Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez look set to resume their duel for the 2015 MotoGP World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.
There was a dramatic twist in the World Championship battle between Marquez and Rossi this week, as news emerged that Marquez needed surgery after fracturing the little finger in his left hand. Marquez sustained the injury while riding dirt track in training on Saturday, and had to be operated on by Dr. Xavier Mir in Barcelona.
Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi currently holds a six-point advantage over the Ducati GP15 of Andrea Dovizioso in the standings, and a 30-point lead over the fifth-placed Marquez. Rossi and Marquez’s clash at the previous race in Argentina has whetted fans appetites in anticipation of another great battle now that the Championship has landed in Europe.
Last year at Jerez, Rossi and Marquez fought it out in the early part of the race, before Marquez went on to take the victory, with Rossi in second and Pedrosa third. This year, the 36-year-old Italian will be hoping to go one better, and add to his impressive tally of six MotoGP victories at the Spanish circuit. Rossi is the most successful rider in history at Jerez, having taken eight victories across all classes, and is one of only three non-Spanish riders to have stood on the top step in the MotoGP class, along with Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi.
Marquez will surely have other plans though, as he became the first rider to win the race from pole position last season to claim his first victory at the Spanish circuit. Despite trailing Rossi by such a margin in the standings, the reigning MotoGP World Champion Marquez said that he is not panicking yet despite his injury, as he was 30 points behind his teammate Pedrosa after six races in 2013, and still went on to win the title.
Repsol Honda have not made an official decision on who will be Marquez’s teammate come the weekend, following the announcement that Pedrosa will miss the Spanish GP and plans to return to action in Le Mans. HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama has filled in for Pedrosa at the past two races.
Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo will be looking to get his season back on track, having failed to finish on a podium in the first three races of a MotoGP season for the first time in his career. The Spaniard will be boosted by support from his home crowd, and the fact he took back-to-back victories at the Jerez circuit in 2010 and 2011. Lorenzo currently sits fourth in the standings, 29 points behind Rossi, and one point ahead of Marquez, but he knows that he will need to start winning races if he is to have any chance of fighting for his third title.
The Ducati Team will be hoping to continue their excellent start to the season, which has seen Andrea Dovizioso claim three second-places in a row on the new Desmosedici GP15. Last year the Italian finished fifth in Jerez, and the team will be hoping that he can claim their first win in the class since 2010. His teammate Iannone won the Moto2 race at Jerez in 2011, but has failed to finish a race at the circuit since moving up to the MotoGP class in 2013.
CMW LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow grabbed his first podium of the season in Argentina, and will be full of confidence heading to Spain after receiving some vital upgrades to his Factory spec bike. His previous best finish at Jerez is fourth back in 2012, after he had to retire from the race last season on board the Factory Ducati.
Team Suzuki Ecstar showed excellent signs of progress in Argentina, with Aleix Espargaro qualifying second on the grid and both GSX-RR’s finishing the race in the top 10. The Suzuki should suit the flowing and technical Jerez track, and racing in front of their home fans will boost Espargaro and his teammate Maverick Viñales. Espargaro finished last year's MotoGP race in seventh on the Forward Racing Yamaha, while Viñales ended the Moto2 race in fifth.
Last year at Jerez, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith beat his teammate Pol Espargaro into 8th during the race, and has tasted victory at the Spanish circuit before having won the 125cc race there in 2009. Pol Espargaro knows he has to bounce back from a poor start to 2015, and he will be looking forward to racing in front of his home fans, at a circuit he has won at before in the 125cc (2010) and Moto2 (2012) classes.
Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez will be looking to have a good weekend after being forced to retire in Argentina, and managed to cross the line in 14th at Jerez last season, while his teammate Petrucci fractured his wrist during warm-up and was forced to miss the race.
Scott Redding on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Honda will be hoping to build on his first top 10 finish in Argentina, having finished on the podium at Jerez in 2013 on his way to finishing as runner-up in the Moto2 World Championship that year.
In the Open class, Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera currently leads the standings with eight points, although Jack Miller on the CWM LCR Honda is only two points behind him after taking the victory in Argentina, with Aspar MotoGP Team’s Nicky Hayden on three points.
The paddock heads to the 2.7-mile track for the Gran Premio bwin de España, the fourth round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship for the 29th consecutive year, after making its debut on the World Championship calendar in 1987.
The action kicks off at the Circuito de Jerez on Friday at 09:55 local time with Free Practice 1.
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