MotoGP: San Marino GP Preview: And it was all Yellow…

The Adriatic Coast is home to some rather attractive – and unattractive – sights, particularly on Cattolica’s beach front. But all of that is completely overlooked in the week leading up to the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano, just 3km away from the sparkling sea. Valentino Rossi will return home for the first time in two seasons, whilst Marc Marquez will be looking to win for a second season running. Can another Italian steal the show or will Jorge Lorenzo come up with the good like he did in Austria? More questions than answers and, if I’m honest, that’s because we haven’t got any answers! Are you ready for chaos, excitement and edge-of-your-seat action? Misano awaits the arrival of the biggest crowd-pulling event of the year!

Marc Marquez was the winner of the San Marino GP in 2017 after a head-to-head scrap with Danilo Petrucci. Marquez crashed out of the race in 2014 but hasn’t been out of the to four since. With a 59 point lead, you get the feeling that a win for Marquez would all but end the hopes of title number 10 for Valentino Rossi and to do that in Valentino’s back yard would be a psychological blow too. However, another DNF or non-podium finish and a Rossi win would almost certainly reignite the fire and burning desire of the Rossi faithful at Misano. There’s a lot at stake in an explicit tone on the Adriatic, with the reigning champion offering a handshake to Valentino. With the Italian unequivocally denying to shake hands, tension is in the air for the craziest GP of the year.

Valentino Rossi’s home circuit already has a fever pitch atmosphere in the surrounding towns – mainly Cattolica, of which the entire strip of bars, clubs and shops have an unprecedented amount of flags and banners to show their support. They will hope to see a Valentino Rossi win as he looks to return to Misano for the first time since his near-win in 2016, having missed the 2017 event with a broken leg. Yet to win a race in 2018, over 100,000 are expected to be watching from track side to see their local hero win – potentially his first at Misano since 2014. Three wins to his name at his home circuit, can Rossi send the entirety of Italy into a frenzy with a timely win on Sunday?

Jorge Lorenzo’s sensational victory at the Red Bull Ring in Austria has brought the Spaniard right into the battle for 2nd place in the championship. Currently 12 points adrift of Rossi and thus 71 behind Marquez, it’d take something pretty sensational for him to become champion – especially since we lost the British GP. Lorenzo has had great success at Misano before, taking three consecutive wins between 2011 and 2013. Having crashed out of the lead in the wet last year at Misano, Lorenzo will hope to not make the same mistake twice.

Now number two in the camp at Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso lies 4th in the championship, just a point behind teammate Lorenzo. With Dovizioso on the podium in the last two races, he will be right up there for another good result at Misano in 2018, looking to repeat his achievement of 2017 or maybe even better it. The runner-up of 2017 is hoping to tackle the three ahead of him in the championship, having stepped foot on the podium at Misano Just the once last year. Can he change a circuit from being his nemesis to being something of an old friend?

Maverick Vinales hasn’t had a top ten since he was 3rd in Germany, a distant 12th at the Austrian Grand Prix being his latest disaster. With 2018 already slipping from his grasp, Vinales has two more seasons to endure at Yamaha, unless of course the Japanese manufacturer steps up their effort into sorting their M1 out. One positive for Vinales at Misano is that he was the pole-sitter of the race last year on an ill-handling Yamaha. However, the hot climate at Misano this week is now scheduled to continue into the weekend and over race distance, I still think Yamaha are going to be struggling. Only time will tell.

Flashback a year, Danilo Petrucci nearly jumped to his first win of his MotoGP career, in a very wet race day. Now, with two podiums since that achievement, he will be hoping for a win at home! It sounds crazy, given the fact he’s not been on the podium since Le Mans, but with the exception of COTA and Assen, he’s been inside the top ten at every race this season. The Pramac Ducati team will be eager to push Petrux to the front too, to go one better and to give the team their long awaited first win. Petrucci has only ever had four top-tens on the bounce once before, at Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya earlier this season. Can he repeat his 2017 achievement at Misano, or maybe even go one better?

Dani Pedrosa continues his slump in the 2018 MotoGP championship, having only finished 7th last time out. The Repsol Honda rider is 11th in the championship and arguably way behind where he should be. His last season in the MotoGP paddock, Pedrosa has his last chance to win the San Marino Grand Prix again, having done the business at the circuit back in 2016. Six podiums in total and one further win at the track, Pedrosa could spring a 2016-esq surprise, even if he was 14th in the rain last season.

The Suzuki pairing of Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins will be somewhat desperate to return to the top ten, after neither bike really shone bright at the Austrian GP. Iannone’s best result at the San Marino GP is 5th from 2014 and he hasn’t scored points in the last two races at the circuit. Alex Rins won the 2014 Moto3 race at the circuit and was a hard-fought 8th in MotoGP last year – his joint best result at the time. Suzuki won the first ever race to be held under the ‘San Marino and Rimini Coast’ GP banner back in 1981, with Marco Lucchinelli.

Aprilia’s season will look to come to some sort of improvement for their home race at Misano, with Aleix Espargaro finishing a disastrous 17th in Austria whilst Scott Redding was a lowly 20th. Espargaro’s best result in the premier class at Misano is 10th but he has failed to finish in four of the last six races ta the track. Scott Redding has good form at Misano, with a podium for Marc VDS coming in 2015 whilst his 7th place last year was his last top ten to date.

KTM will have two bikes out on the grid at Misano, with Pol Espargaro returning from injury. Bradley Smith will be preparing for what looks like might be his last San Marino GP in the premier class and comes off the back of a decent Austrian Grand Prix, whilst also the disappointment of not being able to race at home from a good grid position. Pol Espargaro’s sole objective will be to complete the weekend, with points surely being looked at as an added bonus.

Jack Miller returns to Misano where he was 6th in a soaking wet race in 2017. Now at Ducati and at a circuit that Ducati haven’t been winners on since Casey Stoner in 2007, Miller will be hoping to bounce back from a disastrous Austrian GP, which saw the Aussie collect no points.

The Tech 3 Yamaha team have had mixed fortunes in the premier class at Silverstone. Johann Zarco was unlucky at the circuit last year, having to push his bike to the line for just one point and won the event in Moto2 back in 2015. The Frenchman is looking to become the first premier class French rider to win a GP since Regis Laconi in Valencia, back in 1999. Teammate Hafizh Syahrin makes his premier class Misano debut and will be in the hunt for points. The Malaysian sensation was 2nd at the circuit in 2017 in a wet Moto2 event, so what can he do on a MotoGP bike this year?

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow will be searching to make amends at the San Marino Grand Prix, having never got the chance to win at home. The 2018 Argentine GP winner will look to step back on the podium in 2018 and hopefully reignite his charge to a good championship position. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami was 2nd at the 2013 Moto2 race at Misano and has never finished outside of the top ten since.

The Angel Nieto team are back at Misano with Alvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham. Bautista has confirmed his departure to World Superbikes and whilst he will be missed in the Grand Prix paddock, the Spaniard becomes the latest MotoGP refugee to set-up shop in WSBK. He was a podium finisher in an emotional 2012 GP at Misano for Gresini Racing, whilst Karel Abraham goes into the weekend with two more seasons in GP confirmed. Can Abraham celebrate in style?

Avintia Racing Ducati had Tito Rabat back in the points at the Red Bull Ring with a stunning 11th, but his good run would come to an end in Britain when he was cruelly taken out of action for what seems like a long time to come. His bike goes to Belgian rider, teammate Xavier Simeon. He continues his search for his first points of the year at a track he hasn’t scored points on since 2010, when he was 8th. Simeon’s bike will go to fellow Belgian, Christoph Ponsson, a questionable selection.

Finally, the Marc VDS outfit which sees Franco Morbidelli and Tom Luthi take the line up for the Misano event. The Italian crashed out of the lead in Moto2 last year and will hope to return to the point having scored nothing in Austria. Luthi, like Simeon, also has no points but has the joy of coming to a circuit at which he won at in 2017, although this remains his only podium finish at the circuit.