Cal Crutchlow wrapped up his final race with the LCR Honda team on Sunday, finishing 13th and closing out the season in 18th position in the overall standings. The rider had announced at the beginning of the season that he would not be continuing with Lucio Cecchinello’s team for the 2021 campaign, drawing a line under a successful run of six seasons.
Cal Crutchlow and the LCR Honda team
The alliance saw Crutchlow and LCR Honda obtain the team’s first victory in the MotoGP class. Cal achieved a total of 12 podiums and three victories over the last six seasons, becoming the most important rider in LCR history.
Cal Cruthlow on the podium at Argentina in 2015
Crutchlow joined the LCR Honda CASTROL team in 2015 and was on the podium that same year in Argentina. Perhaps his crowning glory came in 2016 as he took the team’s first victory in Brno – and became the first British Grand Prix winner in 35 years.
A second win at Phillip Island followed this achievement in his second year with the team, which helped him secure Top Independent Team rider in 2016.
Crutchlow took the teams first win in Brno in 2016
The Briton finished on the podium once more in Argentina in 2017. In 2018, Cal secured his third victory, in Argentina, and followed it with two more podiums in Misano and Motegi. Then, in 2019, Cal added three more podium finishes in Qatar, Germany and Australia.
Crutchlow was also on the podium at Phillip Island in 2018
The 2020 FIM MotoGP World Championship marks Cal Crutchlow’s last year competing in the premier class and he did it as an LCR Honda Castrol team rider aboard a factory-spec Honda RC213V.
Lucio Cecchinello
“It is a hard day for us because Cal Crutchlow has definitely been the most important rider in the history of the LCR Honda team. He has been the rider that has ridden for the longest consecutive period of time with us and, because of this, he is part of our family. Cal brought 3 stunning victories and 12 podiums in total to LCR. We were also able to support Honda by adding crucial points for the Constructor World Championship Title and with him, we won Best Independent Team in 2016. What Cal has done for the LCR Honda Team is simply extraordinary. During these six seasons together, we’ve had also some tough moments, difficulties, injuries… but this is all part of this incredible sport that gives us a lot of emotions, happiness and adrenaline. On the other hand, of course, it also gives us many headaches, fears and stress. If everything were smooth and perfect, we wouldn’t enjoy our job as much. I think that it is because of these emotions and mixed feelings, that we love MotoGP. Cal Crutchlow will always be part of our family. We wish him all the best in his professional future and in his private life with Lucy and Willow.”
LCR Honda Castrol rider Cal Crutchlow has undergone successful surgery on his injured left wrist. The Briton suffered a fracture to his left scaphoid after crashing during the warm-up session at the Spanish GP last Sunday.
On Tuesday, Dr. Xavier Mir performed surgery on Crutchlow’s wrist at the Hospital Universitari Quirón DEXEUS in Barcelona. The surgeon was pleased with how the procedure went.
Lucio Cecchinello
“I would like to thank Dr. Mir and his medical team for performing surgery on Cal’s left wrist this morning. A small screw has been inserted into his scaphoid to fix the fracture. The surgery went well as Dr. Mir personally informed me, and Cal will be discharged from the hospital later this afternoon. If everything goes well, we expect him back at the Angel Nieto Circuit in Jerez on Thursday morning, where he will be visited by Dorna’s Medical Director, Dr. Ángel Charte who will assess his fitness to race. Our technical staff is working to have everything ready to allow Cal to ride in Friday’s morning practice.”
Cal Crutchlow qualified sixth but a crash in warm-up ruled him out of the race, and it might not be the only one he is on the sidelines for…
Honda’s chances of success in this truncated 2020 MotoGP season were dealt two major blows overnight in Spain.
Marc Marquez rode like an absolute demon but overstepped the mark once too often which resulted in a high-side and broken arm for the defending World Champion (Link), but before racing even got underway Cal Crutchlow crashed during morning warm-up and was ruled out of the race.
Further investigations have revealed that the 24-year-old Briton sustained a broken scaphoid in the crash and will undergo surgery in Barcelona on Tuesday, as will Marquez, with both riders being operated on by Dr. Mir.
With Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow both far from fit, Honda’s hopes might have to rest with Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez. Or will we see HRC draft in a replacement rider if either man is not fit to race this weekend?
It should also be of great concern that Honda’s two main strike riders will need to leave the relative safety of their current surroundings in order to visit major medical facilities in a country that has reported almost 30,000 deaths from the pandemic.
Cal Crutchlow
“Unfortunately this morning in the last lap of the warm-up I crashed going into turn eight. It seemed that when I braked on the kerb, the front of the bike slid and I was unable to save the crash. What was going to be a normal crash escalated when I went into the deep gravel trap and started tumbling, hitting my head quite a few times, particularly my face.
“I was a bit dazed after the crash, and a bit sore in my whole body, especially my hands.After further assessment at the medical centre I was sent for the CT scan on my head and neck and it all came back fine. With the facial bruising I had, however, Dr. Angel Charté felt I needed eight hours rest, which I think was the right decision.
“When I returned to the circuit I began to feel some pain in my left wrist, so went for another scan of the scaphoid, which it seems has been broken in the crash. Dr. Mir will operate on the wrist in Barcelona on Tuesday morning, and I will return to the circuit on Friday and hopefully to action. I look forward to seeing the LCR Honda Castrol Team there, and hopefully to work hard with them again next weekend.”
Round Nine – Sachsenring MotoGP Race Results / Report
Marc Marquez proved who’s boss at Sachsenring over the weekend taking his tenth victory at the track in a row, having claimed an early lead from Turn one and then proceeding to lead for the entire duration, finishing +4.587 ahead of Maverick Vinales.
Marc Marquez
“My plan was try to lead from the beginning to the end, that was my mentality. For that reason the start wasn’t perfect but I took a lot of risk in the first corner, I braked so late and I was able to be in there and then the first two laps I was just cruising and trying to understand the limit of the track after the rain. Then when I saw the tyres were ready, I was ready and the bike was ready, then I started to attack. I started to do low 1:21s, that was my rhythm in the first ten laps, and apart from that, when I saw Rins was three seconds behind me, then I started to save the tyre and finish the race.”
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019
That makes it ten wins in a row in Germany for the reigning Champion, all from pole, with Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow completing the podium. Marquez’ win for the seventh successive time in the premier class at the Sachsenring also equals Valentino Rossi’s record of premier class wins in a row at one venue, set in Mugello from 2002-2008.
Despite a bad start Marquez kept it pinned into Turn 1, the last of the late brakers able to emerge in the lead as Fabio Quartararo slipped back from second to sixth at the start; Viñales, Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Crutchlow all getting past the Frenchman. The first shot of drama would come from the Frenchman too as Quartararo’s race suddenly ended at Turn 3 on Lap 2, the rookie going to get back past Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci but the front washing away in his first ever premier class crash out of a race.
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019
The battle at the front at that point was more a freight train, with Marquez conducting the pace from Viñales as Crutchlow and Rins demoted Miller down to fifth. The top four started to edge clear of the rest, but edging clear of everyone was King of the Ring Marquez as a 1:21.228 – a new lap record – on Lap 5 saw his lead creep up to just under a second. The man in second was Rins, and he was also stretching his advantage over Viñales and Crutchlow to the same distance, but Marquez was in the groove.
The seven-time Champion showed exactly why the Sachsenring is his playground, not powering away at a rapid rate but instead eking out a tenth here and there, his lead gradually increasing until he suddenly put the hammer down. Lap 10 saw Marquez go 0.4 faster than Rins as the gap rose above the two-second barrier. From then on, there was no stopping the now ten-time Sachsenring winner.
Cal Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019
The battle for the second and third steps on the podium was heating up, however. Crutchlow was shadowing Viñales, who in turn was sitting a second back from Rins, with the gap remaining constant between the trio as we passed the mid-stage of the race. And the battle for fifth place was very much on as Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Petrucci were going head-to-head with fellow GP19 rider Miller, Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro in a close fight for big points.
Nearer the front though, disaster then struck at the top of ‘The Waterfall’ for Rins. 0.9 clear of Viñales and Crutchlow, the Suzuki man suddenly skitted out at Ralf Waldmann corner for his second consecutive DNF. With the man on the chase down and out, it left Marquez with an unassailable 4.9 lead.
The last ten laps were just about controlling the gap for Marquez as he saw a 10th Sachsenring win appear ever closer, but who would finish second? Crutchlow had been attached to Viñales’ back wheel for some time to put the Spaniard under pressure and with two laps to go, the duo were separated by nothing.
But the number 35 then had a scare at Turn 10; a warning sign that saw Crutchlow running wide and subsequently keeping it calmer to give up the chase. Just ahead, Marquez crossed the line to win his fifth race of 2019, the seventh consecutive year he’s won five or more races in a premier class season – a record that sees him surpass MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini and nine-time Champion Rossi, both of whom managed to do it for six straight years.
Viñales crossed the line to take his second straight podium, with Crutchlow getting his equal best result of the year in third and his first rostrum since Qatar GP. The Brit’s ride was even more impressive as he battled a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a small fracture to the top of his tibia this weekend following a cycling mishap. Behind the top trio, meanwhile, there were important points in the Championship to be decided just down the road.
Jack Miller & Valentino Rossi – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019
Rossi had lost touch on the battle for fourth in the latter stages, and it was Mir vs the three Ducatis. With Marquez out in front, second in the Championship Dovizioso needed to limit the damage as much as possible but Petrucci wasn’t going to let his teammate have it all his own way. The Italians exchanged P4 at the bottom of ‘The Waterfall’ before Dovi went to get back past Petrucci into Turn 1 with three to go and they both ran wide; Miller diving up the inside of both.
Dovizioso was aggressive though and attacked the Australian as the battle between the Ducatis went down to the wire, Petrucci leading them onto the last lap. The Mugello winner would ultimately hold fourth as the chequered flag came out, a terrific performance after his big crash in Q2, with Dovizioso producing another fine fight back to take P5 from P13 on the grid. Miller was forced to settle for a solid sixth.
Mir picked up his third consecutive top ten in seventh, a great ride from the rookie, with Rossi ending his run of three-straight DNFs with a P8 at the Sachsenring. Franco Morbidelli finished ninth in Germany, the first time he’d raced in the premier class at the track after missing out last year, with Jorge Lorenzo’s replacement Stefan Bradl grabbing his second top ten of the season in front of his home fans.
Tito Rabat put in a stunner to take P11 from last on the grid, ahead of a tougher race for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro. Andrea Iannone was 13th and top Aprilia after a crash for teammate Aleix Espargaro, with Takaaki Nakagami riding through the pain barrier to P14. Karel Abraham completed the points.
Marquez took the win from Vinales and Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019
The summer break is now upon us and Marquez will doubtless be the most relaxed after extending his lead once again. But next up is Brno and it’s a good venues for some key rivals…as well as a few weeks away, giving the likes of Quartararo time to come back swinging. Will the reign continue? The Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky will decide…
Fabio Quartararo made history on Saturday setting a record for youngest pole setter, however Sunday wasn’t to be his day with a mechanical issue putting an early end to his race, while fighting for the podium. Further proving his speed, Quartararo topped the Jerez Monday test, half a second faster than his pole winning lap time.
Fabio Quartararo
The 1’36.379, set near the end of play, put him 0.418 ahead of Cal Crutchlow and 0.714 ahead of Franco Morbidelli at the Official Test.
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“All the frustration from yesterday was compensated for by the excellent day of testing we had today. We tried several different setups and a new front fork. The results were very positive, and it’s something that we will continue investigating in the future. We also managed to find a very good pace with used tyres and we worked with the hard compound for many laps. At the end of the day we tried a time attack and it went very well. This was the first time that the grip has been so good at this track. On my last three laps I was on the limit and I saw that I could not improve much more, with us putting in three times in the 1m 36s. I am very happy with the work that we’ve done and I want to thank the whole team. I can’t wait to get to Le Mans, my home Grand Prix, and to carry on enjoying riding the bike.”
Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli celebrated topping qualifying earlier, with Quartararo’s weekend ruined by mechanical issues in the race
Quartararo did 73 laps on Monday and left it late to put in his fastest on Lap 70, following it up with another not far off the same pace. He had internal fork updates to try, the same as the factory Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team, but set his fastest lap with the previous regardless.
Teammate Morbidelli was also late mover up the timesheets into third and his best of a 1’37.093 was set on his penultimate lap of 82. He had a Yamaha aero update to try.
Franco Morbidelli – P3
“We worked on a few very specific areas during this test, with the aim of improving the setup of the bike. We found some new solutions that I believe will be useful at upcoming rounds this season. During the race I never felt comfortable with the front end, and today we were able to improve that feeling. We also worked on rear grip, something that we lacked a little during the weekend. We have found solutions and this is important on days like today. We have pace and the feeling is pretty good now.”
Franco Morbidelli
Meanwhile, Maverick Viñales was the fastest Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider in fifth, 0.847 off the top after an impressive workload of 94 laps, with teammate Valentino Rossi ending the day in P17 after 74 laps.
Maverick Vinales – P5
“We tested many items today. I did a lot of laps on race tyres, which wasn’t bad. I was riding quite well over a race distance, but anyway we need to keep improving. Le Mans is a track where the grip level is quite good, so I’m not too worried about it. It’s a good track for me, so my mind is already there at the French GP. We have found some positives and negatives in today’s test, as always, but nothing special. There are still some things to improve, especially on my side, my riding style, and we need to find something to improve the traction. But I’m not worried because my race pace was there, I was feeling close to the top.”
Maverick Vinales
Valentino Rossi – P17
“We had a programme for today. We had some things to try to improve the package, especially working on the acceleration, on the grip, all these things. The test wasn’t too bad. We didn’t find something that will change our lives, but there were some details that, if you put them all together in the package, maybe we can be stronger. I also had to try the two tyres for Michelin. These are two tyres we will use in Austria and Buriram. They are harder and stronger, but I wanted to try them, because usually we suffer a little bit with that type of tyre, but it wasn’t a time attack.”
Valentino Rossi
They were working on some chassis settings but mainly electronics, aimed at improving throttle connection. Petronas Yamaha SRT also had throttle connection updates but the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders were working on further versions.
At Honda, one big focus for Crutchlow was the start; clutch feel and electronics. He did 78 laps, was the man deposed by Quartararo’s late lunge, and did his fastest lap on a new rear medium compound tyre from Michelin featuring new technology for improved grip and consistency.
Cal Crutchlow – P2
“It was a good day. I had no real complaints throughout the day, we just tried the setting of the bike, we didn’t try anything new. Our programme wasn’t to try anything new, we needed to concentrate on set-up. I went to a more drastic setting than I did over the race weekend and I felt maybe a bit more comfortable. I was definitely a lot faster than yesterday, consistently, and we put that down to also using the hard rear tyre and not being able to in the race. I spent a lot of time evaluating that hard rear tyre and I felt good with it. The team is pleased and I’m pleased with how the day went, but as I said yesterday I can’t be pleased with how the race panned out. I finished eighth and there’s no reward for going fast on a Monday in Jerez, but I felt good and it shows that yesterday I should have been faster and should have chosen the hard rear tyre.”
Cal Crutchlow
The tyre was one of two additions to the race weekend allocation – the other being a medium rear with a different casing especially for Spielberg and Buriram, to be assessed further – and it will now be used in the allocation.
A little further down the timesheets, Jerez winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ended the day in seventh after 75 laps, and set his quickest on the bike that wildcard and test rider Stefan Bradl rode in the race with carbon fibre chassis additions.
Marc Marquez
Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) had a slightly modified seat and ended the day in P9 after 93 laps, and the five-time World Champion had two crashes.
Marc Marquez – P7
“We tried many things today and it was a really positive test as we were able to focus on the concept of a few things, not the details. When we finished with everything I stopped a bit early because the feeling was good with the bike and sometimes it’s best to stop when you’re feeling good. I tried Bradl’s bike to understand the concept, it was positive and we are ready for the next round.”
Jorge Lorenzo – P9
“Today we were able to do a lot of laps and try many things. This was important for us as we are still trying to catch up on the time we missed testing at the start of the season. We found some interesting things for races to come. The day was upset by two crashes. It isn’t how we wanted to end the test with a crash. I am OK, sore but OK. Thank you to the Repsol Honda Team and HRC engineers for working hard all weekend and today during the test.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Takaaki Nakagami was another late crasher and he ended the day in tenth, an infinitesimal 0.002 off Lorenzo.
Takaaki Nakagami – P10
“The test was going well, but unfortunately I had a crash in the last few minutes. I’m ok though and it was a really important test for us. We tested some small things back-to-back and the bike is working well, like the weekend. We didn’t focus on our performance on the first lap, but the lap time was really consistent and I had a better feeling on the bike than over the weekend. I’m pretty happy with how we worked today, so we’re ready for the next race in Le Mans. We just need to keep going.”
Takaaki Nakagami
For KTM the timesheets made for good reading with Pol Espargaro as he ended the day in fourth, 0.735 off P1 after 63 laps, with teammate Johann Zarco in P16 after 71. They tested chassis parts, chassis settings and some engine parts.
Pol Espargaro – P4
“Tiring day but happy with the result. KTM have worked very hard in the winter and delivered some things that we could not test until Le Mans and here because of the overseas races. We improved on some areas of the engine and also the chassis and found a good balance. We tried different configurations and I think with what we did on the engine we have more room to play, which is good. I’m happy we keep developing and keep improving.”
Pol Espargaro
Johann Zarco – P16
“I expected to have a good day and after a race it is useful to be on track again and have a reference from the weekend: after just three laps you are ready to start the work. We tried things looking for confirmation for the technicians and that means a bit of up-and-down and it can be hard to have a consistent feeling. Fabio did an amazing lap-time with that new rear Michelin and I tried it too and had a small improvement over qualifying. Anyway, many laps done and lots of information for the team. We made a little step to let me have more feeling on the front into the fast corners, and from that we tried to improve the rear and could work there.”
Johann Zarco
Red Bull KTM Tech 3, meanwhile, ended the test in P21 for Miguel Oliveira and P22 for Hafizh Syahrin. They had 2019 KTM tail and exhausts to test.
Miguel Oliveira – P21
“Today was quite long, as we had many things to test. But finally, it has been positive because I was much faster with the ‘race condition bike’ than yesterday. I just missed the fast lap at the end. I used a medium front tyre with a soft rear, which was not the best choice, so I had to stop and change the front tyre, therefore I reused the soft rear and was not able to get this ideal lap in. I’m a bit disappointed for this, but we tested things here, which we think have great potential to help me in the future.”
Miguel Oliveira
Hafizh Syahrin – P22
“Today has been a very positive day, because we did a big step compared to last weekend as during the Grand Prix I was struggling, the condition of my body was not good and on the last day, I just found a good feeling with the bike and also my body was better. In the race I set my fastest time. During the test today, we tried some new parts, which were better for me. But so far, we are not able to use the advantage of the new tyre for the corner speed. We found a very small improvement, so we still need to get better with the bike. At the moment this is not easy, but I hope it’s getting better and better in the future and I give my best to improve at the next round.”
Hafizh Syahrin
At Suzuki, Joan Mir was working on setting the bike up more for his style and he ended the day in sixth after more than 80 laps.
Joan Mir – P6
“I’m really happy with today, especially as I did so many laps. I found I was able to increase my pace and build on the lap times I set during the weekend. I feel that my settings for Le Mans will be good as we tried a lot of different things here. I had a crash today, but it was without consequences and I’m happy to have been back on my bike and always learning.”
Joan Mir
Suzuki had a new swingarm, and a new swingarm attachment was also spotted in the Hamamatsu factory’s garage as it broke cover for the first time, but Alex Rins ran on and damaged it soon after. He nevertheless did 69 laps with a best of 1’37.275 to put him in P8. Test rider Sylvain Guintoli was also out on track and he put in 79 laps.
Alex Rins – P8
“Today we’ve done a full day of work, testing a lot of things and completing a lot of laps. We found a lot of positive things, and I liked the settings that we tried. Now we head to Le Mans with a really strong package and I’m happy with what we’ve done. I ran off when trying the new swingarm device, so I didn’t get to try it much. Instead we went back to our original plan of testing a new swingarm and focusing on electronics.”
Alex Rins
Ducati weren’t inside the top ten by the end of the day. Andrea Dovizioso was P11 after 52 laps with a best of 1’37.601, but he wasn’t trying any particular new parts, instead focusing on big setup changes they’d not use time for during a race weekend.
Andrea Dovizioso – P11
“Post-race tests are always useful, because they allow you to work without pressure and evaluate some modifications that you usually don’t have the time to try during a race weekend, where track time is limited. Despite not having anything new, we were able to work on several details, both in terms of setup and electronics, to have a better understanding of how the bike reacts. We gathered some important data, which we’ll be able to use in all tracks from now on. Also, we tested a new medium-spec tyre, with positive outcomes. There is always room for improvement, both for the rider and the bike, and we’ll go to Le Mans with clearer ideas about how to do it.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Dovizioso’s teammate Danilo Petrucci was P14, focused on working on setup and “some new parts” and spending the majority of his time on the hard tyre. The two were split by Pramac Racing duo Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller.
Danilo Petrucci – P14
“In these tests, we focused on preparing for the next round without going for a ‘time attack’. I tried some different components and several setup changes, only using hard tyres and taking them over the race distance to understand how to improve our pace. In particular, we worked to maximize both stability under braking and corner speed, finding some solutions that should work well in Le Mans. I’m quite happy with what we tried and the feeling with the bike is good, so I hope to be able to make another step forward in France.”
Danilo Petrucci
All four were covered by just over a tenth, and the gap from Bagnaia back to Miller was only 0.003. Another tiny gap put Tito Rabat in P17, just 0.005 off Rossi, with teammate Karel Abraham only 0.014 in further arrears. Finally, Aprilia were out on track with Aleix Espargaro and test rider Bradley Smith as Andrea Iannone missed the test due to the after effects of his Saturday crash.
Espargaro did 80 laps and was just 0.038 off Petrucci to take P15, testing rear suspension setups, traction control configurations, weight distribution and torque delivery, and Smith was only 0.002 off Abraham after 82 laps. He had some new parts and was also working on setups and tyre evaluation.
Aleix Espargaro’ – P15
“This day of testing was very important for us. In fact, I was the first one out on the track. We worked non-stop, both in anticipation of Le Mans and to continue development on the RS-GP. As always when testing, some solutions return better results than others. It will be essential to carefully analyse the data collected today to decide which line to follow in the upcoming rounds.”
Aleix Espargaro
Bradley Smith – P20
“It was a rather busy day. We worked on three fronts: the hard front tyre, which we confirmed as the right choice for our bike on this track, weight distribution and some components we needed to evaluate in terms of performance and reliability. Since I got close to Andrea’s and Aleix’s performance, the feeling is that I can contribute to overcoming the limits that the factory riders are highlighting. It is not an easy process. It takes time, but we have a structure capable of doing it. I think that in the coming months we’ll be able to make some targeted changes in our weaker areas.”
Bradley Smith
Andrea Iannone – NC
“I tried, but I was lacking strength in my foot to shift gears. It’s a pity because I would have liked to use the day of testing to confirm the positive note on which we had begun to work in FP4 where, before the crash, I was doing rather well. We received some confirmation from Aleix in the race and that is definitely positive. From tomorrow I’ll begin my recovery, but I am sure that I’ll be able to be at 100% for the Le Mans weekend.”
Andrea Iannone
That’s it from Jerez for the one-day Official Test for the premier class, although Moto and Moto3 will be back out on track on Tuesday.
MotoGP lands in Latin America this weekend for round two at Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo. Andrea Dovizioso leads the field into South America ahead of Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow. Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi fill out the top five in the standings after round one.
Jack Miller in Argentina in 2018
It’s more than simply a change of scenery too, with the 4,806m circuit a severe test of riders, machinery and especially tyres. Its abrasive surface, mixed with high temperatures, and increased loads that are created throughout the five left and nine right-hand turns, plus its long straight in excess of one kilometre, means the Michelin rubber faces one of its most stringent tests of the whole season.
MotoGP Round 2 Preview – Argentina – Termas de Rio Hondo
The surface at Termas underwent changes last year, due to the resurfacing of most of the layout, but many of the sessions in 2018 were interrupted by wet weather, meaning riders never had the chance to fully exploit the range of tyres at last year’s event, so tyre provider Michelin will be hoping for improved conditions to give it the chance to demonstrate its ability at a track where it hasn’t had a fully dry event since its return to MotoGP in 2016. The track is also generally very dirty for the earlier sessions, and times drop markedly during the weekend as the surface cleans up.
With heat partnered by humidity, the floodlights of Losail are a distant memory and the record books see a switch around, for Termas de Rio Hondo traditionally has one man setting the pace: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). But pace, history shows, is not always the winning ingredient.
Marc Marquez has a strong history in Argentina, when he finishes
From 2014 to 2017, Marquez started from pole in Argentina, and in both 2014 and 2016 the reigning Champion took the win. But in 2015 the number 93 clashed with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and also crashed in 2017, both he and then team-mate Dani Pedrosa both slid out of contention – Marquez from the lead.
Marquez and Rossi spat exploded after Argentina clash last year – Image by AJRN
Last season amped up the drama even further as Marquez’ race went from disaster on the grid to failing to score after three penalties and another clash with Rossi – this one seeing the ‘Doctor’ hit the deck.
Cal Crutchlow will also be one to watch, having made a strong start to the season
It’s not just Marquez who has shown good pace at Termas de Rio Hondo for Honda, however. The aforementioned Pedrosa took some top results and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took two podiums even before his stunning win in the chaos of the 2018 event.
That bodes well for both him and new arrival at Repsol Honda Jorge Lorenzo, himself a podium finisher at the track previously, as the number 99 battles to improve upon a tough season opener in Qatar after a huge highside left him bruised for race day. That’s without remembering the five-time World Champion remains in recovery from a broken scaphoid.
Jorge Lorenzo joins Honda in 2019 and was just in the points in 13th in Round 1
After said Qatar race day, Yamaha will also be looking to improve upon Round 1 but their record in Argentina makes for good reading. Rossi won that 2015 event, who could forget, and teammate Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took victory in Argentina in 2017 as part of a triple threat of wins to begin the season. Yamaha will be hoping for more of that and less of the struggles they encountered last year.
Valentino Rossi took the win in Argentina back in 2015 as pictured
With Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and team-mate Fabio Quartararo also on 2019 machines it’s a big push, and in Qatar certainly the two Independent Team riders kept them more than honest at times. Quartararo, forced into a pitlane start after stalling on the grid, was the fastest man on track for much of the Qatar GP – the rookie has most definitely arrived, and impressed.
Franco Morbidelli
Meanwhile at Ducati, it was 25-points to begin the year in style for Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati Team) as the Italian once again outwitted Marquez at a final corner. Last season it was a similar story in Round 1, but then it was two more difficult weekends for the Borgo Panigale factory rider. Will that remain true in 2019 and see ‘DesmoDovi’ racing for damage limitation before we head into the meat of the season in Europe? Or was Qatar not quite the whole picture?
Andrea Dovizioso claimed the win at Qatar
New teammate Danilo Petrucci will be hoping it wasn’t but for different reasons as the Italian was left disappointed in sixth, so a push to reassert some of his preseason pace can be expected too.
Likewise Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing), who had seat trouble that took him out of the Qatar season opener, and was P4 from pole in Argentina last year, and his new rookie teammate Francesco Bagnaia, whose pace from the Sepang test went a bit AWOL in the season opener. Argentina has been a tough venue at times for ‘Pecco’, but MotoGP is a different ball game.
Jack Miller will be looking to bring home the points after a Round 1 crash
Despite the longer track records of others, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) could actually prove the biggest threat to Honda in Argentina though. Fast in testing, fast at Losail and only just off the podium, it was a good start to the season – and Termas de Rio Hondo is where the Suzuki rider took his first ever premier class podium.
On a streak of top six finishes in the last eight races, do not count out Rins as the former Championship contender in the smaller classes continues coming of age in MotoGP – and some speed from rookie teammate Joan Mir can likely be expected too. Mir shone in his first premier class race and he’s won at the venue before in Moto3, from 16th on the grid no less.
Alex Rins
The cast of riders fighting within that top ten doesn’t stop there. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) will be gunning to tame Termas and take a few more points than his tenth place in Qatar, new teammate Andrea Iannone was nearly on the podium there previously although on a different bike, and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has rostrum form.
Zarco took a point on his KTM debut at Losail, but he’ll be pushing to get more on a par with teammate Pol Espargaro as he gains more experience.
Johann Zarco in Qatar
Espargaro was P11 last year in Argentina and started this season with a P12 in Qatar, but the gap to the front was smaller again. So what can he do? And can rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) keep the KTM veteran honest as he threatened to do in an impressive season opener?
After the closest ever top 15 in Qatar, tune in for the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina at Termas de Rio Hondo on the 31st of March as MotoGP tango to the beat of a different drum and history saddles up to be made once again.
Qatar marked the closest top 15 riders in history, but wasn’t without its dramas, with Andrea Dovizioso claiming the overall win for Mission Winnow Ducati, closely followed by Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow. Just missing the podium was Alex Rins and Valentino Rossi.
Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso
“I’m super happy about this win, especially because after the tests I wouldn’t have expected to be so fast. We stayed focused and we made progress in each session. Our strategy in the race was simply to preserve the tyre, and this made the difference, but it wasn’t easy because I led for most of the race and I couldn’t really study my opponents. Marquez gave it everything he could, as usual, and pushed me to the limit. We made the most of our strengths, that is, acceleration and top speed, but we still need to improve our corner speed. This year there are plenty of quick riders and it’ll be crucial not to lose too many points on less favorable tracks. We need to keep our feet on the ground and continue working in this direction.”
Andrea Dovizioso & Team at Qatar
One point of note was protests concerning aerodynamic devices on the rear swing arm of Ducati machinery ridden by Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller, however based on guidelines and regulations currently in force, the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel rejected these protests.
It was Dovizioso who got the holeshot from pole, he and Jack Miller grabbing P1 and P2 into Turn 1 as Marquez held position just behind. Polesitter Maverick Viñales didn’t get the start he would have been aiming for as he dropped to sixth on Lap 1, with Takaaki Nakagami and teammate Crutchlow catapulting through to the top five.
Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
The race then began to settle into a rhythm, with a train of riders at the front led by Dovizioso keeping a steady pace at the front. Rins was the man on the move on Lap 4 as the Spaniard made more progress after a sharp start from P10 on the grid, the Suzuki man coming through to take the lead by Lap 5 before the Spaniard duelled Dovizioso for the pleasure. It remained a lead group of nine following each other line astern, however, with no one breaking rank just yet.
On Lap 12 the number 04 was back at the front, and the pace then turned up a notch as he and Marquez started to create a gap back to third place Danilo Petrucci, who’d made his way through the group. The pace then slowed again, however, as Dovizioso went from a 1:55.3 to a 1:56.1 to bring the top eight back to within just over a second…
Alex Rins – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
With seven laps to go, the top eight were covered 1.2 seconds and that’s when Rossi really started to make up ground, picking off his teammate first and then Joan Mir to go up to P6. With three laps to go the fight for the win became a five-way scrap, with Petrucci, Viñales and Mir fading off the pacesetters.
Reigning World Champion Marquez had got the better of Dovizioso on the penultimate lap, but the Ducati struck back down the straight. Crutchlow held P3, Rins P4 and Rossi P5, menacing behind and waiting for the fireworks to begin in the lead. Pushing hard, Marquez had a slight moment with the front at Turn 3, before making a lunge up the inside of Dovi at Turn 10. He couldn’t keep it though as the Desmosedici was able to cut back up the inside on the exit, setting up another classic grandstand finish.
Marc Marquez – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
It looked like a carbon copy of 12 months ago at the final corner, but it was the same edge-of-the-seat heart-in-your-mouth moment as Marquez dove through on the inside, sitting up Dovi but running wide as he couldn’t quite get it stopped in time. From there it was another classic point and shoot contest to the line as both gunned it on the exit, but Dovizioso couldn’t be caught and made it out ahead.
It was closer than before though, with an infinitesimal 0.023 separating the two as the flag waved. Behind, Crutchlow kept his cool to take a remarkable podium on his first race back since his huge Australian GP crash, with Rins a valiant P4 and Rossi again proving you should never count ‘The Doctor’ out. P5 from P14 on the grid was another impressive race day showing from the nine-time World Champion.
Cal Crutchlow – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
Petrucci would have to settle for P6 on his maiden factory Ducati ride, 2.320 behind his teammate in the end, with polesitter Viñales crossing the line 0.161 back from ‘Petrux’, in P7.
Mir produced a fantastic rookie ride to finish just over five seconds off the race win in P8, with the Spaniard beating ninth place Nakagami and tenth place Aleix Espargaro – and just 9.636 covering the top 10 in Qatar.
Franco Morbidelli was just 0.011 behind Espargaro in P11 on his debut ride for Yamaha, with Pol Espargaro, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Iannone and Johann Zarco completing the point scoring positions.
So who was the ride of the day? Far from the podium in the end and not scoring any points on his debut, an argument could be made for Fabio Quartararo regardless. The rookie was forced into a pitlane start after issues on the grid ahead of the Warm Up lap, and set about unleashing some almighty pace and nerves of steel for a first ever premier class appearance.
Fabio Quartararo – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
Fastest laps flowed from the Frenchman and he was soon into point-scoring contention…although sadly, it wouldn’t last. Too much too early in a bid to catch the group ahead saw Quartararo fade back to P16 by the flag – but only eight tenths off Zarco. Fellow debutant Miguel Oliveira also impressed and, for some time, was top KTM, before fading slightly, a fate that also befell Mir further forward as they all aim to gain more full-length race experience.
Final rookie Francesco Bagnaia suffered a DNF, with more to come from him in Argentina for sure, and his more veteran teammate Jack Miller also suffered some bad luck. The Australian fell victim to some problem with his machine that saw him drop from podium contention to suddenly outside the top ten, then retiring before the end of the race.
Jack Miller – Despite a strong start technical issues ended Millers run – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
That’s all she wrote from Qatar but what a story it was. Records broken and history made, five riders in six tenths makes for an awesome opener…even before looking at the winning margin of 0.023. But then, past the stats, it’s much more than a numbers game and always has been.
MotoGP Podium 1) Andrea Dovizioso, 2) Marc Marquez +0.023, 3) Cal Crutchlow +0.320 – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
Qatar MotoGP Race Results
Pos
Rider
Nation
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Andrea Dovizioso
ITA
Ducati
42’36.902
2
Marc Marquez
SPA
Honda
+0.023
3
Cal Crutchlow
GBR
Honda
+0.320
4
Alex Rins
SPA
Suzuki
+0.457
5
Valentino Rossi
ITA
Yamaha
+0.600
6
Danilo Petrucci
ITA
Ducati
+2.320
7
Maverick Viñales
SPA
Yamaha
+2.481
8
Joan Mir
SPA
Suzuki
+5.088
9
Takaaki Nakagami
JPN
Honda
+7.406
10
Aleix Espargaro
SPA
Aprilia
+9.636
11
Franco Morbidelli
ITA
Yamaha
+9.647
12
Pol Espargaro
SPA
KTM
+12.774
13
Jorge Lorenzo
SPA
Honda
+14.307
14
Andrea Iannone
ITA
Aprilia
+14.349
15
Johann Zarco
FRA
KTM
+15.093
16
Fabio Quartararo
FRA
Yamaha
+15.905
17
Miguel Oliveira
POR
KTM
+16.377
18
Karel Abraham
CZE
Ducati
+22.972
19
Tito Rabat
SPA
Ducati
+23.039
20
Hafizh Syahrin
MAL
KTM
+43.242
Not Classified
/
Bradley Smith
GBR
Aprilia
2 Laps
/
Jack Miller
AUS
Ducati
10 Laps
/
Francesco Bagnaia
ITA
Ducati
13 Laps
MotoGP Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Andrea Dovizioso
Ducati
ITA
25
2
Marc Marquez
Honda
SPA
20
3
Cal Crutchlow
Honda
GBR
16
4
Alex Rins
Suzuki
SPA
13
5
Valentino Rossi
Yamaha
ITA
11
6
Danilo Petrucci
Ducati
ITA
10
7
Maverick Viñales
Yamaha
SPA
9
8
Joan Mir
Suzuki
SPA
8
9
Takaaki Nakagami
Honda
JPN
7
10
Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia
SPA
6
11
Franco Morbidelli
Yamaha
ITA
5
12
Pol Espargaro
KTM
SPA
4
13
Jorge Lorenzo
Honda
SPA
3
14
Andrea Iannone
Aprilia
ITA
2
15
Johann Zarco
KTM
FRA
1
16
Fabio Quartararo
Yamaha
FRA
0
17
Miguel Oliveira
KTM
POR
0
18
Karel Abraham
Ducati
CZE
0
19
Tito Rabat
Ducati
SPA
0
20
Hafizh Syahrin
KTM
MAL
0
21
Bradley Smith
Aprilia
GBR
0
22
Jack Miller
Ducati
AUS
0
23
Francesco Bagnaia
Ducati
ITA
0
Moto2
Flexbox HP 40’s Lorenzo Baldassarri had to fight off huge last lap pressure from the returning Tom Lüthi to take Moto2 victory at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, with the duel going down to the line. The Italian led from Lap 2 but had to withstand some serious pressure in the final sector of the last lap to hold off a swarming Lüthi, eventually taking the chequered flag just 0.026 clear of the Swiss rider. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Marcel Schrötter completed the podium from pole.
Lorenzo Baldassarri Moto2 – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
As the lights went out it was Xavi Vierge who took the holeshot from the middle of the front row of the grid, but a big crash behind drew focus early on Lap 1. Debutant Nicolo Bulega, Iker Lecuona and Jorge Navarro all crashed, before Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Marco Bezzechi then fell out of contention on his debut ride.
Back at the front, Baldassarri had blasted his way past Vierge on Lap Two before slowly but surely beginning to build up an advantage over the chasing pack. Despite taking the holeshot, Vierge then started to slip backwards, dropping from second to fifth inside four corners. Schrötter, Remy Gardner and Vierge’s EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez all made their way past.
Lüthi then got in on the act, fighting his way through to fifth place before setting back-to-back lap records around the Losail International Circuit to close in on Marquez and then get past him. The Kalex rider then sliced into third place past Australian Gardner with six laps to go, soon after setting up a grandstand finish by catching and passing teammate Schrötter with four laps on the clock.
Remy Gardner – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
The former MotoGP rider had 0.821 to pull in to catch Baldassarri at the front and with just a lap left, he had managed to cut that advantage down to nothing and was all over the rear of the Italian’s Kalex. Baldassarri was able to hold off off Lüthi’s charge for three quarters of the lap but the Swiss rider looked the favourite going into the final sector, applying huge pressure. It wasn’t enough, however, as Baldassarri’s defensive riding was enough to keep him at bay despite the fact the pair exited the final corner side-by-side – with Baldassarri holding on by just 0.026 to take the win.
Gardner initially stole third place from Schrötter on the final lap, but the German slipstreamed his way past the Australian to take the final step on the rostrum by two thousandths and complete a Dynovolt Intact GP double podium finish. Flexbox HP 40’s Augusto Fernandez came from row four of the grid to take fifth place, hugely impressive as he ended the race narrowly ahead of Sam Lowes.
Marquez eventually had to settle for seventh but was over two seconds clear of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini in a lonely eighth place. Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini was one of the rides of the day to take ninth on his Moto2 debut, fighting off Vierge, who eventually slipped down to tenth. Fabio Di Giannantonio took P11 as second rookie, ahead of a tougher race for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder.
A nail-biting start to a new era in Moto2 saw Baldassarri collect a commemorative first Triumph-powered race win trophy alongside his VisitQatar Grand Prix race winner prize. With a plethora of riders showing their potential this weekend, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll collect 25 points in Argentina.
Kaito Toba became the first Japanese winner in Moto3 and the first in the lightweight class since Tomoyoshi Koyama took victory in the 125cc race at the 2007 Catalan GP after a stunning ride at the VisitQatar Grand Prix.
Kaito Toba Moto3 – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
He’s also the first Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion to become a Grand Prix winner after duelling it out in style to the line against Lorenzo Dalla Porta, the man who just lost out, and polesitter Aron Canet, who completed the podium.
Toba started third on the grid but it was Canet who got the initial good launch to lead into Turn 1, with Toba slotting into P2 ahead of second on the grid Dalla Porta. There was drama on the opening lap further back though, with Jaume Masia, Tom Booth-Amos, Ayumu Sasaki and Makar Yurchenko crashing out of contention at Turn 6.
There was no drama further up, however, with Canet, Dalla Porta, Albert Arenas and Tony Arbolino getting an initial break in the lead before a front group of the top 19 started to form; just two seconds covering them in true Moto3 style.
Aaron Canet – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
The lead swapped and changed between several riders, with Toba forcing his way to the front on Lap 6. A 19-rider fight then became 16, Turn 6 the location again as another multiple rider crash occurred – this time it was Dennis Foggia, Kazuki Masaki and Tatsuki Suzuki who crashed out.
Niccolo Antonelli then had a turn at leading the freight train with 10 to go, before Romano Fenati took the baton off his compatriot to lead for the first time in Qatar. Nine laps remained.
The lead was changing lap by lap and any one of the top 15 were still in with a shout at the win. Then, with four laps to go, a major talking point of the race happened. Fenati seemed to misunderstand a track limits warning that appeared on his dashboard and the Italian then dived into the new ‘Long Lap Penalty’ area on the outside of Turn 6 to drop him from fourth to 12th. He wasn’t out of it though as the top 13 were covered by less than two seconds with just three laps to go.
By the final lap it was Toba who led once again and it soon became a three-way fight for the win between him, Canet and Dalla Porta. Coming into Turn 16, the Italian had the advantage but Toba timed the slipstream to perfection to just beat him to the chequered flag, taking the number 27 of childhood hero Casey Stoner back onto the top step. Dalla Porta was forced to settle for P2, with Canet coming home third.
Marcos Ramirez took P4, with Celestino Vietti crossing the line in fifth to get his rookie Moto3 season off to a great start as the top debutant. Arenas, a contender for the win throughout, beat reigning Junior Moto3 World Champion and teammate Raul Fernandez to the line by 0.028, making it 6th and 7th respectively for the duo.
2016 Qatar GP winner Antonelli was just 0.004 off Fernandez in P8, with Fenati salvaging P9 after looking odds on for at least a podium on his return. Jakub Kornfeil rounded out the top ten, less than a second from the win.
History made in Qatar, it’s next stop Argentina for the field – with Toba the first Championship leader of the season.
Moto3 Podium 1) Kaito Toba, 2) Lorenzo Dalla +0.053, 3) Aron Canet +0.174 – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1
