2018 MotoGP Qatar – Dovi dominates, Zarco zooms and Lorenzo loses it…
It feels like an eternity since the end of the 2017 MotoGP season. We’ve been waiting patiently for our next fix and on Sunday, we finally felt the sweet sting of MotoGP again! The interim period between the two seasons has certainly not been dull. Living legend Valentino Rossi has signed on for another two years with Yamaha. Tech 3 have announced their move to KTM in 2019. The list goes on. Helmets on and boots fastened; its time for the MotoGP Qatar!
And they’re off!
As the riders ready themselves for the MotoGP Qatar, the hunger is present in the eyes of every rider, each one ravenous for the first victory this season. Johann Zarco, the Frenchman who surprised us all last season after his transition from Moto 2, heads up the starting grid, alongside current champion Marc Marquez. The ever-hungry Danilo Petrucci, staying loyal to the Pramac Ducati team, finishes up the front row. It won’t be made easy for Zarco, with homegrown hero Cal Crutchlow biting at his heels on the LCR Honda, looking to make a British stamp on Qatar after both John McPhee and Sam Lowes took tumbles in Moto 3 and Moto 2.
As the lights go down, the stage is set and MotoGP Qatar is underway with Johan Zarco leading into the first corner, followed by Marc Marquez and slipping into third place behind him, Dani Pedrosa who has made his way up from starting 7th on the grid. A disappointing start from former champion Jorge Lorenzo, who starts in 9th place but fails to make any progress at the start, settling into 11th place.
Zarco proceeds to dominate the corners, keeping back his peers with aggressive riding that, on a track as sandy as this, will ultimately toast your tyres. This was no easy task though; you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Moto3 race due to how tight the riders were bunched together. MotoGP Qatar seems to bring out the beast that’s been lurking within these riders since last season.
Still no sign of Jorge Lorenzo as the battle at the front takes place. Ultimately, in turn 5 of lap 13, Lorenzo tips the bike into the gravel. Later, reports attribute his poor performance to brake problems. Lorenzo reports the issues arising in lap 2, getting progressively worse. Jorge claims he ran wide into the gravel to miss Iannone rather than wipe out the Suzuki rider. Suzuki have evidently been working hard at their bikes since the end of last season; just a shame that Rins bins it, sliding out at turn two moments before Lorenzo. A disappointing first race for both Lorenzo and Rins.
A race of two halves
Trashed tyres eventually lead to Zarco’s light being extinguished as he runs wide along with Valentino Rossi, allowing Marc Marquez to take the place right from under him along with Andrea Dovizioso, and both shoot into first and second respectively. As Zarco and Rossi regain control, Rossi quickly passes Zarco and up into third place before Cal Crutchlow quickly dives into fourth place.
At this point, a definitive reshuffling takes place. Zarco seems to switch into conservation mode, with Danilo Petrucci darting through into 5th. Maverick Vinales, who has had great pace in this second half of the race, jumps up into 6th.
As the last laps of the race unfolded, the trio of Dovi, Marquez and Rossi battle away as the top three. With Dovi and Marquez battling it out, the Doctor waits ever patiently for a mistake that he can capitalize on. Unfortunately, no such opportunites come. The battling continues right to the last corner, where Marc Marquez’s signature last corner passing attempts have certainly not fallen out of the repertoire of the Repsol mainman. Never change, Marc! With a last ditch attempt, Marquez squeals past Dovi into the corner but regrettably overshoots. Dovi steals back first place and a mad sprint ensues across the line!
With less than 3 hundreths of a second between Dovi and Marquez at the end, this was brilliant start to the 2018 season. Rossi completes the podium with a third place here, proving that he is not quite done yet. Cal Crutchlow gave a controlled performance, ‘cal-culating’ every corner and ultimately finishing in 4th place as the top independent rider! Well done Cal!
Next stop Argentina; bring it on!
All images courtesy of motogp.com
