Words: Matt O’Connell

As we begin the eighth MotoGP round of 2020 and the seventh race in the premier class, we take a look at some of the headlines and talking points from the last few weeks in one of the most unpredictable seasons in memory. Six races and five different winners. Leading the title chase is Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso – in what could only be called unconvincing fashion after finishing seventh last week at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. What will be the outcome after the second instalment of the Misano double header this weekend?

8. The no-Marquez effect:Has interest deteriorated or increased without Marc Marquez in the mix? In 2020 we have an interesting statistic – 28 points spans the championship top ten after six rounds, the closest by far of the Marquez era and also the last 20 years. The racing is completely unpredictable and closer, but do we enjoy it more without Marc Marquez? Since his rookie year of 2013, Marquez has won six world titles versus one for the rest (Lorenzo, 2015), 56 race victories versus 68 for everyone else. He has also spent approximately one third of all race laps at the front (962 compared to 2171 for everyone else). That’s a lot of Marquez screen time.

7. Rider safety in the spotlight:
The crashes at the Red Bull Ring in Austria bought safety into the spotlight, not to mention the issue of rider culpability. Was Johan Zarco to blame for the Red Bull Ring crash that almost bought about the demise of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales? Should Morbidelli have rolled off the throttle earlier and conceded the position to Zarco? Opinions were once again divided and Zarco was penalised for the following race. We can only hope we never see a near miss like this again, not to mention the Hahizh Syahrin incident in Moto2. Opinions were once again divided and Zarco was penalised at the following race.

6. Radio for MotoGP?:
Stefan Bradl has tested a radio for MotoGP rider communication, with positive results. He explained he had been approached by Dorna to test the units, in an attempt to increase safety. “For example, some crash happened, and when you are all in a group it’s difficult to sometimes see yellow or red flags. We were talking about this in the Safety Commission. With the radio, Race Direction can give us some warning in case something happened. The system was working good,” adding, “I got some messages like ‘Warning’ or ‘Yellow flag’. The voice I had in my ear was fine. I could hear it very good. It was not dangerous or distracting me.” Valentino Rossi was supportive of the technology while Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli suggested broadcasting the rider comments on TV. Would this lead to engineer controlled races in MotoGP?

5. Casey Stoner speaks out:
Speaking recently on the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s ‘In The Fast Lane’ podcast, Casey Stoner didn’t hold back, saying, “calling it (season 2020) a world championship is a little bit difficult this year.” He cited the double header rounds as a main factor, adding, “You’re racing two races at the same circuit, and if this selection of circuit suits somebody then it really is a big benefit and they’re not really travelling around the world.”
“We’ve all ridden through injuries, if you don’t, you’re not going to be a MotoGP rider,” was his take on the Marquez injury. Without Marquez at Honda, he said there was no leader. “I went through it at Ducati, when I wasn’t there the Ducati really struggled a little bit. I’m not necessarily calling myself a leader but I never looked next door and thought the grass was greener.”

4. Maiden winners:
The premier class has seen three maiden winners this season, firstly Fabio Quartararo on the Petronas Yamaha with a season opening double. It seemingly set the Frenchman up for a strong year, but in the next four races he has scored only 20 points.  KTM scored their first victories as a manufacturer in the premier class with a win each to Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveria. Despite two race wins, both have lacked consistency and were outside the top ten at Misano last week. Can they turn it around this weekend? Franco Morbidelli fired in his maiden MotoGP victory at Misano, then add to this we have maiden podiums from Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir. Mir was second in Austria and third at Misano (with that brilliant final lap pass on Rossi), putting the Suzuki rider on a strong upward trajectory.

3. Rossi still magic:
The maiden winners have lit up MotoGP – but so has its most experienced rider, nine time champion Valentino Rossi. The Brno podium and near podium at San Marino have silenced critics calling for a dignified retirement. Coming into Misano Part 2, the Italian legend sits just 18 points behind Andrea Dovizioso and looked certain for his 200th podium.

2. How far can Jack Miller go?:
The tightness of the championship means this question could be asked of many riders, but for us Aussies, it’s the most important one. It’s easy to forget Miller skipped Moto2 all together and is now in his sixth season of MotoGP. This year he has led more race laps than Andrea Dovizioso and sits 12 points behind the Italian in the title race, with his Achilles heel still being tyre preservation.

1. Maiden winners:
The premier class has seen three maiden winners this season, firstly Fabio Quartararo on the Petronas Yamaha with a season opening double. It seemingly set the Frenchman up for a strong year, but in the next four races he has scored only 20 points.  KTM scored their first victories as a manufacturer in the premier class with a win each to Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveria. Despite two race wins, both have lacked consistency and were outside the top ten at Misano last week. Can they turn it around this weekend? Franco Morbidelli fired in his maiden MotoGP victory at Misano, then add to this we have maiden podiums from Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir. Mir was second in Austria and third at Misano (with that brilliant final lap pass on Rossi), putting the Suzuki rider on a strong upward trajectory.