It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the start of the 2017 MotoGP season at Losail!
With Viñales topping every pre-season test, Lorenzo at Ducati and rookie Jonas Folger showing his potential from the first moment he sat on his new Tech 3 Yamaha, it promises to be one hell of a season.
Defending champion Marc Marquez has one win and two podium finishes from four starts at Losail, and will be buoyed by his form in the final test just two weeks ago. However, it was Jorge Lorenzo, albeit on a different bike, who took the opening win last year with his new teammate Andrea Dovizioso just behind him.
KTM Factory Racing also become the first team in history to be competing in every class, with their new MotoGP bike piloted by Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro who still have a lot of work left to do this year.
The 5.4 kilometre long Losail Circuit has 10 right-handers to 6 left-handers, putting slightly more stress on the right hand shoulder of the Michelin tyres as a result. Surrounded by desert, sand is often blown across the track which presents a unique challenge for both Michelin and the riders.
Soft, medium and hard compound Power Slicks will be available on both front and rear for all teams, with Power Rain tyres also available should the weather turn and rider agree to race, although there has never been a wet MotoGP race at Losail to date.
Piero Taramasso – Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group at Michelin said:
“After all the hard work through the winter and the pre-season tests, it’s now time to get down to the competitive business of racing. Qatar is a unique event, with its own challenges, and we made a superb start to our return to MotoGP here last year, so we hope we can repeat those performances this time. The track can be very abrasive when the sand is blown on to the asphalt or very slippery when humidity rises, and this makes tyre choice a very important and demanding decision. This is the first time we will have the official choice of three front and rear slicks, so we will have the correct compounds for whatever condition the circuit is in. This race will also signal the first time that we have brought wet tyres to Qatar. It is hoped that if it does rain the riders will test conditions using the tyres we have available and see if it is safe to race. There has never been a wet race at Losail, so if it does rain and the riders agree to race, it could be an amazing spectacle under the lights.”
