After Valentino Rossi hampered Jorge Lorenzo’s lap during qualifying on Saturday, the fuse has been lit between the two title rivals with just six races left in the season.
Here are five things to watch in Misano:
Rossi vs. Lorenzo - the fuse is lit:
Valentino Rossi has lit the fuse to ignite the battle with his feared Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo for the MotoGP World Championship. A moment in the final seconds of Lorenzo's record-breaking run in qualifying has ensured tensions have gone up a gear. Lorenzo said he had to close the throttle to "avoid impact" with Rossi who was slowing on the racing line. Rossi said it was "nothing" but Lorenzo's body language told a different story on the slow down lap. Lorenzo and Rossi have history as intense rivals, which is set for a reprise over the six-race shootout for the title.
Lorenzo - fast in front:
Jorge Lorenzo has been untouchable in qualifying and race pace in advance of the San Marino GP. His rivals fear that he is ready to repeat the strategy of his five previous wins this season -- go to the front in turn one and lead from flag-to-flag. In all, Lorenzo has led for 169 laps in 12 races so far with Marc Marquez next on 73 laps out front with Rossi on 45. But Rossi goes into the race 12 points ahead in the championship and, in the end, those will be the numbers that count.
Dovizioso - no podiums at home:
In seven MotoGP races at Misano since 2008, local Italian star Andrea Dovizioso has never finished on the podium. And he admits it will be "really difficult" to end that streak in this year's race after qualifying eighth. Misano and Jerez are the only two tracks on the MotoGP calendar where Dovi has not scored a podium. Dovizioso and Ducati completed private test sessions at Misano in advance of this race and in the final free-practice session he was an impressive fourth fastest.
Tire wear:
A recently resurfaced Misano track and hot late summer temperatures have raised concerns that rear-tire degradation could be crucial factor in the race. Honda rider Marc Marquez admits to being a little worried about tire wear although he feels comfortable with his RC213V sliding once the tires go down. Ducati shares the tire-wear concerns as do the Yamaha riders, in which case it could be that the silky-smooth style gives Jorge Lorenzo an advantage.
Yamaha winglets:
Will Yamaha make a surprise decision and race the Formula One style aerodynamic winglets that appeared on the factory M1s of Rossi and Lorenzo here? Doubts were raised when both riders did not use the winglets, mounted high on the front fairing, for qualifying. After trying them in practice, Rossi said he feels only "a small, small difference" while Lorenzo said the benefits are "still not clear." Similar winglets have been raced all season by Ducati on the GP15 while Yamaha tried smaller winglets on Max Biaggi's 500cc Yamaha in 1999.
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