Category: Moto GP

The Pre-Event Press Conference gets us in gear for the European leg of the season

Jerez (Spain), 2 May 2019: Ahead of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the Press Conference gathered together some of the biggest names in the paddock to talk shop ahead of track action getting underway on Friday – with Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) joined by nine-time Champion Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Austin winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), COTA podium finisher Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Moto3™ Championship leader Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai). First to speak was ‘DesmoDovi’, fresh from a visit to the Fundación Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre – the Royal Andalusian Equestrian School – and that’s where the Italian started.

“Today was fun, really nice! But I was very close to the horses and it was a bit scary! The pictures are really nice though,” he smiles. And then it was back to the racing: “I’m happy with the final result in Austin, on Saturday we struggled a bit with the laptime and we started well back, but we made a good start and I was able to recover. I’m happy to get here leading the Championship, there are a lot of fast riders and I think there are more people fighting for the championship than me and Marc compared to the last two years. So it will be even harder this season but I feel more confident than last year I think we can be more competitive but here in Jerez you never know.

“Last year our speed in the race was really good but this year the asphalt is different, so it will affect everybody a lot. Let’s see if it will affect in a positive or negative way. I think it will be different this season here because the competitors are in a different situation. But the asphalt is the point, I don’t know why we can’t be competitive this year.”

Next up was Rossi, the man with a stunning record in Jerez and the winner most recently in 2016. Since then, it’s been a tougher track for Yamaha, and the Italian notes how important the weekend will be.

“It will be very important for understanding if we’re stronger and faster, if we’ve improved the bike because last year was a very difficult weekend and I wasn’t so fast, my speed wasn’t enough. It looks like in the first races we’re more competitive and we’ve improved the bike, but here will be an important weekend to see how much and understand if we’re fast enough.”

‘More competitive’ in the first races is a bit of an understatement, with the Italian second in the Championship as it stands: “I’m very happy about the start of the season because in the three races I was always quite strong and I’ve taken some important points. Now the most important part of the season starts from Jerez and we have a lot of good European tracks. The target is try to fight for the Championship and stay there, and for sure compared to last year the atmosphere in the team is better because that always correlates with the results.”

The atmosphere for Rins then, after his first premier class win in Austin, must have been a good one over the past two weeks. And he affirms it was, but he’s already reset to try and do it again – this time on home turf.

“It was incredible and unbelievable to get my first win in MotoGP in Austin, I got my first win in Moto2 and Moto3 there so I’m quite happy, these two weeks were incredible but after the race I was thinking about the next one in Jerez. I’m excited to start with the new tarmac and we’ll see how it’s going.

“I’ve not done a lot of laps with a MotoGP machine because I was out through injury in 2017 and last year I crashed early, but in testing I’ve done a lot of laps. I feel prepared and my team do too, so I think the target is the same – to go with the front group, fight, and try and win. If it’s possible we’ll try and win and if not we’ll try and finish as far forward as possible.”

After Rins came Marquez, the man who was leading that Americas GP before disaster hit and he slid out of contention. But, much like Rins, the reigning Champion says that’s already been processed and focus has moved on to Jerez – the first home race of the season.

“It was a frustrating Sunday,” replied Marquez when asked how he was feeling. “But not the whole two weeks. From Monday we were already focused on Jerez. The important thing is me and my team understand why I crashed, because I had a really good feeling and I couldn’t understand it. I was riding in a good way, I was confident on the bike and it was difficult to understand but then, after analysing things we understand. Now we need to focus on Jerez, try to keep the same level because I feel really good with the bike. I’ve felt good since Qatar, so it’s important to continue like this.

“Last year we arrived here with exactly the same points and we’ll try and be competitive this weekend, it’s a circuit I like and that goes well with my riding style but we need to understand the asphalt and the level of our competitors. We also need to understand the racetrack in the afternoon. In the morning when everything’s fresh, it’s easier, then in the afternoon everything is more difficult, so just try to understand and be competitive from the beginning.

Next the mic passed to Miller, who completed the podium in Austin and took his first ever rostrum in the dry.

“It was an achievement,” says the Queenslander. “The other podium, or victory, was in the wet and it felt great but less like I’d achieved it. To get a dry weather podium under our belt is always nice. The bike is working great, I feel super comfortable at the moment we’ve been strong at all three rounds. The team are doing an amazing job and like I said before it’s a shame we had that result in Qatar because it would be interesting, especially after how things have shaped up, to see where we would be in the Championship. We’ve been working hard during these weeks to get ready for this one. We had a great test here in November, so I look forward to carrying some of that momentum hopefully into here. As you said with the asphalt it will be a little bit of a question mark, we’ll have to go out there and see how the tyres work and having four options here it will be a little but different to see what we’ll do in the race.

“Last year we had a decent result but that was due to everyone falling off in front of us. We’ll see what we can do this year. I’ve had good pace in the past, just never really been able to put it all together in the race. So I’m hoping this year we can put it all together and have a good weekend, if it goes like it has been at the last couple of GPs and we can keep working in the same way through the practices I think it will be good.”

Finally, Masia was the final rider to speak in the opening stages. Arriving to the first home race of the season – and in the lead – is some pressure for the sophomore, but he’s more than ready to race.

“I’m really happy to be the leader. It is only the third race of the Championship but it’s nice to be there. I’m also happy to be first in the first European race, at home, so I’ll just try to continue like this.”

The Spaniard was also asked about his quick progression from the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship to where he is now. “In Estrella Galicia it was really hard because I was small and with a lot of weight on the bike. But it’s a dream come true to arrive in the World Championship and being here is amazing. I can’t believe it, so I’m going to try to continue like this and enjoy it!”

Marquez had some advice for him: “I’ve known Jaume for a long time and he had good talent then, he’s showing it now. He can be very competitive but it’s normal – I’m laughing because I know the feeling! First home Grand Prix, leading the Championship…” The reigning Champion turned to look at Masia and smiled again. “Just keep calm!”

That’s it from Thursday Press Conference talk at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España and now it’s time to head out on track at Jerez. FP1 begins on Friday morning at 9:55 (GMT +2), which is 12.30 to 1pm IST, with the MotoGP race on Sunday at 14:00.  (5.30 IST)

The Italians steal some limelight behind a pitch-perfect performance from the reigning Champion

Santiago del Estero (Argentina), 31 March 2019: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took a brilliant victory in Termas de Rio Hondo with a dominant performance at the front, taking the Championship lead in the process to leave Argentina four points clear on the way to Texas. The race to complete the podium behind him was a spectacular tussle, however, and one eventually won by Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the ‘Doctor’ made the perfect move on Andrea Doviziosos (Mission Winnow Ducati) on the last lap to secure second and his first podium since Germany last season – an apt way to mark the anniversary of his World Championship debut in 1996.

Marquez took the holeshot from pole as Dovizioso pounced for second, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing out from the middle of the front row and Rossi leapfrogging his teammate. Marquez immediately pulled the pin to make a gap, with Rossi then soon attacking Dovizioso but the Ducati rider holding firm.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was next to go on the offensive as he dived past the ‘Doctor’ but the move didn’t stick, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) getting past Viñales to tag onto the Australian. Chopping and changing, Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) was next to attack the number 12 Yamaha in the melee – before Miller took Rossi, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a stab at getting past the number 46 too.

It was a breathless tussle over the first two laps but one rider was then forced out of it: Crutchlow was given a Ride Through for jumping the start. That took him out of the battle as Dovi, Miller and Rossi found Morbidelli back on their tail and Rossi pounced on Dovizioso just as Morbidelli pounced on Miller in tandem. Spectacular though it was, it was shortlived as both Yamahas then headed wide and the ensuing shuffle reset the battle. Dovizioso and Rossi followed by Morbidelli, Petrucci, Miller and Viñales was the freight train fighting it out for the podium.

As the laps ticked on the Dovizioso-Rossi battle lit up and started to pull away from those behind. Dovizioso blasted down the straights, Rossi made the most of the Yamaha’s forte in the corners…the two trading positions at times but able to stay ahead of the battle that now included Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as he arrived on the scene from 16th on the grid.

As that raged on, the last lap was a relaxed one for Marquez at the front. The reigning Champion completed his stunning performance and took his first win of the year, but the battle for second stayed tense to the line. Rossi lurked behind his prey for the first half of the lap, but at Turn 7 the ‘Doctor’ struck to perfection. A block pass saw the Italian not only get past his compatriot but also create just enough of a gap to keep him ahead until the end; the result Rossi back on the podium for the first time since Sachsenring last season. Dovizioso, meanwhile, although forced to settle for third, achieved his goal of getting on the podium at a track that usually proved tough for Ducati – and he’s only four points off Marquez in the Championship.

The fight for fourth saw Rins and Miller locked in battle and in the end it was the Australian who took the spoils, coming home in the same position as last year and as top Independent Team rider. Rins nevertheless took an incredible fifth after gaining 11 places, with Petrucci ultimately dropping into the clutches of Viñales and Morbidelli – and one last gasp of drama just around the corner for that trio.

Viñales attacked Petrucci, Petrucci held him off and the two Yamahas behind then came into contact, suddenly both on the floor and sliding out as the Ducati escaped for P6. That meant Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) got an even bigger reward for a quality race as the Japanese rider capitalised for seventh, with fast Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking P8 and coming home as top rookie. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took ninth and homed in on his pre-race goal of the top eight.

The battle to complete the top ten was another stunner. It was Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who won it and who takes the spoils, but the Spaniard had to do some serious looking over his shoulder for another KTM: that of rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider has been notable in 2019 so far, but less than two tenths off Espargaro and two tenths off the top ten made quite an impression as he scored points for the first time.

The recovering Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) took P12, ahead of Crutchlow, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the points. And that’s all she wrote in Argentina. Now it’s time for chapter three at the Circuit of the Americas, traditionally Marquez territory. Can he rule the venue once again and increase his lead? Find out on the 14th April for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

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