MotoGP preview: Jerez, Spain, May 1-3

The 2015 MotoGP season finally reaches Europe this weekend after the opening three flyaway rounds, venturing to the heartland of MotoGP racing — Spain.

The anticipation ahead of the Jerez round was already enormous after world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) ran into the back of a resurgent Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) at the last round in Argentina and was a DNF. However, there's been another twist since then, with Marquez making a beeline to an outpatients' clinic in Barcelona on April 25 after he fractured the little finger on his left hand in a dirt bike training accident.

After probably giving the triage nurse the biggest thrill of his or her life, Marquez was then operated on by a top surgeon who inserted a titanium plate into the pinky. The dual world MotoGP champion will compete at Jerez, where he won in 2014 on the 4.428km circuit ahead of Rossi and teammate Dani Pedrosa.

"The wound is healing well and looking good, and now I have begun to do some physiotherapy with some active and passive movements," said Marquez. "My finger will be checked at Jerez after every session and the bandages will be changed.

"I am very motivated because… my home fans are there and I have some good memories from previous years. It's a pity about the injury, but I hope that it doesn't affect me too much and that I can get a great result in front of the fans."

Marquez's victory last year continued the domination of local riders at Jerez since the MotoGP four-stroke class was inaugurated, with Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Australia's Casey Stoner the only non-Spanish riders to taste success. Mind you, 36-year-old Rossi has won a cool six times, and if he claims the chequered flag again on Sunday he'll add to his Jerez legend as well as becoming the first rider in 67 years of world championship grand prix racing to finish on the podium 200 times. As it stands now, he has 140 MotoGP podiums, 23 in 500cc, 21 in 250cc and 15 in 125cc.

After three rounds, Rossi leads the championship on 66pts from Ducati factory pair Andrea Dovizioso (60) and Andrea Iannone (40), followed by Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha, 37) and Marquez (36). In 2014, Dovizioso finished miles behind the leaders at Jerez when he finished fifth, but the resurgent Italian is unlikely to be watching from afar this year after three second places to start the year. Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda) is the other rider to have finished on the podium so far in 2015 after his last-gasp third place in Argentina, while Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki Ecstar) and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro have been consistent performers. Suzuki's last win at Jerez in the premier class was Kenny Roberts Jnr way back in 2000.

Meanwhile, Pedrosa was due to return at Jerez after surgery on a long-standing arm pump issue, but will now hold off his comeback until Le Mans on May 17. He will again be replaced by Hiroshi Aoyama — no cigar for Stoner, who was originally keen to fill in for Pedrosa before the HRC boss knocked the idea on the head.

Australia's Jack Miller completed a brilliant weekend for the CWM LCR Honda team in Argentina by being the first Open class bike home, good enough for 12th overall. It was his second point-scoring finish in a row as he continues to grow more comfortable with the demands of MotoGP racing after a big jump up from Moto3.

Miller's countrymen Anthony West (QMMF Racing) and Remy Gardner (CIP Mahindra) will also be in action at Jerez, with the latter edging closer to his first world championship points at a circuit which he knows well from his Spanish CEV days.

In Moto2, Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport), Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Sam Lowes (Speed Up Racing) have been the pacesetters in 2015, while Danny Kent (Leopard Racing) has destroyed the Moto3 field in the last two GPs, becoming the first British rider since Barry Sheene in 1971 to win back-to-back races in the lightweight class.

The three world championship races at Jerez will be held over the following distances and times: