Ducati’s top-end speed may clinch Austrian GP
AFTER a month-long break the MotoGP championship resumes this Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
With the series heading to that country for the first time since 1997, Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi is the only one of the big guns to have raced there before when he took second in the 125cc race at the old Spielberg circuit. Since then the track has undergone several changes and Jack Miller (Honda) is the only MotoGP rider who has raced the new layout, back in 2011 when competing in the 125cc German championship.
However, almost every rider on the grid comes to the circuit with some track knowledge thanks to a two-day private test after the German GP on July 17. While times were unofficial, laps in the 1’23s look to be the benchmark around the 4.3km long track. Top end speed also looks set to be a key feature, Ducati dominating the two-day test as a result. PICTURE: AP
Neither Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) nor his team-mate Marc Marquez attended the test and could throw up some big surprises over the course of the weekend. Marquez heads into the second half of the year with some pressure removed, with a comfortable 48-point advantage over Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) meaning he’ll leave the Red Bull Ring as the championship leader no matter what happens.
Both Lorenzo and Rossi need wins after struggles in Assen and Germany, neither able to finish on the podium or even finish inside the top five in what are Yamaha’s worst results since the end of 2007. Top end speed has never been Yamaha’s strongest point and Austria could be another tough weekend.
In the Moto3 class, South Africa’s Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads for Austria with a comfortable 47 point cushion over Jorge Navarro (Honda). Binder is one of only two riders to win more than once and has only missed the podium on two occasions this season.