MotoGP News
Date:
3/April/2013
Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa head into this weekend’s
opening round of the 2013 MotoGP season as favourites, but it is their
team-mates who are grabbing most of the focus under the floodlights at Losail.
Reigning double World Champion Lorenzo is being re-joined at
the official Yamaha team by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, while Pedrosa lines
up alongside talented rookie Marc Marquez.
Rossi’s aura may have dimmed during two miserable years at
Ducati, but he remains MotoGP’s great Showman. Winter testing has seen Rossi
rebuild his confidence on the user friendly M1 motorcycle and he should be back
in the podium fight on Sunday.
Speaking at the Losail International Circuit on Thursday,
Rossi said: “I’m happy about my performance in the winter tests, but for sure
the races are quite different. I like to ride the M1, I’m quite fast, but the
level is very high. It will be a great motivation trying to raise my level and
fight for the podium.”
Also with the potential to challenge for podium honours, and
maybe more, is Marquez.
Just 20 years old, the reigning Moto2 champion is the
youngest competitor in MotoGP but already tipped as a future Champion. Polite
and innocent off track, Marquez has proven a merciless opponent in the junior
categories, prompting several visits to Race Direction.
It seems only a matter of time before Marquez upsets some of
his new MotoGP rivals, but his raw talent is beyond question. Even Rossi couldn’t
contain his enthusiasm after following Marquez for several laps during testing
at Sepang.
"Marquez is very spectacular. The bike slides a lot and
he touches his elbow on the track. He is very good and already so fast. Marquez
will be very exciting for the people watching the races."
The last time a rookie won their first premier-class race
was Max Biaggi in 1998. Lorenzo and Pedrosa both finished runner-up on their
MotoGP debuts - could Marquez go one better on Sunday?
“It will be so difficult,” said Marquez, when asked about
his chances of winning. “But we don’t discard anything. Nothing’s impossible.”
“Sure I will be little bit nervous. It is my first race in
MotoGP!” he added. “Tests are very different from a race. I don’t know how it
will be, but I’ll try to enjoy it and do my best. From the beginning I have
felt good on the bike. I don’t have pressure, but the general expectation is
quite big.”
Opening practice for MotoGP’s only night race starts on Thursday
evening.
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