Fans, it's finally here! MotoGP 2014 gets underway, today at the Losail circuit, in Doha, Qatar. Results of Moto 2 and Moto 3 will also be highlighted throughout the season. However, yours truly is not sure if they will be highlighted from the TV broadcasts, or, from the results sheets on www.motogp.com. We'll see. There are new riders in MotoGP this year, or, familiar riders, in some new places, while other familiar riders, have stayed put with their respective teams.
Qatar was the first nighttime MotoGP race and it was first run in 2008. The riders and teams of the oldest motorcycle racing series. Marc Marquez is trying to defend his world championship from last year. Marquez won six races, and nine poles last year, and he had sixteen podium finishes. Rookies are here, and veterans also want a piece of the action. Can Marquez win his second championship? He broke his leg over the winter, and had a problem during testing.
Dani Pedrosa is in the last year of his current contract with the factory Honda team. What can he do? Jorge Lorenzo has been strong, but he had some concerns over tires in testing. Can Valentino Rossi warrant himself to continue to race? Broc Parkes, Scott Redding, Pol Espargaro, and Mike Di Meglio, are the four rookies. We have new regulations, too, with the new Open division, that replaces the CRT (Claiming Rules Teams), bikes, that was explained on this blog.
Nicky Hayden switches to Honda, after running for Ducati for a number of years. These are the main changes to watch throughout the season, and yours truly, will be keeping an eye on things. Nicky Hayden and Aleix Espargaro will run Open bikes. Refer back to an article posted on the blog, a while ago, to find out what an Open class bike is all about. Let's look at qualifying. Some contenders struggled, and others, went real well.
Yonny Hernandez crashed in turn two. Pol Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow went through to Q2. Jorge Lorenzo cracked the top five. Aleix Espargaro crashed two bikes! He'll start ninth. Bradley Smith is on the front row, so is Alvaro Bautista. But, Marc Marquez has pole. 22 laps are scheduled. Bradley Smith has his first front row start. Aleix Espargaro sank, after dominating qualifying. Scott Redding is the tallest rider in MotoGP at 6'1". The factory bikes are quicker than the Open bikes.
Watch out for tires. The bikes carry a liter less of fuel. Watch the start. Marquez will have to control the race, even though he has a broken leg. We're getting ready to race. Can the Open class bikes keep up with the factory bikes? This track is over 3.3 miles, with 16 turns. Let's race. The bikes are on their warmup lap. Most riders will use the same tires. But, Marquez usually uses a harder compound rear tire. The bikes form up for this 22 lap race. Here we go.
At the start, Bradley Smith gets the lead and now, Lorenzo takes the lead. Stefan Bradl and Marc Marquez are yp there, too. Andrea Ianonne makes a good start as Dani Pedrosa moves back. Into turn seven, Aleix Espargaro made a slow start. Alvaro Bautista got swamped. Lorenzo is down! He's out on the first lap of the 2014 season! Wow! Stefan Bradl now leads. Marc Marquez goes by Bradley Smith. Lorenzo has won Qatar the last two years. So, there will be a different winner this year.
Andrea Dovizioso is up to fourth on the Ducati. Valentino Rossi is fifth and he'll be aware of whjat has happened to his factory Yamaha team mate. Michael Laverty gets a ride through penalty. Jorge Lorenzo's bike is still in the gravel trap at turn fifteen as Andrea Ianonne crashes! Two riders. Two bikes, gone! Marc Marquez is still running decently. Ianonne rejoins the race. Now, take a deep breath, and let this race settle down. Stefan Bradl is now ahead. It's LCR Honda vs. Repsol Honda.
Marquez leads a race for the first time since Laguna Seca last year. Marquez wants by Bradl. He wants to get back into the lead. Bradley Smith is now in third spot. We're three laps into this on e. Bautista runs fast lap at 1:55.712. 2.7 seconds cover the top nine bikes. Hot stuff. Dani Pedrosa runs ahead of Andrea Dovizioso. Bradl still leads Marquez as Bautista passes Smith and resets fast lap of the race. Pol Espargaro is now in the top ten, behind his brother Aleix.
Hiroshi Aoyama is way down in 16th spot. Honda runs 1-2-3. Bradley Smith and Valentino Rossi battle. But Rossi makes the pass, saying, "let me show you how this is done, sunshine." Now, Marquez slides wide and Bradl gets around him. Marquez is under pressure from Alvaro Bautista. Bautista is second now. Bradl is ahead at the moment. Trying to keep up with everything, folks. Kind of hard to hear commentators Nick Harris and Gregory Haines, over the roar of the 1000cc MotoGP engines.
Moments ago, Alvaro Bautista runs wide, and of course, Marc Marquez got back by. Now, Valentino Rossi continues to push. Working lap seven. Fifteen to go. Four away from halfway. Don't look at lap times. If you ar watching this, it's amazing. Rossi moves to second spot. Dani Pedrosa is still in it, too. Marquez comes back. Rossi is going for it, and now, Bradl crashes! Ugh! Marquez leads over Rossi, and Smith. Turn six is calamity corner on this Doha track in Qatar.
Aleix Espargaro battles with both Ducati's of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso. Now, Valentino Rossi takes the race lead from Marc Marquez. Remember, Rossi won in a popular victory last year at Assen in Holland. Aleix Espargaro gets around Dovizioso. Scott Redding and others are up into the top ten. Redding, and Aleix Espargaro. Espargaro is actually seventh now. We're one lap from halfway in this one, folks.
Could the harder rear tire help in the second half? Now, Marquez wants by Rossi, in a big way. Two of the top riders, spar for the lead in the Qatar Grand Prix. Keep in mind, Valentino Rossi is a nine-time world champion. He's a legend. Alvaro Bautista passes Bradley Smith. Aleix Espargaro continues to battle, and so do his brother Pol Espargaro, and Colin Edwards. Pol Espargaro races for Tech 3 Yamaha of course. Dani Pedrosa wants in on the Rossi/Marquez scrap.
Eleven laps to go. Marquez looks back at Pedrosa. When the medium compound tire sdrops off, the soft tire, might come into it's own. We might not se any differences in times as tires drop off. Bradley Smith hangs by a thread in fifth, to keep up with the top four. Marquez is going for it. Pol Espargaro wants by Cal Crutchlow. Marc Marquez takes the lead back with nine laps left. Valentino Rossi stays with him. Can Rossi, Pedrosa, and Bautista, stay with him?
Rossi trails Marquez, but not by much. Jorge Lorenzo has a damaged left elbow, and he can only watch after his crash. Eight laps remain in round one of MotoGP for 2014. Seven laps remain now. It's still Marquez vs. Rossi. Is it mnore exciting to watch the racing, or, leaders who get in trouble and fall off? We've lost two leaders in turn six. Jorge Lorenzo, and Stefan Bradl of course. Alvaro Bautista battles with Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa lies ahead of Bautista. This race isn't over yet.
Valentino Rossi is absolutely pushing Marc Marquez. Has Pedrosa got anything left in the locker? Or, has he realized he can't catch the leaders? Alvaro Bautista is really going for it, though, and still wants by Pedrosa. Rossi will not lose sight of Marquez. Bradley Smith will get a top five out of this race, starting his second season in MotoGP. Jorge Lorenzo says that he simply made a mistake, and that's why he crashed. Alvaro Bautista is now hounding Dani Pedrosa, with just four laps left in the race.
Pol Espargaro is out, and understandably, frustrated. Bradley Smith crashes! Ugh! Both Tech 3 Yamaha's are out of this one, as Smith ditches the bike. Pol Espargaro is in the pits. Game over for Tech 3 Yamaha. Rossi continues pushing Marquez to the limit, and they're side by side! Marquez slams the door. Into turns four and five, Rossi tries forcing Marquez into a mistake. Now, Cal Crutchlow is not running well on the Ducati. Could he be out, too? Alvaro Bautista is losing ground.
Here comes Rossi. They're side by side again. Marquez wants to get back in the lead, and Rossi is sizing him up for a lunge at the finish. Oh no! Alvaro autista has crashed. Now, Rossi is ahead of Marquez. A lap and a half left. Marquez comes back on Rossi! These two are going for it. Rossin comes back, but he can't make it. Marquez is now leading. We're on the final lap on this 3.3 mile Losail track. They come to the start/finish straight.
One lap left, folks. Rossi will need a mistake from Marquez to capitalize. Cal Crutchlow is back to sixth, getting around Scott Redding. Rossi is close to Marquez. Is there anywhere Rossi can find a passing spot with half a lap left? He's closing up/. This is well and truly it. Rossi tries to get closer, into the tire tracks of Marquez. It's Honda vs. Yamaha. Marquez does it!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Honda
What an opening race for MotoGP 2014! The next race in MotoGP, is the first of two in the United States. It is at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and will occur in three weeks.
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