Everything's Bigger In Texas - MotoGP Round 2 Preview

This weekend sees round two of the MotoGP World Championship, and the first race in daylight as the bikes take to the Circuit Of The Americas.

Last Time Out - Qatar

The MotoGP season started out under the spotlights of the Losail circuit, in true sensational MotoGP fashion.

MotoGP

Valentino Rossi came out on top in the premier class, managing to pip Andrea Dovizioso with a typical veteran's performance from the Greatest Of All Time. Dovizioso's teammate Andrea Iannone finished third, while long-time leader Jorge Lorenzo couldn't hold on to a podium and came fourth. Marc Marquez recovered from a nightmare start, scything his way through the field to finish fifth.

Moto2

Germany's Jonas Folger took the first Moto2 race of the year, his AGR bike beating out Xavier Simeon's Gresini by five seconds. Long-time Moto2 rider Thomas Luthi Derendinger was a further seven seconds behind in third, pipping Alex Rins by less than one tenth. Franco Morbidelli's Italtrans rounded out the top five.

Moto3

The Moto3 race was a much closer affair, with the top 10 split by only 1.3 seconds. Honda clinched the top five, with three separate teams running their engines. Saxoprint's Alexis Masbou won out, beating Enea Bastianini by 0.027 seconds. Britain's Danny Kent was third, a further tenth behind, with Leopard teammate Efren Vazquez in fourth. John McPhee came fifth on his Saxoprint machine.

This Time - Circuit Of The Americas

MotoGP makes its third visit to Austin, a track F1 viewers will be familiar with. Its 20 turns, big incline at the end of the pit straight, and mix of hairpins and straights always lead to exciting races, and its a day I'm really looking forward to watching.

MotoGP

Marc Marquez, as part of his total domination of the sport in the last two years, has won both races in the MotoGP class at this circuit, and he'll be looking to make it three from three, especially after his poor start in Qatar cost him a podium at the least.

Expect the others to have something to say about that though, as Rossi, Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Iannone all showed good pace throughout the season opener, with the Ducati in particular looking impressively fast down the straights. Never count out Rossi though, as he knows where to put himself in the corners and his veteran instincts are still as sharp as ever.

Moto2

In Moto2, last year's winner Maverick Vinales is now with the big boys, so expect Esteve Rabat to be a frontrunner, after starting on pole last year and finishing second to Vinales. Jonas Folger will be looking to make it two from two after his win in Qatar, however.

Moto3

The Moto3 race has no form to it, with last year's frontrunners having moved on to different places. Having said that, its pretty hard to predict a winner in the baby class, so you might as well stick a pin in the grid to choose your winner, especially after the close finish to the season opener in Qatar.

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