The ceasefire for this season of the next world, including the burst schedule of Grands Prix putting drivers under heavy fire, will end this weekend. Misano indeed reopens hostilities, and for two Grands Prix in two successive weekends. It is Fabio Quartararo who arrives at the head of the championship despite a disastrous Austrian campaign which revealed worrying technical shortcomings at Yamaha. We will have to show another face on the Adriatic coast, otherwise our title hopes will go up in smoke...
Before delivering the program for this sixth of the 15 meetings planned for the 2020 calendar, it is good to recall the highlights of the five previous events...
First there was the highside of Marc Márquez from the Spanish Grand Prix which was the inaugural event of this campaign. While he was completing a daunting comeback, the reigning World Champion was thrown from his bike in preparation for the finish. In his somersault, the Catalan was hit once on the ground by his RC213V. Result: a broken humerus.
The Iberian driver immediately returned to Barcelona to undergo surgery with the hope of returning the following weekend and the latter received the green light from the doctors. But after testing his physical condition, No. 93 quickly realized the facts and preferred to throw in the towel. In the process, the Spaniard was also forced to undergo a second operation since the plate initially installed had become damaged. A hard blow for the Honda clan, knowing that his return is not expected for two or three months. The fact is certain: we will have a new World Champion this year.
We must then note the double success of fabio quartararo during the two Grands Prix organized in the furnace of Jerez. 20 years and 304 days is the time France will have had to wait to see one of its representatives climb to the highest step of the podium in the premier category. But Regis Laconi, winner of the 1999 Valencia Grand Prix, now has a successor in the person of fabio quartararo. The Niçois is also the first rider from a Yamaha satellite team to accomplish such a feat in the MotoGP era, the second youngest after Marc Márquez.
From Quartararo to Zarco via Tech3, the French shone!
Third notable fact, the revelation of a Brad Binder and that of the KTM RC16 at the Czech Republic Grand Prix. The South African had only made three starts in this category. This success made him the fourth victorious rookie in MotoGP, while the Austrian brand had never triumphed in the big leagues since its arrival three years ago.
Fourth on the list, we find the clash between Franco Morobidelli et Johann zarco which could have led to the tragedy of the Austrian Grand Prix...The sinking motorcycles of the two protagonists miraculously only touched Maverick Vinales et Valentino Rossi. The latter, more shocked than the first, then held the media ground so that the Frenchman was designated as solely responsible by the FIM stewards for this accident. Johann zarco will have to undergo surgery on the left scaphoid. Sanctioned during the following Styrian Grand Prix, the Avintia Ducati rider responded superbly on the track to his Italian detractors.
Let us end with this Styrian Grand Prix which was the consecration for Tech3. It's been 20 years since the French team chased its first success in the premier category. Often coming close to the goal, the Bormes-les-Mimosas structure ultimately ended up reaching its objective in Styria with Miguel Oliveira. A memorable moment which also took KTM past the milestone of six concession points, with the loss of its advantages…
Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini: timetables
Friday 11 September 2020
09.00 – 09.40: Moto3, FP1
09.55 – 10.40: MotoGP, FP1
10.55 – 11.35: Moto2, FP1
11.50 – 12.20: MotoE, FP1
13.15 – 13.55: Moto3, FP2
14.10 – 14.55: MotoGP, FP2
15.10 – 15.50: Moto2, FP2
16.10 – 16:40: MotoE, FP2
Saturday, September 12, 2020
09.00 – 09.40: Moto3, FP3
09.55 – 10.40: MotoGP, FP3
10.55 – 11.35: Moto2, FP3
11.50 – 12.20: MotoE, FP3
12.35 – 12.50: Moto3, Qualifying 1
13.00 – 13.15: Moto3, Qualifying 2
13.30 – 14.00: MotoGP, FP4
14.10 – 14.25: MotoGP, Qualifying 1
14.35 – 14.50: MotoGP, Qualifying 2
15.10 – 15.25: Moto2, Qualifying 1
15.35 – 15.50: Moto2, Qualifying 2
16.10 – 16.50: MotoE, E-Pole
Sunday September 13, 2020
08.20 – 08.40: Moto3, Warm-up
08.50 – 09.10: Moto2, Warm-up
09.20 – 09.40: MotoGP, Warm-up
Races:
10.05: MotoE, (7 Laps)
11.00: Moto3, (23 Laps)
12.20: Moto2, (25 Laps)
14.00 p.m.: MotoGP, (27 Laps)
