Rossi on song in the first three races of the MotoGP season seemed set to this year’s narrative until Jorge Lorenzo made everyone sit up and take notice
The 2015 FIM MotoGP World Championship season has – within the space of two races – gone from being all about Valentino Rossi’s charge to the front of the pack to being what looks like a fight between the Italian legend and his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The former two-time MotoGP champion took what was ultimately a comfortable win ahead of Rossi while polesitter and defending world champion Marc Marquez faltered big time at the start of the race before recovering and powering his Honda to fourth place behind Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Prior to Lorenzo stabilizing and then consistently increasing the gap to Rossi, the former seven-time MotoGP champion charged his way through the field from seventh on the starting grid.
At one point it looked as if Rossi could end up taking his third win of the season but Lorenzo’s robot-like consistency ultimately allowed him to prevail.
At Mugello we may yet see another different winner – there have already been three in five rounds – as Ducati’s straight line performance and much improved handling could hand the team their first win since the 2010 season when Casey Stoner rode for the Italian marque that has struggled to match the success of its Japanese counterparts in motorcycle racing’s highest category. Former motorcycle grand prix racing legend Giacomo Agostini told autoX prior to the start of this season that while he expected the Japanese teams to outspend Ducati, the Italians were poised to be very competitive despite their comparitively limited resources. His prediction certainly seems to be playing out fairly accurately so far with Dovizioso knocking on the door of a victory this year.
Although if Marquez and Honda manage to turn around their season – which has been marred by some errors on Marquez’s part and an arm pump issue for Dani Pedrosa that sidelined him for four races – then the super fast Mugello Circuit should play to the Japanese marque’s advantage.
It is actually worth sparing a thought for Pedrosa whose consistent peformances at the sharp end of the MotoGP field and loyalty to Honda have been all but overlooked. When Casey Stoner struggled to replicate his 2011 form, it was the Spaniard who challenged Lorenzo for the crown and his tally of podium finishes has ensured the Japanese marque topping the manufacturers’ championship.
Without Pedrosa at full form and Marquez’s form being inconsistent so far, Honda’s backs are very much up against the wall after six rounds.
It has lead to a situation in which Honda cannot take things for granted like they could at the same point of the season last year when the nature of the Bridgestone tyres clearly suited their bikes. To the point that the Yamaha pair of Lorenzo and Rossi all but conceded last year’s title in pre-season testing itself. This year it is clear that Yamaha and even Ducati are in the perfect position to capitalize on any slip ups.
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