2021 MotoGP – Round 18 – Jerez

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Valencia is traditionally the season-ending Grand Prix, and following a calendar change last year due to Covid-19 when it gave up its usual position to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, it returns to its place as host of the final round of this season’s MotoGP World Championship at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Following the race last weekend at Portimao, the MotoGP riders will travel across the border to Spain to face the tricky and unusual layout of Circuit Ricardo Tormo. It’s the only track which is completely enclosed stadium-style, with grandstands surrounding it and providing a great view of the action. This year, following the race last year taking place in front of empty grandstands due to the pandemic, a capacity crowd of 75,000 spectators will be admitted on race day this year to create the incredible atmosphere that usually typifies a Valencian Grand Prix.

The tight and twisty layout of the 4,005m anti-clockwise circuit, with its nine left- and five right-hand turns and 876m straight, means that all options in the Valencia allocation of Michelin tyres will be asymmetric.

Valencia enjoys great weather all year round, however, when the MotoGP takes place in November temperatures begin to cool ahead of winter. Average daily highs are around 18°C and nightly lows of 8°C or less are not uncommon, so it can get cold for the morning sessions on track. Rain is also fairly common in Valencia at this time of year.

It’s not just any season finale this time around, it’s one that will stay long in the memory by default as the paddock bids farewell – on track at least – to one of the all-time greats. 26 seasons later, after over 44 per cent of all Grands Prix staged throughout the more than 70-year history of the sport, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) bows out. The stats make for incredible reading, but the legend speaks for itself.

As the sea of yellow fans enjoy their final appointment with the ‘Doctor’, part of his legacy will already be lining up alongside him on the grid, including most recent winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Pecco was – according to the review of 2020 Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – almost perfect in Portugal, with his metronomic pace and incredibly consistent laptimes compounding that feeling even further for everyone looking on. But Valencia is somewhere the Italian says he’s sometimes struggled, so it could be an interesting one to watch him take it on as a breakthrough season comes to a close.

Francesco Bagnaia

“After the weekend in Portimão, I feel really charged up for the last race of the season. In  the last GP in Portugal, everything was perfect. Since Friday, we had been fast, and we hadn’t had to make any particular set-up changes to the bike, so I hope the same will happen here in Valencia. This is a track I like a lot, and in 2020, I was back to having positive sensations on my Desmosedici after two difficult GPs in Aragon. This year, we arrive in Valencia at a particular moment, where everything is going really well, and my feeling with the bike is very good. I’m ready to fight for the win again and try to take the team title after winning the constructors’ title last week”.

Last year though, there was already some good Ducati form at the venue – and more good form from the first VR46 Academy rider to take to the top step in MotoGP. That duel between Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was an instant classic, showing more Borgo Panigale pace at a track not traditionally a hunting ground for them. But as Miller says, the days of X strengths and Y weaknesses in the bike are largely a thing of the past, so he and Pecco can be expected at the front.

Jack Miller

“To be back on the podium at Portimão was really good, and now the goal is to finish the season fighting for another good result at Valencia. I am really excited to be racing here again this weekend. It’s a really fun track and probably one of my favourites on the calendar. The characteristics of the Ducati are well suited to this track, and last year I came very close to winning, so I’ll try again this year. After the constructors’ title, we have a chance to win the team title here, so I’ll do everything I can to help my team reach that goal too!”

Morbidelli will want to use his good memories as a springboard to move forward once again, and Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT) will want to end the season on a useful note ahead of taking on the new spec machine for next season. Rossi will, of course, be guaranteed most of the limelight, but Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) will try and wrestle some back. For a venue that’s treated Yamaha pretty well – the Iwata marque has eight wins here, only two off Honda’s haul of 10 – the reigning Champion hasn’t got the best record, so he’ll be looking to put that right and bounce back in style from a crash at Portimão and his only DNF of the season so far. With Ducati now in the hot seat in the fight for the teams’ title – and having already wrapped up the Constructors’ crown, there’s still plenty on the line.

Fabio Quartararo

“We didn‘t really get out our full potential in Portimão, so I can‘t wait to start riding again and do better in Valencia. This weekend I will focus a bit more on getting a good qualifying position. That will already make a big difference for the race. Overtaking at Valencia is not easy, so the further we are up the grid the better. I really want to enjoy this race because it‘s the final GP of the season, and I want to end it with a good result. I also want to help my team. There‘s still a chance of the Team Title, so that gives me extra motivation to push hard in every session.”

Franco Morbidelli

“We had a good weekend overall in Portimão, but then on the Sunday we missed a bit of speed compared to the previous days. The team have been working hard to analyse the data and I look forward to trying their solutions this weekend in Valencia. We are using these races as an extension of our pre-season testing for 2022. So, finding points of improvement and then solving them are positive developments and are exactly what we set out to do. All the work we have already done since the San Marino GP will be beneficial for us later on.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“I’m hoping that this weekend we can continue adapting to the bike more, as we made some small steps forward last time out at Portimão. It will be important to maintain this and continue working in the right direction in Valencia, to end the season as best as we can. My main target is going to be to gain more confidence on the bike, as this is also very important for me to do before the end of the season. Although I’m enjoying riding again and gaining experience, I am happy to finish the season – hopefully with some more points – because I’m looking forward to starting the 2022 one.”

As that Morbidelli-Miller duel rounded out the season in 2020 though, Mir was arriving into a race weekend not only as a man on the edge of glory but also as a first time premier class winner. Consistency and podium pace was his calling card last year but that win finally came – although Styria looked like it could have been close – at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. This time around Mir’s third overall and the title fight is over, but he arrives from some serious form on the Algarve, including his first ever MotoGP top three in qualifying. Mir was Bagnaia’s main challenger and Valencia swings the form book in the Suzuki rider’s favour.

Joan Mir

“I’m coming into the final race of the season in good spirits after I got second place last week in Portimão. Honestly, I feel strong with the bike at the moment and I like the circuit so it should be a good mixture. Last year I won the title in Valencia, so it will be a strange but also a happy feeling to come back here. I want to give the team a great result before we head into the winter.”

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also took a front row at the European GP last year and followed Mir home for a Suzuki 1-2, and the number 42 also sliced through to fourth in the season finale. Can the Hamamatsu factory take that first win of the season?

Alex Rins

“Ricardo Tormo circuit is a nice one to ride, especially as we’re expecting a lot of fans here and we’ll feel their support from all the grandstands. I struggled a bit last time out in Portugal, but generally I feel good. Hopefully this can be a great place to end the season, I will be working hard to achieve a strong finish.”

There’s also the fight for Rookie of the Year that will be decided. Incredibly, it’s now only three points between Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), with the Italian just ahead. Martin has arguably the better record at Valencia though – having taken his maiden win at the track in Moto3 – and it’s home turf too…

Valencia is also home turf for Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and the number 73 arrives from a great duel with Miller in Portugal, taking top Independent Team honours in the race and nearly taking another premier class podium. To repeat the feat he’ll have to fight off Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), who wrapped up top Independent of the season, as well as the Rookie of the Year duellers and the likes of LCR team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), who has a great record at Valencia.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) will want to go better than his Valencia form so far too as Aprilia keep making progress. At this 2021 MotoGP finale the Aprilia RS-GP machines will once again dress in (RED). The partnership between (RED) and the Piaggio Group has been going strong since 2016, during which Aprilia Racing has been in the forefront of supporting the initiatives of (RED), founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver, by bringing awareness to the fight against global health emergencies, including AIDS and COVID, to Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing and fans all over the world.

Therefore, for the last race of the season, the entire Aprilia team will dress in red and the Espargaró and Viñales’ Aprilia RS-GP bikes will be on the track in a special livery, bathed in the same colour, where the (RED) logo will be prominently displayed in support of the fight against pandemics.

Aleix Espargaro

“First of all, I’m happy to be back in (RED) colours. It is important for our wonderful sport to also demonstrate its support to those who battle in the world to improve this difficult situation. On the more technical side, I must say that the low temperatures in this period are not helping us, but if we really want to aim for important results, we need to work on this limitation as well. Our season has undoubtedly been positive, with encouraging signs and especially with consistent competitiveness throughout the entire championship season. We’ll finish as best we can in Valencia and then focus on 2022!”

Maverick Vinales

“This will be my first time with the (RED) colours and I must say that I’ll be proud to make my contribution to the efforts of so many people who have been fighting the pandemic over the past months. Naturally, it will also be my first time on this circuit with the RS-GP. I don’t know how we’ll be able to perform, but that’s the way it is for us on every track. I hope the weather will be stable to be able to work on the RS-GP. The idea this weekend is to focus on riding style, rather than on big setup changes. So, we’ll start from a stable base and try to get the most we can out of it.”

Despite Marc Marquez being on the sidelines, Honda’s record at the track – those ten wins – make for good reading, and that’s something both Alex Marquez and Nakagami will take more motivation from too. As will Pol Espargaro, who’s had three MotoGP podiums at Valencia before arriving at the Japanese factory, and he’ll want another one with Honda to end the season well.

Those aforementioned rostrum finishes for Polyccio were with KTM, for whom Valencia has hosted some history: their first podium in the premier class back in 2018 and then two more last year too. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Miguel Oliveira also have some serious form at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in the lower classes, and will be looking to end the year with some bigger finishes. For Tech3 KTM Factory Racing it’s also an emotional one, as both Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona bid farewell to MotoGP. Can they go out swinging?

Arrivederci, farewell, ciao, but not goodbye. VR46 will remain a presence in the paddock; a legend for millions of people and the sport itself.

Valentino Rossi

“Valencia is always a special weekend and can be a difficult race in different aspects, especially as it is always the final round of the year – apart from last year when we ended in Portugal. However, it is somewhere that I have had some very good times. I’m hoping that we have some good weather there so that we can focus on ending the final race in the top-15 and take some more points. Although it will be my last race in MotoGP I feel normal and I think that’s okay, especially as this has been a very long season; maybe the days after the weekend will be different this year, but we will see. I hope that I will have the chance to say ‘ciao’ to my fans in a good way and to say thank you for the support.”

Petrucci and Lecuona take on new challenges… and everyone takes on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for one more time in 2021.

Iker Lecuona

“I just want to enjoy the whole weekend with my family, my friends and all the spectators coming from Valencia, which is my home. So, it’s a very special Grand Prix for me. Obviously, I like the track very much, it’s my home. Last year I couldn’t race there, so I will try my best to do well this weekend!”

Danilo Petrucci

“After two very unlucky rounds, we arrive at my last race in MotoGP this week. I’m disappointed about how these two past races went. But we are in a good form. Fortunately, Valencia is one of my favorite circuits, so I will try to enjoy riding there, like I did in Portimao and to make one of the best results of the season, which we really need and deserve after we have been in such a great shape these last to events.”

Tune in at midnight (AEST) on Sunday for the Doctor’s last dance and the final fiesta of the season!

Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo Schedule (AEST)

MotoGP Championship Standings

Constructor Standings

Team Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

Source: MCNews.com.au