– Teams preview GP season opener in Qatar
— HRC Preview
The 65th season of motorcycle Grand Prix racing roars into action when the floodlights go up and the starting lights go out at Losail on April 7. The Qatar Grand Prix is MotoGP’s only night-time event and its desert setting makes it a doubly unique way to start the new season.
Qatar follows a busy two months of preseason testing that has seen the top teams evaluating their new machines across three different continents: in Malaysia, in the USA and in Spain.
The 2013 MotoGP season also marks the 55th anniversary of Honda’s arrival in Grand Prix racing. The world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer made its World Championship debut at the Isle of Man TT in June 1959, scoring points at its very first attempt. Five and a half decades later the company is still driven by the same racing spirit and by the same determination to achieve technical excellence.
Repsol Honda’s latest RC213V is the embodiment of that quest. Last year Honda won the coveted manufacturers’ World Championship but lost out in the race for the riders’ title due to issues caused by an unreasonably late change to the technical regulations.
Long-time factory rider Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended 2012 second overall after winning six of the last eight races. The 27-year-old Spaniard is determined to start off where he left off at the end of last season and is feeling quietly confident about his eighth season with Repsol Honda after four very constructive preseason tests.
Following the retirement of his former team-mate Casey Stoner – who won the 2011 MotoGP World Championship on his RC212V – Pedrosa now shares the Repsol Honda garage with new team-mate and compatriot Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V).
Marquez’s talent has astonished during preseason testing; the 20-year-old even topping the session at the brand-new COTA circuit in Austin, Texas, venue for round two of the 2013 campaign on April 21. The reigning Moto2 World Champion is certainly a very welcome addition to the premier class.
Honda has two other riders on full prototype MotoGP bikes in 2013: former Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) and former 125 World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V).
Bradl contests his second MotoGP season this year, after taking the Rookie of the Year award in 2012. The 23-year-old German has a very intelligent approach to racing and learns every time he goes out on the bike. After some strong showings during his rookie season – including seven second-row starts and a fighting fourth-place finish at Mugello – Bradl is aiming to take the next step towards the front aboard his factory RC213V.
Bautista also did a lot of learning last year, switching to a Honda MotoGP machine after two seasons with Suzuki. The 28-year-old Spaniard adapted well, scoring his first MotoGP pole position at Silverstone and podium finishes at Misano and Motegi. Like Bradl, he too is ready to take the next step forward this year.
Stoner’s exit from MotoGP leaves the class with just one Australian on the grid – rookie Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) who rides an FTR-framed CRT bike powered by a tuned Honda CBR1000RR engine. This is a big move for the 26-year-old who won four races in last year’s hotly contested Superstock 1000 FIM Cup.
Less than two hours before the first MotoGP race of 2013 gets underway the new Moto2 season begins. This is the fourth year of the Honda-powered intermediate World Championship that replaced the long-running 250 World Championship in 2010. The series has rightly won a reputation for fearsome racing that can be attributed the equality of the machinery. The category was created with two distinct goals: low costs and technical equality between all riders and teams, which is why the entire grid used Honda CBR600RR engines provided by MotoGP rights-holders Dorna, as well as control tyres and control ECUs.
With Marquez and Italian Andrea Iannone promoted to MotoGP duties, the outcome of the first race and the World Championship is wide open. Early favourite is last year’s runner-up Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) who won four races in 2012. The 21-year-old Spaniard was fastest during preseason testing and is brimming with confidence.
However, Espargaro is fully aware that he will have to fight all the way for the 2013 title. Also showing well at the final tests were his team-mate Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) and the other team duo of Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) and Nicolas Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter). But expect great things also from some other stars of 2012, including yet another team duo of Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) and Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), as well as 2010 Moto2 king Toni Elias (Blusens Avintia Kalex).
Swiss ace Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Suter), who finished fourth in last year’s series, was expected to be in the thick of the fight for the 2013 title until he sustained an arm injury during preseason tests at Valencia. He is expected to return to action at next month’s Spanish Grand Prix. Meanwhile his place is taken by Spaniard Sergio Gadea.
Honda riders in the Moto3 class – now in its second season after replacing the 125cc category last year – face a big challenge at the opening race of 2013. During the final preseason tests at Jerez there were two riders powered by Honda’s NSF250R engine inside the top-ten fastest times: Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini FTR Honda) and John McPhee Caretta (Technology-RTG FTR Honda). With Honda planning to provide engine upgrades for the first race, Honda’s Moto3 riders will be working hard to close the gap on the fastest bikes before race night at Losail. Expect Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) and fellow Italian teenager Alessandro Tonucci (Team La Fonte Tasca Racing Honda) to be among those in the hunt for podium finishes.
The Qatar Grand Prix has another unique aspect – it is the only MotoGP event that takes place over four days, rather than three. This is because there is window of just five hours between dusk and 11pm, when plummeting temperatures coat the circuit with dew, which dramatically reduces grip. Practice sessions begin at 6pm on Thursday and Friday, followed by qualifying at 6pm on Saturday and racing from 7pm on Sunday. During race weekend the track is lit by an amazing 5.4 million watt lighting system, the biggest of its kind, which could illuminate a road from Doha to Moscow or 70 FIFA football fields.
The circuit itself, constructed in 2004 to bring MotoGP to the Middle East for the first time, is a sinuous test for man and machine, with the layout of individual corners inspired by famous corners at racetracks from around the world. Corner speed and machine agility are vitally important at Losail with only one straight worthy of the name – the 1.068km/0.664 mile start-finish, which demands plenty of horsepower.
After Losail the MotoGP circuit heads west, setting up camp outside Austin in Texas for the Grand Prix of the Americas at the new Circuit of Americas. Practice starts on April 19. Racing takes place on April 21. Then it’s back to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on May 5.
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “After a long testing period I am now really ready to go racing! The team has worked hard to get us in the best place for the start of the season and I’m pleased with my physical situation. It’s a long weekend in Qatar, with the schedule over four days, and the grip level takes some time to improve with the sand and other conditions there. It will be interesting to see how the new qualifying format works and I’m really looking forward to the race. I’m just excited to get the season started!”
Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says: “We’ve had a good winter testing and now it’s time to go racing. Qatar isn’t one of my favourite tracks but I still enjoy it. There are many factors to consider there with the sand from the desert which affects the grip, and also the fact that it’s a night race. Also, as I saw in Jerez, everything is different on the MotoGP bike compared to Moto2 so we will need some time. Let’s see when we get there. For sure I will be nervous going into my first MotoGP race but I’m also excited.”
LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl says: “I am happy to go to Qatar and I feel ready for the first race of the season. It’s a circuit where I normally go fast and like the layout and the atmosphere because racing in the nighttime is awesome. Now I have more experience on this bike in this class and won’t be as nervous as last year at my debut and I feel this circuit could be a good chance to obtain a good result”.
GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says: “The new season is about to start and I think we are ready. We did a great job through preseason testing, even though we weren’t helped by the weather in the final session at Jerez. Unfortunately we still had some things we needed to test, but we didn’t get the chance. Anyway, overall we have made a big step from last year. Racing in Qatar is always very special and it’s exciting to go out on track under the lights. It’s a nice track, but the fact that you’re racing at night and the varying levels of grip make it strange to ride. I’m curious to see how the new qualifying system works, but I think it will be exciting. We’ll keep working to make the bike more rideable and make sure we’re as competitive as we can be for the first race. I had a lot of problems last year in practice in Qatar and only managed to finish seventh in the race, which I wasn’t happy with, so this year we’ll certainly look to make up for that.”
GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Bryan Staring says: “I am nervous and excited about making my debut in MotoGP. After an encouraging test at Jerez I am highly motivated and confident we can do well. I don’t know Losail but I have watched all the races there on television and I’m curious to experience it myself. I have worked hard with the team throughout the winter and gradually I am getting used to the bike, which is very different to anything I have ridden before. I have gradually adapted my riding style to cope with the power of the FTR Honda and I am ready for this new experience now. Obviously racing at night will be completely new to me too, but that just makes me feel even more excited about making my debut in MotoGP. Hopefully I can have a good race and start the season in the right way.
Moto2 Rider Quotes
Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex rider Pol Espargaro says: “Preseason testing went very well for us. I’m glad I was fastest in all three IRTA tests – one at Valencia and two at Jerez – but I am very well aware that you get no points for testing! The World Championship finally starts this weekend and I think we are ready to fight for the title, with the confidence and peace of mind that comes from having the best technical team behind me to achieve the goal. We will have to work race by race and never forget that Moto2 is a very difficult category. There are many other riders – some who have already been World Champions, others who have yet to be champions – so even if we give 110% of our potential we know this season will be tough.”
Blusens Avintia rider Toni Elias says: “I like the layout of Losail but the fact that we are racing at night complicates things, mostly because of the dew that can affect grip. I would prefer to race during daylight, but racing by night isn’t a problem because, in the end, it’s the same for everyone. We did a very good job in preseason tests, but I think that we still have a last step to make, so we will try to make that step during the first two days of practice to reach qualifying in as competitive a position as possible. I am happy because we have improved a lot in a short time and I can’t wait for the first to start. Talking about results is always risky and even more so in a competitive category like Moto2, but if we can’t win in Qatar, being on one of the other two steps of the podium would be a good result for the first race.”
Marc VDS Racing Team rider Scott Redding says: “Last year we achieved our aim of top-five finishes, but this season I need to step it up and be aiming for the podium in every race, starting this weekend in Qatar. We head to the first race off the back of three very positive preseason tests, with a bike that I feel confident with, and with a package that we know is competitive. I’m probably better prepared, both physically and mentally, for the start of the season than I’ve ever been before, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend ahead. A podium finish in Qatar would be the perfect start to what promises to be another tough and hard-fought season, so that’s what I’m aiming for.”
Moto3 Rider Quotes
San Carlo Team Italia Honda rider Romano Fenati says: “I wasn’t so happy with the results of the final tests at Jerez, but we go to Losail remaining focused on the championship. We tried so many things with the FTR Honda during testing and I think we still have a lot of work to do. The best thing is that the team is working really well, so I’m sure we will improve. Last year we had a great race at Qatar and a great start to my career in GPs. I think this time it will be tougher, but we are ready for the challenge.”
GO&FUN Gresini Honda rider Niccolo Antonelli says: “I am ready and excited about the first race of the season at the Losail circuit in Qatar. I can’t wait to get out on track and see how I am physically, but if I feel okay I will be trying my best to fight at the front. I have confidence in the new Honda engine and with the job the guys have done in the recent test at Jerez I think we can be racing with the best of them. I like Losail and the surreal atmosphere of racing at night is exciting to me so I can’t wait to get back on the bike and start this new adventure.”
Team La Fonte Tasca Racing rider Alessandro Tonucci says: “For Qatar I feel very good and I’m training. I get on well with the team and in the last test we worked so hard but we have not yet found a definitive solution to balance the bike well. I hope to find something in the first practice session. We will also see how it goes the new engine that arrives in Qatar. I hope to do well!”
— Yamaha Preview
The long winter wait is over as Yamaha Factory Racing prepare this week for the first race of the 2013 MotoGP season, The Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit. The unique night-time race schedule will mean that the first practice session of the weekend will happen in just one day’s time, on Thursday 04th April.
Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo arrives in Qatar as a strong favourite to take opening round honours having delivered several impressive simulations in winter testing at a race-winning pace. Lorenzo will be hoping to replicate the stunning win at the Losail Circuit in 2012 that kicked off the journey to his second premier class title last season. Losail is a good track for the champion, Lorenzo has always started from the front row and always finished on the podium. Last year’s victory was his first premier class win in Qatar.
Valentino Rossi prepares for his first race reunited with Yamaha in confident mood having seen a marked return to form over winter testing. The nine-time MotoGP World Champion has been quick to answer his critics and find a highly competitive pace on the 1000cc YR-M1, putting himself firmly among the favourites alongside his team-mate for podium honours under the spotlights of the Losail Circuit. Rossi can claim three premier class victories in Qatar, the last being also his last outing at the track on the Yamaha M1.
Built in the desert on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital city Doha, The Losail International Circuit has hosted a MotoGP round since 2004. The track celebrated the first ever night-time Grand Prix in 2008 and continues to be the only night race on the calendar. The 5.4km track is well suited to the YZR-M1 with a fast flowing nature. With a main straight over a kilometre in length and a combination of medium and high-speed corners the track is guaranteed to provide an exciting spectacle to start the season.
Jorge Lorenzo
“I am very excited to return to Qatar and begin the season. The testing has been good, we have good pace and we are quite happy with our performance. We still have some areas to improve but our situation is not so bad compared to our competitors and I think we can fight for the win. Jerez was a good point for us after testing in Austin; that was a new circuit where maybe we haven’t yet found a perfect feeling. In Jerez we were able to make a long run and all the Yamahas were on top; that gave us some extra motivation before travelling to Qatar. It also shows that every track is different and it’s going to be an exciting Championship. I want to keep the crown but it’s going to be hard. There are some great riders this year, I was surprised by Marquez’ pace and also with Valentino on his return to Yamaha. Dani is also so strong after the last part of the 2012 season. We will fight really hard from the first race, I believe we are in good shape for that. Losail is a track where we usually find a difficult track surface, plenty of sand and because of that it is always very tough with the tyres. We will see how we can perform there. I am feeling very fit and ready so I want to start!”
Valentino Rossi
“I’m very happy with the work done in Jerez and over the winter. I was fast and everything worked fine and we have a competitive bike to fight for the podium. I believe that in Qatar will not be so easy; it is a track that is a little difficult for me, but I think I can defend myself and get a good result. I would like to get on the podium: that’s my goal. After the testing I know I can be competitive in some tracks but also that I will have some problems in other tracks. The most important thing is that now I have a good feeling when I ride my M1 and this will help me at all tracks, including Qatar. Every year you get a little bit nervous at the beginning of the season. It’s normal to feel like that; it’s crucial to get some good points and not to make mistakes. I can’t wait to start this 2013 season.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“We are pretty satisfied with all the work we’ve done during the winter tests, especially at Jerez, where we were able to find a good pace and we could prove the new materials. I think more or less the work is done and Jorge is ready for Qatar. He is in good shape and we have a lot of good information for the first race in Losail.
As we saw at Jerez, Jorge seems to be quite consistent in a long-run, despite some little problems we found with the setting because of the wet conditions in Jerez. We are looking forward to starting the new season, it’s going to be a very tough year with good rivals like Dani, but also Valentino returning to Yamaha and Márquez who has been impressive on his first tests. I guess the key for us is going to be keeping calm from the beginning, trying not to make mistakes and going race by race. I can say that Jorge has been training very hard and is very fit, he has a competitive package to ride with the M1 and is ready to fight and defend our title.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“We arrive in Qatar with good confidence. Our performance over the winter testing has been very good and we are very competitive. We have two very strong riders, both with a good record at Qatar. Jorge has completed some race simulations and I think he’s very physically prepared. Valentino has improved his feeling with the bike at each test. It’s normal that it has taken him more time because for two years he has had another bike, but at Jerez he definitely proved he had the right feeling. The bike will continue to improve over the season but as it stands now it is a very competitive machine and we know it can achieve good results. The track is very suited to the characteristics of the M1, there is only one place which is difficult, the last corner is a very slow turn, first or second gear so we suffer a little there. We believe we can have the best start to the season here.”
— Ducati Preview
Following a long winter of testing and preparing for the 2013 MotoGP championship, the Ducati Team finally heads to the Middle East this week for the first Grand Prix of the year, at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit.
The squad has a much different look than it did just over four months ago at the 2012 season finale in Valencia, Spain, with changes in management and a new rider in Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian will be campaigning his first race aboard the Desmosedici, whereas teammate Nicky Hayden enters his fifth season with the Italian factory.
The team approaches the Qatar Grand Prix with the awareness that 2013 will likely be something of a building year, and the Losail Circuit, where the current lap record was set in 2008 by then-Ducati rider Casey Stoner, offers a first opportunity to see how competitive Dovizioso’s and Hayden’s bikes can be.
As has been the case since that same year, the season opener will take place at night, with illumination provided by an impressive array of outdoor lighting. Also unique is the format, with the event taking place over four days rather than the typical three, and all three classes given an extra free-practice session—the first of which will take place on Thursday night. In addition, Saturday evening will see the debut of a new qualifying system for the MotoGP class, as riders will endeavour to advance through a series of elimination sessions.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team
“Losail is a good track for me, as I’ve always had good races there, and I think that the Ducati’s strengths can work in Qatar. We head to this race determined to do well. We know that our pace isn’t so far from the others’ on new tyres, so we should certainly be able to fight for a good grid position, but we have a significant gap to make up in race configuration. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do a race simulation in the tests, so tyre wear is a question mark for me.”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team
“I’m very much looking forward to starting another season. Of course I wish we were going into it with more speed and consistency, but I feel like we’ve made progress at every pre-season test. The team has used the dry track time we’ve had very well, and we were able to get more out of the recent Jerez test than I thought we would, considering I’d just had wrist surgery. The Qatar track is smooth, which should suit our bike well, and racing under the lights at the first round is always very unique.”
Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete our work program at Jerez, due to the bad weather. Now we head to Qatar, where we’ll have to try some things in order to complete the setup work. It will be a strange race in unique conditions, as is always the case in Qatar. We hope that the wind won’t bother us too much and that our team will do well. We’ve had very good results there in the past, so the track isn’t an enemy for us. We’ve made steps over the winter, and our bike has improved at every test, so we expect to make further advances in Qatar. Andrea has done well at this circuit; he had a nice race there in his MotoGP debut and finished fourth, and we’ll be happy if we’re able to repeat that. Nicky also likes the track and has done pretty well there, but we’ll have to try hard to limit tyre wear. We still have some question marks, but anyway, we’re optimistic.”
— KTM Ajo Preview
The Losail International Circuit is the venue from Thursday for the Qatar Grand Prix, the first race of 2013. The Red Bull KTM Ajo begins the campaign with a new lineup of Luis Salom, Arthur Sissis and Zulfahmi Khairuddin. The unique conditions of this race, held at night for the sixth consecutive year, make this a special weekend for riders and fans alike. This will be the first of the seventeen races on the 2013 Moto3 calendar.
After a successful preseason, capped by Luis Salom recording the fastest time in the final test at Jerez, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team riders are raring to go to Qatar. Five months on from the final event of 2012, Luis Salom, Arthur Sissis and Zulfahmi Khairuddin will be onboard KTM machines and back in action on the world stage.
At 5.380km and with 16 corners, the Qatari track will put the new KTM Moto3 machine through its paces. Red Bull KTM Ajo defends the Moto3 title it won last year, whilst individually Salom, Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Sissis will attempt to improve upon their results from the 2012 event: fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Everything is ready for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, on the eve of the season opener.
Luis Salom – “Both the team and I arrive in Qatar ready to roll. I think if we have things clear, we can have a good race. This will be the third year that I race in Losail; in 2011 I finished eighth and I came fourth last year. So I hope to keep on improving and get a good result this weekend. Racing at night makes it a different GP to the rest, yet it is fun as it is a very fast and wide track with a slow corner. I can’t wait to ride the KTM and start the season.”
Arthus Sissis – “The Qatar Grand Prix last year was my second race in the World Championship, and for the first time I was in the fight for the podium, so I have very fond memories of this circuit. I really like the layout and it’s fun, because it has some very fast corners ─especially in the last sector. I think it’s a circuit that fits perfectly with the KTM. Riding at night and with the entire circuit illuminated makes this Grand Prix even more appealing to me.”
Zulfahmi Khairuddin – “The Losail circuit has good memories for me, after the good results last year. On Saturday we set a good qualifying time ─seventh─ and, on Sunday, we had a good race in which I finished sixth. I hope to feel the same this weekend, get times that are good enough to compete at the front and that the work done in the first race of the season be useful.”
