“The only prognosis that’s for sure is that we don’t know who will win.” Speaks OÖN columnist Gustl Auinger and means the current unpredictability, which makes MotoGP more exciting than ever. In the three races of the season so far there have been just as many winners and nine different drivers on the podium, most recently the premiere of Aprilia with Aleix Espargaro on the top step. This will probably continue at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin next Sunday (from 6:20 p.m., live on ServusTV), even if Marc Marquez, the record winner (seven wins in eight Grands Prix), returns.
“MotoGP needs him with his positive cheekiness, light-heartedness and courage to take risks,” says Auinger, who sees the Spanish torero as a duty after his many falls – most recently in Indonesia. “He and those around him have to analyze it carefully.” The Honda driver struggled with diplopia (seeing double images). The factory badly needs its superstar to collect points for the manufacturers’ championship, in which it is currently last.
“This development is valuable for the competition,” believes Auinger, who is not yet worried about the Japanese. “They will fight back, that’s for sure.”
“This start of the season is crazy. As a driver it’s very exciting, as a spectator it’s probably even more interesting,” says KTM driver Brad Binder, currently second in the World Championship.
“The transition was brutal”
The Attnang-Puchheimer Max Kofler had to say goodbye to the motorcycle world championship in the previous season, but found a new home in the supersport class. In Motorland Aragon he contests his first World Championship races on Saturday and Sunday. Switching from a Moto3 KTM to the Ducati 955 V2 Panigale was not easy. “It was a brutal change, especially the performance. When you step on the gas on a Moto3 bike, almost nothing goes further, the Ducati really makes meters.” Which is why Kofler also invested a lot in strength training and gained five kilos heavier in order to be able to tame the machine.
Former World Champion Randy Krummenacher was originally supposed to be Kofler’s teammate at CM Racing, but the Swiss switched to the Endurance World Championship at short notice.
Source: Nachrichten
