2015 Czech Republic MotoGP Preview

The second half of the 2015 MotoGP Season kicked off with a flying start at Indianapolis with an unpredictable Moto3, a lively Moto2 and an edge of the seat thriller in the MotoGP category. Now we head back to Europe, more specifically to Brno for the Czech GP.

Reigning double champion Marc Marquez has stated his intentions to defend his crown, but MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will not surrender so easily and neither will his Movistar Yamaha GP teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.

Moto2 is also difficult to choose between the riders because they are such a talented bunch.

Moto3 is without a doubt the closest fought contest between the three classes. So the battle in the Czech Republic will be a race of epic proportions.

But the Czech Circuit is a twisty one, with a total of 15 turns. 9 of these are right handed and 6 left handed, with two almost-180 degree corners; The first of these has a small kink at the exit.

Moto3

Leopard Racing teammates Danny Kent (L) and Efren Vazquez

Efren Vazquez and Danny Kent are the quickest riders off the blocks so far as of Free Practice 1 with Romano Fenati in 3rd. Last week’s surprise podium finishers Loi, McPhee and Oettl’s heroics seem to have been a one off. Last year’s race was won by French veteran Alexis Masbou, but this year it seems highly unlikely that he will repeat that success.

Moto2

Alex Rins with the winners’ trophy at last week’s Indianapolis Grand Prix

Last week’s race was sealed by rookie Alex Rins and he will be looking to carry that momentum with him, but he will face stiff competition from Johann Zarco and Tito Rabat as well as several other riders in the fray.

Zarco tops the timesheets so far and last year’s winner Rabat placed 4th in FP1 and topping the scoreboard in FP2. Rins meanwhile had a torrid day at practice, languishing outside the top 10.

MotoGP

(L-R) Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. All did well at practice

MotoGP promises to be heavy on the action, especially considering the fact that the soaring temperatures were creating difficulties for the riders with Marquez falling twice in practice and Rossi also joining him, although in this case, the culprit was Dani Pedrosa’s leaky bike.

Despite the tumbles Marquez still managed to stay in the top 2 in both practice sessions, as did Lorenzo. Rossi stayed within range with a 6th and a 4th in the practice sessions, but Pedrosa was heavily disadvantaged due to his malfunctioning bike.

But now, everything hinges on qualifying and the fans will savour every second of a Rossi-Marquez slugfest and maybe, just maybe, Lorenzo and Dani or even the Ducatis could get in on the act and crank up the excitement a notch higher. Whatever happens in the next 48 hours, viewers will be in for a treat. All I can say is “brace yourselves for the action ahead!”