RACING: MotoGP preview, Argentina

Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina is the next stop on the 2018 MotoGP calendar this weekend (April 6-8) as the championship heads across the universe from the desert to the Andes.

Headlining the carnival after the showstopper at Losail will be the first championship leader of the season – Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) – and reigning world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda).

Thought you couldn’t get better than 2017? The Qatar GP already proved that wrong, and both will be pushing to repeat the feat in Latin America. Track records at Argentina make it advantage Marquez of the two early title rivals, but we’ve said that before…

"This circuit is rather unusual, in that the conditions change a lot between Friday, when the track surface is usually very dirty, and Sunday, when the asphalt has improved considerably,” said Dovizioso.

“Last year at Termas we struggled a lot, but the Desmosedici GP has improved a lot since then and after the win in Qatar we are very excited, so our aim now is to get a good result also in Argentina.”

Behind the two men that dueled it out in the desert, there are a few big contenders on the bill. Last year’s star man Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha) will want to convert his Qatar race pace into a first visit to the top step in 2018, and teammate Valentino Rossi will be gunning to stand in his way. After a more difficult preseason for Yamaha, the ‘Doctor’ found some serious traction at Losail and took a podium to extend his incredible golden years in the premier class. As a previous winner at the venue to boot, who writes off the rider from Tavullia? Another race win to cement his new contract would doubtless be a sweet thing for Rossi.

Then there are those who suffered a little more under the floodlights. It was a case of beauty and the beast at Ducati as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) suffered a brake problem and crashed as teammate ‘Desmo Dovi’ won, and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) will want his pace at Termas to convert him into a candidate for the rostrum. Still suffering slightly with an injured left hand following a crash in testing, the two-weekend break will have been a welcome one before the ‘Little Samurai’ starts a full assault on 2018.

Speaking of full assault, that was – as ever – Johann Zarco’s (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) modus operandi in the desert, as the Frenchman led from the front throughout much of the race. Later suffering with grip and forced to drop back slightly, he crossed the line in eighth and out of podium contention. Planning a strike back? Always. Zarco also lost out on the title of top of the Independent Team heroes in Qatar, as Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took fourth and had his first visit to parc ferme for the year. And as well as his form this season and in testing, Crutchlow is also former podium finisher in Argentina…

The list of those who could threaten the rostrum doesn’t end there. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) is another to mention, after showing incredible pace throughout the Qatar GP before the mood on race day was more one of sorrow after he crashed out of contention. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing Ducati) also had front-running pace all weekend to put the factory riders under pressure and converted that into a top five, and his teammate Jack Miller is adjusting well to the changes of 2018 as he begins a new career on a new bike, debuting on the Ducati in the top 10.

And what of the absolute beginners? In the rookie battle it’s advantage Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda) after the reigning Moto2 world champion took a handful of solid points and P12, with Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) on the chase in P14 and the second debutant home. In Argentina, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will want to change that.