Revitalised Rossi returns home to #SanMarinoGP with championship lead

Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi heads into his home grand prix having wrestled the championship advantage back from his teammate Lorenzo.

The MotoGP™ World Championship heads to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for round 13 of the 2015 season, the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Built in 1972, Misano was the venue for the 1980 Italian Grand Prix and this will be the 19th time the track on the Adriatic coast has hosted a World Championship event. The first San Marino GP occurred in 1982 before moving to Misano for three years between 1985 and 1987. The circuit made its return to the World Championship calendar in 2007 and has been ever present since.

The paddock arrives in San Marino with the MotoGP™ title battle delicately poised between Movistar Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, with Misano providing the perfect backdrop for the next thrilling instalment in the 2015 championship saga.

Rossi’s fourth win of the season at the British GP means he holds a 12-point advantage over his teammate heading into his home race. The Italian was born in Tavullia just 10km from the track and the race has become a traditional celebration for the passionate Rossi fans.

Both riders have won three times in the premier class at the circuit before, with Rossi emerging victorious last year, 1.5s ahead of Lorenzo. That was Rossi’s first home win since 2009, while Lorenzo was victorious for three years in a row between 2011 and 2013.

The track has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Yamaha. In fact since the World Championships came back to Misano in 2007, only twice have Rossi and Lorenzo not been victorious. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa winning in 2010, and in 2007 when Casey Stoner took the victory on the Ducati. Lorenzo has an incredible record at the track, winning four times across all classes (250cc – 2007, MotoGP™ – 2011, 2012, 2013) and incredibly the Spaniard has never finished lower than second during a race at Misano.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez all but saw his championship hopes evaporate as he crashed out in the wet at Silverstone, but he could still play a vital part in the deciding where the 2015 title ends up. The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion is now 77 points behind Rossi with only 6 races remaining as he heads to one of only three circuits on the World Championship calendar that he has not won at before in the premier class along with Motegi and Phillip Island. Marquez won the 2010 125cc race at the circuit, and back-to-back Moto2™ races in 2011 & 2012. His best MotoGP™ result was second in 2013, while in last year’s race he crashed while challenging Rossi at the front, and remounted to finish in 15th.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso heads to Misano on the back of his fourth podium of the season last time out at Silverstone. The Italian has never achieved a rostrum at Misano, although he has managed to cross the line in fourth on four occasions. His teammate Andrea Iannone has two podiums to his name at the circuit in Moto2™ (2011 & 2012), finishing in second both times. Last year he crossed the line in fifth on the Satellite Pramac Ducati after qualifying on the front row.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro will be hoping to finish inside the top ten for the 8th time this season. This is a feat he has never managed at Misano in any class before, with a best-placed finish of 11th in 2009 & 2010. His rookie teammate Maverick Viñales claimed second in the Moto3™ race in 2013, and finished last year’s Moto2™ race in fourth.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith (115pts) leads the Satellite battle from Danilo Petrucci (83pts) on the Octo Pramac Racing Ducati by 32 points. Smith’s teammate Pol Espargaro (81pts) is two points behind the Italian with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow on 74 points after his DNF at the British GP. Espargaro is the only rider of the bunch to have won at Misano before, in 2013’s Moto2™ race. In last year’s race Espargaro crossed the line in sixth ahead of his teammate Smith with Crutchlow in 9th on the Factory Ducati, while Petrucci crashed out.

Hector Barbera (23pts) on the Avintia Racing Ducati leads the Open class standings by 8 points from Forward Racing’s rookie Loris Baz (15pts). Aspar MotoGP Team’s Nicky Hayden (12pts) is now third after his Open victory at Silverstone, level on points with Jack Miller on the LCR Honda.

The Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini officially kicks off on Thursday with the official Press Conference at 5pm local time. The on-track action starts at 9am local time on Friday with Moto3™ Free Practice 1.

MotoGP™ World Championship Classification

1 – Valentino Rossi ITA (YAMAHA) 236 points

2 – Jorge Lorenzo SPA (YAMAHA) 224 points

3 – Marc Marquez SPA (HONDA) 159 points

4 – Andrea Iannone ITA (DUCATI) 150 points

5 – Andrea Dovizioso ITA (DUCATI) 120 points

Firm advantage for Zarco in title battle

The Moto2™ World Championship heads to the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini with the aiming of halting Zarco’s charge.

Rain at the British GP did not stay for the Moto2™ World Championship race and saw wet tyres run on a rapidly drying track, riders forced to battle against degrading tyres. Johann Zarco rode his Ajo Motorsport Kalex perfectly in the unusual conditions, claiming a comfortable three-second victory and again extending his championship lead. The 2015 season has been all about the Frenchmen, taking five wins and avoiding risks to secure podiums.

Thanks to his consistency, Zarco sits atop the championship with 249 points, a massive 85-point advantage. The Frenchman has the most championship points and the largest advantage across all three World Championship classes. If his advantage remains the same Zarco will be crowned champion in Motegi, where he won his very first World Championship race in 2011 on the 125cc Derbi.

This season has also seen Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) burst into the Moto2™ Championship and assert himself as a force to be reckoned with. Rins produced a solid second place in the difficult British GP conditions, the right hand side of his wet weather tyre almost completely bald by the end of the 18-lap race. He sees himself once again thrust into second place, three points clear of Tito Rabat.

With Zarco’s runaway success, the battle for second looks set to be the one to watch in the latter stages of the 2015 season. Rabat’s title defence in 2015 has not gone to plan, plagued by front end issues and bad luck, the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider has remained positive at each round and focused on the task at hand. His sights not settle on regaining second from Rins.

Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing) was forced to miss the British GP due to breaking his leg in a motocross accident and is working hard to be fit for his home round.

Luca Marini and Mattia Pasini will join the usual Moto2™ competitors as wildcards, both on Kalex machines.

Moto2™ World Championship Classification

1 – Johann Zarco FRA (KALEX) 249 points

2 – Alex Rins SPA (KALEX) 164 points

3 – Tito Rabat SPA (KALEX) 161 points

4 – Sam Lowes GBR (SPEED UP) 128 points

5 – Thomas Lüthi SWI (KALEX) 125 points

Fight for top three tightens in Moto3™

The Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini hosts an ever closing Moto3™ field.

A soaking wet British GP saw Leopard Racing’s Danny Kent claim a highly celebrated home victory, rewarding the tens of thousands of fan who braved the torrential rain. As Kent battled the conditions, many of his fellow Moto3™ World Championship riders battled to even stay on the bike, the likes of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) falling three times in the race.

Kent’s victory puts him 70 points clear of Enea Bastianini, the Gresini Team Moto3 rider crashing out in Britain. As such Kent heads to Misano with a clear advantage in the 2015 Moto3™ World Championship title hunt, it’s Kent’s to lose. The Brits best finish at Misano came in 2011 when he finished sixth in the 125cc race. Many rounds this year have seen Kent finish on the podium despite a historically underwhelming record.

Now 70 points behind, Bastianini’s hopes of challenging for the 2015 crown have taken a significant blow, but it is mathematically possible for him to recover. Last year ‘The Beast’ battled to a solid fifth in Misano during his rookie season. Even with a near constant podium challenge, Bastianini is yet to take his first win in the World Championship and has again set this as his primary aim for the weekend.

Romano Fenati had been in podium contention during the British GP, but fell in the wet, able to recover 12th. The SKY Racing Team VR46 continues to protect his third place in the championship as well as the honour of being top KTM rider. With 28 points separating Fenati from second and six races left, the battle is very much on for second.

The last two rounds have seen Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) deliver on the potential he has been showing at so many rounds before. A win in Brno was backed up by a third in the tricky conditions of Silverstone and will be aiming for a repeat performance in Misano. As part of the VR46 Academy project, Antonelli has ample experience around Misano from the many training days the Academy holds at the circuit.

Moto3™ World Championship Classification

1 – Danny Kent GBR (HONDA) 224 points

2 – Enea Bastianini ITA (HONDA) 154 points

3 – Romano Fenati ITA (KTM) 126 points

4 – Efren Vazquez SPA (HONDA) 116 points

4 – Miguel Oliveira POR (KTM) 114 points