Trizzle's Take – MotoGP Is Back!

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

2015 may not be a race for second after all.

I’ll admit, I was one of the many who thought the 2015 MotoGP season would be a fight for second, with the phenom that is Marc Marquez destroying the world’s supply of elbow sliders en route to yet another title. If yesterday’s MotoGP season opener in Qatar was any indication, however, I should have remembered that Sundays are the only days that matter in racing. Here now are my thoughts on the race and the season to come.

Be warned: if you haven’t seen the race yet, stop reading and go watch it. The rest of this piece will have spoilers. Or, you can check out Bruce Allen’s race recap for full results (but really, go watch the race).

Riding like a man possessed, Rossi dug deep to overcome his YZR-M1’s lack of top speed, carrying immense corner speed to come from as far back as tenth to take the victory.

Where else do we start than with Valentino Rossi? After qualifying in eighth, getting pushed back two places at the start, then fighting back brilliantly for the win in classic Rossi style, the Doctor put on a show for the ages, showing he’s still fired up as ever to be racing motorcycles at the highest level. Speaking of ages, Rossi is 36! Father time will catch up with him eventually, but for now Rossi is showing that age ain’t nothin but a number.

In post-race interviews, Rossi commented about how much he still enjoys battling for the win instead of simply leading a procession at the front. He lives for moments like this, and the fact the Yamaha has weaknesses in certain areas – top speed, mainly – gives him a challenge each race weekend that he looks forward to overcoming.

Though the Ducati had more top speed, rarely did it make it ahead of the Yamaha before the finish line.

When talking about overcoming adversity, the work Gigi Dall’Igna has put into the GP15 Ducati is nothing short of remarkable. Having only ridden the bike for the first time 35 days prior to the Qatar race, Dovizioso was 0.174 second away from winning in its debut! Plus, he set his fastest lap on the last one trying to chase down Valentino. The cherry on top is Andrea Iannone rounding out the podium. I had a feeling Dall’Igna would be a force for good at Ducati, but few would have predicted a turnaround like this from Borgo Panigale. Let’s hope the boys in red can keep the momentum for the rest of the season.

If Rossi and Ducati were the feel-good stories to come from Qatar, then Jorge Lorenzo and the Repsol Honda team are the big mysteries. After a strong first half of the race, which saw Lorenzo battle for the lead and have the pace for a victory, the Spaniard faded back to fourth in the closing stages, claiming a helmet defect was blocking his vision and slowing him down. Indeed, an image on MotoGP.com shows the inner liner on Lorenzo’s HJC helmet hanging freely in front of his eyes, severely limiting his view. This surely isn’t good PR for HJC.

A Ducati in front and the number 93 way out in the car park. The Qatar MotoGP race was anything but predictable.

Then there’s the Repsol Hondas. Marquez got bumped wide in the first turn, reentering the course in last place. This wouldn’t have been the first time he’s clawed back from last place to win, but even if he hadn’t run off course at the start, a win was anything but certain this time around. Throughout the race, MM’s pace was on par with the leaders, never significantly faster. In fact, his fastest lap of the race was only fifth fastest overall. The other four to go faster? Lorenzo, Iannone, Dovizioso and Rossi.

Perhaps the most troubling story of the weekend was Dani Pedrosa. On the surface his quiet sixth-place finish seems lackluster at best, especially considering he qualified second. The troubling part came during post-race interviews, when he revealed he suffered from massive arm pump during the race. Pedrosa has had two previous surgeries to try and remedy this problem, neither of which have worked. This explains why he can put in one flying lap during qualifying but then fade during a race.

To his credit, Marc Marquez fought hard to catch up to the leaders but ultimately made the mature decision to settle for fifth place and 11 points rather than crash and walk away with zero.

He sought the opinion of numerous doctors during the off season, all of whom advised against a third surgery. Dani is running out of options, he and the team know this, and nobody knows what to do next. Considering he basically rode his RC213V with one hand, a sixth place doesn’t seem so bad now.

Granted, one race is too early to make any sort of predictions about the season. The Losail circuit is historically a Yamaha track, and one Rossi has done well at since his return to Yamaha. Let’s see how the Doctor performs at Honda tracks like Austin, Rio Hondo, and Jerez, the next three races on the calendar. The Ducatis look to be a threat for race wins during the season, but let’s see how they perform at tracks the team have never tested at before.

Severe arm pump ruined Dani Pedrosa’s Qatar race. Could it ruin the rest of his career?

As for Lorenzo, HJC is likely going through his helmet allotment and making sure he’ll have zero helmet issues going forward. And of course you can never count Marquez out of any race. The real question mark is Pedrosa. Is his career over? Time will tell, but if the Qatar season opener was any indication, the 2015 MotoGP season could very well be the most competitive in years, and I can’t wait to see how it all pans out. On to Austin!

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

More by Troy Siahaan

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 13 comments
  • C j chamberlin C j chamberlin on Apr 02, 2015

    Great season opener! Loved every second! GO VR46!!!! The Doctor is definitely IN!

  • Schizuki Schizuki on Apr 02, 2015

    "If yesterday’s MotoGP season opener in Qatar was any indication"

    It wasn't.

    Two more races and Marquez will be the points leader for the rest of the season.

Next