MotoGP 2013

We are one week away from the opening in Qatar, and I have to say I am particularly excited about the MotoGP class this year. For sure, the Moto2 and 3 will be fascinating as usual, but it also seems to me like we have the ingredients for an exceptional season also for the big bikes.

There are two primary ingredients for this, and then a few lesser ones that will help spice things up further. The first is obviously Rossi leaving Ducati to go back to Yamaha. I suppose in a perfect world, Rossi riding a Ducati should have been a match made in heaven. In the real world though Ducati has always struggled in MotoGP, and Rossi was not able to change that. Already when he left Yamaha his confidence was shaken having been beaten by Lorenzo, and then the Ducati turned out even more flawed than both Rossi and Burgess had imagined. Now he is coming back to a bike he knows, and since everybody expects Lorenzo to be ahead of him there is no real pressure to succeed. Even Yamaha have been very clear on the fact that Lorenzo is there to win and Rossi to do PR. The thing is, Rossi can still ride, and the most recent tests in Jerez shows that he certainly still has it. He may not win the title, but unlike the Ducati years I fully expect him to be there for race victories.

The second big thing is Marquez. I really hope that there is not too much hype there, but he has been extremely impressive so far in all that he has done, proving a natural riding talent like we may never have seen before, and a fighting spirit unlike few. Some of the stuff he did in Moto2 was unbelievable, and now in the MotoGP tests he has not disappointed! The Honda seems great as usual, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be there fighting for the win from the very first race.

Lorenzo will want to show who is the boss at Yamaha, and he certainly has the talent to win. Pedrosa is coming from a season where he was very close to winning. His form in the second half of 2012 was simply amazing, and if he starts 2013 in the same way he will most certainly give it all to win every single race. Hopefully he will not be too shaken by Marquez…

Even though I don’t expect it to be winning again, the Ducati does seem to have improved a bit over the winter. I just don’t know how Dovi will do on it as I have always seen him has one of the fastest but smoothest riders there. Judging by how Stoner used to win on the Ducati though, the bike probably needs somebody with a more brutal style. We shall see.

There are a number of other riders there who should prove interesting, and that will make it on the podium from time to time like Crutchlow, Bradl and Smith. But to me the big question mark, and perhaps the biggest disappointment is Ben Spies. I expected so much from him given the potential he had, but last year was just sad. Now I am afraid that the injury he sustained in Sepang last year could end up being one of those career ending ones like Freddie Spencer suffered. I really hope not!

Awesome first race.

I read an interesting account of the lap times between Marques, Rossi, and Lorenzo.

http://www.motomatters.com/analysis/2013/04/11/crunching_the_numbers_lorenzo_vs_rossi_m.html


Looking forward to COTA to see what happens with Marquez and his domination in the test there.

Also the whole Kevin Schwantz thing has polarized the roadracing community here in the States.

Reading that article, the first thing that comes to my mind is that some people have too much time on their hands. Sure, you can analyze this to death, or you can watch the race. Rossi was caught in traffic while his tires we're at their best. He then showed his experience by keeping an incredible pace and making up ghetto ground he lost. Lorenzo got out first, and secured his victory in the first five laps.

They both adopted perfectly to the conditions they experienced, and I do believe Rossi would have been able to take the fight to Lorenzo. I still think Lorenzo would have won, but it would have been close. Either way, this season does seem to be able to deliver what we are all hoping for: intense racing!

I get the feeling that Rossi, after two horrid seasons on the Ducati has no idea where the limits are. He has no faith when changes are made things will get better. In my opinion he's kinda in the same situation as Marc Marquez...learning.

I'd like to believe that Marquez and Rossi will both get to the mid season and have Lorenzo's pace. I believe that because it would make the season frickin' amazing!