MotoGP

Jack Miller has paid tribute to Pramac Racing for bringing out the best in him over the past three seasons and spurring him on to what will be a team leader factory Ducati Corse role in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship. The rider says it is down to Pramac Racing that he has flourished from a MotoGP ‘question mark’ to a fully-fledged team leader at Ducati for the 2021 MotoGP season. Though Miller wasn’t able to score the much desired first win in Pramac colours this season among the nine podiums he has otherwise achieved since 2018, seventh overall – seven points shy of third – marked his best overall finish in the standings since making his debut in 2015. Prior to joining Pramac Racing, Miller was considered something of an unknown quantity at MotoGP level following three years (one on the CRT LCR Honda and two with Marc VDS Honda) in which his headline grabbing maiden win in the wet at Assen in 2016 was interspersed with less notable results. However, Miller has flourished in the Italian team and, as he points out, the 2020 season could have gone very differenlyt had he not suffered four DNFs; one crash, two because of technical issues and another freak incident when his Ducati shut off after sucking up an errant visor tear-off from Fabio Quartararo ahead. Describing himself as a ‘question mark’ when he first arrived at Pramac, he says it is testament to the ‘life lessons’ he learned from them that he was able to ‘close a few mouths’. “I can’t thank Paolo Campinotti and Francesco Guidotti, all the guys over there at Pramac, for what they have done in these three years. First, I have never been in a team for more than two years, so to be here for three years feels like a lifetime. “The lessons they have taught me on and off track, they are life lessons I will never forget and I am forever grateful to them for this. When I arrived there I was a ‘question mark’, let’s say and I feel like we proved a few people wrong and closed a few mouths along the way. Hopefully we can keep that ball rolling.”

A premiere for the iconic BMW M Award: in the 2020 season, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the fastest qualifier in MotoGP™, which saw him added to the list of winners of the BMW M Award for the first time. His reward for his performances is the winner’s car for 2020: the new BMW M2 CS. The car was presented during the MotoGP™ season finale at the weekend as Portimão in Portugal hosted Grand Prix motorcycle racing for the first time. Quartararo claimed pole position four times in 2020, more than any of his rivals, and picked up a total of 225 points for the BMW M Award classification, his lead over his closest rival being 13 points. Quartararo’s BMW M Award victory in the 2020 season ended the impressive record streak of Spain’s Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who won the BMW M Award seven years in a row between 2013 and 2019. However, this year Marquez missed much of the season due to injury. After the final qualifying session of the season on Saturday, winner Quartararo was presented with his new BMW M2 CS. In attendance at the award ceremony was Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports. Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH, abstained from travelling to Portugal due to the current coronavirus situation, but followed the final from Munich. “First of all, I would like to thank Dorna for managing to organise an exciting MotoGP season with 15 Grands Prix against all odds in this difficult year globally. It wasn’t an easy task, but Dorna made it possible,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “It meant we were able to appear as title sponsor for the first time at the ‘BMW M Grand Prix of Styria’ at Spielberg as part of our involvement as the ‘Official Car of MotoGP’. We were also able to continue the BMW M Award tradition and present it for the 18th time this year.” “Congratulations to Fabio Quartararo, who more than deserves this prize with four pole positions and a total of nine front rows. We selected the BMW M2 CS for the winner’s car this year, our limited special edition, with which we bring many components from racing onto the road. We hope Fabio has a lot of fun with his new high-performance car!” Quartararo was also happy he received the award, “What a crazy, exciting season, I’m delighted to have won the race for the BMW M Award. It’s great that BMW M GmbH has been acknowledging our performances in qualifying with this special prize for so many years. Many thanks for this recognition.” “I’m already really looking forward to taking my new BMW M2 CS for a spin. It looks like a racing car for the road and is no doubt a lot of fun. Huge thanks to BMW M GmbH!”

Aprilia has named three riders for its 2021 MotoGP line-up, but only Aleix Espargaro remains confirmed while one of Lorenzo Savadori and Bradley Smith will be his teammate. Aprilia has been forced into finding a replacement for Andrea Iannone for 2021 when the one-time MotoGP race winner had his doping ban upped to four years earlier this month. Favourite options in Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow never came to fruition, with the former opting for a sabbatical in 2021 and Crutchlow joining Yamaha as its official test rider. Aprilia courted Moto2 frontrunner Marco Bezzecchi for next year, but the VR46 team he races for in Moto2 blocked this move. The marque has confirmed three young riders were offered the opportunity to step up to MotoGP – the other two thought to be Joe Roberts and Fabio Di Giannantonio – but claims they didn’t feel ready to make the jump. Earlier on Monday the official provisional entry list for the 2021 season revealed Savadori as a race rider alongside the already confirmed Espargaro. Savadori replaced fellow test rider Smith on the RS-GP for the final three rounds of the season, though Aprilia insisted the latter was still part of the team. Aprilia has now confirmed both Savadori and Smith will be with it next year and a decision on who will be the second racer and who will remain test rider will be taken after winter testing has concluded. “It’s no secret that we offered three young riders an opportunity because we felt that our project could be very interesting for talented young riders, but they did not yet feel ready for the leap and, at the same time, the teams that have already signed them for the 2021 season preferred to keep them,” CEO Massimo Rivola said. “We respectfully acknowledge their decision. We prefer to continue with our riders, rather than choosing solutions that are still open but about which we are not entirely convinced. “Even in the difficult conditions of this season, particularly penalising for a fledgling project, the bike improved greatly and significantly reduced the gaps both in the races and in practice on basically all the circuits. “Aleix finished on a high note and, even in the race yesterday, was lapping with the same times as the leaders. “Lorenzo has also shown significant progress in just three races and we know that we can count on Bradley’s professionalism and experience. “Aleix will obviously be our top rider. The roles of second rider and test rider will be decided at the end of the winter test schedule.” Last month three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo confirmed he had an option with Aprilia to be its test rider in 2021, though this link has gone quiet recently.

Jack Miller has paid tribute to his friend and rival Cal Crutchlow as the LCR Honda rider prepares to start his last MotoGP race as a full-time competitor in the Portuguese MotoGP at Portimao. A fitting location for Crutchlow to call time on racing before he settles into a new role as Yamaha test rider for 2021, it is in Portimao where he wrapped up his WorldSSP title back in 2009. Since then Crutchlow has firmly established himself as a stalwart of the MotoGP paddock with a 10-year tenure that took in stints with Tech 3 Yamaha, Ducati Corse and LCR Honda, the latter with which he’d go on to achieve three career wins. Though it remains unclear whether Crutchlow will be back on the grid in 2021 as a wild-card, the Briton is nonetheless content with deciding to end his full-time career now. “I have been privileged to work with some great people, great teams, great bikes and been here for 10 years riding some of the best bikes in the world. It is a privilege to be able to do that.” “Ten years ago I didn’t think I’d do what I have done, so I have exceeded my own expectations but working with great people and great crews, I don’t think I have left any garage without getting on with people and relationships so it is nice it has come full circle.” “The best win has to be Brno because it was my first one and i was so far back at the start but managed to come through. I’ll take that one.” In that time Crutchlow has also forged a ‘bromance’ with Pramac Ducati’s Miller, who duly paid tribute to his friend by saying he has had to work harder than most to prove people wrong having followed an alternative path to MotoGP via Superbikes rather than GP. “I think on behalf of myself and everybody, all we can say is thank you to Cal for everything he has done on and off the track, I think he has been a great ambassador for the sport. He has been one of the hardest working guys I have seen in the paddock.” “A lot of the times I feel he was doubted more than other riders too but every time he was doubted or people wrote him off, he was able to come back and prove them all wrong.” “The best thing about him is he is never shy to tell you he’s proved you wrong, so we will miss him dearly but he’s a bad smell, he won’t go all away.” In return, Crutchlow – known for his honest appraisals – says he will ‘pass on the baton’ for political incorrectness to Miller… “I am going to pass the baton to Jack to not be political and be yourself, I think he is learning that and does a good job. At the end of the day, I have no regrets about anything I have said or done, but I think I am being truthful, honest and sincere. Other riders are too but they may say it in a different way to me.”

Moto2 World Championship candidate Marco Bezzecchi has revealed he turned down the offer of moving into MotoGP for the 2021 season as a replacement for the suspended Andrea Iannone. The Italian racer who is one of four riders in contention for this year’s intermediate crown – emerged as a potential target for Aprilia once it was confirmed Iannone would not be competing next season in the wake of his ban for a positive drugs test. Though Aprilia has been frozen out of the rider market by the late call and its primary target of Andrea Dovizioso has been scuppered, it has instead turned to Moto2 for options with both Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio being identified in speculation. However, while Bezzecchi confirms talks took place and an offer was on the table, he says he decided to walk away from it in favour of sticking with his Sky Racing Italia VR46 team for a tilt at the 2021 Moto2 title instead. “Aprilia came to me and they were pretty convinced about myself and this was very nice for me because I didn’t expect a MotoGP offer from anyone,” he told selected media in an interview arranged after winning the Triumph Triple Trophy as sponsored by the British marque in honour of its role as the control Moto2 engine supplier. “We were close, but in the end I thought a lot in these days. We [would have] had to make some work to go to MotoGP, it was not an easy choice. “So I thought about it a lot in these days and in Valencia I was still thinking about it because I didn’t know what to do. “But at the end I thought it was better to stay one more year in Moto2 because I enjoy riding the bike and I feel good. Also, I think I staying one more year with the same team and the same bike is a chance to grow. “I would like to stay one more year, try to make a good year and then if you get results then the opportunity for MotoGP comes. “I am sorry for Aprilia because if they came a little earlier, the result could be different but in the end it is like this.” Bezzecchi rejection gives Aprilia another headache as it considers who to target to join Aleix Espargaro for the 2021 MotoGP season. Beyond Bezzecchi, three of the top five in Moto2 are confirmed to be stepping up to MotoGP in 2021 – Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Jorge Martin – with the other, Sam Lowes, candidly laughing off any prospect of returning to the manufacturer he endured a terrible season with in 2017, saying he ‘definitely wouldn’t ride an Aprilia again’ in the pre-event press conference. As such, Aprilia’s Massimo Rivola has hinted he could look towards WorldSBK for options with Chaz Davies, Loris Baz and Eugene Laverty all having MotoGP experience but remain without deals for 2021. Bezzecchi’s prize for winning the Triumph Triple Trophy – which bases its points on wins, fastest laps and pole positions – was a specially liveried Triumph Street Triple RS road bike which uses the same foundation of the 765cc engine as found in the Moto2 machines.

Fabio Quartararo says it’s more important to improve himself than his Petronas SRT Yamaha in the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix after a difficult recent run of races. The SRT rider’s championship challenge has crumbled dramatically since his Catalan GP win at the end of September, with the Frenchman fully surrendering his hopes last week in Valencia with a crash as Suzuki’s Joan Mir wrapped up the title. Quartararo comes into this weekend’s maiden MotoGP outing at the Algarve Circuit fifth in the standings, 27 points behind SRT stablemate Franco Morbidelli on a 2019-spec Yamaha M1. Like all 2020 Yamaha riders, Quartararo has been critical of the latest bike, but plans to focus on improving his own “negative” points rather than doing anything particular to the bike with a view to 2021. When asked if he viewed this weekend as partly a test session, Quartararo said: “Not really a base set-up because all the races we have been fast we had more or less the same thing. “We have it but I just want to improve on all the things that I saw negative from myself, trying to be on the track and say, ‘okay, what’s my negative points since the beginning of the season? Okay, it’s that, so for this GP I want to change everything and try to work in a really good way and see how it feels’. “I think it’s more about myself than the bike. But for sure we’ll try tests, we will try settings tomorrow that are important for the future. “Because at the end, we have 70 minutes in FP1 and 70 minutes in FP2 tomorrow. “will be a really important day for us.” Maverick Vinales is just a further two points clear of Quartararo in the standings after a similarly difficult time aboard his factory Yamaha. The Spaniard says his focus is no longer on where he finishes in the championship, and believes it’s more important to try and have fun on the bike this weekend as things can’t get “worse” for Yamaha right now. When asked if he would be approaching the weekend as a test or simply to have fun, he said: “I think more the second part. This is a track to enjoy, honestly, it’s a totally different track. It seems that it’s a very enjoyable track.” “I ride it with the R1 and it was amazing. I think with the MotoGP it will be very demanding, because you are all the time wheelying.” “But it’s a fantastic track. We will try to adapt as fast as we can, but come one, we’ve had many bad races.” “It’s time to get a good one and make a perfect race. My mindset and our mindset is positive because it’s difficult to get worse.” “It’s the last race, I want to enjoy, to have good moments.”

Valentino Rossi believes more than simply having a good test team, Yamaha needs to have a “serious” testing programme if it is to improve its troubled MotoGP challenger. Yamaha is the manufacturer with the most wins this season, having tallied up seven from the 13 grands prix run so far. But three of those have come from Franco Morbidelli on the 2019 ‘A-spec’ Petronas SRT M1, with the Italian currently the leading Yamaha rider in second in the standings following his Valencia Grand Prix win. Consistency has deserted those on the 2020 M1, with Fabio Quartararo only scoring one other top five finish outside of his wins, with the same going for Maverick Vinales outside of his Misano win and double Jerez podium. Rossi, who has just one podium to his credit in a year plagued by bad luck and a two-race COVID-19 layoff, believes one of the biggest issues Yamaha has had in understanding its 2020 bike is the absence of a European-based test team. “There is a basic problem, first of all,” Rossi began. “Until 2020, all the other teams had a very active test team that ran in Europe and with European riders like [Michele] Pirro, [Dani] Pedrosa and [Stefan] Bradl. “Yamaha, on the other hand, does not have the team. There was only the one that ran in Japan with the Japanese test drivers. “But the biggest problem isn’t even that, it’s that he ran on tracks that have nothing to do with the European ones.” Yamaha did set up a European test team with ex-Tech3 rider Jonas Folger last year, but scrapped it for 2020 to have a unified test team combining the European and Japanese parts of the race squad – but operating out of Japan. When COVID-19 hit, Yamaha’s test plans with Jorge Lorenzo were completely ruined, with the Spaniard only ever riding the 2019 M1 four times this year – the last of which coming in Portugal last month ending with him four seconds off the pace. Lorenzo has been let go for 2021, with outgoing LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow taking on the role of Yamaha’s test rider. Rossi admits his first choice was Andrea Dovizioso, who was close to a deal before opting for a sabbatical instead, but welcomes Crutchlow’s arrival. “Yamaha needs to have a serious test team in Europe next year,” Rossi added. “I would have liked a lot if the test rider was Dovizioso, because he is a very fast, sensitive and highly experienced rider. “Crutchlow also raced up to this year, so if he has motivation he is one who can take the bike to the limit. “More than a test rider, you need a serious test team program.” Strong test teams have been thrust into the spotlight this season following KTM’s race-winning success, something in large part attributed to Pedrosa’s work with the marque since last year. Sylvain Guintoli’s work with Suzuki since 2017 has also been praised as a contributing factor in the Japanese manufacturer being in a position to win the 2020 title with Joan Mir.

Iker Lecuona’s rookie MotoGP campaign is over after his COVID-19 diagnosis forces him out of the Portuguese MotoGP; Mika Kallio to substitute for him. Mika Kallio will return to the MotoGP grid for the 2020 Portuguese MotoGP finale at Portimao after Tech 3 Racing confirmed Iker Lecuona will not be eligible to compete this weekend. The Spaniard tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Valencia MotoGP, which as expected means he is also ruled out of the inaugural MotoGP race to be held at Portimao this weekend. It comes after Lecuona was forced to withdraw from the ‘Europa’ Valencia race a weekend before as a precaution when his brother came down with the virus. Despite this, Tech 3 Racing will be at full strength for the finale with KTM test rider Kallio called up to replace the Spaniard, whose absence means his rookie campaign ends here. “First of all, it‘s not an easy situation for the team and for Iker I’m sorry that he will have to skip this race as well. So, I’ll jump on the bike, which is not that easy at the moment, because I haven’t been on the bike not too often this year. “Obviously, it’s going to be interesting to see what my speed is and how I can learn the new track and many other things. Of course, the crew is new for me, so I have many things to learn. It’s a big challenge and we’ll go and do everything as best as possible. “It’s always an honor to race with a MotoGP bike and also being with Hervé and Red Bull KTM Tech3. I know them for a long time and it’s good to come back to racing, even if it’s only the last race of the season. “The finale is always a special moment for everyone and it’s always nice to be there with the best bikes and the best guys arounds, I always enjoy it a lot. We don’t have anything to expect there, we do our job and we will see where we end up. “When a rider puts the helmet on and the red lights turn off, I think the race mood will be there immediately. So, I think it’s going to be an interesting weekend.” Though Kallio has not competed in MotoGP full-time since 2010, the Finn has been kept busy in his role as KTM development rider to the extent 13 of his 45 career starts have come in wild-cards and stand-in stints with the Austrian firm.

Fabio Quartararo admits he hasn’t had a good feeling on his Petronas SRT Yamaha since the Le Mans race last month after crashing out of the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix. Quartararo was forced into a recovery ride when he ran off track at Turn 2 on the opening lap of Sunday’s race, before crashing out at Turn 6 on the ninth tour while running outside of the points. This compounded another difficult weekend at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit for Quartararo, in which he admits right now “we are not fast”. “The feeling since the Le Mans GP is not there, we are trying to work in the best way possible, we are not fast and we need to find a solution,” Quartararo said on Sunday. “I hope to find it in Portimao because we are missing speed and this is not normal. “When we arrive to a track like Jerez, Barcelona it was great straight away, but Misano and all the other tracks we are struggling way too much and I think we need to find a solution to be competitive like last year in every track.” Quartararo labelled his Friday at the Valencia GP one of the worst days of his season, after turning the M1 upside down and making no improvement with the set-up. In the eight laps he completed of Sunday’s race, he admitted his problems persisted and believes he now has to adapt himself to the bike’s issues instead of making major set-up changes. “We have been here for two weeks and in two weeks we have not made any improvement on the bike,” he added. “We try many things, but I think we need to go with our base and adapt. I need to adapt myself to the bike because we saw doing all these changes nothing was working. “So, I think the best is to go with our base. If we see that everything is going well in the position of the bike, of course we don’t change nothing. “If we see something strange, of course we change. But I think we just need to adapt ourselves to the bike and see what we can do.” Having led the championship for much of the season, Quartararo’s disastrous Sunday has dropped him to fifth in the standings and ended his slim championship hopes. Quartararo praised new world champion Joan Mir and the consistency he showed in 2020, which was something the Frenchman was missing. “For me, he did an amazing season,” he said of Mir. “The consistency he had, that’s why he won the championship because the consistency was amazing from race four to the end. “He deserves a lot this title because that’s what we were missing this year – consistency, to fight for much more podiums. “Apart from the three wins, we made zero podiums. You can’t win a championship this way, and I’m struggling a lot to know why we were like this. “Joan deserved the championship and big congratulations to him.”

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi engaged in the busy mid-pack fights in the early laps of the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana. However, after all riders settled into their positions the race became a lonely ride for the Yamaha duo. They ended in 10th and 12th place respectively. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales had to make up a lot of ground after a difficult opening lap at the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana. The Spaniard put his head down and cruised to a top-10 finish. Valentino Rossi got a taste for battling on track for race positions again. Thanks to a strong start and a mid-race head-to-head with Cal Crutchlow, he secured 12th place today. Viñales had a tough start, dropping from a sixth-place starting position to 13th crossing the finish line for the first time, but he soon recomposed himself. Setting his fastest race lap on lap 4, the Spaniard settled into his position on track, with his team-mate in pursuit of him for a while. “The start was difficult, but I tried to concentrate, get the rhythm, and be better. Somehow I never really got that feeling that I had some races ago. But I did the maximum I could in the race, and now all we can do as a team is to try to understand what we can improve for the final round. The next race we ride in Portimão, which is a track I like, and we will try to go fast. We hope to have a bit more grip there so we can get a better result. “I want to say congratulations to Joan. He is a deserving winner of this year’s title.” Vinales said. However, after eight laps the Valencia GP became a lonely ride for Top Gun. With an over-3s gap to the rider in front of him and a 1s gap to the rider behind him, the Yamaha man focused on his rhythm. With multiple riders crashing out or running wide throughout the course of the race, Viñales ended in tenth place, 19.043s from first. Rossi was keen on getting in 27 race laps around the Valencia track, even if he had to battle in the busy mid-pack. He had a good start from 16th on the grid and skilfully manoeuvred his way through the chaos of the opening stages. Using his experience, he avoided all on-track drama and made up two places on the first lap in the process. At this level, coming back strong is something you have to do step-by-step. I needed this race, because last week I did just four laps. I had six consecutive zero-point results because of mistakes, a problem with the bike, and Covid-19. We know that here it’s difficult for me, because this is my worst track in my whole career. We tried everything. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of grip, but in the end we finished the race. I wasn’t fast enough, but I was consistent all the way to the end, and also physically I feel good. This is important. Now we hope we can feel better with the bike and the tyres in Portimão next week. We will try to be more competitive. “I think Mir deserves this championship. He is mature for his age and doesn’t make mistakes in crucial moments, so congratulations to him,” 9-time world champion Valentino Rossi said. He now found himself in 14th, chasing his team-mate. The duo together gained two more positions due to mistakes from other riders who got caught out by the slippery Ricardo Tormo track. With 19 laps to go, The Doctor lost some positions, but he wasn‘t going to let it slide. Though Francesco Bagnaia, who was one of the riders who slipped past, was out of his reach, Rossi was up for a sparring match with Cal Crutchlow. On lap 16, the Yamaha rider took over 13th place and soon created a gap. The remainder of the race was uneventful for the Italian. With one more rider crashing ahead of him, he crossed the finish line in 12th place, 19.717s from the front. The 2020 Rider MotoGP Title was decided after today’s race, so for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team-mates there now only remains the fight for their final rankings. Viñales stays in fourth with 127 points, 44 from the top. Rossi remains in 15th place, with a 109-point gap to first. Yamaha is third in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP is in fifth position in the team classification. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team extend their congratulations to Joan Mir for winning the Championship Title. For the final race of the season, the team will now travel to the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, where next week’s Grandé Premio de Portugal will be held from 20-22 November.

Joan Mir has won the 2020 MotoGP championship, ending a 20-year wait for Suzuki, as Franco Morbidelli won a last-lap Valencia Grand Prix thriller from Jack Miller.Mir is the first new MotoGP champion since Marc Marquez in 2013 and becomes the first rider to win the crown in Moto3 and the premier class, after coming home a safe seventh in at Valencia. Miller got the better run into Turn 1 off the line, but ran wide and allowed Morbidelli to come back through, while his SRT teammate Fabio Quartararo went off at Turn 2 after running out of room in the braking zone. This dropped Quartararo down the order, with his race lasting until lap nine when he crashed at Turn 6 having once again dropped out of the points, completely ending his championship hopes. Mir navigated the opening lap safely, putting his Suzuki into 10th while Suzuki teammate Alex Rins had leaped up from 14th to seventh. Morbidelli engaged supremely consistent pace in the opening laps to quickly build a buffer over the chasing Miller and KTM of Pol Espargaro. By lap seven his lead stood at seven tenths, with Morbidelli opening that gap up to 1.2s by the 13th tour. Then the SRT rider’s lead started to come down, with Miller getting to within a second by lap 18 and continuing to eat into Morbidelli’s advantage over the next few tours. With five laps to run, Miller was just three tenths behind Morbidelli, though the Italian responded in turn to get his lead back up to half a second. Miller nailed his run out of the final corner to use the brute power of the Pramac Ducati to pass Morbidelli into the first corner at the start of the final lap, and just about held on despite running wide. Morbidelli threw his Yamaha back up the inside of Turn 2, with Miller retaliating at Turn 4 – though this was once again countered with a daring raid on the inside of Turn 5 from Morbidelli. The Italian clung on by 0.093 seconds on the run to the chequered flag to score his third win of the 2020 season, with KTM’s Pol Espargaro a distant third. Alex Rins was fourth on his Suzuki, but it wasn’t enough to delay Mir’s coronation. Rins beat Brad Binder (KTM) and the Tech3 of Miguel Oliveira. Mir pipped Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso to seventh, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales rounding out the top 10. The final points were taken by Pramac’s Francesco Bagnaia, Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow on the LCR Honda, Stefan Bradl (Honda) and Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci. Takaaki Nakagami crashed out late on at the final corner attempting to take third from Espargaro, while Joahnn Zarco fell from his Avintia Ducati on lap six. Not since Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2000 has Suzuki won the riders’ title in the premier class, with Mir becoming just the sixth Suzuki rider in history to be crowned MotoGP world champion.

Honda’s Alex Marquez has escaped with a bone marrow edema in his left hand following his violent crash in qualifying for the Valencia Grand Prix on Saturday. Marquez suffered a vicious highside in the opening stages of Q1 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit at the Turn 11 right-hander, landing heavily on his backside. Despite being slow to get to his feet, Marquez did get back to his Honda garage to take his second bike – though only completed an outlap before calling time on his session. He was taken to hospital for checks, where he was diagnosed with a bone marrow edema in the capitate bone of his left hand. Marquez will ride in the warm-up session on Sunday before taking a decision to race. “It was not an easy day today at all,” Marquez, who qualified in 20th, said. “First the conditions were very difficult, never fully dry and never fully wet. When it came to Q1 I knew I had to push even if it was still risky, I was pushing very hard for a better lap time and unfortunately I had a really big crash. “I came down very hard on my hip and lower back, after a minute I was able to get back and I tried to go out on the second bike but when the adrenaline wore off, it was clear I could not do another lap. Now we just have to see what the pain is like tomorrow.” KTM’s Brad Binder was directly behind Marquez when he crashed and says he was lucky to avoid being struck by the errant RC213V. “It was quite hectic,” said Binder. “It bit him so quickly, he was so early in the corner and that was a good indication that there was possibly a little bit of water down. I was really lucky that I decided to make a little left turn. If I just… It seemed it was already behind me and I decided to go left anyway. “I think the bike would have probably landed on my handlebar or at least at the side of me, so I was quite lucky to walk away from that one with no issues. It was quite sketchy.”

Cal Crutchlow will join Yamaha as its official test rider for the 2021 MotoGP season, the Japanese manufacturer announced on Friday morning. The Brit has been searching for a new berth since losing his factory Honda-backed LCR ride earlier this year to Alex Marquez, with a rumoured switch to Aprilia’s factory squad not coming to maturity. Crutchlow instead chased a test role with Yamaha amid suggestions that current tester Jorge Lorenzo would part ways with the organisation following this season. His appointment has subsequently been confirmed on Friday morning just after opening practice for the Valencia Grand Prix, Yamaha’s statement also confirming the exit of Lorenzo and its disappointment that “external circumstances held this partnership back from realising their mutual objectives.” Crutchlow will get his first taste of the ’21-spec M1 during MotoGP’s shakedown test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia in mid-Feburary, while a possible wildcard outing could be on the cards “if deemed beneficial to the testing programme.” “First and foremost I would like to say ‘welcome back’ to Cal,” said Yamaha Managing Director Lin Jarvis. “He spent three seasons with us in the Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 team before moving on to gain a further seven years of experience with two of our main competitors. “This wealth of experience, coupled with Cal’s honest no-nonsense approach, will surely benefit us greatly as we strive to improve our YZR-M1 bikes with a full testing programme next year.” Crutchlow’s switch to a testing role brings his near-decade run as a race rider in MotoGP to an end, having secured three victories in this time-all with current outfit LCR Honda-collecting a further 16 podium finishes with the Tech 3, factory Ducati and LCR teams. He has scored a best championship result of fifth, coming in ’13 in his final season with the Tech 3 Yamaha squad. Prior to his MotoGP graduation Crutchlow won the World Supersport title on Yamaha machinery in ’09, before spending a single season with the manufacturer in the World Superbike series the following year-bagging 3 wins on his way to fifth in the standings. Lorenzo meanwhile was set to compete in this year’s Catalan GP at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya before the event was postponed as a result of Covid-19, while the banning of any wild-card appearances by Dorna for the rest of the restarted campaign ruled him out of competition for the rest of the year. Cracks in the relationship between the two parties started to emerge after Yamaha elected not to replace Valentino Rossi-who had contracted Covid-19- with Lorenzo for the Aragon double-header, a venue Lorenzo loves. Jarvis says it was “regrettable” that Lorenzo was unable to carry out Yamaha’s planned test programme as a result of the restrictions Covid has placed on the working world in ’20, but thanked the Mallorcan for the “many years of collaboration with Yamaha.” “Of course, we had planned and hoped for a strong programme this year with Jorge,” continued Jarvis. “Unfortunately, our Factory Test Team soon had to put their plans on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic started and continued to influence 2020 from March onwards. “It’s regrettable that we have not been able to carry out our testing programme and realize our goals. “We wish Jorge all the best in his future endeavours, and we thank him for his many years of collaboration with Yamaha.”

Fabio Quartararo admits Friday at the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix was “one of the worst days of the season” after finishing 16th fastest on his Petronas SRT Yamaha. Quartararo’s championship hopes are all but gone following an early crash last weekend in the European GP, with his points deficit to Suzuki’s Joan Mir now standing at 37. The Frenchman struggled throughout the European GP weekend and once again scrabbled for form on his M1 in Friday practice, making “big changes” to his bike but having no impact on his feeling – something that’s never happened to him before, he claimed. “Actually, it was one of the worst days of the season for me,” Quartararo said. “Today we have tried many things on the bike and normally when you try many things, you feel a different feeling on the bike – better, worse. “But we made big changes and the feeling was exactly the same, and this has never happened. So, we will go in an extreme way tomorrow, because worse than that, it’s difficult. “And today, we were slow even with new tyres. So, this is something we need to change and tomorrow we will go in an extreme way we never did in both years in MotoGP.” Quartararo says his team tried different engine maps, suspension settings front and rear, and ride height adjustments, but admits he is worried as none of it yielded any improvement. When asked if he was worried, he replied: “Yeah, a little bit, because normally we know why we have a problem, not this problem because it’s the first time we have it – and I would say that normally when we change the bike we feel it. “Either positive or negative, I go in and say ‘the bike is worse’, or better or something happens. And today, with all the changes that we make, it was exactly the same. So, I’m a bit worried because I will go out with a bike that I never really ride, and it will be difficult.” Quartararo admits his lack of understanding of a problem on the bike is one of the main problems with the 2020 M1. He added: “Last year, on normal days, you can adapt to the bike, but this year the margin is so small to be fighting for victories or fighting for the points and this is something that is tough to understand and difficult. “At other races it’s also difficult because everybody improves, but actually right now it doesn’t improve, and normally when you make big changes, like we did today, you feel it and you come into the box and say it’s worse, I have this feeling. “But today was the same and this is probably the main problem; first you get lost really easily but it’s difficult to also understand. The problem I have today is the first time I have it, but also the first time I experienced that, making big changes and feeling nothing. It’s a bit difficult to understand.”

Fabio Quartararo distances himself from reports that he asked to return to his 2019-spec Yamaha M1 on the back of inconsistent form that has hampered his 2020 MotoGP title challenge. Quartararo has distanced himself from reports that suggested he has requested a return to the 2019-specification Yamaha M1 in the wake of indifferent form that has all-but-scuppered his 2020 MotoGP title challenge. The Frenchman has topped the podium on three occasions in 2020 aboard the satellite Petronas SRT-run, but factory manufactured Yamaha M1 more than any other rider but has become mired in wildly inconsistent form at critical moments, not least in Valencia last weekend when he crashed out on the opening lap. His issues – after such a strong start to the year – have raised questions about Yamaha’s development direction, with Quartararo exhibiting similar peaks and troughs of form that have hampered Maverick Vinales’ challenges in recent years. He admits it has been a frustrating period, saying the slumps in races are betrayed more by the fact the Yamaha is excellent on fresh tyres and can qualify well even when the bike doesn’t feel all that strong underneath him. Using the example of Suzuki, which in contrast has a lower qualifying average but shines in race conditions, Quartararo says it has become ‘all or nothing’ in terms of success and failure for Yamaha. “The grip is something important for us because in qualifying when we put on a new tyre everything comes easier. The best example is Aragon, I was struggling all weekend and we put a new tyre on and we improved nearly two seconds, but our competitors less. “The grip is really important and we have the condition that we are struggling, but the consistency… when the bike is good we are fighting for victories and podiums, but then it is all or nothing. “We need to find something in the middle so we can fight in every race, maybe not always for victories, but we need to find a good way to be there in all races. For Suzuki this is the key for them to be on top and we need to take this.” Referencing reports he wants to return to his 2019-spec Yamaha M1, which itself was a hybrid of the at-the-time current spec bike and the 2018 machine, Quartararo insists he was instead requesting returning to some elements that made that machine so competitive for him “I didn’t ask for the 2019 bike but I said the bike of last year had some positives that if we can bring to the 2020 bikes would be really good. “I haven’t talked too much with Maverick about next year but what I hear about his comments is that we have quite similar problems, so it would be great to see what we can do for 2021. We can’t do many things but changing a few things we can improve.”

Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi has been cleared to race in this weekend’s Valencia Grand Prix after returning a second negative COVID-19 test. Rossi was forced to miss the Aragon double-header last month after catching the virus between the French and Aragon Grands Prix. Having initially tested positive again last Tuesday, Rossi cleared the other tests he had to take and was able to take part in the European Grand Prix last weekend. However, on Tuesday having returned home to Italy Rossi tested “positive with a very low viral load” and was recommended by doctors to take another two tests. The first one take on Wednesday returned a negative result on Thursday, with his next one taken this morning also returning negative. Rossi has now been cleared to take part in this weekend’s Valencia GP alongside his crew after they cleared all the relevant tests. Earlier on Thursday, a source from Yamaha confirmed the Japanese manufacturer would not be lining up a replacement for Rossi this weekend should he have been unable to race. Last week Yamaha put American World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff on standby to replace Rossi if he was to miss the European GP. As Rossi wasn’t cleared to ride in time for Friday’s practices, Yamaha put Gerloff on the bike for both sessions. The American impressed the team, including Rossi, after ending the day just 1.5 seconds off the pace on the combined timesheets. Yamaha will still be missing members this weekend, after five team personnel – including team manager Massimo Meregalli – were forced into quarantine last week when one of Maverick Vinales’ crew tested positive for COVID-19. This followed on from last month when six members of Yamaha were forced to quarantine ahead of the French GP when one tested positive for COVID-19. Rossi’s first race back since the French GP last weekend ended after just five laps owing to a technical issue. It continued a rotten streak for the Italian, who hasn’t seen a chequered flag since the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano at the start of September. Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona has also been cleared to ride this weekend from Saturday after being forced to miss the last race when his brother tested positive for the virus.