2018 Valencia GP Race Report

• Nov 21, 2018
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Andrea Dovizioso wins the dramatic season finale- 2018 Valencia GP Race Report
Dated: 18th Nov'18

Andrea Dovizioso wins the sensational two part final race of this season finishing ahead of Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro. The actual race was red flagged with 14 laps to go as the rain became too heavy, before which a lot of riders hit the deck including Marc Marquez, Maverick Viñales, Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci. Alex Rins lead the race in the first part and also continued the form to finish at P2. Pol Espargaro took his first ever podium finish, also making it the first time for KTM in the premier class.

In the first part of the race it was Alex Rins who got the holeshot and had an incredible pace to lead the pack by 1.7 seconds. Maverick Viñales and Andrea Dovizioso also had good pace and followed the leader. Rins was more than 4.5 seconds in front, by the end of 5 laps and Pol Espargaro engaged in a cat fight with Marc Marquez for P5.

The rain was still pouring down with lots of water accumulated in certain areas of the track. A handful of riders Aleix Espargaro, Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone all crashed out one by one. And then it was Pol Espargaro who crashed out from the fight with Marc, but was able to rejoin the race. Then bad luck struck Marquez as he was thrown up in the air due to a highside, again dislocating his shoulder. The Spaniard had a heavy tumble in the wet gravel trap, but stood up unscathed.

Valentino Rossi constantly improved his position and came to fight for the podium. Just after Viñales was passed by Rossi, the Spaniard also crashed out at turn 13. Rookie rider Franco Morbidelli also crashed from P5, followed by Bradley Smith at turn 13. The riders at the front then started to mix up as Rins was overtook by both Dovizioso and Rossi.

And then with 13 laps to go, the rain gods decided to further open up making it absolutely hard for the riders to race. Dovizioso lifted his arm indicating the race direction, after which the red flag came out instantly. The race was set to be restarted with the lineup depending on the position at the end of lap 13. This made Alex Rins on pole and the other handful of riders closely packed again.

The race started off again for the second time and this time it was Alex Rins yet again to lead the race. Dovizioso and Rossi followed him closely, after which Rins backed off to settle for a podium finish. Dovizioso then started to extend his lead with Rossi and Rins behind. Then disaster struck Valentino Rossi, as he slided off the track for the second time in succession while being in podium contention.

This made Pol Espargaro inside the podium scoring position, followed by Michelle Pirro and Dani Pedrosa. Dovizioso crossed the chequered flag, becoming the winner for one last time in the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Alex Rins took second place, making it four podiums in a row for Suzuki, which is a first time ever for them in more than 2 decades. Pol Espargaro took his and KTM's first ever podium in this dramatic race.

Ducati wild card rider Michelle Pirro finished at P4, followed by Dani Pedrosa who finished his one last race in top 5. Rookie rider Takaaki Nakagami came home at P6, which was his best ever race result. He was followed by Johann Zarco and Bradley Smith at P7 and P8 respectively. The top 10 is completed by Stefan Bradl and Hafizh Syahrin. Scott Redding did an outstanding farewell show in front of the fans, with his usual naughty behavior after finishing at P11. Jorge Lorenzo finished closely behind, followed by Valentino Rossi who picked up his bike to finish within points.

With the end of Valencia GP, the 2018 MotoGP World Championship has officially come to an end with Marc Marquez already the world championship, Honda the constructors champion and Repsol Honda the team champion. Johann Zarco is the top individual team rider who surpassed Cal Crutchlow. Franco Morbidelli has taken the rookie of the year trophy as he goes to the satellite Yamaha team come 2019. Having said all these, the winter testing begins in a couple of days at Valencia after which track action goes off for 3 long months as they go for the winter break. Also we wish Dani Pedrosa a very happy retirement and success in his future testing endeavours. Meanwhile stay tuned to BikesMedia for an exclusive overview and flash back of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Maverick Viñales takes pole for the season finale- 2018 Valencia GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 17th Nov'18

Maverick Viñales claims pole coming from Q1 after an epic battle with Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins and Danilo Petrucci. Alex Rins will start from P2, which will be his best Qualifying result and is followed by Andrea Dovizioso at P3. Marc Marquez crashed in the middle of the session, dislocated his shoulder, got it fixed and surprisingly came back to take P5. Also this is the first time ever in the history of MotoGP that all six manufacturers are inside the top 8 in Qualifying, also split by just 0.318 seconds.

The Q1 session had many big names including Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Iannone. It was Andrea Iannone and Maverick Viñales who topped that session to get into Q2. Valentino Rossi didn't seem to have the right pace, as he will start from P16. As the Q2 started, Marc Marquez lead the pack straight away and then went on flying through the gravel trap as he lost the front at Turn 4. The crash made his already bad shoulder dislocate again, but got it popped back pretty quickly.

It was Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso having a cat fight for the top spot, and Petrucci becoming the first rider to do a 1.31 lap in that session. Petrucci was the man to beat with Alex Rins closing in on P2. The gap Petrucci had was close to half a second, with around 6 minutes to go. Then came Marc Marquez after fixing his shoulder, in an attempt to take the pole spot. But it was Maverick Viñales who upped his ante, and quickly went to the top with incredible speed.

It was all done when Maverick Viñales came to the top, as there was no one stopping him. It was all red sectors for Viñales and eventually made a 1'31.312 lap to stay put. Alex Rins will start behind Viñales from the middle of the front row. Andrea Dovizioso also improved his time in the end, and starts from P3. Fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci will launch his Ducati from P4 followed by World Champion Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro. The third row will have Andrea Iannone, Aleix Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa followed by Jack Miller at P10. The race will be an end to many stories as the season finale will see a lot of riders switch teams and manufacturers for 2019. The race will go live at 6.30 PM IST from Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. There is a test scheduled on Monday to officially kick start the 2019 season, and we'll get to see riders like Jorge Lorenzo in different teams. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez wins as Vale crashes out from the lead- 2018 Malaysian GP Race Report
Dated: 5th Nov'18

Marc Marquez wins the Malaysian GP after what seemed like an amalgamation of the crash of Valentino Rossi. The Doctor rode at an exceptional pace from start, but failed to make it to the rostrum as he slipped out from the lead with only 4 laps to go. That made life easy for Marquez to cruise to victory with close to 2 second gap. Alex Rins made a perfect race as he matched his best result of the season with a P2 finish. Johann Zarco was consistently up there and finished on the podium at P3.

As the lights went out at the Sepang International circuit, Rossi had an outstanding launch off the line as he quickly got the holeshot and took command. Johann Zarco fell behind at P2, and was followed by Jack Miller and Andrea Iannone. Marquez starting from P7 due to the penalty already made up one place in the launch and got to P6.

Marquez then passed teammate Dani Pedrosa to hunt down Andrea Iannone. As Marc passed the Maniac, he had a slight moment on the rear tire which made Iannone to react to it. Unfortunately Andrea Iannone crashed out due to it, at the end of the first lap.

Rossi lead the way at the front, with Johann Zarco and Jack Miller following the 9 time world champion. Soon Marc Marquez passed Miller and Zarco, as both riders started to develop grip issues. Rossi zoomed past at the front in the low 2.00's and constantly increasing the lead from Marquez. The gap was over 1.3 seconds at one point of time with 10 laps to go for the chequered flag.

Meanwhile Alex Rins showed great pace throughout as he saw himself quickly in the top 5. Marc Marquez continued to push to catch Rossi, and almost had a crash at Turn 5. With around 5 laps to go and the gap between Rossi and Marquez was around 8 tenths of a second. While everyone were on the edge of the their seats to witness yet another 46-93 showdown, Rossi lowsided from the lead at the double apex turn 1. It was a heartbreak all over the Sepang International circuit, as Valentino picked the bike to continue the race from P18.

This left Marc Marquez alone at the front with Alex Rins and Johann Zarco also far apart from each other. At the end it was Marc Marquez who wheelied to the chequered flag followed by Alex Rins and Johann Zarco who completed the podium. Maverick Viñales came home at P4 after a disastrous qualifying, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. Alvaro Bautista finished at P7 followed by Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci. Home hero Hafizh Syahrin impressed everyone with a top 10 finish, starting from way back from P23. Valentino Rossi finished the race out of the point scoring position at P18, after a great first 15 laps. With this victory of Marc Marquez, he has helped Honda take the constructors Championship as well. The crash of Valentino Rossi ended his chance to take runner up position and now has to fight with his own teammate Maverick Viñales for the third spot in the championship standings. The grid now moves for the final round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship at Valencia in 2 weeks time. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 World Championship. Marc Marquez on pole under soaking conditions but gets 6 grid penalty- 2018 Malaysian GP Qualifying Report

2018 World Champion Marc Marquez takes pole position by a huge half a second gap over Johann Zarco under soaking wet conditions at the Sepang International circuit in Malaysia. Soon after, Marc Marquez received a 6 place grid penalty from the race direction for irresponsible riding as the Spaniard closed the door for Andrea Iannone in Q2. This means Marquez will have to start from P7, and the other riders up to Petrucci will move one place to the front. Johann Zarco will now start from P1 followed by the doctor Valentino Rossi at P2, as it will be really important for the Yamahas to start from the front. Fellow Italian Andrea Iannone will complete the front row of the grid.

As the Q1 started off, heavy downpour started making the entire track a pool immediately. The session was red flagged immediately as the rain was consistent for a long time. The session resumed after close to an hour, and it was Alvaro Bautista followed by Aleix Espargaro who moved up to Q2.

Qualifying 2 started with Marc Marquez and Jack Miller first out on the track, as Marc set up the benchmark lap time only to be broken by Miller. Andrea Iannone quickly slotted in as he was seen inside the top 3. On the next outing Marc Marquez showed what he could do, as he set a 2.12'161 lap. Meanwhile Marc Marquez lost his front at turn 4 as he had no chance to save it like he usually does.

With only 3 minutes to go and Marc Marquez inside the pits, every other rider had the chance to take pole. Andrea Dovizioso propelled quickly to P2 and then crashed out at turn 9. Johann Zarco meanwhile had exceptional pace and dethroned Dovi to take the P2 spot. The veteran Italian Valentino Rossi then pulled his sleeves to get inside the top 3 slot.

At the end of the session, Marc Marquez still remained at the top followed by Johann Zarco and Valentino Rossi. Andrea Iannone will start from P4 followed by Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller completing the second row. Danilo Petrucci will launch off the line from P7 followed by Alex Rins, Alvaro Bautista and Dani Pedrosa. Marc Marquez received a penalty for blocking Andrea Iannone and will start from P7 tomorrow. So Johann Zarco will start from P1, followed by Rossi upto Petrucci. The race will go live from the Sepang International circuit at 10.30 PM IST. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Maverick Viñales provides the need of the hour for Yamaha and himself- 2018 Australian GP Race Report
Dated: 28th Oct'18

Maverick Viñales has put an end to the deserted times for Yamaha, with a spectacular victory at the stunning Phillip Island circuit. Viñales has finally ended the 25 race winless streak for Yamaha, giving the team and factory motivation for the upcoming season. Andrea Iannone's well known love for the venue was displayed yet again as he scores his best result at P2 with the Hamamatsu factory. Andrea Dovizioso completes the podium after a hard battle.

As the lights went out at the Island, it was Danilo Petrucci who had a blistering launch off P8 to take the holeshot. The lead was short-lived as he ran off the track at Turn 2, with Jack Miller gaining advantage of it. Miller repeated his form from 2017 as he lead the race, with Marc Marquez and Andrea Iannone closely following. Soon Andrea Dovizioso also joined the party and the group had number of exchanges within each other.

Meanwhile Johann Zarco closed in to join the lead group. Zarco got a great slip stream from Marquez and Miller at the front and decided to pass Marc on the brakes, while Marquez thought to do the same with Miller. That resulted in Marquez coming in the way of Zarco and Zarco in turn trying to pass Marquez, had a huge blow and rear ended Marquez. Zarco was left flying at around 300kmph with Marc retiring after his bike faced a heavy damage at the rear. The mishap ended the race for both the riders eventually, with Zarco walking unscathed.

Meanwhile it was Andrea Dovizioso who took the lead at the front followed by Miller and Iannone. Valentino Rossi then passed three riders in succession within a short time, but lost all of it at the end of Gardner straight. Maverick Viñales soon joined the lead group as he passed Valentino Rossi and Bautista easily. Alvaro Bautista riding the factory Ducati was in a great touch today as he was seen constantly inside the top 5. Valentino Rossi slowly started to drop back, while Maverick Viñales picked up places easily to take the lead.

The fight for P2 was heated as Andrea Iannone, the time being teammates Dovizioso and Bautista started exchanging moves. Valentino Rossi was left out from this group and soon had to battle with Alex Rins for P5. With around 4 laps to go Maverick Viñales was almost 4 seconds in the lead, with Bautista slotting into P2. That was short lived though as the Andrea duo passed the Spanish, removing him out of podium contention.

It was a job done for Maverick Viñales as he slowed down a fair bit in the last two and take the historic chequered flag for Yamaha. Andrea Iannone came home second, his best for Suzuki and was followed by Andrea Dovizioso who completed the podium. Alvaro Bautista finished at P4, giving him a great confidence boost heading to WSBK next year. Alex Rins passed Valentino Rossi in the final sector to take P5, and the veteran Italian finished at P6. Home hero Miller crossed the chequered flag at P7 followed by top rookie Franco Morbidelli. The top 10 is completed by Aleix Espargaro and Bradley Smith. Karel Abraham scored P11 with Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding following closely. Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the race from P18, while Pol Espargaro was forced to retire due to technical issues. The paddock now moves to Malaysia, the last of the fly away races in a weeks time. The fight for the runner up position is still on between Dovizioso, Rossi and Viñales with only two more races to go. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez unstoppable at the Island- 2018 Australian GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 27th Oct'18

Marc Marquez scores his fifth consecutive pole position at the Phillip Island circuit after a difficult FP. Marquez was spot on in the 15 minute session as the track conditions were tricky with on and off rain at turn 4. Maverick Viñales was the second fastest man on track and will be starting the Aussie GP from the middle of the front row. Johann Zarco closed in during the final stages and will launch from P3 of the grid.

As the Q1 session started off totally dry, it was Alvaro Bautista and Pol Espargaro making it to the next session. Dani Pedrosa failed to make an impression as he finished Q1 at eighth and will start from P18, one of his worse grid positions. The Q2 went underway with some spots of rain and the home hero Jack Miller straight away putting hot laps with slick tyres on. The rain didn't last long and just went away with only a few spots here and there. Marc Marquez soon took the job in his own hands to set a benchmark lap time.

Soon after as the pack started to charge, Marquez again increased his lead with a 1:29.742 lap. Viñales quickly responded to Marc and took the P2 spot, just eight hundredths of a second away. Andrea Iannone then showed his free practice form to go on top, only to be dethroned immediately by Johann Zarco. Marc Marquez was left off at P3, while he pulled up his sleeeves to make a scintillating 1:29.199 lap to take pole spot. Alvaro Bautista tried his best with his factory Ducati, but launched himself off the bike at Turn 10 flying through the run off area.

While more than half the riders were in for fresh rubber, the skies again opened up slightly. While it was almost job done for Marc Marquez, there was one man trying his best. Jack Miller went fastest in the first sector but almost lost his front at the end of the Gardner straight while trying to grab pole position. It was all done with Marc Marquez taking the pole position followed by Maverick Viñales and Johann Zarco.

Andrea Iannone will start the race from P4 followed by teammate Alex Rins and Jack Miller. Valentino Rossi will start from the front of the third row at P7, hoping to get to the lead as soon as possible. The top 10 of the grid is completed by Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso and rookie Hafizh Syahrin. Pol Espargaro took Alvaro Bautista for one position and will start from P11. The Australian GP will go live from the most stunning Phillip Island circuit at 10.30AM IST. With the Championship done and dusted, Marc Marquez will try to seal the constructors Championship for Honda tomorrow, while Valentino Rossi will try his best to finish in front of Dovizioso to take the runner up spot. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez makes it big at the Twin Ring- 2018 Japanese GP Race Report
Dated: 21st Oct'18

Marc Marquez becomes the 2018 MotoGP World Champion after winning the Japanese GP with absolute perfection. The 25 year old Spaniard takes his fifth premier class title in six years, and seventh overall. This Championship also marks his hat trick since 2016. Andrea Dovizioso was up there until the final stages to try stop Marquez but failed, as he low sided at turn 10 with two laps to go. Cal Crutchlow made a brilliant race as he was seen in the lead group throughout and finished in second place. Alex Rins came home at P3 from way behind, finding his way through.

As the light went out at Motegi, it was pole man Andrea Dovizioso who got the holeshot. Johann Zarco and Jack Miller involved in a bit of a mix up, as the Aussie rider came straight in front of Zarco's bike. Marc Marquez squeezed in from P6 to P3 immediately to join the lead group, while Valentino Rossi got a good start as well to quickly join the top 5.

Cal Crutchlow passed Miller quickly with an intention to catch Dovizioso and Marquez. Valentino Rossi then passed Jack Miller as the Australian seemed to lose rear grip after a few laps. The lead group of Dovizioso, Marquez and Crutchlow started to pull away, leaving Valentino Rossi behind. Valentino Rossi was soon joined by factory Suzuki riders as they seemed to have better grip than the 9 time world champion. Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone picked Valentino Rossi pretty easily after which Iannone crashed out trying to pass his teammate.

The lead group remained the same with just a handful of laps to remain. Marc Marquez decided to pull his sleeeves up as he made an easy pass on Dovizioso claiming the lead. Andrea Dovizioso gave it all in catching Marquez but sadly sled out at turn 10 with only 2 laps to go. Marquez was informed about that as he went to cruise control, eventually wheelieing his way through the chequered flag.

Cal Crutchlow finished at a strong P2, followed by Suzuki rider Alex Rins completing the podium. Valentino Rossi came home with a second consecutive P4, which was a great result considering his FP issues. Alvaro Bautista saw the chequered flag at P5 followed by Johann Zarco and Maverick Viñales. Dani Pedrosa finished at P8, while Danilo Petrucci and Hafizh Syahrin completed the top 10. Andrea Dovizioso couldn't retaliate and finished way behind at P18 with no points to his name. This makes Valentino Rossi closer to take the second place in the world championship, as he's only 9 points behind Dovizioso with three more races to go. The grid now moves to Philip Island in Australia, the most beautiful track in the calendar in a weeks time. With the MotoGP World Champion already being decided, the remaining three races would be all about pure racing adrenaline. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Desmo Dovi Is Back On Pole- 2018 Japanese GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 20th Oct'18

Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso takes a stunning pole position at the backyard of Honda, with the front row comprising of no Japanese factory machines. Johann Zarco was exceptional today as he missed the pole by just 0.068 seconds to Dovi. Jack Miller will complete the first row of the grid at Motegi for the Japanese GP tomorrow. Jorge Lorenzo has decided to sit out both the Japanese GP and the Australian GP due to his wrist fracture sustained from the Thailand highside.

The Q1 session didn't have much of an action as Alvaro Bautista and Takaaki Nakagami came as top 2, eventually getting into the second session. Franco Morbidelli had some early pace but crashed out towards the end of the session. As the Q2 went underway, it was the British man Cal Crutchlow who went on top immediately. Soon enough it was none other than Marc Marquez who claimed his potential pole spot back with a 1:44.889 lap.

Meanwhile Jack Miller had an incredible pace to take over P2 spot, shortly crashing at Turn 5. The lap time was good enough for Miller to keep him on the front row for the race. Andrea Dovizioso soon came out from no where with a 1:44.590 to claim pole position, which was almost a tenth more than Miller. The Flying Frenchman soon made a good flying lap and took the middle spot on the front row.

The factory Yamaha and Honda riders seemed to lack pole pace and were all seen behind the pack. At the end of the 15 minute session it was Andrea Dovizioso claiming pole followed by Zarco and Miller completing the front row. Cal Crutchlow will start from P4, followed by Andre Iannone and potential champion Marc Marquez. Maverick Viñales starts from P7, in front of Alex Rins. Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista complete the top 10 of the grid. The Land of rising sun might also see the rise of Marc Marquez as the 2018 MotoGP World Championship tomorrow as his mathematical chances are relatively high. The race will go live at 10.30 AM IST from the Twin Ring Motegi circuit tomorrow. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez edges Andrea Dovizioso to give a taste of his own medicine- 2018 Thai GP Race Report
Dated 7th Oct'18

Marc Marquez and Andrea Iannone involved in an epic last lap battle yet again, this time Marc Marquez edging Dovizioso on the inside to take first ever Thai GP victory. The Movistar Yamaha teammates were in a good shape this weekend, as the duo Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi finished the race at P3 and P4 respectively.

As the lights went out at the Chang International circuit in Buriram, it was pole sitter Marc Marquez who took the holeshot, closely followed by Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow from second row. Andrea Dovizioso quickly retaliated to take P3 from Crutchlow and the top 3 remained the same until Valentino Rossi decided to take the lead on lap 4. Rossi made a smooth and easy pass on Marquez to take lead.

Andrea Dovizioso then passed Marc Marquez to take P2. Rossi kept the lead until lap 11, after which both Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez passed Rossi on turn 1, as Rossi's M1 seemed to have poor acceleration and grip out of the corner. Meanwhile the second group involving Maverick Viñales, Johann Zarco, Dani Pedrosa and Alex Rins started to close in on the top 3, with Viñales making fastest lap times from the group.

The lead group became a pack of 8 riders, while the top 3 continued to push forward. Dani Pedrosa had a premature end as he crashed out from P5 at turn 5 with eight laps to go. Maverick Viñales was quick enough to pass his teammate Valentino Rossi, after which the duo at the front started to hammer down.

Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez exchanged some intense passes on last two laps, with Dovizioso on the front before the last corner. Marc Marquez made a tactical masterstroke as he let Dovi front and took an inside line to pass his rival.

Marc Marquez wheelied on his way to the finish line, with Andrea Dovizioso closely finishing at P3. Valentino Rossi closed in to pass Viñales in the last corner, but went on to go wide. Maverick Viñales completed the podium and Valentino Rossi came home at P4. Johann Zarco finished at P5, followed by Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow. The top 10 is completed by Alvaro Bautista, Alma Pramac teammates Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller. Hafizh Syahrin was the top rookie as he finished ahead of Franco Morbidelli at P12. The grid will now move to Japan for first of three successive runaway rounds on the 21st October. Marc Marquez now leads the championship by a clear 77 points and has the first mathematical chance to become world champion at Motegi in Japan. Andrea Dovizioso is in second place with 194 points, followed by Valentino Rossi with 172 points. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez edged Valentino Rossi for a last minute pole - 2018 Thailand GP Qualifying Report
Dated 6th Oct'18

Marc Marquez made history at the Thai GP by becoming the first rider to score a pole position by coming through Q1. Valentino Rossi seemed to be back in the hunt as he almost took pole, just missing it at the end by 0.011 seconds. Fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso will start from P3, as he completes the front row for the inaugural MotoGP at Chang International circuit.

Marc Marquez had a big crash at turn 4 in FP3 which forced the championship leader to go through Q1. It was Marc Marquez along with Alex Rins, who outperformed rookie Franco Morbidelli by a mere 0.002 second for a Q2 spot. As the Q2 session went underway, Marc Marquez climbed to the top straight away with the Yamaha duo following behind. Andrea Dovizioso was also in the mix and was seen fighting for the top 5 positions.

Valentino Rossi came out of the pits with fresh rubber and went on to fire his fastest lap of 1:30'099 to go on top. It was short lived though as Marc Marquez took pole by a whisker. Marquez and Rossi were split by a mere 0.011 second. As the chequered flag came out, Andrea Dovizioso ended up in third place to complete the front row.

Maverick Viñales will start from the front of the second row, followed by Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Iannone. Dani Pedrosa will start from P7, who's followed by Johann Zarco. The top 10 of the grid is completed by Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller. The Chang International circuit seems to have given some clear advantage for the Yamaha YZR M1 as the factory Yamaha riders are able to make quick lap times. The Thai GP would also be the best chance for Yamaha to end their long win less streak. The Thai GP goes live from Chang International circuit in Buriram on Sunday at 12.30PM IST. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez Masterclass At Motorland- 2018 Aragon GP Race Report
Dated 23rd Sep'18

Marc Marquez emerged victorious at the Motorland Aragon further extending his lead in the championship standings, after a tough fight with rival Andrea Dovizioso. Andrea Iannone made an outstanding race putting the Suzuki on the podium for the first time at Aragon. Jorge Lorenzo was the clear favorite after Qualifying, but suffered a nasty highside at Turn 1 trying to get the holeshot.

As the lights went out at the Motorland, Marc Marquez got the holeshot and went wide taking pole man Jorge Lorenzo along. Jorge Lorenzo went to the dirty part of the track, quickly opened the throttle to retaliate and got launched into the air as his Desmocedici highsided. Lorenzo sustained a dislocated feet and is sceptical about racing in the next round.

After that drama, Marquez got to the front with Dovizioso closely following him. The Hamamatsu factory had a great day today as Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins were following the lead duo until the end of the race. Meanwhile Cal Crutchlow also hit the deck at the same corner as Lorenzo on the fifth lap.

Alex Rins showed good temperament as he slotted himself behind Marquez, only to be over taken again by both Dovizioso and Iannone. Behind the lead group it was Dani Pedrosa followed by Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro exchanging positions. Dovizioso soon decided to hunt on Marquez and the cat fight started there, as the duo was seen exchanging strong moves and breaking from the Suzuki teammates.

Dovizioso gave everything to stay in the lead, but Marquez owned the Italian by passing on the outside in lap 21 and not letting him there after. It was a classic Marc Marquez victory at his home race, followed by Andrea Dovizioso. Andrea Iannone completed the podium, showing his true pace. Teammate Alex Rins came home at P4 followed by Dani Pedrosa. Aleix Espargaro came home at P6 as the top satellite rider, and the best result for Aprilia this season. Danilo Petrucci finished at P7 followed by Valentino Rossi at P8, who still managed to finish as the top Yamaha rider. The top 10 was completed by Jack Miller and Maverick Viñales. Franco Morbidelli was the top rookie as he finished at P11. The grid now moves to Asia for the first ever Thai GP at Chang International circuit in two weeks time. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo is unstoppable at the Motorland- 2018 Aragon GP Qualifying Report
Dated 22nd Sep'18

Jorge Lorenzo stunned the pack with his last lap, outrunning teammate Andrea Dovizioso to take pole position at the Motorland Aragon. Andrea Dovizioso was strong throughout Q2 and will start from the middle of front row followed by championship leader Marc Marquez.

Woes for the factory Yamaha riders continue as both Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales were forced to go through Q1, while the former had already crashed in FP3 early on. Q1 was a disaster for Valentino Rossi as he never found the right pace and will start from P18. Meanwhile Maverick Viñales topped Q1 followed by Takaaki Nakagami as both improved to Q2.

It was Marc Marquez to draw first blood as he went on top right away. The factory Ducati duo were quick to retaliate and were seen constantly inside the top 3. The cat and mouse game was strong between Marquez and Dovizioso, as they both fought for the top spot. In the last flying lap Andrea Dovizioso came on top, in front of Marc Marquez only to be overtaken by teammate Jorge Lorenzo after the chequered flag.

Jorge Lorenzo will now start from pole for the third time in succession this year, a feat he has achieved for the first time after 2012. Teammate Dovi will follow suit from P2 and Marquez completing the front row. Cal Crutchlow is the top satellite rider and starts from P4, followed by Andrea Iannone, Dani Pedrosa and Danilo Petrucci. Alvaro Bautista starts from P8, followed by Alex Rins and Jack Miller. Riders from Q1, Maverick Viñales and Takaaki Nakagami couldn't improve positions and will start from P11 and P12 respectively. Valentino Rossi starting from P18 which makes his worst ever qualifying result from a long time since 2006. The only way factory Yamaha riders could improve is when the problems of YZR M1 get solved. The race will go live from Motorland Aragon tomorrow at 5.30PM IST. Stay tuned for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Andrea Dovizioso triumphs at Misano- 2018 San Marino GP Race Report
Dated 9th Sep'18

Andrea Dovizioso was spectacular on his Desmocedici GP18, as he took his third win of the season. Marc Marquez finished at P2 after a hard fought battle with Jorge Lorenzo who crashed out on the penultimate lap. Cal Crutchlow came home at at P3 as a lone rider to finish as the top independent rider.

As the lights went out, Jorge Lorenzo got the holeshot starting from pole while Jack Miller also got off to a great start and followed the number 99. Marc Marquez was no exemption, as he quickly found himself in top 3, starting from the middle of the second row. Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow were seen behind the top 3.

Valentino Rossi struggled right from the start and was seen at P8, one spot below his starting position. So was Maverick Viñales, who was just in front of Valentino Rossi. Disaster struck for Jack Miller as he suffered a low side crash at turn 14. At the front it was Jorge Lorenzo followed by Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez pulling up a gap. Soon, Dovizioso attacked fellow teammate Lorenzo to take the lead and disappear. Cal Crutchlow passed Alex Rins and was cemented at a safe P4.

The battle field was set behind Dovi, as Lorenzo and Marquez exchanged a handful of moves. Meanwhile Dovizioso has pulled off a close to 2 second gap, with 3 laps to go. Jorge Lorenzo then passed Marquez with an ambition to catch Dovizioso. Though the gap from Dovizioso started to decrease, Lorenzo went out of control and slid out in the penultimate lap. Dovizioso went on to cross the chequered flag in style, followed by Marc Marquez. Cal Crutchlow completed the podium after a lone ride. Alex Rins finished at P4 followed by Maverick Viñales and Dani Pedrosa. Home hero Valentino Rossi struggled to make an impression and finished at P7. The top 10 was completed by Andrea Iannone, Alvaro Bautista and Johann Zarco. Franco Morbidelli came home at P12 in front of Hafizh Syahrin, to take lead as the Rookie of the season. Jorge Lorenzo picked up his bike and finished the race at P17, out of points. The grid now moves to Motorland Aragon, Spain in 2 weeks time for the Aragon GP. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo obliterates own record for pole - 2018 San Marino GP Qualifying report
Dated: 8th Sep'18

Jorge Lorenzo breaks his own pole record from 2016 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, securing his second successive pole position after the cancelled British GP. Oz rider Jack Miller made a stunning 1'31.916 to put himself in the middle of the front row at P2. Maverick Viñales found back his pace as he ended the session at P3, for a front row start.

Marc Marquez had the pace for front row, but crashed out at turn 15 with the front end washing out at a high speed. The baby alien had immense determination to sprint back to his pits after rolling through the gravel trap, to eventually get on his second bike. The best lap of Marquez will see him starting from the middle of second row. Dani Pedrosa and Franco Morbidelli set the quickest lap times in Q1 while Andrea Iannone and Michele Pirro weren't able to get closer.

As the Q2 went underway, Marc Marquez drew first blood by setting the fastest lap of the weekend. But that was not the end, and a lot of juggling happened later on. Jack Miller and Jorge Lorenzo were also seen at the top making it a 3 rider dash for pole. Valentino Rossi improved to P4 but was soon pushed back by the likes of Dovizioso and Crutchlow.

With around 4 minutes to go, Jorge Lorenzo hammered down for pole with all red sectors eventually breaking his own pole record. Jack Miller will start from the middle of the front row making it a Ducati 1-2. Maverick Viñales found pace late into the session and made a 1'31.950 in his last flying lap and will start from P3. Andrea Dovizioso will start from P4 followed by Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow. Home hero Valentino Rossi starts from P7 on the grid followed by fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci. The top 10 is completed by Johann Zarco and Alex Rins. Dani Pedrosa will start from P11 and Franco Morbidelli at P12. The San Marino GP will go live amidst yellow smoke at 5.30 PM IST from the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Stay tuned for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo storms to pole in mixed conditions - 2018 British GP Qualifying Report
Dated 25th Aug'18

Jorge Lorenzo takes second pole of the season at Silverstone in one of the most dramatic Saturday's since a long time. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso will start the British GP from the middle of the front row, while Johann Zarco will complete the front row of the grid.

The Qualifying session was further delayed due to the absence of the medical helicopter which took Tito Rabat to the hospital, after he suffered an unexpected trauma at turn 7 late into the FP4. The Q1 session saw Scott Redding, Alex Rins Bradley Smith and Thomas Luthi fighting for the top two spots in the mixed conditions of the Silverstone circuit. At the end of the first 15 minutes, it was Bradley Smith and Alex Rins who came out on top to graduate for Q2. Bradley Smith went on to top the Q2 classification as soon as he went out, given his awareness of the track conditions. It was short lived though, as Marc Marquez took over quickly in his flying lap along with a host of other riders like Jack Miller, Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci.

The Ducati riders seemed strong, as Marc Marquez was pushed down by both the factory and Pramac riders. As the track had mixed conditions on each sectors, tyre life took a toll. The riders experienced chipping off of rubber and were forced to pit early. Meanwhile, Jack Miller arrived as the only rider with slick tyres, though he couldn't stop his Desmocedici in the Northamptonshire layout.

With around 6 minutes remaining Jorge Lorenzo went on a provisional pole, with Johann Zarco, Andrea Dovizioso trying their best to dethrone the Mallorcan. At the end of the 15 minute session, Jorge Lorenzo made the fastest lap of 2'10.155 to secure his second pole of the season. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso follows him on P2 while the front row is completed by Johann Zarco.

Home hero Cal Crutchlow starts from the front of the second row followed by championship leader Marc Marquez and Danilo Petrucci. Andrea Iannone starts from P7 followed by Bradley Smith, Jack Miller and Alex Rins. Movistar Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales suffered yet again with a disastrous qualifying, as they start way back at P12 and P11 respectively. With downpours expected on the forecast tomorrow, and a slippery Silverstone circuit, it could all go down to the wire depending on who's willing to risk and who's playing it safe. The race goes live from the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom at 5.30 PM IST tomorrow. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo wins from Marc Marquez after an epic battle- 2018 Austrian GP Race Report
Dated 12th Aug'18

Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez produce a scintillating battle at the Red Bull ring, while the Ducati man took his third victory of the season. Marc Marquez' quest to take a victory at the Austrian circuit remains unchanged, as he finished the hard fought race at P2. Andrea Dovizioso had absolutely nothing in reserve as he saw the duo lead him throughout, just completing the podium. This victory makes it 3 in a row for Ducati since 2016, courtesy Andrea Iannone, Andrea Dovizioso and now Jorge Lorenzo.

As the lights went out at the Red Bull ring, Marc Marquez hammered down to lead the initial laps with Dovizioso and Lorenzo behind him. Alex Rins also had a great start and joined the lead group, starting from P10 on the grid. Jorge Lorenzo had his intentions clear and began to pull away from Dovizioso to stick with Marquez.

The lead group of three slowly started to open up a gap while Cal Crutchlow was seen at P4 comfortably. Valentino Rossi made incredible initial laps as he climbed to P7 quickly, while starting from P14. Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso used their Ducati power to perfection as they lined themselves close to Marquez in lap 11. Marc Marquez gave it all to stay in the front, but Jorge Lorenzo was on a different league as he retaliated for a quick pass to take the lead.

The dog fight for the top spot on the podium continued fiercely between the number 99 and 93, which also saw Marquez running in a defensive line and Lorenzo taking him around his outside. It was one of the best over takes as turn 3, utilizing all the grunt out of the Desmocedici GP18 machine. Andrea Dovizioso had nothing to do and settled for a podium finish, as he suffered with grip issues towards penultimate lap. Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi, the Sunday man improved a lot and made a steady ride at P6.

The final lap saw Jorge Lorenzo crossing the chequered flag in joy, with future teammate Marc Marquez closely following behind. Andrea Dovizioso completed the podium making it a Ducati duo on top. Marc Marquez was happy to take a P2 as he gave his all, and most importantly further extends his Championship lead. Cal Crutchlow was the top satellite rider as he finished at P4, his personal best position at the Red Bull ring.

Danilo Petrucci came home at P5 followed by Valentino Rossi at a strong P6, after a disaster Qualifying yesterday. Dani Pedrosa finished at P7, while the top 10 of the classification was completed by Alex Rins, Johann Zarco and Alvaro Bautista. Tito Rabat crossed the line at P11 followed by Maverick Viñales at P12. Marc Marquez extends his Championship lead with 201 points to his name. He's followed by Valentino Rossi who's 59 points behind. Maverick Viñales has slipped down to 5th place as Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso have improved to 3 and 4. The grid will now move to Silverstone in Great Britain for the British GP in 2 weeks time. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.

Marc Marquez steals pole by a whisker to take command - 2018 Austrian GP Qualifying Report
Dated 11th Aug'18 Marc Marquez took pole at the Red Bull ring, snatching it from Andrea Dovizioso by just 0.002 seconds. The Qualifying 2 saw one hell of a fight between Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo for the pole. Both the Ducati riders were incredibly quick with red sectors all over, but still Marquez managed to pull it off by a 0.002 second margin. The Q1 session saw the master Valentino Rossi trying his best to get hold of a place in Q2. Sadly, The Doctor has severe grip issues and acceleration woes which made him finish Q1 in 4th place, eventually forcing him to start from P14 tomorrow. Alvaro Bautista fired the fastest lap followed by Alex Rins to move to the Q2 session.

As the Q2 session went underway, Marc Marquez went on top straight away. Factory Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo threatened Marquez for pole, but wasn't enough. Marquez made an incredible 1'23.241, the fastest lap time of the weekend to secure pole position at the Red Bull ring in Spielberg. Dovizioso finished really close, with a 1'23.243 and will start from the middle of the front row.

Teammate Lorenzo starts from P3 followed by Danilo Petrucci, Cal Crutchlow and Johann Zarco in the second row. The third row has Tito Rabat, Andrea Iannone and Dani Pedrosa while Alex Rins will start at P10 coming in from Q1. Maverick Viñales will start the Austrian GP from P11 followed by Alvaro Bautista. Valentino Rossi will start way back at P14, and would expect to suffer lesser than today in the race tomorrow.

The forecast isn't 100% dry for tomorrow and we have chance of rain to interfere any time, as every session in this Austrian GP was either wet or mixed, except the FP1. Chances for a flag to flag race is high, making it highly vulnerable for the riders to risk it all. The race goes live from the Red Bull ring in Austria, tomorrow at 5.30PM IST. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Andrea Dovizioso is back on top beating Lorenzo and Marquez - 2018 Czech GP Race Report
Dated 5th Aug'18

Andrea Dovizioso takes his first victory since 5 long months after a splendid victory at Automotodrom Brno. The Italian led the race for more than 21 laps constantly by battling with Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. Jorge Lorenzo took the second place, making it a Ducati 1-2 followed by championship leader Marc Marquez who played it safe to finish on the podium. Valentino Rossi finished at a strong P4, passing Crutchlow on the last corner.

As the lights went out at Brno, Valentino Rossi made a blistering launch off the line to take the holeshot into the first corner. Jorge Lorenzo also got off to a great start and joined Rossi, Marquez, and Dovi at the front. Meanwhile, wildcard rider Stefan Bradl, Bradley Smith and Maverick Viñales involved in a crash early during the first lap ruining their race.

Rossi got to a good rhythm to lead the race while Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez were closely following up. Jorge Lorenzo, Danilo Petrucci and Cal Crutchlow battled closely behind the top three riders making it a 7 rider line up at the front. Andrea Dovizioso lined up soon enough to pass Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez followed the same course.

Jorge Lorenzo had better pace than Rossi and Crutchlow and was seen at P3. Soon he took Marquez in succession on the following corner to get hold of second place. Rossi on the other hand suffered a bit, as he fell back from P1 to P4. Meanwhile Scott Redding crashed behind, making his season worser and closing all doors for his future in MotoGP.

With under a handful of laps remaining, the top three was almost confirmed as they held their spots firmly. Cal Crutchlow was seen at P4, closely followed by Valentino Rossi. Andrea Dovizioso crossed the chequered flag first followed by teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Marc Marquez finished at P3, to keep his championship lead strong enough. Valentino Rossi pulled out a wonder move to pass Cal Crutchlow before the last corner to steal P4.

Cal Crutchlow finished at P5 followed by Danilo Petrucci and Johann Zarco. Dani Pedrosa came home at P8 and the top 10 was completed by Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Iannone. Teammate Alex Rins finished at P11 followed by the Australian Jack Miller. Marc Marquez now leads the champion by 181 points, 49 points in front of Valentino Rossi who's his closest rival for now. Maverick Viñales lost precious points due to the crash and had 113 points to his name. The grid now moves to Austria in one weeks time for the Austrian GP in RedBull ring, Spielberg. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi steal pole from Marc Marquez - 2018 Czech GP Qualifying Report
Dated 4th Aug'18

Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi snatch the pole position from Marc Marquez in their final flying laps of the qualifying session with a blistering pace. Marc Marquez was the first rider to dip into the 1.54's to score a potential pole, but the Italian duo had incredible speed in the closing stages to safely come on top. Marc Marquez will start his Czech GP quest from P3.

The Q1 session had Maverick Viñales, Hafizh Syahrin and Alex Rins apart from the other riders. Alvaro Bautista had a great pace to seep into Q2, but was overshadowed by Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins. The duo safely landed in the Q2 with hopes to improve their grid positioning.

As the clocks started ticking for Q2, it was Marc Marquez who drew the first blood and set a 1'55.559. Cal Crutchlow and Alex Rins followed the same to form a potential front row. Meanwhile Jorge Lorenzo set his priorities right and made all his sector times red, eventually going on pole. Johann Zarco seemed to have a good pace as he fought consistently for a position within P5.

With under 2 minutes to go, Marc Marquez broke the barrier to become the first rider with a 1.54' lap time. The whole action happened in the last flying lap, as Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi ran hot laps with potential pole pace. Just about when the chequered flag went out, the Italian duo dethroned Marc Marquez with sub 1.54' laps. The starting grid has Andrea Dovizioso on pole position followed by fellow Italian veteran Valentino Rossi. Marc Marquez will start from the back of the front row at P3. The second row is completed by Jorge Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci. Johann Zarco will start from P7 followed by Andrea Iannone. The top 10 is completed by Alex Rins and Dani Pedrosa. Maverick Viñales seemed to suffer a lot, as he was the last in Q2 at P12, while Tito Rabat starts in front of him.

While the last 2 years had mixed conditions on race day at the Automotodrom Brno paving for a flag to flag situation, it seems like we'll most likely have a dry race tomorrow. The top 4 will be clear favorites to win the race tomorrow, but Danilo Petrucci and Cal Crutchlow could also be the dark horses. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez remains the "King of the Ring" - 2018 German GP Race Report
Dated 15th Jul'18

Marc Marquez wins the German GP at Sachsenring for the ninth time in succession, equalling Giacomo Agostini's record. This is also his sixth consecutive victory in the German soil ever since he arrived to the premier class. Valentino Rossi rode an absolutely flawless race to take a very well deserved P2, making it his best finish of the season. Teammate Maverick Viñales came back strong in the second half of the race, and completed the dual Yamaha podium.

As the lights went out at Sachsenring, Jorge Lorenzo got the holeshot and lead the race for the sixth time in succession. Danilo Petrucci had a good start and remained at P2, while pole setter Marc Marquez slipped to P3. Valentino Rossi had a great launch off the line and moved ahead of Dovizioso and Viñales to take the P4 spot.

Meanwhile, Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro got into a clash heading into the first corner and crashed out, pushing Jack Miller into the gravel. Lorenzo continued to pull a gap at the front, with Petrucci, Marquez and Rossi closely following behind. The game began when Marc Marquez quickly passed Petrucci, with Lorenzo on his immediate sight.

Valentino Rossi then plunged into fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci to take P3. Cal Crutchlow crashed out at Turn 12 trying to trial brake after going out wide. Marc Marquez locked the target and made a move to pass his future teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who was running defensive lines due to front tyre woes. That made life easy for Valentino Rossi and Danilo Petrucci as they both easily passed Jorge Lorenzo.

Halfway through, while Lorenzo began to sink like a stone in the sea, Marquez began to pull off at the front. Maverick Viñales was strong enough towards the end of the race to quickly pass Danilo Petrucci, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso. Viñales had a better pace than other riders behind him, while Valentino Rossi was already 2 seconds ahead of him.

Marc Marquez continued to lead the race and eventually crossed the chequered flag 2 seconds ahead of his closest rival Valentino Rossi, making it 9 in a row at Sachsenring. Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales completed the podium, making Movistar Yamaha top in the Team standings.

Danilo Petrucci finished as the top satellite rider, while Alvaro Bautista had his second top 6 finish since last year. Jorge Lorenzo finished at P6 followed by Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa. The top 10 is completed by Johann Zarco and Bradley Smith. Hafizh Syahrin came as the top rookie at P11, in front of Andrea Iannone, Tito Rabat and Jack Miller. At the end of the German GP, the Championship is halfway through and heading to the summer break. Marc Marquez leads the standings with 165 points followed by Valentino Rossi, 46 points behind with 119. The grid will now move to Automotodrom Brno for the Czech GP on the 5th of August. Until then stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez steals pole by a whisker - 2018 German GP Qualifying Report
Dated 14th Jul'18

Marc Marquez takes pole position at Sachsenring for the ninth time in succession, proving to be the "King of the Ring" yet again. Danilo Petrucci had a blistering pace as he set a potential pole time of 1'20.295, just missing it at the end to Marquez. Jorge Lorenzo will start the German GP from P3, proving his pace throughout the weekend.

Q1 had a host of big names like Andrea Dovizioso and Johann Zarco. Dovizioso safely remained at the top spot throughout the session, while Takaaki Nakagami came in as a surprise at P2, eventually going to Q2. Johann Zarco seemed to miss his usual pace as he will be starting from P14.

As the Q2 session went underway, Maverick Viñales went on top, for a provisional pole breaking Marquez' pole record. It was only the start to a power packed battle. Danilo Petrucci and Jorge Lorenzo had a good pace and started their time attack. Marc Marquez wasn't even far away and was mixing around the top 3 spots. Viñales was soon pushed back by Petrucci, Marquez, and Lorenzo. Valentino Rossi suffered a bit during the early stages as he was seen below P7.

It was only in the final stages of the session, everything became closer. Danilo Petrucci made a stunning 1'20.295 lap with around 3 minutes to go and looked safe for a potential pole position. Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi also improved their positions to P4 and P6. It was Marc Marquez who held his nerves till the end to produce a scintillating 1'20.270 on his last flying lap, to claim pole in front of Petrucci.

With Marquez, Petrucci and Lorenzo starting on the front row it'll definitely be a race for the holeshot tomorrow. Maverick Viñales starts from P4 followed by Andre Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi completing the second row. Cal Crutchlow starts from P7 followed by Andrea Iannone. The top 10 is completed by Alvaro Bautista and Dani Pedrosa. Alex Rins and Takaaki Nakagami start from P11 and P12 respectively. The round 9 of the championship at Sachsenring in Germany would almost be halfway through the championship, before going to the summer break. Will Marquez make it 9 wins in a row in the German soil? Will there be anyone else to claim victory at Sachsenring? Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez wins in one of the historic races of modern GP era - 2018 Dutch GP Race Report
Dated 1st July'18

Marc Marquez wins here in Assen after one of the most thrilling races in the last few years. The race showed the level of what MotoGP bikes and the riders are capable of, with a host of riders closely battling it out from start to finish. Assen 2018 also saw the closest top fifteen riders of all time, separated by just 16 seconds. Accompanying Marc Marquez on the podium were Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales.

As the lights went out at Assen, Marquez took the holeshot with Crutchlow following behind. Jorge Lorenzo made a great launch off the line as he pounced to P2 from P10. Lorenzo soon found himself battling with Marquez, as they exchanged a few moves with each other for the lead.

Then after the true battle started off involving Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow. The six rider pack were as aggressive as it can get, and showcased their true potentials. All these happened in a safe way that there wasn't a single mistake from any of the lead riders.

While Lorenzo was leading at the front, Rossi got to P2 and was ready to attack his ex teammate. Lorenzo almost lost his front, slowing down deep inside the corner making Rossi crash into the rear of Lorenzo. Both the riders miraculously managed to stay on the bike though they clashed at 160+ kmph.Viñales then resurrected from behind the top 5 to quickly get to the front, bringing back his lost form. Marquez, Rossi, Dovizioso, Rins and Crutchlow exchanged number of moves making it a treat to the fans and viewers.

Lorenzo soon had some problems and began to fall back. With around 7 laps to go Valentino Rossi went wide and let through Viñales, Dovizioso and Alex Rins. Marc Marquez finally hammered down with 4 laps to go, and pulled away to eventually take the win. Alex Rins rode a brave race till the end and finished the race at P2. Maverick Viñales finally takes a podium position after a long time. Desmo Dovi closely finished at P4, just one tenth behind Viñales. Valentino Rossi ended the race at P5, still holding his second position in the championship. Cal Crutchlow finished at P6 followed by Jorge Lorenzo and Johann Zarco. The top 10 is completed by Alvaro Bautista and Jack Miller. Iannone finished the race at P11 while Dani Pedrosa crossed the line at a lone P15.

Marc Marquez further extends his Championship lead with 140 points to his name. Valentino Rossi is 41 points behind Marc with 99 points. The MotoGP grid now moves to Sachsenring in two weeks time for the German GP. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez takes pole at the Cathedral of speed- 2018 Dutch GP Qualifying Report
Dated 30th June'18

Marc Marquez takes pole position at Assen, in one of the most thrilling Qualifying sessions of the recent past. The top 6 rider grid was decided only after the chequered flag was out, which confirms the level of competition for the race tomorrow. Cal Crutchlow made a stunning lap to start from the middle of the front row, making him the top independent rider. Valentino Rossi was right there at the right moment, making a great last flying lap to start from P3, even after a practice crash early on.

The Q1 had Dani Pedrosa, Johann Zarco, Alex Rins, and Jack Miller amongst the other riders. Takaaki Nakagami found the required pace to take the top spot in Q2 with about 5 minutes to go. The potential was Q2 spot was short lived as Alex Rins and Johann Zarco pounced with their fastest laps of the session, eventually going through to the Q2 session.

As the Q2 session went underway it was Jorge Lorenzo who hammered a 1'33.600 lap right at the start of the session, getting a potential pole spot. Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone, Marc Marquez, Danilo Petrucci and Alex Rins were all fighting it out for the top spots until halfway through. Valentino Rossi seemed to suffer a bit early on, as he was seen at P10.

Marc Marquez then went on top with a three minutes to go, only Andrea Iannone took over the top spot. With two minutes to go, Jorge Lorenzo pushed Iannone down to take P1. It was the 30 seconds of the session that had all the drama involved. A host of riders had just arrived with fresh soft rubbers for a final time attack. The chequered flag was almost out with red colour blinging in every sector for all these riders. At the end of the flying laps, it was Marc Marquez who took the top spot followed by Cal Crutchlow. "The Doctor" will start the Dutch GP from P3, aiming to make it a 11th win tomorrow at Assen. Andrea Dovizioso starts from P4 followed by Alex Rins, Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro. The top 10 is completed by Johann Zarco, Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo.

Can Valentino Rossi make it 11 wins at Assen tomorrow? Will Jorge Lorenzo make it 3 in a row with the Ducati? Will Marc Marquez further increase his lead in the Championship from pole? These questions will be answered tomorrow at The Cathedral of Speed. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. The hammer is out yet again at Montmeló- 2018 Catalan GP Race Report
Dated 17th June'18

Jorge Lorenzo hammers down for a flawless victory once more at Catalunya, just two weeks from his first win with Ducati. The Spaniard won his home Gran Prix with domination, almost 5 seconds in front of P2 scorer Marc Marquez. Marquez further extends his Championship lead with this P2 finish. Valentino Rossi took a strong yet lonely third position, making it three podiums in a row.

As the lights went out at the Catalan GP, Marquez made a good launch off the line from P2 and took the holeshot. Iannone got off to a good start as well and came in front of Lorenzo for P2. Valentino Rossi and Andre Dovizioso also had good starts and were up at the front. Lorenzo catched Iannone and Marquez both on turn 1 of the second lap to lead the Catalan GP. Iannone fell behind while Marquez, Dovizioso and Rossi were following Lorenzo.

The pack of 4 riders continued to pull at the front while Andrea Dovizioso had a low side crash at turn 5 on lap 9, making it his third DNF of the season. Meanwhile it was Lorenzo at the front continuing to extend his gap, and Marquez behind him. Valentino Rossi was further 3 seconds behind the number 93 making a lonely ride to the podium.

Behind the lead group, Cal Crutchlow and Dani Pedrosa had a battle behind for P4 while Maverick Viñales and Johann Zarco had a fight to take P6. The race saw a host of riders in the form of Aleix Espargaro, Alex Rins, Bradley Smith, Jack Miller, Tito Rabat and Hafizh Syahrin either crashing or retiring in its course.

The chequered flag was out for Lorenzo as he punched through the air to take his second Ducati win in succession. Marc Marquez took P2 4.5 seconds behind Lorenzo followed by Valentino Rossi at a further 6 seconds behind. Cal Crutchlow finished the Catalan GP at P4 followed by Dani Pedrosa. Maverick Viñales and Johann Zarco finished at P6 and P7 respectively. The top 10 is completed by Danilo Petrucci, Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Iannone. Marc Marquez now has the Championship lead with 115 points, 27 points clear of his closest rival Valentino Rossi at P2. Maverick Viñales is in third place with 77 points to his name. The paddock now moves to Netherlands for the Motul TT Assen in two weeks time on July 1st. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo reigns first ever Ducati pole- 2018 Catalan GP Qualifying Report
Dated 16th June'18

Jorge Lorenzo, the home hero is the man to beat in Barcelona. Jorge Lorenzo scores his first ever pole position since he came on board the Borgo Panigale factory. Fresh after winning the Italia GP, Lorenzo went on to show incredible race pace in the FP sessions, eventually taking pole. Marc Marquez after suffering an early tumble in FP3, starts from P2. Andrea Dovizioso was fast enough to take the P3 spot for the race tomorrow.

Marc Marquez had a nasty tumble in FP3 after losing the front, which forced him into Q1. Marc Marquez, Jack Miller and Alex Rins were some big names going into Q1. Eventually, in the end Marquez topped the time sheets while Taka Nakagami took the second spot surprisingly. Jack Miller and Hafizh Syahrin didn't have enough pace to pick Nakagami's place.

As the Q2 session kicked off, Lorenzo quickly hammered to the top only to get beaten by Marquez immediately. Marquez fired a 1'38.866 lap which to get on top, which also became the fastest the lap of the weekend at that moment. Marquez was almost four tenths clear of the remaining field before the riders began to pit.

Jorge Lorenzo seemed to be disappointed since his second bike wasn't ready, as he was furious with his crew. Yet Lorenzo came out to fire a 1'38.680, the fastest of the weekend and was safe at the top. Valentino Rossi was on a hot lap with 2 minutes to go, with Marc Marquez following him. Rossi got it as a dashboard message , after which he abandoned a possible front row lap. Marquez went on to complete the lap, just 0.066 seconds off the pace of the Lorenzo.

At the end of the session Jorge Lorenzo had secured his first Ducati pole followed by Marc Marquez and Andre Dovizioso. Maverick Viñales was the top Yamaha starting from P4, followed by Andrea Iannone and fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci. Valentino Rossi starts his most favourable race from P7 of the grid. The top of the grid is completed by Johann Zarco, Tito Rabat and Cal Crutchlow respectively. The Catalan GP will go live tomorrow at 5.30PM IST from the Circuit de Barcelona in Montmeló. With Jorge Lorenzo on pole position, finding his lost form, with a home advantage and Valentino Rossi having an incredible record, it'll be a great show at Catalunya. One mistake by Marc Marquez would cost a bomb in the Championship standings, and a good pace by the Yamaha riders will further reduce the gap. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati wedding yields first victory - 2018 Italian GP Race Report
Dated: 3rd June'18

Jorge Lorenzo demonstrated outright class as he clinched his first victory riding the Borgo Panigale factory motorcycle. The number 99 repeated his form from the Yamaha times, as he lead the race from start to finish to win for the first time since Valencia 2016. Andrea Dovizioso showed great perseverance as he converted his poor qualifying pace to a P2 finish. Valentino Rossi was in a Midas touch as he scored a second podium position in succession. Rossi also made an untouchable milestone today, by becoming the first rider to score 5000+ premier class points. Marc Marquez took a tumble early during the race and suffered with the riders behind without scoring a point.

As the lights went out it was Jorge Lorenzo who got off to a great start, yet again, while Marquez followed coming from the second row. Rossi, Iannone and Dovizioso were quick enough to join the lead group as well. While Lorenzo was leading at the front, Marquez had his front end washed away and suffered a low slide crash. Danilo Petrucci soon joined the party with Dovizioso, Rossi and Iannone.

With around 15 laps left, Andrea Dovizioso passed Valentino Rossi to disappear along with Lorenzo in front of him. Iannone started to suffer with his tyres and dropped behind, as Crutchlow used the opportunity. As the number of laps began to reduce, Lorenzo was still 6 seconds ahead of the group followed by teammate Dovizioso. Valentino Rossi took control of the third spot who almost caught Dovi, taking around 0.7 seconds on the last lap. At the end of the race Jorge Lorenzo took his first win for Ducati, followed by Andrea Dovizioso and "The Doctor" Valentino Rossi. Fellow Italian Andrea Iannone finished the race at P4 followed by teammate Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow. Danilo Petrucci ended up at P7, while Maverick Viñales made no impression finishing at P8. The top 10 was completed by Alvaro Bautista and Johann Zarco. Dani Pedrosa had a crash early during the first lap and scored a DNF. Jack Miller and Scott Redding also crashed from the race while Aleix Espargaro had a technical issue. Marc Marquez finished the race out of points at P16.

The Parc Ferme and podium ceremony was painted with yellow smoke all over, thanks to the thousands of Rossi fans who had turned out for the event. At the end of the Italian GP, Marc Marquez is on top of the Championship standings with 95 points, followed by Valentino Rossi who's now in second place with 72 points. The grid now moves to Barcelona for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in two weeks time. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Valentino Rossi does an Italian Job at Mugello - Italian GP 2018 Qualifying Report
Dated: 2nd June'18

Valentino Rossi storms Mugello to take pole position for the first time since Motegi 2016. The Doctor made an astounding 1:46.203 lap to break the previous circuit record and take pole after a gap of 20 months. The result also comes as a wake up call to all the people judging the man by his age. Jorge Lorenzo is back on the front row at P2, just 0.035 seconds behind the pole setter. Fellow Spaniard Maverick Viñales starts from P3, making it a front row start for both factory Yamaha riders. Andrea Iannone showed great consistency and pace, but was pushed down to P4 towards the end of the session.

Q1 was placid without much action, which saw Jack Miller and Maverick Viñales on top making it to the Q2. As the Q2 went underway, Andrea Iannone, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez were all on an early charge. Johann Zarco seemed to suffer a bit as he is out of the front row after a long run. Andrea Iannone continued to show his FP form and was untouchable till the first half of the session.

Once the grid began to change rubbers, it was red all over in the sector times. Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez began to do their best lap times towards the end of the session. With one minute to go, Valentino Rossi rode an unbelievable 1'46.208 lap to claim pole. Marc Marquez lost the pace on his last two flying laps, as he almost crashed on a fast right hander and losing precious time trying to catch Rossi. Jorge Lorenzo and Maverick Viñales bettered the Championship leader and will start from first row.

Andrea Iannone will start from P4, followed by fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci and Marc Marquez. Ducati main man Andrea Dovizioso suffered a bit and starts from the front of the third row at P7. The top 10 of the grid is completed by Cal Crutchlow, Johann Zarco and Alex Rins. Jack Miller will start from P11 followed by rookie Franco Morbidelli. The Italian GP will go live tomorrow at 5.30PM IST from the Autodromo del Mugello. With Valentino Rossi on pole, we bet the circuit atmosphere to be more electric than it has ever been. We can't wait for the fans to paint Mugello with yellow smoke and "Il Dottore" to take a victory in front of the home crowd. It's time to put on those yellow tees and scream "Io sto con Vale" tomorrow. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez makes it three in a row - 2018 French GP race Report
Dated: 20th May'18

Marc Marquez wins three races in succession for the first time since his 2014 winning trot. Danilo Petrucci had a stunning pace throughout the race and finished the race in second place just 2.3 seconds behind Marquez. The veteran master Valentino Rossi was there at the front yet again scoring a podium, proving that age is just a number for him. Top Championship contenders Johann Zarco and Andrea Dovizioso crashed out from the lead in succession, giving Marquez a big advantage in the points table.

As the lights went out at Le Mans in France, it was Jorge Lorenzo from P6 who made a plunging start to take the holeshot. Johann Zarco wasn't far away and joined Lorenzo along with Petrucci, Marquez, Rossi and Dovizioso. Zarco sandwiched by the two factory Ducati's seemed to open a slight gap at the front. Dovizioso then passed Zarco in the next lap having his teammate at front. In just a few corners Dovizioso made a clean pass on Lorenzo, only to loose his front in the next turn.

Meanwhile Marquez had the optimal temperature on his hard rear tyre to attack and soon found himself next to Zarco. The home hero trying to retaliate quickly found himself in the gravel, ending his first possibility of winning. Valentino Rossi was in a great shape and was seen in P4, while teammate Maverick Viñales struggled behind P10. Jorge Lorenzo yet again, dropped behind at P7.

Danilo Petrucci was so consistent with his lap times, riding for a contract next year. With around 7 laps to go, the podium was almost decided as Marquez, Petrucci, Rossi and Miller were separated by at least 1.5 seconds within each other. Dani Pedrosa passed Lorenzo to take P5, making Lorenzo finish outside the top 5.

Marc Marquez won at the end by 2.3 seconds from Danilo Petrucci followed by Valentino Rossi who completed the podium. Jack Miller finished 6.3 seconds behind Rossi, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. Maverick Viñales finished the French GP at P7 after battling with Cal Crutchlow at P8. The top 10 is completed by Aleix Espargaro and Alex Rins. Rookies Hafizh Syahrin and Franco Morbidelli finished in points at P12 and P13 respectively. Marc Marquez now leads the Championship by a whopping 36 points Maverick Viñales. Johann Zarco is in third place followed by Valentino Rossi at fourth with 56 points. The paddock now moves to Misano in Italy for the Italian GP in two weeks time. It's going to be one interesting weekend in the land of pizzas and pastas. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Ciao. Johann Zarco storms to claim home pole - 2018 French GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 19th May'18

Johann Zarco smashes the circuit record to claim pole making him the first French rider since Christian Sarron in 1988 at home. Marc Marquez made a close deal but ended up in the middle of the front row at P2. Danilo Petrucci who's riding for his future, came from Q1 to secure a strong P3 start on the grid. This makes two satellite riders start the race from the front row, proving the level of competition.

Q1 session started off with Danilo Petrucci, Cal Crutchlow and Dani Pedrosa fighting for the top spots. Everything seemed to be fine until Cal Crutchlow had a very big highside coming out of turn 9 which made him plunge directly on his shoulder. Cal Crutchlow was seen in tremendous pain and was stretchered off the track. Danilo Petrucci topped the session followed by Dani Pedrosa, and went to Q2.

As the clocks started ticking for the Q2 session, it was home hero Johann Zarco who went top straight after his first flying lap. Marc Marquez and Danilo Petrucci were in good form posing a potential threat to Zarco for pole. Halfway through the session, Johann Zarco made an incredible 1'31.645 almost three tenths faster than anyone else. Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales we're still struggling with the Yamaha and were seen in the top 10.

With around 7 minutes to go, riders started to hit the pits for a quick tyre change. Johann Zarco had his intentions clear and was pushing as hard as he could. Marquez, Petrucci and Dovizioso also had reds in their sector times. Johann Zarco made a scintillating 1'31.185 breaking the circuit record of Jorge Lorenzo in 2015. Marc Marquez ended the session at P2 in the final moments. Alma Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci starts the race from P3.

Andrea Iannone shows great form on the Suzuki and starts from the front of the second row. He's followed by Jorge Lorenzo and Jack Miller. Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi start from P8 and P9 respectively. Dani Pedrosa starts at P10 followed by Tito Rabat and Aleix Espargaro. The Grand Prix de France goes live tomorrow from the Le Mans circuit at 5:30 IST. It's already round 5 of the season and the points are quickly up for grabs. Will the flying Frenchman Johann Zarco take his first victory in his home soil? We are as excited as you are. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez triumphs at the dramatic Spanish GP - 2018 Spanish GP Race Report
Dated: 6th May'18

Marc Marquez wins by a 5.2 second margin marking his second victory of the season. But the most intriguing incident occurred at the Lorenzo corner in lap 17 involving Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. All three riders went down altogether creating a big mishap. Johann Zarco was unstoppable and went on to take the second place. Factory Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone completed the podium at P3 for the consecutive time after the American GP.

As the lights went out at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, it was Jorge Lorenzo who got off to a blistering start to take the holeshot starting from P4. Dani Pedrosa followed Lorenzo for the first two laps, but was soon bettered by teammate Marc Marquez. Lorenzo continued to lead the race for 7 continuous laps, only until Marc Marquez had enough heat on his tyres for the treatment. Right from lap 8 it was Marc Marquez all the way at the front continuing to extend the gap.

Polesitter Cal Crutchlow had a great pace running in at P4, but had a crash at the end of lap 7. Factory Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales struggled a lot due to the relatively high temperature and was seen in 8th and 12th for most parts of the race. Andrea Iannone showed great consistency throughout the race and was along with the front group.

At the end of lap 17 in the Lorenzo corner, Andrea Dovizioso decided to pass Jorge Lorenzo and both the Ducati riders went wide. Dani Pedrosa tried to capitalize that gap into the apex, and held a fast yet tight line. Jorge Lorenzo closed the door exiting the corner, and bang that was a disaster causing all three to kiss the gravel. The mishap was shaken away as a racing incident without any further investigation. The last handful of laps were pretty much the same as Marc Marquez cruised to victory followed by Johann Zarco and Andrea Iannone. Danilo Petrucci took P4 followed by Valentino Rossi and Jack Miller. The top 10 of the classification was completed by Maverick Viñales, Alvaro Bautista, Franco Morbidelli and Mika Kallio. Valentino Rossi creates yet another history as he has raced a distance equal to a whole lap around the world at the end of the Spanish GP. Feel old eh? Marc Marquez is back on top of the championship standings at the end of the Spanish GP. The paddock now moves to Le Mans in France in 2 weeks time for the French GP. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Cal Crutchlow takes pole with a record breaking lap - 2018 Spanish GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 5th May'18

The Spanish GP Qualifying was one of the closest in terms of lap times, as the top 12 riders were split by a mere 0.8 second. Cal Crutchlow took the Spanish soil by storm, as he claimed his first pole position in 2 years at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto. Dani Pedrosa was impressive as he starts from P2, just a few weeks from a fractured wrist. Johann Zarco continues his form and starts from the end of first row. Factory Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo surprised the paddock as he's set to start the race from the front of the second row.

The Q1 session had some big names like Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales who were eventually able to get through Q2. Aleix Espargaro almost got hold of Maverick Viñales' spot, but missed it in the end with just 4 hundredths of a second.

Going into the Q2 Marquez, Iannone and Pedrosa who got into the rhythm real quick. Yamaha boys seemed to suffer a lot due to the hot conditions and resurfacing of the track. Halfway through the session, Marquez continued to remain at the top while Crutchlow and Lorenzo really started to hammer down. Crutchlow went on the top immediately who was followed by Jorge Lorenzo at third. Marquez, Pedrosa and Zarco tried their level best to start from pole, but still missed out to do so.

With around 2 minutes to go, Cal Crutchlow further reduced his laptime at the front with a record breaking lap time of 1'37.653. Pedrosa starts from P2 of the grid who ended the session 0.259 seconds behind Crutchlow. Johann Zarco was the top Yamaha yet again, leaving behind the factory men. Jorge Lorenzo starts at P4 followed by Marc Marquez and Alex Rins. The top 10 is completed by Andrea Iannone, Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and the nine time world champion Valentino Rossi. Teammate Maverick Viñales' starts from P11. With Jerez being the first race in Europe after a long winter break, we can expect the atmosphere to be cracking. Valentino Rossi has a great win % in the past and we can sure expect him be in the limelight tomorrow. The race goes live from the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto at 5.30 PM IST tomorrow. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for all the MotoGP World Championship coverage and updates. Marc Marquez unstoppable, YET AGAIN - 2018 Americas GP Race Report
Dated: 23rd April'18

Marc Marquez takes command of the American soil yet again for the sixth time in succession, with a 100% winning rate ever since his premier class debut. The victory was completely dominant as he crossed the chequered flag 3.5 seconds in front of his closest rival Maverick Viñales. Andrea Iannone is back to the podium with a strong P3 after a long time on his Suzuki GSX RR. At the end of the third GP, Andrea Dovizioso is back on top of the Championship standings with 46 points, 1 ahead of Marquez.

As the lights turned green at the Circuit of the Americas, it was Andrea Iannone who got a blitzering launch off the line taking the holeshot. Marquez also made a great start and moved quickly to P2, starting from the second row. Moments after, Marquez quickly passed Iannone to take the lead and opening a gap thereafter. Iannone tried his best to retake the lead from Marquez, but failed doing so by running wide. Maverick Viñales was in P3, constantly pushed by his teammate Valentino Rossi from P4.

Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Johann Zarco had a hard battle for P5, but Crutchlow suffered a nasty crash to end his championship lead. Jorge Lorenzo was like a stone in the ocean, as he was passed by Tito Rabat, Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro in succession. Andrea Dovizioso was the top Ducati, who finished at P5 to retake the lead in the championship.

At the end of lap 20, Marquez crossed the line 3.5 seconds in front of Maverick Viñales. Andrea Iannone finished at P3, 6.7 seconds later. Valentino Rossi took a lonely P4, as he ended up 9.5 seconds behind Iannone. Andrea Dovizioso took P5 followed by the Frenchman Johann Zarco and an injured Dani Pedrosa. The top 10 was completed by Tito Rabat, Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro. Jorge Lorenzo finished at P11, a staggering 31.5 seconds behind the race winner. Hafizh Syahrin had his first crash in MotoGP while chasing another top 10. Andrea Dovizioso now leads the championship followed by Marc Marquez and Maverick Viñales. The MotoGP paddock now moves to Europe for round four at Jerez, Spain in a fortnight. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Marc Marquez forced to start from P4 despite pole - 2018 American GP Qualifying Report.
Dated: 22th April'18

Marc Marquez was in all troubles yet again in the American GP qualifying, as he was penalised for riding in an irresponsible manner by being slow in the racing line and disturbing another rider. Following a crash and leaving the pits on his second bike, Marquez rode too slow in the racing line making Maverick Viñales abandon a potential pole lap. The Yamaha rider seemed enraged spot on, showing gestures to Marquez. Marc Marquez went on to put the fastest lap time for pole, but was penalised with three grid positions making him start fourth. Maverick Viñales, Andrea Iannone and Johann Zarco were the next fastest after Marquez. But will start from the front row in front of the Spaniard.

The Q1 session only had riders from satellite teams and KTM. Hafizh Syahrin surprised everyone by topping the session for a long time until Pol Espargaro and Danilo Petrucci shot their fastest laps toward the end. Karel Abraham was on a fast lap, only to bin it in the fourth sector. With minutes to go for the Q2 to start, all eyes were on Marc Marquez who's unbeaten here since his premier class debut.

Valentino Rossi was able to put in a fast lap right at the start, only to be broken by Marquez and Viñales later on. Iannone and Zarco were also into the mix and were seen swapping places. All the drama started when Marc Marquez had a fast crash at turn 13 and quickly ran to the pits for a bike change. While Maverick Viñales was making a potential pole lap, Marc was cruising around the racing line making Viñales slow down. The act was immediately under investigation by the race direction. Maverick Viñales was able to finish the session at P2, four tenths behind Marc. Andrea Iannone and Johann Zarco will start behind Viñales. The first four riders will swap places as Marquez goes behind from first to fourth. Valentino Rossi will start the American GP from P5 followed by Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow. The top 10 of the grid is completed by Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa and Danilo Petrucci.

Dani Pedrosa was too impressive coming after a surgery due to a fracture sustained during the Argentine GP. Alex Rins starts from P11 followed by rookie Takaaki Nakagami and Tito Rabat. The race goes live from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin at 12.30AM IST on Monday. Will Marc Marquez win for the sixth time straight or will there be anyone to stop the Spaniard? We'll wait for the action, which will be worth it. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Cal Crutchlow triumphs in the dramatic Argentine GP - 2018 Argentina GP race report.
Dated: 9th April'18

Cal Crutchlow took a magnificent third win of his career in one of the most dramatic GP's of the decade. Johann Zarco closely followed Cal Crutchlow while Alex Rins finished third, marking his first entry on the podium. The entire limelight was on Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez for all the wrong reasons as Marquez made an utterly ambitious move on the inside of Rossi, eventually pushing him down for a third penalty.

The drama started off even before the lights turned green at the Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina. The race was declared wet due to a marginally wet track, and all riders lined up on rain tyres except the pole sitter Jack Miller who was seen on slicks right away. Within a matter of minutes the track conditions changed and the temperature rose, which would eat up the wet Michelin rubbers. Entire grid except for Miller ran to pits for a quick tyre change, and a quick restart procedure was expected. Considering the heavy traffic and rather narrow pitlane exit, race direction decided to stack the riders from behind.

Moments before lights went out for the Argentine GP, Marc Marquez stalled his bike, made a push start, had a chaos with the track marshals, and found his way back to his grid position on time. Jack Miller gunned down and took the holeshot to lead the race followed by Zarco, Marquez, Pedrosa and Rins. Moments after, Johann Zarco pushed Dani Pedrosa out from contention as the Spaniard experienced a bad highside crash.

The factory Yamaha riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi struggled a lot in the mixed conditions and were inside the top 10. Marquez' act on the starting grid won him a ride through penalty at the end of the sixth lap, dropping down to 19th. Jorge Lorenzo on the other hand, was still behind Marquez at P22 making no impression. Danilo Petrucci also made a hard pass on Aleix Espargaro almost shooking him from the bike.

Aleix Espargaro experienced something similar again from Marquez, for which the Honda rider got a penalty to drop a position. Marquez was absolutely flying from behind, and passed Andrea Dovizioso. The riders at the front continued to swap positions, with Cal Crutchlow having a steady pace than Zarco, Rins and Miller.

Valentino Rossi was the next on target for Marquez and came in hot on the inside of the Yamaha veteran. Marquez was absolutely aggressive, and came in straight on to Rossi's legs forcing him to go out of the track. Rossi clipped over the swamp grass, making him woefully crash. Marquez was penalised again for the third time in the race, with a 30 second penalty. The Rossi-Marquez fued is back to life, with Marquez pouring oil to the fire. Meanwhile at the front, Miller was left behind and the other three pulled away. Cal Crutchlow lead the race from Zarco with two laps to go until the chequered flag. Zarco settled for a second place followed by Rins and Miller. Maverick Viñales scored a top five, followed by Andrea Dovizioso. Tito Rabat finished at his career best P7 followed by Andrea Iannone, Hafizh Syahrin and Danilo Petrucci. Jorge Lorenzo finished at P15, behind rookies Takaaki Nakagami and Franco Morbidelli. Rossi finished out of the points at P19, while the 30 second penalty made Marquez end up at P18. All racers are aggressive. And being a human - at any point of time, a racing incident can happen given the amount of power and speed involved. Overtakes in racing must be fair and square, where there's no harm to the fellow rivals on track. What Marquez did (has been doing) is something really dangerous for the face of the sport, and could even claim lives at that speed. The incident with Aleix Espargaro took place at more than 200 kmph, putting the rivals at stake. Marc Marquez should be penalized with at least one race ban by the race direction and FIM so that the same doesn't happen in near future. Rossi exclaimed "He is destroying our sport" in the post race media debrief, some strong words from the Italian veteran.

We let that sink in and wait for race direction's take on the series of incidents involving Marc Marquez. The grid now moves to Circuit of the Americas, Texas in two weeks time, a track where Marquez is unbeaten since his premier class debut. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for instant updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Jack Miller earns his first ever premier class pole - Argentina GP Qualifying Report.
Dated 08th April'18

Jack Miller absolutely stunned the paddock with his first ever pole position at the wet Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on his Desmocedici shod with slicks. Jack Miller becomes the first ever satellite Ducati rider to take a pole position, and puts the Australian flag high after years since Casey Stoner. While Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow backed off from running slicks, Jack Miller held his nerves by sliding his way through the front. Dani Pedrosa finished closely with a 0.177 second window behind Miller. The Frenchman Johann Zarco will start from P3, his sixth consecutive front row start on the Yamaha YZR M1.

Q1 kicked off with many big names like Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo working their way to Q2. The track started to change for a dry racing line with a few wet patches in sector 3 and 4. Aleix Espargaro cranked up his RS-GP machine slipping and sliding through the penultimate corner, eventually finding himself at the top. Dovizioso made a marginally good lap to finish the session at P2, going into Q2. Aleix Espargaro pulled Lorenzo down to P3, while Karel Abraham did his bit to further take down one position. Jorge Lorenzo seemed absolutely furious at himself, while his future is at stake already.

Q2 started off with all riders coming out on the Michelin wet tyres. The Honda boys were immediately into business while Johann Zarco was up there as well. Halfway through the session, Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow went on to change bikes that had slicks. Within a single sighting lap both riders were into the pits again to revert back to wet tyres. Meanwhile, Alex Rins started to build some pace and found himself inside the top 6. Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, both struggled a lot on the newly resurfaced wet track as both riders struggled with grip issues.

Jack Miller on the other side changed to slicks for the second half of the session. Miller continued to build some temperature on the rubber, although he slipped and slid like a motocross rider. In the end, Dani Pedrosa was seen on pole until Jack Miller appeared magically on top, due to a transponder issue that made him totally unnoticed in the last flying lap.

Jack Miller, Dani Pedrosa and Johann Zarco start from the first row of the grid followed by Tito Rabat and Alex Rins. Marc Marquez starts from P6 followed by Aleix Espargaro. Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso will start from P8, while he hopes for a wet race tomorrow. Top 10 is completed by Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow. Valentino Rossi struggled a lot and starts his charge from P11. Jorge Lorenzo will start the race way behind from P14 and Danilo Petrucci at P18. The circuit is dirty with an abrasive new asphalt, making it worse for the riders to find the perfect grip. With rains predicted for tomorrow, it will definitely be a long race at the Termas de Rio Hondo. The Argentina GP starts live at 11:30 PM IST tomorrow. Stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates and insights on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.

Andrea Dovizioso storms the Desert in the season opener - Qatar GP Race Report
Dated 19, March'18.

Andrea Dovizioso took a sensational victory in the first race of the season at the Losail International Circuit, just 0.027 seconds in front of Marc Marquez. The riders exchanged multiple overtakes until the penultimate corner, where Dovizioso held his nerves till the end. Veteran master Valentino Rossi finished at a strong third place as a top Yamaha rider, proving why Yamaha needs him. Pole setter Johann Zarco was swift with the clutch as he took the holeshot under the floodlights. He was followed by a chain of 10 odd riders, making it look like a Moto3 race. While Zarco continued to lead at the front with Marquez, Petrucci and Rossi following, there were some fierce battles happening behind.

Dovizioso started to make fastest laps silently from behind, as he began improving one position at a time. Maverick Viñales lost some momentum early in the race and struggled at the back with Lorenzo. Alex Rins slid out of the race in lap 13 as he lost his front going into a left hander. Jorge Lorenzo followed Rins in the same lap by binning his Ducati yet again.

Andrea Dovizioso soon climbed up to the top 5 and started the battle with Rossi, Marquez and Zarco. In the very next lap, Dovi passed Rossi to attack Marquez. Meanwhile Zarco's tyres started to drop and was passed by both Marc and Dovi in a single corner. Zarco continued to drop behind while Maverick Viñales built his pace like no other, and quickly got to P6 after passing a whole bunch of riders.

The action continued at the front involving Dovi and Marc, with Valentino settled for a safe third place. With 1 lap to go, all eyes were on Marquez as he would try some ambitious moves. Similarly, at turn 15 in the last lap, Marquez tried to take the lead and failed. It was a run to the chequered flag for Dovizioso and Marquez, and Dovi used the grunt of his Desmocedici GP18 to win the race by 0.027s from the factory Honda rider. Valentino Rossi finished the race on the podium at P3. Cal Crutchlow rode a safely from start to finish and took P4, as the top satellite rider. Danilo Petrucci took a strong P5 followed by comeback man Maverick Viñales at P6 and Dani Pedrosa finished the Qatar GP at P7. Pole setter Johann Zarco finished at P8 after leading the first part of the race. The top 10 was completed by Andrea Iannone and Jack Miller followed by Tito Rabat at P11. Rookie VR46 academy rider Franco Morbidelli finished his first MotoGP race at P12.

Alvaro Bautista, newbie Hafizh Syahrin and Karel Abraham scored points as well. Pol Espargaro retired from the race on the 15th lap, doe to a probable mechanical failure. The paddock now moves to Argentina for the next GP on April 8, 2018. Meanwhile, stay tuned to BikesMedia for further updates on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.

2018 Qatar GP Qualifying Report
Dated: 17th Mar'18

The flying Frenchman Johann Zarco destroys the 10 year pole record of Jorge Lorenzo at the Losail International Circuit with a 1'53.680, to claim pole for the season opener. Current World Champion Marc Marquez starts from the middle of the first row followed by satellite Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci. The one last lap after the flags were out saw so much of drama as Dovizioso, Marquez and Pedrosa were looking for the pole. Johann Zarco came out of nowhere to set the fastest ever lap at Qatar. As the Q1 session kicked off, Maverick Viñales and Jack Miller were quickly up to the pace. The cat fight continued between the both for the first position and ended up with Jack Miller on top followed by Viñales going into Q2. Hafih Syahrin finished Q1 in fifth and will start the race from P15, a very good feat as many experienced MotoGP riders like Tito Rabat, Scott Redding, Pol Espargaro, et al finished behind the rookie.

The Q2 session started with the factory Ducati and Honda riders setting the fight ablaze. Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone also seemed to improve a lot from last year as both the riders and bikes performed well to fight for top 5. Halfway through the Q2, Andrea Dovizioso got so close to the lap record with a blistering 1'54.074 lap. He was followed by Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow, after which all riders began to pit for fresh rubber.

The last few minutes were so nail biting as every rider was into the red, and began to improve. With under a minute to go, both Marc Marquez and Danilo Petrucci set the track on fire as both went under 1'53. Still it was not enough for pole, as the French man Johann Zarco did a perfect flying lap to demolish the track record for a pole position.

Zarco starts the first race of the year 2018 from pole followed by Marquez and Petrucci. The second row of the grid is filled by Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Alex Rins. The top 10 is completed by Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Jack Miller. Maverick Viñales lost his pace and starts from P12. The race will probably be very close as there are many riders with a fast race pace. Johann Zarco, Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Alex Rins, Maverick Viñales and Andrea Iannone can potentially fight for victory in the race tomorrow. We are as excited as one can be, to witness the first round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Tell us whom do you put your money on in the comments section below. Meanwhile, stay tuned to BikesMedia for immediate updates on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. 2018 MotoGP- Season Preview

Finally winter break and pre season testing has come to an end, and MotoGP racing gets underway in a weeks' time. While we all remain fingers crossed with huge expectations to see how the season would be, one could definitely bet on the 2018 season to be much closer and fierce than recent years. Most of the riders and their GP machines are so close to each other, that even during the recent testing, the top 10 riders were split up by just a second.

Competition is good for the viewers and the whole of the Championship, but not for the racers. Races are going to be closer than before (looking back, we repeat the statement for every new season, which tells us how much of an evolution is taking place as far as motorcycle technology is concerned). Winner crossing the chequered flag by a 3 to 4 second margin is long gone, and has become very rare. For example, Dovizioso won from Marquez with a gap of just 2 tenths of a second at Twin Ring Motegi, last year. Revised technical regulations and rules have helped different manufacturers to close the gap between each other. As a part of extending the championship (19 races now), MotoGP goes to Thailand this year. One more reason to flock to the breathtakingly beautiful Thailand. 19 races is already a lot, and is tough on the racers. Dorna should make this a limit and not extend the Championship any further.

So the question, "Who's taking the 2018 MotoGP Championship trophy?" can be quite tricky and unpredictable. With 19 races in the timetable, I guess there would be at least a minimum of 7 different racers climbing the top spot of the podium. Here is my personal list of favorites to win the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.One rider to carefully watch out is Johann Zarco. The man is blazingly fast in every track and session, sometimes faster than the factory riders. From shocking everyone by leading the pack in his first ever MotoGP race, to visiting the podium thrice last year, Zarco has surely raised some eyebrows. The target for Zarco might be to take his first win, and win under all possible circumstances. The results this year would decide where he ends up for the 2019 season. Valentino Rossi is highly motivated and fit, just like before and aims to grab the elite tenth World Championship title. Rossi aims consistency, and consistency wins championships. Visiting the podium regularly and winning a handful of races is all Rossi needs to do, for which he has to work tremendously hard. Maverick Viñales will be try to win his first ever title in the Premier class, as his next 2 years is already sorted with Yamaha. 2017 title winner Marc Marquez is in a safe place as he has extended his contract with HRC for two more years. The aim for Marquez would be to win as many races as possible and retain the title. Andrea Dovizioso, is the most deserving rider for the Championship, given his stellar performance from the previous season. Dovi would definitely be the rider to put your money on, for the upcoming season. Jorge Lorenzo will be trying his best to mark his first victory on the Italian machine.

The riders and motorcycles being closer than ever, we can never make sureshot predictions on how the season would cook up. So let's wait and watch the happenings, and we're sure to have a rollercoaster ride. Keep following this space - BikesMedia for instant qualifying and race updates on the 2018 MotoGP World Championship. Ciao.

By: Aravind Rb