The Biker Place

The MotoGP season is in full swing with 5 races down and 4 different race winners it is much more competitive than last year and, at this point, it’s very difficult to call a championship winner from this pack.

Lets take a look at the top five riders in the championship following the first 5 races. In championshp order:

Valentino Rossi

Last year Valentino Rossi finished well behind champion Casey Stoner, he spent the off season making a move to Bridgestone tyres, splitting the Yamaha garage in the process. You have to say that so far this season Rossi has been proved right. His win in Le Mans made him the only rider this year to take 2 victories (following his success in Shanghai) and has him sitting on top of the standings. That win also proved to be a landmark for Valentino as he moved onto 90 career GP wins, level with the great Angel Nieto.

The season started quite poorly for Rossi as he was pushed down into 5th place by rookie Andrea Dovizioso and with his rookie teammate finishing in second place, people began to wonder if the tyre switch had been a wise move. However, a second place in Jerez, 3rd in Estoril and two consecutive wins at Shanghai and Le Mans have propelled Valentino to the top of the standings.

Rossi looks hungry this year, looks like he desperately wants that championship back and on the form he has shown you wouldn’t want to bet against him.

Jorge Lorenzo

Coming into this season a lot had been written about the young Spaniard, and not all of it complimentary. They said he was an extremely talented guy but extremely arrogant to go with it. They were right, but I have to say personally I have grown to really like Jorge Lorenzo. Yeah he’s arrogant but when you have the talent then why not?!

Jorge Lorenzo has been a breath a fresh air to the MotoGP championship, an extremely quick, talented, brave and entertaining rider that just makes you sit up and take notice.

For a rookie to the series he has had an exceptional start to his MotoGP career, even if his bashed and bruised body would argue otherwise! He sits in joint 2nd place in the championship alongside fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (to say the pair don’t get along would be a bit of an understatement!)

He took pole position in his first three races in the class, culminating in a first MotoGP career victory in Estoril. Since Estoril he has been riding injured following a massive highside in Shanghai and further crashes in Le Mans. He still managed 4th in China and an outstanding 2nd place finish in Le Mans, even though he couldn’t walk and had to be carried from his bike to a chair following the race.

Dani Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa is the man Repsol Honda are pinning their hopes on, and many people think he has to deliver them a championship this year. Love him or hate him Dani is certainly quick, but a lot of people doubt his ability to fight for a win, to make the late braking passing moves that Rossi can make. Either way you look at it Dani finds himself in a very healthy position after the first five races sitting in second place (level with Lorenzo) and just three points behind Rossi.

With speculation mounting that Honda are looking at moving to their pneumatic valve engine and rumours that veteran Japanese rider Tadayuki Okada is set for a wildcard run at Mugello in round six to test it, Pedrosa may get a boost at the mid-point of this season.

So far, you have to say that Dani is in a good position but could’ve and maybe should’ve been in a better position. The Repsol Honda has looked a very quick bike and at times this season Dani has looked held up behind other riders which cost him points.

Casey Stoner

Disaster is a strong word but Casey Stoner’s defence of his MotoGP crown has been nothing short of a disaster so far. Sitting in fourth place, but 41 points behind Valentino Rossi, Stoner has his work cut out to turn this around.

It all started so well for Stoner and Ducati in Qatar as he romped to a victory with a 5 second lead on second place. Things started to go down hill from there as he struggled with the bike in Jerez and finished a distant 11th place, a sixth place in Estoril, a podium in Shanghai (although in his own words he was so far behind the leader that 3rd felt like nothing) and a 16th place in Le Mans as his Ducati developed technical problems down the home straight.

With the other Ducati riders struggling and Casey nowhere near the dominant force he was last year it must be a worry, the rumours that Ducati may bring in outside help (Max Biaggi and Troy Bayliss) to help develop the machine must also be unsettling.

Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards left the Yamaha factory team this season to join the Tech 3 Yamaha team, and you have to say the Texan has had a very good campaign so far. The Tech 3 Yamaha was significantly underpowered compared to the factory bikes in the early part of the season, but Yamaha kept to their word and supplied the satellite Tech 3 team pneumatic valve engine in time for the Estoril race. The 3 races that Tech 3 have had the pneumatic engine ahs seen finishes of 4th (Estoril), 7th in China and a magnificent podium in Le Mans.

Not many people would’ve predicted Colin Edwards to be running in the top 5 but you have to say well done to him, he has quietly gone about his business and clocked up some good point scoring finishes.

So there is your current top 5 in the MotoGP standings, there’s a long way to go yet obviously but after 5 races you can start to get a feel for how the championship is going to go.

Want to discuss this article? Sign up for the new social network for bikers. Think MySpace or Facebook but for bikers only.