MotoGP heads to unchartered territory

Seventy-two points is the gap Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) has at the top of the MotoGP World Championship as the paddock heads for Buriram and new-to-the-calendar Chang International Circuit in Thailand from October 5-7.

That’s almost three race wins clear and it’s fast becoming a last chance saloon for those on the chase, currently led by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati). Now is the time to strike, but no one can shake off the consistency of the number 93.

The long and challenging MotorLand Aragon is a very different beast to the Red Bull Ring and Brno, and yet the protagonists remained the same – in terms of speed at least. Although Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) crashed and was out of the running, it was once again Honda vs Ducati at the front for the majority of the weekend and this time Marquez came out on top. So will that remain the same at Chang despite the different nature of the track?

Based on earlier testing at Buriram, Honda trio Cal Crutchlow, Marquez and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) will all be strong this weekend. Dovizioso was a little further back, and Lorenzo well off the pace after a difficult test. However, Ducati has only gained momentum as the year has gone on. Lorenzo arrives on the road to recovery after that crash at Aragon, but the 'Spartan' isn't known as the 'Spartan' for nothing.

“It will be exciting to race in Thailand for the first time; for sure there will be many fans in the grandstands, which is always a nice feeling," said Marquez.

"We must remain focused and calm though, as it will be important to manage the weekend well, working in the way that we’re used to doing. We had a good test in February but we’ll need to recheck every detail starting on Friday morning.

"Some parts of the circuit are tricky, but the layout in general is nice. Surely the high humidity and temperature are going to be demanding on the body, but when you get on the bike you just forget those things and simply focus on riding.”

If we are to get another Honda vs Ducati duel at the front, Suzuki Ecstar will be hoping they can get as close to it as they did at Aragon. Andrea Iannone was on the podium and in that battle for a bit, and teammate Alex Rins wasn’t far behind as they took two top four finishes. Rins also had good form in the test at Buriram so the signs look good for the Hamamatsu factory.

So what of Yamaha? MotorLand was a difficult weekend as the Iwata marque continue to endure a tougher time of it in 2018. During testing at Buriram they didn’t light up the timesheets either, but nevertheless Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) remains third in the title fight and not that far back from Dovizioso. Maverick Viñales is fifth and two behind his veteran teammate, but equal on points with Lorenzo, who is in fourth. So there is a lot to race for in the final rounds for both men.

In testing, it was Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who took home the honour of top Yamaha. The Frenchman hasn’t quite been able to keep his early season pace but he’ll take heart from that on the road to Thailand – and he’s still well within striking distance of the honour of top Independent Team rider. Crutchlow is on 119pts and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) has the same, with Zarco lurking just behind on 112. That can easily change in over the course of even a single race, an Aussie Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati) can have a big say in proceedings if he’s on form in Thailand.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) led the rookies at the Buriram test and he’ll want to pocket some points, and Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will want to start gaining back some ground on Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in the fight for Rookie of the Year. Syahrin first rode a MotoGP bike at Buriram, so it’s a happy hunting ground.