With three rounds done and dusted, the MotoGP squad moves to the European leg of the season with the first race in Jerez, Spain. A resurgent Marc Marquez leads the championship in a desperate bid to make up for last season’s disappointing run. But Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi will be hot on his heels and whatever you do, don’t rule out the ultra quick Ducatis and Dani Pedrosa.
Meanwhile in Moto2 Sam Lowes has snatched the lead from Alex Rins by a single point and Johann Zarco is another point behind, Tom Luthi is a further 2 points behind in fourth. Fellow Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter is 5th in the standings with a string of consistent top 5 finishes.
Brad Binder is currently heading the Moto3 standings despite not winning any race so far. He is the third rider hailing from South Africa to be successful in the junior classes in MotoGP after Kork Ballington, who won back-to-back 250cc and 350cc titles in 1978 and 1979, and Jon Ekerold who won the 350cc title in 1980.
So three questions need to be asked: Can Marc Marquez re-establish his dominance? Can Sam Lowes win the Moto2 title? Can Brad Binder join his compatriots as a world champion? But first, there is the Grand Prix of Jerez to contend with so let's get to it.
Moto3:
The last three GPs saw three different winners with Antonelli, Pawi and Fenati respectively and given how tightly packed this field is, there are a great chance that we could get a different winner for this weekend’s race. But with the two main stalwarts Leopard Racing and Red Bull KTM Ajo being extremely competitive as well as the other dark horses.
Last year’s championship contender Enea Bastianini seems to be enduring a torrid season so far although he has clawed his way up to 8th in the championship. Sky VR46 newcomer Nicolo Bulega topped the timesheets during the test session in Jerez with Antonelli and Navarro behind him, but now everything is now to play for.
Moto2:
Current championship leader Sam Lowes is also another rider who reached the top without winning a race so far this season. Rins, Luthi and Zarco already have a head start with a win between the three of them but Lowes looks really strong so far this season.
Moto3 graduates Danny Kent, Miguel Oliveira, Alessandro Tonucci, Efren Vazquez and Isaac Vinales have got off to a sluggish start to their debuts so it would take a while for them to adjust and start challenging for wins this season. Aegerter is a real dark horse and could spring a few surprises if he can get his qualifying form in order.
MotoGP:
Already three races into the season and silly season has gone into full swing. The big story and the worst kept secret of 2016 is that Jorge Lorenzo will be leaving Yamaha next season and moving to Ducati which spells disaster for one of the Andreas.
Unfortunately, Ducati don’t have an option to field a third bike, which could accommodate all three riders without a sweat. But with one seat occupied already, it is a race between Iannone and Dovizioso for that final seat.
Australian Fans will be disappointed to learn that Casey Stoner is NOT an option for next season either, although the Lorenzo-Stoner partnership could have been absolutely lethal and could have made them the team to beat.
Lorenzo’s departure leaves a few more questions, who is going to fill the void left by the Spaniard? Which Andrea will be axed? Yamaha have openly expressed interest for Suzuki sensation Maverick Vinales but the Suzuki team is eager to keep him on.
As for the chances of both Andreas, Dovizioso has an advantage due to his experience but is disadvantaged by the bravery needed to pull off risky maneuvers. Iannone, on the other hand, has the raw pace on his side to give him a good chance of retaining a seat but on the flipside of the coin, he is extremely rash and pushes beyond the limit of the bike, which sometimes leads to a non-finish.
The two Hondas are relatively safe from the effects of the silly season bug although Pedrosa’s performance has come under scrutiny recently after being repeatedly trounced by Marquez. Marquez has already built a 21-point lead over Lorenzo and a 33-point gap to Rossi.
Heading into Jerez, Marquez will be looking to continue his fine form, Lorenzo and Rossi will be looking to stop him and the Ducatis? They will be the ones to look out for especially in the long straights where the mighty Ducati horsepower dwarfs that of its rivals.
