Marquez vs Lorenzo Showdown to Spain (2018 Aragon MotoGP Preview)

2018 Aragon MotoGP Preview

Since Marc Marquez joined the premier MotoGP class in 2013 with Repsol Honda, he had mixed results at the Motorland Aragon circuit.

The Spaniard had dominated with three wins from pole (2013, 2016, 2017), but suffered DNFs the other two years.

Marquez was the dominate rider in pole positions, claiming four out of five there since 2013.

When Marquez didn’t win, another Spaniard topped the podium – Jorge Lorenzo (2014 and 2015 while with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). It’s also worth noting that Lorenzo has only finished off the podium once since 2010 – the year Motorland Aragon joined the MotoGP schedule and became the fourth Spaniard venue on the GP schedule.

With these types of stats from Motorland Aragon, it’s obvious that Marquez and Ducati Team’s Lorenzo are the two favorites at their home circuit.

This sentiment grows when you look at the stats so far in 2018 MotoGP, although Marquez has the upper hand.

The four-time reigning MotoGP Champion is complete tear in 2018 MotoGP, claiming 10 podiums so far, which includes five wins.

Marquez currently has 221 points, and is:

• 67 points ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso
• 70 ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi
• 91 ahead of Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo
• 97 ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales

“Aragón is one of my favorite circuits on the calendar, a track where I normally feel at ease and I can ride very well,” says Marc Marquez, who also claimed the 2012 Moto2 win in Aragon.

“I look forward to racing in front of my home crowd, and this year will be special because it will be the first time that a circuit dedicates a corner to me, and I’m very excited about that. Last year we arrived there equal on points in the Championship, but this season we have an advantage.

“This doesn’t mean that it’s over though; on the contrary, we must keep working hard because it seems that Ducati are fast and consistent at every track. We must find something that allows us to fight with them as well as possible. In Aragón we’ll try and be competitive from the beginning. We’ll try to find soon a good base and prepare well for the weekend.”

As for Lorenzo, the man who joins Marquez on the other factory Repsol Honda RC213V in 2019 has showed some strength on the Ducati Team GP18, claiming three wins and another podium in Brno. He has also claimed the past two pole positions – a feat he hasn’t accomplished since 2013.

Unfortunately there was trouble at both of those rounds. First, Silverstone was canceled due to rain. Second, Lorenzo crashed out two weeks ago while battling Marquez for the lead at the San Marino Grand Prix held on the Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

“After the Misano race I managed to turn the page relatively easily: I realized where we went wrong and drew some interesting conclusions,” Jorge Lorenzo says.

“Now we’re off to MotorLand, a circuit where I think we can capitalize on the strong points of our bike and where last year I was able to get onto the podium. The test we did three weeks ago was very positive and now we are back here well-prepared and with very clear ideas.

“After a crash you go back onto the track in the next race even more determined to do well and we will demonstrate that we can continue to fight until the end.”

Though all eyes will be on Marquez and Lorenzo, the other riders within 100 points of Marquez – Dovizioso, Rossi and Vinales – will certainly present a threat. This is especially true for Dovizioso, who is coming off a home win at Misano.

The first practice of the Aragon Grand Prix – round 14 of 19 – gets underway Friday ahead of Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s 23-lap MotoGP.

For local USA television times, visit 2018 MotoGP US TV Schedule.

2018 MotoGP Point Standings (after 13 of 19 rounds):