MotoGP Features

Fresh from the action at Misano, MotoGP continues with a back-to-back concluding at Aragon before heading east for the flyaway races as the season finale gets ever closer.

With a maximum of 175 points left to fight for this season, very few predictions at the start of the 2019 MotoGP campaign would have said the riders’ title fight would be all-but finished heading to Misano but it now needs a monumental turnaround to stop Marc Marquez.

Star rookie Fabio Quartararo is the rider 'most likely' to challenge Marc Marquez's MotoGP supremacy. That's the opinion of Herve Poncharal, who feels the 20-year-old has already shown he'll go on to become the reigning five-time champion's strongest rival.

The swingarm spoilers, nicknamed 'spoons' or 'chins', that ignited a feud between manufacturers in Qatar this year will still be legal under MotoGP's stricter aerodynamic regulations in 2020.

Since Johann Zarco's decision to leave KTM at the end of this season, one of the big questions has been who will replace the Frenchman at the factory team in 2020.

A factory Ducati rider twisting a switch on the dashboard and dropping the rear of the bike before the start of a MotoGP race is now a common sight. The 'holeshot device' was spotted at the Sepang test in January, but Jack Miller later revealed he'd first used it at Motegi last October.

In a run which started in 2013, the British MotoGP has witnessed different winners every year coming into this weekend.

HRC technical manager Takeo Yokoyama admits Jorge Lorenzo has been caught in a downward spiral since joining Honda in MotoGP this season. But he's also confident that 'good things will soon happen' for the triple MotoGP champion once he emerges on the other side.

When Johann Zarco's early exit was confirmed, senior KTM management made clear their dream solution would be for test rider Dani Pedrosa to come out of retirement and fill the void.

After finding his feet during the opening flyaways, MotoGP rookie Fabio Quartararo has scorched to five front-row starts, two podiums and two fastest laps in just six events.

The following list shows the engine use for each MotoGP rider as of the Sachsenring in Germany, round 9 of 19. Manufacturers without concessions (Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki) are allowed a maximum of seven engine changes for each rider: Ducati:

The first-ever MotoE race, held on the Sunday morning of the German MotoGP weekend, was very much a step into the unknown. Nobody knew quite what to expect after a somewhat processional race simulation at Valencia, while damp patches from overnight rain raised the tension further.

Marc Marquez holds a 58-point lead in the MotoGP riders’ standings following his dominant victory at Sachsenring heading into the summer break and also tops the Rider Ratings averages with an impressive score of 8.77.

The Sepang team's satellite Yamahas have had 'Petronas' on the outside since their debut at last November's Valencia test.

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has qualified on pole and won for the past nine years at the Sachsenring, starting with a 125cc victory in 2010, then a pair of Moto2 wins, followed by six victories in the premier-class.

Marc Marquez might be leaving Assen with the runner-up trophy tucked under his arm, but it is very much mission accomplished by the reigning MotoGP world champion as he makes the 2019 crown look a definite fit.

When you’ve spent much of your life with the MotoGP paddock charging around the world from one race to the next, it can be difficult to realise the impact and the changes going on around you.

KTM’s Motorsport Director Pit Beirer has admitted the early season struggles of new signing Johann Zarco has come as a surprise, but has resolved to make a success of the move to prove the Frenchman was right to choose his team.

The early months of 2019 have not only been a time of adaption for the Moto2 class, but for Joan Olive, the new team manager of Marc VDS’ grand prix operation, as well.

Gilles Bigot has over 30-years of experience in the grand prix paddock, including as crew chief to Alex Criville during the Spaniard’s 1999 title-winning 500cc campaign with Repsol Honda.

“He beat one record that is the youngest pole man, so tomorrow I will try to stop him, so he doesn’t beat another record and be the youngest winner.” – Marc Marquez

Yamaha ‘didn’t feel strongly’ enough about Ducati’s swingarm device to join MotoGP’s four other factories in protesting the FIM’s decision to the Court of the Appeals, according to Managing Director Lin Jarvis.

"Unbelievable. It's never been better. I mean the talent of the riders, the equipment… MotoGP's obviously the best show in the world now." Those were the words of American legend Kenny Roberts, back in the MotoGP paddock during the recent Austin round at COTA.

Yamaha’s Lin Jarvis has explained the thinking behind the factory’s winter of reorganisation, stating a “reset” was necessary after the fallow years of 2017 and ‘18, with those effects already being felt two rounds into the season.