On Track Off Road No.183

motogp
BLOG
Five head-to-heads to keep an eye
The end of January, a new season looms large on the horizon - and with it,
a variety of possible sub-plots that have already been in the making this
winter. We cast an eye over potential battles and rivalries that promise to
light up the 19-round calendar that lies ahead.
A Marquez-Dovizioso repeat
Noted, the vast majority of team
presentations are littered with
optimism. But Ducati’s opulent
‘do’ at Philip Morris International
HQ in Switzerland wasn’t
just an opportunity to witness
the tobacco giant’s bewildering
new approach to marketing.
There was a chance to listen in
on Andrea Dovizioso’s thoughts
on the year ahead. “I feel better
than last year,” said the 32-year
old. “[With] More confidence.”
Looking ahead, it’s hard to
disagree. In the season’s second
half, he outscored a rampant
Marc Marquez by 157 points to
156. The Desmosedici’s base
now works well everywhere. Gigi
Dall’Igna’s unique innovations
were in evidence at Jerez, with
altered seat units and radical
linkage system. New team-mate
Danilo Petrucci is prepared to
work according to the needs of
Ducati’s lead rider.
And for the first time since
2014, Marquez enters the season
facing physical uncertainty.
A healing left shoulder could
yet disrupt an approach so
dependent on total aggression.
Dovizioso has enjoyed two years
challenging. Now 2019 offers
a best chance at claiming the
overall crown.
Battle for superiority in HRC’s
‘Dream Team’
A ‘dream team’ operating within
Repsol colours is no new thing.
Marquez has labelled his own
band of dedicated disciples just
that as he powered a way to five
of the past six championships.
But Jorge Lorenzo’s arrival has
strengthened the belief that
internal friction could complicate
the reigning champion’s
approach. Beyond the fact that
the grid’s two most talented riders,
with a combined 138 race
wins and 267 podiums between
them, operate from the same
garage, there comes a matter of
personality. Marquez and Lorenzo
have had their moments
in the past. Two of Lorenzo’s
most recent public outbursts
came after innocuous incidents
(Misano, 2016 and Aragon ’17).
And the Majorcan’s demanding
presence can rub some up the
wrong way. When did we last
see the considered figure of
Dovizioso throwing the pettiest
of barbs across the garage,
for example? This hasn’t been
billed as a potential Senna-
Prost rivalry without reason.
Yamaha to get it right?
History has a habit of repeating
itself. To which anyone overseeing
Yamaha’s recent fortunes
could attest. There was a whiff
of déjà vu last November. At a
post-season outing at Jerez the
tune called by factory runners
Maverick Viñales and Valentino