Moto2: Martin Fastest Ahead of Racing’s Return

This weekend grand prix motorcycle racing returns to action and whilst, for the MotoGP class that means the start of the 2020 season, for the Moto2 field it means the resumption of a championship that started over four months ago.

The first round in Qatar saw Tetsuta Nagashima take his first Grand Prix win on debut for Red Bull KTM Ajo, as he mastered the unanticipated scenario of racing at night due to the schedule changes caused by MotoGP’s absence that weekend. 

Before racing gets underway this weekend, the Moto2 field enjoyed a few hours of testing on the Wednesday before the Spanish Grand Prix. 

It was a day which Nagashima’s teammate, Jorge Martin, enjoyed more than any other as he ended it fastest, just under a tenth clear of Tom Luthi. Martin’s season got off to a poor start, as he suffered with the front tyre in Qatar and finished down in 20th despite showing strong pace early on. 

The Sky Racing Team VR46 duo of Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini suffered similar fates to Martin in Losail, being fast until halfway and then dropping off- Marini quite literally as he crashed in the final corner of the race. The two were back to their more expected form in the Jerez test, though, with Bezzecchi third and Marini fourth on the combined timesheets. 

Sam Lowes was fifth fastest on the combined times, ahead of his debut for Marc VDS, one that he will hope to perform well in after missing the first race in Qatar due to injury.

Enea Bastianini is one of the few riders expected to fight for the intermediate class title this season whose year started well in Qatar, as he finished third. Historically, a good start to a season for Bastianini has been accompanied by a difficult finish, including last season although that had as much to do with Luca Marini as Bastianini himself. But it looks like the break has not had a negative effect on the Italian’s speed, and he will be hoping to climb back on the podium this Sunday, and perhaps stamp some authority on the championship. 

The four riders behind Bastianini in the combined times from the Jerez test – Marcel Schrotter, championship leader Nagashima, the first non-Kalex chassis of Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro, and Xavi Vierge, who completed the combined top ten, were separated by less than one tenth of a second. Additionally, tenth-placed Vierge 0.412 seconds off the fastest time set by first-placed Martin – it’s as tight as usual in Moto2 ahead of the first race of the season.

Other riders to watch out for this weekend include Jake Dixon, who was able to show an improvement on his Kalex debut for Petronas Sprinta Racing after he spent 2019 on a difficult KTM. The Briton was only 23rd in the combined testing times, however, so will need to improve for the weekend-proper. 

Additionally, an eye should be kept for 2019 Spanish Grand Prix winner and runner-up in Qatar, Lorenzo Baldassarri. Hot laps have never been the #7’s strong point, and 16th overall in the Jerez test highlights that, but neither is Baldassarri afraid of a recovery ride. 

Finally, Qatar’s polesitter, Joe Roberts, will be hoping that the first round will not prove to be a flash in the pan. 17th in testing could be a sign for alarm, but it is also true that little was expected of Roberts heading into Qatar, certainly not pole position, at any rate.

One of the key points this weekend will be the temperature. Managing this will be vital for both the riders and the motorcycles. Keeping the tyres in a decent working range on Sunday will be critical, so the work done on Friday and Saturday will be important for the teams to understand which tyre to use, and for the riders to understand how to use it.