2015 MotoGP season Preview

What will the 2015 season of MotoGP bring us? Only the brave or foolish make predictions of the future, but this one is a pretty safe bet.

The domination of Marquez is apparent and seems long to continue. In his rookie season he was better than the rest and then his second season was overbearingly dominant. This his third season will be no different, if not more dominating.

The only possible threat to Marquez is if J Lo can get his shit together. Last season was pretty bad for him and it seemed to be in his head where the problem was. He dropped way too far off the pace and consistency for it to be anything else. Yeah it may have been some technical thing not to his liking, but even so, then it was that that screwed his head. So its possible he might get the mental situation sorted out and start that super consistency which became his trade mark in previous seasons. But even if he does, Marquez will beat him.

The way Marquez throws the bike in and gets it sideways simply allows him to go around the corners quicker than everyone else, and thus he wins almost every race. He overtakes them with ease, with too much time going into the corner. He dominates the field like Doohan did, like Rossi did, even if behind he rides all over the rear of the bike ahead. You get the feeling he often just stays behind for a while hoping its not so easy to overtake, that when he does he won’t be able to get away and will end up in a serious duel. That happens for a little bit occasionally, but he inevitably just clears off. The only hope of competition is if the bike isn’t doing well at that particular track. His easy dominance is all clearly visible to the most untrained eye.

Marquez has a new riding style that’s simply blowing them away. Its a bit reminiscent of Gary McCoy, the wild cowboy sliding. The theory of that style seemed to be debunked by the smooth fluidity of J Lo, Biaggi, etc. I remember Loris Caparrosi bagging out McCoy saying he didn’t think McCoy was a good rider, that his style didn’t suit GP bikes, too out of control. Seemed correct until Marquez started throwing the thing out of line under braking. Maybe McCoy was onto something. I always hoped so because it was amazing to watch. As is Marquez, if not quite as spectacular as McCoy’s visual.

So yes, Marquez will win the season, unless he chucks it and bangs himself about and misses races. Which he won’t, he doesn’t have to push his limits to win, which keeps him safe.

So the next group is same as last year, and that will be the same story but J Lo should come second if he fixes the head. Rossi came second last year because J Lo fucked it. But Rossi beating Pedrosa was a serious genuine achievement. By doing this Rossi proved himself a far superior rider to Pedrosa, even at this late stage of his career. We should all remember just how long Rossi has now been around before thinking oh maybe hes not as great as we thought. Rossi is fucking old now, he was in GP in the 90’s for goodness sake, he rode the 500’s, that’s a long time ago now. We are all getting old.

Which brings us to Pedrosa. What a weird entity he is. On a factory Honda since day dot to this day, and no championship. The weirdest thing is this was always going to be the way. He never looked like winning one. Every year Pedrosa wins a couple of races, and the official MotoGP commentator with his thick British cockney accent almost creams himself pronouncing the name “Dani Pe-dros-aaaa!!!” , portraying some vision the great era has now arrived and the true messiah is here and we shall all now live under his reign. They do it year after year, and then the next race he finishes a distant third or 5th. Its getting to the point where his contract with Repsol has to be examined surely.

But the weird thing is, he is actually quick, one of the quickest. He is a very good rider no doubt, obviously, and who is going to replace him? No one is the answer and so he continues on. It will be the same this year. He’ll take pole a few times and win one or two races. But I tip that will even be a tall order this year. I think Dani is finally on the downward slide. Then again his career is so extraordinarily second place, he might continue on for another 6 years at Repsol yet, coming second third or forth. I for one certainly hope things change a little. Its getting to the point of ridiculous. He reminds me of Creville, and if Marquez wraps himself around a pole and J Lo does too, he’d probably take out the title and that commentator would go completely bonkers. Good god they love the Pedrosa.

So what else? Jack Miller on the second rate Honda machine is the most interesting thing, his progress will be worth watching. And I certainly hope for the good of the sport as a spectacle it goes well for him. Hes the best hope for change amongst the top four eventually, and as a contender for Marquez. The kid can seriously ride. Honda didnt take him up to the top class for nothing, they can spot genuine natural talent. They’ve definitely got him inked in to take Pedrosa’s spot.

Other than that it will be a bit bland elsewhere, same as years before. Crutchlow on the LCR Honda will wallow, but he’ll improve on the disastrous move to Ducati, which was always going to be disastrous. The Ducatis will do jack shit again, enough said about that. The bike is terminally one step behind and a weird beast to ride obviously, and they have no rider talent there. Dovi was always second fiddle to Pedrosa and Stoner anyway, and he’s passed his best now.

Suzuki will be a non event, you can tell from the pre-season testing. Just too slow, as they were before, as they are again now. The Aprilia comeback will be even a bigger no show, Melandri was appalling at Malaysia pre-season and i doubt he’ll see the season out, his head is a mess.

And all the rest are midfield riders on midfield packages. Perhaps the younger Espargaro might put on a show with the hope of a factory seat with Yamaha once Rossi goes?

And yes, the biggest thing about this year is I suggest will be Rossi’s last season. Which is extraordinary. The greatest entity the sport has seen, potentially leaving, is too massive for words to write, and almost enough to make me attend the race in my neck of the woods this season. I’d happily shed tears to express my respect and sadness to see such an era pass, and reflect once again on how old we are getting, and how all things must pass.

But then again, he seems to just genuinely love riding, so who knows.

So probably not the most exciting season ahead of us, but i still cant wait until every second weekend can be spent watching the bikes and telling my girlfriend “sorry I cant, the bikes are on”.