With the pandemic situation still at large, there’s an eSport virtual challenge endorsed by the MotoGP organizers. Aprilia MotoGP squad is preparing for the virtual 2020 MotoGP eSport challenge with riders Francisco Santiago Marín and Joel Pedrosa.
Santiago will be one of the eleven rider gamers competing for the 2020 title: Known as EleGhosT555 on virtual platform, the Spaniard is one of the contenders for the final victory, after taking the runner-up title his rookie year in 2018. The second and reserve rider for Aprilia Racing eSports is rookie Pedrosa.
Aprilia as a group has won 54 titles in the various motorcycle racing disciplines: World Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, Superbike, Off-Road and Trial. But, the MotoGP title has yet to be reached as they are a relatively newcomer. For 2020 eSport, Aprilia Racing pits the RS-GP on the virtual platform.
The final stage of the 2020 MotoGP eSport Championship will be held over 4 rounds, for a total of 8 races, on the official MotoGP videogame, MotoGP 20. The virtual game was televised on 15 channels and reached 64 million viewers, last year.
\Although only in their second season in the premier class, KTM MotoGP squad have sounded their intent to challenge for prominence on the grid. The team have progressed from a satellite squad to a full-fledged factory squad within a year.
This year, the team is pitting four KTM RC16s on the grid, all carrying a 2020 spec. The KTM riders for 2020 season are Pol Espargaro, in his fourth season with the team, rookie Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira year two rider and another rookie Iker Lecuona. Espargaro is a MotoGP veteran, while Binder has been a regular at KTM who captured the Moto3 title a year ago. He moves up to MotoGP with KTM this season.
All KTM riders have already completed both a private and
official IRTA test so far since January and will lap Losail from 22 February for
three days in the final dialling-in outing before Grand Prix action commences
at the same venue in early March.
2020 Red Bull KTM Tech3 RC16 challenger
Red Bull KTM Tech3 boast some novelty factor for 2020 with
their ‘Organics by Red Bull’ livery and a fresh look for the crew. The
potential of the third generation of the KTM RC16 is eagerly anticipated after
the firm expanded their test team efforts with the experience of former champion
and Repsol Honda man Dani Pedrosa complimenting the long-standing knowledge of
Mika Kallio in 2019.
KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer commented, “2020 is about to begin and I would say we are exactly where we expected to be. We’ve had everything on a road map and have followed it with the full support of the company and the board. Last year we worked with a satellite team and four riders that provided valuable feedback and the groups spurred each other on, but, at the same time, it pushed us to the limit for resources and raised us to the peak where we are now. I would not say we have a ‘satellite team’ now but instead we are a KTM ‘pack’ with friendship and trust, and I include our test team in that whole organization.”
Apart from MotoGP, KTM has fourteen KTM RC4 riders in lower category; namely the Moto3. KTM also supplies bikes to riders participating in the 2020 seven-round Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the brand-new Northern Talent Cup series.
Reigning Champions Repsol Honda unveiled their 2020 new challenger
in Indonesia prior to the first official pre-season testing at Sepang Circuit.
For 2020, the rider pairing shall be defending champion Marc Marquez and Alex
Marquez, the brothers would be riding the new-liveried Honda RC213V MotoGP
machine.
M. Marquez helped Repsol Honda to their 25th manufacturers title and third straight triple crown last season. Marquez and Repsol Honda are gunning for another strong year as they welcome Moto2 champion Alex Marquez, who replaces Jorge Lorenzo, to the team. With 309 victories in the premier class, Honda have established themselves as the dominant force in two-wheel racing.
The Marquez brothers are preparing for first pre-season test of the 2020 season at Sepang, from 7 – 9 September. The brothers are testing the new RC213V for the first time on track as the new season kicks off proper at the Losail circuit from 6 – 8 March. “Repsol Honda and HRC have achieved incredible things and continuing this success is a big source of motivation for me, and now I’m eager to start another season and compete again on the RC213V,” the Reigning Champion said.
The younger Marquez commented, “It is a privilege to be part
of the family that is the Repsol Honda Team. Already I have had the special
feeling of stepping in the garage for the first time, working with my team for
the first time. I know that there is much to learn and achieve in 2020 but I am
devoted to giving my best, I’ll try to improve and learn every day and hope we
can do a great season step by step.”
Repsol Honda are expecting great things from the Marquez brothers and the indomitable RCV213V machine. It all starts today at the Sepang track and another pre-season test, then the first race in Qatar.
Yamaha MotoGP Team have unveiled their 2020 Challenger at
the official pre-season testing site in Sepang. As the year before, the rider
line-up remains 9-time Champion Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales.
The 2020 Yamaha YZR-M1’s color scheme remains the same as
the previous year, with the team’s YZR-M1, the pit box, and the riders’
leathers sporting the title sponsor’s ‘Monster Energy black’-to-‘Yamaha Factory
Racing blue’ gradient. The M1 also features subtle blue stripes that add a
further dynamic to the sleek design. The perfect blend between Yamaha’s
aesthetic and Monster Energy’s instantly recognizable claw branding is also
represented in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team logo and the team gear.
Yamaha MotoGP riders are eager to get back on track after a mediocre last season. Vinales was third overall in 2019, while Rossi was seventh in the final rankings. Vinales faired better than Rossi with additional two wins. Fan favorite Rossi is a longtime rider at Yamaha, since 2004, before he jumped to Ducati for a brief time. He returned to the factory Yamaha squad in 2013. This season marks his 13th season with factory Yamaha. With Yamaha, the Doctor has attained four titles in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009. Every fan can bet he’ll be as competitive as ever in 2020, but will he be able to upstage his younger rivals?
“At the end of last season we were in decent shape, so I‘m really excited to start working again on our goal to get the title and as many wins as possible. For sure, I‘m looking forward to riding my M1 again. I‘ve used the winter months really well. I‘ve done a lot of physical training and riding to make sure my body and mind are in top shape. We need to work hard and be focused on our goal right from the start, so that‘s exactly what we‘ll do!” Vinales commented.
Rossi added, “It‘s time to get serious about 2020. I‘m very
curious to see what steps we can make during the Sepang Test. For sure, Yamaha
have prepared some new things for us to try, and anyway the first laps of the
year on a MotoGP bike after the winter break are always a unique sensation. For
sure we have a lot of work ahead of us, but the team and I are ready for it.”
Former Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo has returned to the squad, where he won 5 titles. He is the test rider and has clocked first kilometers on the YZR-M1 in the shakedown test held on 2-4 February, after a three-year interval with Ducati. He completed his first test with satisfactory results, and his vast riding experience is expected to be a huge asset to Yamaha’s engineers over the course of year.
Suzuki MotoGP has unveiled their 2020 machine color scheme at the first official pre-season testing in Sepang. The 2020 season marks Suzuki’s 60th year in two-wheel racing, which began in 1980’s the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy. After that, the brand then got into its first GP and Championship title with Ernst Degner on the saddle in the 50cc category of 1982 season. From then until 2019, Suzuki would have 14 more championship titles, right up until the most recent victories in 2019 with Álex Rins at the Grand Prix of The Americas and British GP.
The 2020 Suzuki GSX-RR is decked in a combination of the familiar blue, mixed with a more traditional slate silver. From the technical standpoint, the MotoGP bike takes on a new engine spec and the riders will take it for a thorough test at upcoming pre-season venues in Sepang and Qatar. The technical team have also worked to develop new solutions for the chassis, set up and electronics, in the off season.
The team riders in the 2020 season features returning riders RIns and Joan Mir. Both Spaniards enter the 2020 season following a successful and propitious 2019. Finishing 4th in last year’s championship standings, taking two excellent victories and eleven Top 5 finishes, Rins proved his place among the top riders in MotoGP. He is ready to attack this brand new season with gusto, aiming to build on his results and add more trophies to the cabinet. His team mate completed a notable rookie season with Suzuki last season, which included a total of top ten finishes, with a fifth place finish at the Australian GP, as his best result.
“Last season brought me one of the most
exciting feelings on earth which was to win my first #motogp race. It was a
dream come true, and the second victory felt amazing too. I will bring those
emotions with me into 2020, as well as the awareness of the growth that I’ve
made,’’ Rins said.
“Now in 2020
we have to stay focused and get good results, more podiums for sure and
hopefully also more wins. This is the path to success, I believe; little by
little, step by step, with hard work all together,” he added.
Second-year rider Mir commented, “The first year has been a learning one, the MotoGP machine is such a beast that you have to learn how to control it, and I had huge support from all of my team. Now I want to build on my experience and start placing my name among the top riders. I’m really eager to get on my MotoGP machine again in Sepang and start to improve further.”
The riders will have opportunities to prove themselves in the new season
against the likes of the Repsol Hondas, Yamahas and Ducatis/
Ducati MotoGP has unveiled its 2020 challenger ahead of the new season of the Premier two-wheel racing series. As last season, the team have stuck with its title sponsors and is still known as the Mission Winnow Ducati team.
For 2020, the team’s riders remain Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci who took the covers off the new liveried Desmosedici GP20 challenger at the intro ceremony in Bologna. The GP20 is decked out in bright red with a few details in black and chrome. First assignment for the 2020 bike is the pre-season tests coming up. The first test is slated for 7 – 9 February at the Sepang track. The 2020 MotoGP season starts in early March at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. There are a grand total of twenty races scheduled this season.
The GP20 as a legitimate contender in 2020
The GP20 has been revised for the better from last season’s exploits. It’s got an engine that features a counter-rotating crankshaft, a spine and slice traction control. The new elements contribute to a more efficient aerodynamics, alongside the new aerofoils. This means the bike is even faster and has a competitive edge over its rivals.
Ducati hopes for a better competitive edge against their Japanese opponents i.e. the Hondas and Yamahas. The team would again rely on Dovizioso and Petrucci on their quest for MotoGP glory. “Last year we finished as runner-up for the third consecutive time behind Marc Màrquez, a rider that for sure made the difference last year, but we also did our best managing well our potential. Every year has its own story, and it is not easy to predict what will happen in 2020. Our goal is clear; we want to challenge for the title again,” Dovizioso remarked.
“I know our rivals will be back stronger this year, but that counts for me too. I have been improving and growing each season, and this year I want to confirm my results and make further steps forward compared to last year,” Petrucci concluded.
Ducati and fellow MotoGP manufacturers are preparing for the first pre-season test coming up on 7 February at Sepang.
The big news prior to the season’s finale, 5-time Champion
Jorge Lorenzo announced his retirement after an under-performing season with the
Repsol Honda squad. But, it wasn’t all gloom as he assisted the team to a triple
crown in the season’s final race. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez did what he
does best, win races. For Marquez, it was his 12th win this season.
At race start, Fabio Quartararo on pole led the race in the early stint, The Yamaha satellite rider didn’t pull too far ahead with Marquez closing up fast. The champion was already in second place by the third lap. He then cut the gap from almost a second to just two tenths in five laps. Striking at Turn 11, Marquez only needed one chance to move to the front and quickly amassed an insurmountable lead. He sailed through in the final laps with Quantararo and Jack Millter behind. Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins and Maverick Vinales were the other factory riders who made an impact in the race, with fourth, fifth and sixth places.
With the 12 wins in 2019, Marquez has accumulated 420 points and becomes the first rider in history to score more than 400 points in a single season. For the team, they got the Triple Crown after winning the Riders, Teams and Constructors titles. This is the Repsol Honda’s ninth Triple Crown since the MotoGP class began in 2002, cementing them the most dominant team and constructor in the premier class. For the first time in the four-stroke era, the team has managed to take three Triple Crowns in a row.
Lorenzo is retired from MotoP after 297 Grand Prix starts, including this season’s finale where he ended up 13th. The five-time champion’s final career total shows: 68 wins, 152 podiums and 69 poles,
Ducati was the second best team in 2019 as they finished the season in the teams classification second and third in the constructors. Dovizioso took fourth in the finale, while Danilo Petrucci crashed out.
Viñales and Valentino Rossi struggled through the final race with rear grip issues. They finished sixth and eighth respectively. Vinales was third in the riders standings and Yamaha MotoGP ended up third in the teams category. Yamaha was the second best constructors thanks to the combined efforts of the factory and the SRT teams.
Riders
are expected to hit the track at Valencia tomorrow for the first test of 2020
before moving to Jerez a few days later.
The penultimate round this year’s MotoGP race fell to the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. This time around, at least someone other than newly crowned Champion Marc Marquez was able to win the race, although a rather meaning-less one. Factory Yamaha squad’s Maverick Vinales turned up the juice to beat Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso. Dovizioso’s podium finish did Shell some justice as they were the event and the team title sponsors. Fan favorite Valentino Rossi managed fourth, edging out Suzuki’s Alex Rins.
Shell held plenty of off-track activities to get people to go watch the race live and it apparently worked. Furthermore, tickets were relatively cheap by International Grand Prix standards to watch the world’s premier two-wheel race. The fans got their money’s worth as MotoGP is the most exciting race to watch and it doesn’t go on forever, with so many unnecessary interruptions.
The race started at high noon, as always Marquez was lightning quick off the line and grabbed six positions in the first two corners. Vinales led Jack Miller in the first lap, with Marquez trailing close in third. With nine places gained, the reigning champion settled in behind Miller for a short while. After muscling past the Australian, Marquez began to work on closing the 1.6 second gap to Viñales.
The race quickly settled as Marquez eased up and allowed Vinales to maintain his lead. He rather finished in the points and prevented from ending up in the dirt. Dovizioso had dispatched Miller to get up to third place. Miller then had to confront Valentino Rossi who was blazing up behind him. The Doctor took his time and dispatched Miller in Turn 9 for fourth, with seven laps to go. Rossi next went after Dovizioso, but the Yamaha proved not as effective as the Ducati. He would settle in and defended his place from Rins. The order would finish with Vinales the winner, Marquez, Dovizioso, Rossi and Rins.
For Marquez, the result in Malaysia him the honor of being the first rider in history to score 17 MotoGP class podium finishes in a single season, extending his unbroken run of top-two finishes to 15. Marquez’s last finish outside of the top two came at the Czech GP in 2018 when he was third.
The teams now get a week’s rest after three consecutive GPs, before they return to action in Valencia for the finale, 14 – 17 November.
With the Riders’ crown already in Marc Marquez’s hands,
the penultimate round of MotoGP, the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit, isn’t
going to count for much except for Marquez’s team Repsol Honda trying to seal
the Teams’ honors before the finale in Valencia, Spain. In the teams’ standings,
Repsol Honda and Ducati are almost neck-to-neck with 408 and 409 points, respectively.
Marquez is looking for a personal best as he guns
after a sixth straight Grand Prix victory this season and third at this very
track. Meantime, Marquez hunts for more points to dethrone his team mate Jorge
Lorenzo for most points scored in a single season. Lorenzo holds the record
with 383 points and Marquez so far has 375 points.
Lorenzo has been on the podium seven times at Sepang, but this time around it’s going to be difficult for him to beat the likes of the factory and Satellite Yamahas and Ducatis. He’ll try, nonetheless.
Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo
Petrucci were in town to meet and greet the media at Shell KLIA station, a
precursor event by Shell Malaysia. Dovizioso even presented awards to bike
mechanics, who are representing their teams at the 2019 Shell Advance Global
Masterclass Competition.
Ducati squad have five wins at Sepang in the past: Capirossi in 2005, Stoner in 2007 and 2009 and Dovizioso in 2016 and 2017. Sepang is also the track where Dovizioso obtained his first win with Ducati in the premier class in 2016. Petrucci instead scored his best result in Malaysia on the Pramac Racing Team Desmosedici GP, when he finished in sixth place in 2015 and 2017. However, he might not be a 100 percent due to a crash at Phillip Island which sprained his ankle. Regardless, Dovizioso holds second in the riders standings and Petrucci is fifth, just 7 points adrift of Maveritck Viñales and 14 from Suzuki’s Álex Rins in third.
Fan favorite Valentino Rossi isn’t doing too well
this season, but fans here couldn’t care less. He practically has a legion of
fans at Sepang. a circuit where he shone many times before. He was looking
strong in the fight for the win last year when a crash cut his challenge short.
Despite the 2018 mishap, the Doctor’s list of premier class successes in Sepang
is impressive. He delighted the fans by snatching victories there in 2001,
2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, he secured second places 2002, 2005, 2014, and
2016, and took third places in 2009 and 2015. This weekend he hopes to add
another positive result to the list in order to move up from seventh place in
the championship standings.
Vinales is
determined to fight at the front again this weekend. The Spaniard climbed onto
the Malaysian podium on two occasions in previous years, securing a 125cc win
in 2011 and first place in the Moto2 race in 2014. He is yet to claim a premier
class MotoGP prize there. Last year he took fourth, his best premier class
placement at this track thus far. Viñales currently holds fourth position in
the overall rankings, seven points behind the rider in third position.
As usual. practice runs today, then the final
practice and qualifying on Saturday. The 20-lap Malaysian GP is scheduled for 3p
Local Time on Sunday.
With the MotoGP Riders’ title already done and dusted, 2019
Champion Marc Marquez didn’t seem to be slowing down as he scored another win
at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan on Sunday to become the most successful Honda
rider, alongside Mick Doohan. Marquez’s win enabled Honda to clinch the
Constructors’ title as well.
From the start, Marquez proved he wasn’t letting anyone top
him eventhough the title’s already in hand. He shot off the blocks into the
lead from Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo and the rest of the field. In three
laps, Marquez had a second’s lead from the satellite Yamaha rider.
By lap 13, the gap between the top two ballooned to two
seconds and the reigning champion switched his attention to managing the race. Settling
into second as the race progressed, Quartararo was able to manage his tyres to
the chequered flag to secure the rookie honors.
Finishing a distant third was Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Dovizioso probably had the rider of the race honors as he fought his way back,
having started from the third row. He got up to fifth after the first lap and passed
Jack Miller and then Franco Morbidelli during the midpoint of the race. He held
off attacks from Yamaha’s lead rider Maverick Viñales and locked on to the
final podium on the final lap. He would finish just under five-tenths of a
second behind the Yamaha SRT rider.
Marquez’s win was his tenth for the year and fourth in a row.
Taking his 54th win in the premier class, Marquez draws level with Mick Doohan
as the most successful premier class Honda rider. The 14 podiums, 13 of them in
succession, of 2019 also move Marquez to
350 championship points, just 33 points shy of Jorge Lorenzo’s all-time premier
class points record of 383 with 75 points still to play for.
The MotoGP contingent now heads directly to round 17, the
Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island from 25 – 27 October.
2019 MotoGP Motegi results
1 MARQUEZ
Marc Repsol Honda 42’41.492
2 QUARTARARO
Fabio Yamaha SRT + 0.870
3 DOVIZIOSO
Andrea Ducati 1.325
4 VINALES
Maverick Yamaha MotoGP 2.608
5 CRUTCHLOW
Cal LCR Honda 9.140
6 MORBIDELLI
Franco Yamaha SRT 9.187
7 RINS Alex Suzuki 9.306
8 MIR Joan Suzuki 10.695
9 PETRUCCI
Danilo Ducati 14.216
10 MILLER Jack Pramac
Riders standings
1 MARQUEZ
Marc 350 Repsol Honda Team Honda
2 DOVIZIOSO
Andrea 31 Ducati Team Ducati
3 VINALES
Maverick 176 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha
4 RINS Alex 42 Team
Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki
5 PETRUCCI
Danilo 169 Ducati Team Ducati
6 QUARTARARO
Fabio 163 Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha
7 ROSSI
Valentino 145 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha
