance at his results shows why. The Australian is a four time winner at the circuit, with three coming in the MotoGP class. He also took his first premier class pole position at the track in his rookie season of 2006. Stoner has never qualified off the front row in Qatar and judging by his dominant testing form he stands a great chance of opening his victory account with Repsol Honda this weekend.

While Casey has been the dominant rider at the track he will still have to banish the demons from last season’s crash while leading the race and looking set for a comfortable win. That race set the tone for his season. From that point on he suffered arguably his worst season. Crashes became a regular occurrence in the opening races and while he sprinkled his year with some dominant victories there can be no doubt that his failure to win the season opener had a dramatic effect on his confidence and his title challenge.

Stoner will face some stiff competition in the form of his teammate, Dani Pedrosa. The diminutive Spaniard looked sharp at the final preseason test, held earlier this week in Qatar. Last year showed that Dani is ready to add consistency to his undoubted speed but it is crucial that he can assert some authority over Stoner during the early races or else the focus of the Repsol team could easily shift towards the Australian.

In the past there were questions asked about Pedrosa’s mental strength but last year’s successes will have removed much of the doubt in relation to his perceived weakness. The only thing that Dani will have to prove this year is how he handles himself against a teammate who is just as fast as him. Throughout his career in the junior ranks, with the exception of his rookie 125cc season, Dani was the sole focus of his teams.

In his Telefonica backed 125 and 250cc days Pedrosa never faced a challenge from his teammates and was able to drive the team forward in the direction that he desired. Even when he came to MotoGP it was a similar story for Pedrosa. Honda had designated him as their lead rider and Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso played second fiddle to Dani. With Stoner coming into the team this year it is arguable that this is the last chance for Pedrosa to win the title for HRC. If he fails this year the team’s balance of power could easily shift to Stoner for the next few years.

It is strange to say but reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo will start the year behind Stoner in the pecking order. Last year Lorenzo penned one of the most consistent seasons in memory and was a thoroughly deserving champion. The Spaniard married his incredible speed with new found maturity and the huge crashes that blighted his first two MotoGP seasons became a thing of the past.

His past performances at Qatar have been second to none; he has always stood on the podium and like Stoner he has never started off the front row of the grid. Taking three wins at the circuit and starting from pole position on his MotoGP debut shows his speed at Losail but last year’s race showed his courage. Racing with a badly injured right hand, following a minibike crash, Lorenzo battled from third on the grid to finish second, just one second behind Valentino Rossi, and get his title winning season off to a great start. Before the race Lorenzo was barely able to shake hands with people but once on the bike he produced, arguably, the bravest ride of his career.

There will be no needs for such bravery this year but the Spaniard will face a gargantuan struggle to compete with the Hondas. The Yamaha, as ever, is lacking top speed and Stoner and Pedrosa look primed and ready to battle for the win. The one thing that Lorenzo has on his side is that his race craft always sees him get faster at the end of races. He maintains tyre life better than anyone on the grid and depending on the conditions during the race that could be the ace up his sleeve.

Valentino Rossi has looked all at sea in testing. The Italian has struggled to set competitive lap times aboard his new Ducati but it is worth noting that he has had to ride at less than 100% throughout testing. This weekend will be the first time that we see Valentino riding at his maximum and it will be very interesting to see how he fares. It has always been foolish to write Rossi and Jeremy Burgees off and if they can get their bike at anywhere approaching a competitive position then you still have to believe that Valentino can make the difference.

Ben Spies, on the other hand, should have a perfect bike throughout the weekend. The American has moved to the factory Yamaha squad as teammate to Lorenzo. He should be very quick this weekend and while a win would be asking too much of him challenging for the podium looks to be a realistic target for Spies.

Behind the leading lights this should be an illuminating race for the likes Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli. Both are factory Honda riders but if testing is anything to go by their careers are heading on different paths. Simoncelli flew in testing and has garnered a lot of support from the Japanese manufacturer while Dovizioso had to fight tooth and nail for his contract to be honoured by Honda for the coming season.

Dovizioso finished third last year and a repeat performance by the Italian would be quite surprising. This is a pivotal season for the former 125cc champion and it is crucial to get it off on the right note. His compatriot on the other hand can bed himself into his factory role with a solid top six finish and look to improve throughout the season. Simoncelli will be blisteringly quick at some races this season but it would be surprising if he took the fight to Stoner and Pedrosa this weekend; the Repsol duo just look too dominant right now.



The Moto2 class is incredibly competitive and this race should be the best of the weekend. There is much to be intrigued by the intermediate class and this weekend we will get our initial answers as to who will be competitive and who has their work cut out for them in 2011.

Much of the attention will be centred on Marc Marquez. The 18 year old Spaniard won the 125cc championship last season and moves up to the class with a huge expectation from his homeland. Can he follow in the footsteps of Dani Pedrosa and win first time out on his “middle class” debut? It would be asking a lot of Marquez and a top five finish would be a great start to his season. Marquez has looked very fast in testing and as a result it would be surprising if he does not qualify at the sharp end of the grid.

The racing in Moto2 is exceptionally close and for Marquez and the other rookies it will be an eye opening experience. Pol Espargaro though should be right at home in the class. The young Spaniard is one of the most aggressive riders in the paddock and throughout the weekend it would be wise to keep one eye on him.

Andrea Iannone though should start the race as the favourite to take the chequered flag, even though he struggled in the desert last year finished over 30 seconds adrift of the race winner. The Italian though developed through the year into a genuine contender and was the main competition Toni Elias faced on a race-by-race basis. Iannone will race for a new team in 2011 but he should be able to maintain his startling form from last year. He was the only man to break away from the pack and win races last season and a similar disappearing act should not be discounted for this weekend.

Julian Simon will look to keep Iannone in check and the Spaniard, racing for Aspar, will be a championship contender. After starting 2010 hampered by a poor RSV chassis Simon grew in confidence throughout the year to such an extent that the former 125cc champion will be very confident of adding another world title to his trophy cabinet. He has struggled at Qatar in the past but it would be surprising to see him open the season with anything less than a podium finish.

Scott Redding will also be expected to maintain his form from testing and the second half of 2010. The Englishman has looked in great form over the course of the winter and he should be a contender this weekend. Redding, the youngest ever GP winner, is yet to add to his solitary 125cc win but it seems like only a matter of time until he corrects that stat and wins in Moto2. He made his GP debut in Qatar in 2008, and started from the front row of the grid. A similar starting position on Sunday would leave the lanky 18 year old in prime position to challenge for the win.

Apart from Ionone, Simon and Redding the other riders likely to contend for the honours on Sunday are Kenan Sofuoglu, Thomas Luthi and maybe a surprise contender like Jules Cluzel.



The racing on Sunday will be opened by the 125cc class and in this there is little doubt that Nico Terol will start the race as the firm favourite. The Spaniard, vice champion in 2010, starts the season as overwhelming title favourite and it would be quite a shock if he does not open the season with a repeat of his opening race success of last year.

The smallest capacity class is in a period of transition in almost every conceivable way. From a machinery standpoint the 125’s will be replaced by 250cc four-strokes next year and on track most of the leading riders, except Terol, have made the move to Moto2. This means that the path has been cleared for riders like Efren Vazquez and Sandro Cortese to challenge for race wins and the championship.

Both riders are fast but prone to inconsistencies. Vazquez finished on the podium last year and a repeat performance would be deemed a very successful start to his campaign. He will however face stiff competition from former Moto2 racer Hector Faubel. The 27 year old Spaniard has won seven races in the 125cc class since making his debut 11 years ago and he should offer a stern test to all riders in the class. It will be interesting to see how he adapts in his return to the 125cc class after three years in 250cc and Moto2.

Jonas Folger is a rider to keep an eye on this weekend. In his rookie season, 2009, the young German stared throughout the season and could easily have won a race but last year saw him hampered by an uncompetitive bike. This year he will be racing for Ajo motorsport so there can be no doubt about the machinery underneath him. Folger could spring a surprise this weekend and contend for the win.



Season opening races are always exceptionally difficult to predict....but here goes!
In the 125cc class Terol will take the second pole position of his career and win the race ahead of Hector Faubel with Jonas Folger the third man on the rostrum. Sandro Cortese and Efren Vazquez will both challenge in the early stages before wilting towards the chequered flag.

In the Moto2 race Andrea Iannone will add to his three 2010 victories by winning ahead of Scott Redding and Julian Simon with Marc Marquez finishing his debut Moto2 race in sixth.

The MotoGP race will be dominated by Honda with Casey Stoner beating teammate Dani Pedrosa after pulling away in the second half of the race. World champion Jorge Lorenzo will open his title defence with a podium finish. Valentino Rossi will finish in eighth with Marco Simoncelli opening the year by holding off Ben Spies for fourth.

**Don't forget that this weekend there is a four day timetable so practice will start on Thursday and not Friday**

pdbhp wrote: »

Why is there an extra day of racing this weekend?

When you get past 11 o'clock local time the conditions change and dew starts to set in and it leaves a film of water on the track making it a complete lottery for riders in relation to how much grip they have.

Last year in the MotoGP practice sessions that closed out the day there was a series of accidents because of the dew. As a result Dorna changed the times to avoid any issues. Obviously enough it was discussed about moving the schedule forward an hour to get the day finished on time but that would have brought the opening session into dusk and therefore would have offered no benefit to teams and riders in relation to the knowledge they could gain because the conditions would be so different to those expected during the race.

Bit of a round the world answer but hope it makes sense!