The Doctor is Back with a BANG!

It was predicted that the 2013 season was going to be a vintage season for MotoGP. With a lot of the younger talents coming up the ranks, trying to challenge the more experienced riders, the 2013 season is definitely a season worth waiting for. 

The first race took place yesterday and it was the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar 2013. With a so many former world champions and rookies on the starting grid, it was a perfect stage.

As the lights went out, a blistering start by Dani Pedrosa saw the Repsol Honda Team rider shoot up into second place by Turn 1, hoping to challenge Lorenzo who began to pull away on his Yamaha Factory Racing bike. However, Pedrosa's team mate Márquez, who endured a slow getaway was dropped to eighth.

By Lap 4, the 20-year-old Spaniard and youngest rider in the field had already passed Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and then pulled a move on Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, at Turn 1. Lorenzo already led Pedrosa by 1.6 seconds and would eventually stretch his advantage by half a second per lap as those behind him became engaged in a dramatic battle.

Márquez overtook Pedrosa on the 17th tour of the 22, leaving the latter to deal with Crutchlow as Rossi joined combat. The Italian stormed past the Englishman in a brave move between Crutchlow and the pit wall, only for the Tech 3 man to misjudge his braking point and run off-track at Turn 1. Rossi’s charge continued with maneuvers on Pedrosa and Márquez on Laps 19 and 20 respectively, only for the debutant to fight back as the pair went head-to-head.

Rossi would come out on top by just two tenths of a second, with Márquez becoming the first MotoGP™ rookie to seal a rostrum result in his first race since Lorenzo finished second position at Losail five years ago. Tonight, Lorenzo’s eventually winning margin was 5.9 seconds.

Pedrosa and Crutchlow completed the top five from Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden on the pair of Ducati Team machines, Pramac Racing newcomer Andrea Iannone and his teammate Ben Spies. Power Electronics Aspar won CRT honours, with reigning class Champion Aleix Espargaró finishing 11th overall and leading home teammate Randy de Puniet by 6.6 seconds.

In two weeks’ time MotoGP™ will head to pastures new, as the 18-round World Championship travels to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.