Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/804174
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 / MARCH 26, 2017 LOSAIL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT / DOHA, QATAR P64 The Yamahas are flying, and Maver- ick Vinales has been dominant ever since first tests at Valencia in Febru- ary. More surprising has been the strength of class rookies in the Tech3 Monster team, Moto2 champion Jo- hann Zarco and even more so Jonas Folger. Zarco is an analytical and clever rider, and is expected to do well. Folger was more of a gamble. Asked what he thought were the Ger- man's strengths, team owner Hervé Poncharal said, "Sometimes there are things you cannot explain. This is one of them. From the first time he got on the bike at Valencia, he was fast and said he felt much more com- fortable than on his Moto2 bike. He said, 'It feels like my bike.' Perhaps it is because he is quite tall." Moto3 rider Gabriel Rodrigo became the first injury victim of the season, flying to Spain on Thursday evening after breaking his right col- larbone, hoping that a quick fix will have him ready to race in his home Argentine GP in two weeks. Rodrigo had just set third-fastest time when he fell, and ended up ninth overall. But absent. Match-fixing on motorbikes? Some might think that riders' egos would be enough to rule it out, but Dorna has taken further steps with new partners Sportradar Integrity Services, with a first session held at Losail, attended by team manag- ers and other personnel. Sportra- dar gave a talk focused on forms of cheating and sporting corruption, with "a host of examples from other sports of how innocent-seeming situations can change," according to a statement. It was a first pole in Moto3 for Jorge Martin (Gresini Honda), with Peter Oettl (Schedl KTM) along- side and Romano Fenati (Rivacold Honda) third. The Red Bull KTM pair, Bo Bendsneyder ahead of ex-Honda ridert Niccolo Antonelli, led row two. Cal Crutchlow suffered the first mechanical failure of the year in MotoGP, shortly after embarking on his first practice session at Qatar, pulling off the track as his LCR Honda emitted clouds of smoke. His first inkling was "when it nearly high-sided me on turn one," which left him unsettled for the rest of the first outing. "I was riding badly— scared and too careful. When it's something not in your control, it can really unsettle you." Compatriot Sam Lowes was the first crasher in the premier class, sliding off unhurt in the first session in a spectacular shower of sparks. In the second session on day two Maverick Vinales had his first crash since taking on Movistar Yamaha duties last November. He was also unhurt. Likewise, Crutchlow, again in ses- sion three, at the first left-hander of the lap after a long spell, turn two. He angrily blamed returned Karel Abraham (Aspar Ducati) for forcing him to slow, which allowed his tires to cool down, causing the crash. He was pushing, "because I didn't know I was in the top 10." Briefly...