Valencia Grand Prix Preview

Nov 4, 2015
5 min read

The eighteenth and final round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship heads back to Spain for the fourth time this season, and to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. Located 40km from Valencia City centre, the 4km circuit was opened in 1999 and hosted its first Motorcycle Grand Prix that same year. Since 2002 it has been the curtain closer, with the title fight coming to Valencia on two occasions.

The track is one of the shorter ones on the calendar, but is very tricky. The circuit is very technical, with a mix of low and medium speed corners punctuated by an 800 metre straight between turn fourteen and turn one. Turns eight and thirteen pose a big challenge for the left shoulder of the tyres, and the stop/start nature of the track puts fuel usage on the limit.

The circuit has seen some truly spectacular MotoGP moments. The events of the 2006 Grand Prix stick out most vividly in the mind, when Nicky Hayden came back from the heartbreak of the previous Portuguese Grand Prix to win the world title after rival Valentino Rossi crashed. 2013, the only other title-deciding race at the circuit, was another barnstorming affair. Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo went head-to-head for championship glory, the Honda rider making history by becoming the youngest ever premier class World Champion. Will the 2015 Valencia Grand Prix be just as dramatic?

All eyes will be on Yamaha this weekend as Rossi and Lorenzo lock horns for the Grand Finale gunfight in Spain. The Italian leads the standings by seven points but the big story is that he will be starting from the back of the grid following his altercation on track in Sepang with Marquez. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to the have the penalty suspended is currently under review, the outcome of which to be determined no later than Saturday. Rossi doesn't enjoy the Valencia circuit, but hasn't a bad record here. He has two wins to his credit, in 2003 and 2004, as well as a handful of podiums.

Lorenzo loves Valencia, but he too has just two wins to his name. The Spaniard, pending the CAS appeal, is in the best position of the two title protagonists to win the championship. The bike should be well suited to the circuit, the long periods of lean perfectly suited to the M1's cornering abilities.

Their main threat will come from Honda. The RC213V has gone well here in previous years, and both Marquez and Dani Pedrosa will be out to end their difficult campaign on a positive note. The main concern for the team will be the tight turns that are a feature of the circuit, as these are the type of corners that have decked the Honda this season. The circuit offers moderate grip levels, so rear grip issues shouldn't be too much of a concern.

Pedrosa has the most wins of any at Valencia with six, and will be determined to bag his third win of 2015 and his 100th career podium in front of the home crowd. With everything going on behind the scenes heading into this weekend, he is the rider with the least attention around him and thus can just focus on the job at hand.

Marquez will be keen to prove to the world's media that he isn't trying to help Lorenzo to the title, as has been claimed recently, and will be pushing to end the year with a win. What lies in prospect is a very intriguing duel between the Hondas.

Ducati have a good record at Valencia, racking up three wins over the years. The Desmosedici riders ran well here last year, with Andrea Iannone leading the race on the GP14.2. Now armed with the GP15, and its braking stability issues largely fixed, Ducati could be a real threat this weekend. A podium is definitely possible with one of the Factory Yamahas out of the way.

Dovizioso needs a good weekend if he is to take sixth place in the standings. He currently sits eighteen points adrift of Bradley Smith, who will end the season as top Satellite rider. Iannone is looking to take fourth in the standings from Pedrosa, the pair split by just two points. The Italian will have a job on his hands to do that, but I wouldn't put it past him.

Suzuki made their Grand Prix comeback at this race twelve months ago, and will be hoping for a much smoother weekend. The GSX-RR should be well suited to the twisty bits, but the long turns eight and thirteen may and the pit-straight will cause some issues for the seamless-shift geraboxless bike. Both Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales should be able to finish the season on a high note nonetheless.

One man who'll be hoping for a strong weekend is Nicky Hayden, who enters his final Grand Prix this weekend before departing for World Superbikes in 2016. It's perhaps fitting that the American should bow out at the scene of his finest hour and the race at the forefront of everyone's mind, given the circumstances. Scott Redding managed tenth on the woeful RCV1000R Open Honda last year, and the RC213V-RS is a decidedly better bike so Hayden could be in for a decent finishing position for his final race.

This weekend will not only decide the outcome of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship but also the Moto3 World Championship. Danny Kent's recent run of bad luck has allowed Miguel Oliveira to close the gap in the standings to 24 points. Can the Leopard Racing Honda rider bring home Britain's first Grand Prix world title since 1977, or can the Portuguese rider stage the comeback of the century and pull off the seemingly impossible?

Event Stats:

Circuit Length – 4.0km (2.49 miles)
Number of Laps – 30
Longest Straight – 876m
Number of Turns – 14 (9 left, 5 right)
Top Speed – 332.4km/h
Average Speed – 154.4 km/h
Lap Record – 1:30.237 (Marc Marquez, 2014)
Circuit Record – 1:31.515 (Marc Marquez, 2013)
Most Poles – 4 (Casey Stoner)
Most Wins – 6 (Dani Pedrosa)

Previous Five Winners:

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team RC123V, 2014

Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1, 2013

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2012

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team RC212, 2011

Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Tech YZR-M1, 2010

Bridgestone Tyre Selection:

Front – Extra-soft, Asymmetric, Soft

Rear (Factory) – Hard, Medium (Asymmetric)

Rear (Open) – Medium, Soft (Asymmetric)

The moderate grip levels and colder temperatures experienced at this time of year tend to point towards softer tyres needed. But the length of several left-hand turns, as well as higher number, put a lot of temperature through the left shoulder of the tyres. The asymmetric rears and front offer a harder compound on the left side to cope with this. The race marks Bridgestone's final Grand Prix after fourteen years in the sport.

The Weekend Schedule

Friday:

Moto3 FP1 – 08:00-08:40

MotoGP FP1 – 08:55-09:40

Moto2 FP1 – 09:55-10:40

Moto3 FP2 – 12:10-12:50

MotoGP FP2 – 13:05-13:50

Moto2 FP2 – 14:05-14:50

Saturday:

Moto3 FP3 – 08:00-08:40

MotoGP FP3 – 08:55-09:40

Moto2 FP3 – 09:55-10:40