MotoGP Riders Back in the Saddle
Introduction
As I’m sure you’re aware, there was no MotoGP racing on Sunday. But if you thought this meant the riders were relaxing, think again. The race day was postponed from July 27 because of heavy rain that caused flooding in some areas of southern Italy. Misano has traditionally been a strong track for Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and his teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who has won here four times.
After a short break, the MotoGP World Championship kicked back into gear this weekend with the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy.
The Moto2 and Moto3 classes are divided by engine displacement, with 500cc (Moto2) motorcycles and 250cc (Moto3) bikes racing alongside each other. The premier class, MotoGP, is reserved for 1000cc four-stroke engines or 800cc two-stroke bikes that produce over 200 horsepower.
MotoGP has been held since 1949 and is currently sanctioned by the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme). The series includes 18 races held at 13 venues throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
When the season began in March, five Honda riders were among those who had won championships.
When the season began in March, five Honda riders were among those who had won championships. Four of them are still in contention for this year’s title with three races remaining on the calendar.
The first of these riders is Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda). The Spaniard claimed his third MotoGP title last season and is currently fourth overall after missing four races due to injury earlier this year. He could still add to his tally of four world titles if he wins another race before Valencia wraps up on November 11th; if not, it will be a huge disappointment for him personally but also an embarrassment for Honda as they have failed to win either rider or manufacturer titles since 2011 (when Casey Stoner clinched both).
Two of them crashed Saturday at Misano di Rimini: championship leader Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.
Two of them crashed Saturday at Misano di Rimini: championship leader Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.
Both were back on their bikes Sunday after winning Saturday’s races in Moto2 and Moto3, respectively. Marquez finished second behind Andrea Dovizioso at Misano, while Rossi took third place behind his teammate Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco (Tech3).
But both were back on their bikes Sunday after winning Saturday’s races in Moto2 and Moto3.
But both were back on their bikes Sunday after winning Saturday’s races in Moto2 and Moto3.
Dani Pedrosa is a two-time MotoGP champion, and he started from pole position for the first time this season in France. But he struggled with his bike throughout the race and finished fourth behind his teammate Marc Marquez, who won his fourth consecutive race of the season as well as his fifth overall at Le Mans. Pedrosa said he had no idea why he wasn’t able to match Marquez’ pace until after qualifying for Sunday’s race — when he learned that both riders had qualified for the final race by finishing second or third place in each of their respective divisions on Saturday (Moto2 and Moto3).
That meant they could compete again Sunday without having to go through another qualifying session first like all other riders who didn’t make it through over two days’ worth of races through Friday afternoon/evening into Saturday morning hours
The event’s first day had been postponed from July 27 because of heavy rain that caused flooding in some areas of southern Italy.
The event’s first day had been postponed from July 27 because of heavy rain that caused flooding in some areas of southern Italy. The race was rescheduled for Sunday, but the weather forecast was still uncertain.
The MotoGP riders were back in their saddles and ready to go at Mugello on Saturday evening, when they took part in a practice session ahead of Sunday’s race. After an overnight break due to rain showers earlier that day, they were greeted with clear skies and a dry track when they returned to action under floodlights at 8 p.m.(1900 GMT).
Misano has traditionally been a strong track for Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and his teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who has won here four times.
- Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo have a strong record at Misano, with the Italian having won three times and his teammate four times.
- The pair are teammates on the manufacturer’s factory team, where they will be looking to secure their first win together since joining forces for 2019.
MotoGP riders rebounded from crashes to win races on Sunday
MotoGP riders rebounded from crashes to win races on Sunday.
- Marc Marquez won the MotoGP race at the Circuit of Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, beating Italian Andrea Dovizioso by 1.1 seconds. Marquez leads the championship by 29 points over second-place Maverick Vinales of Spain and 44 points over third-place Dani Pedrosa of Spain.
- Valentino Rossi won his first race this season at Mugello Raceway in Italy, beating Spanish rider Maverick Vinales by 0.277 seconds after starting from pole position due to his qualifying time being faster than everyone else’s (including Jorge Lorenzo). It was also Rossi’s 69th victory in Grand Prix racing and first since 2013 when he was riding for Ducati before switching back to Yamaha this year because they gave him more money than anyone else did–$10 million per year as opposed to $6 million per year for Honda or Suzuki respectively; plus he gets better equipment so there’s no risk involved whatsoever!
Conclusion
In the end, it was a good weekend for MotoGP riders. They rebounded from crashes to win races on Sunday and extend their championship leads. But they will have little time to rest before heading off again next week for the French Grand Prix in Le Mans.