Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) contests South America’s sole MotoGP race of the season on Sunday, aiming to score his first victory of 2018 and overhaul Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) in the points standings.

The pair – who finished the 2017 MotoGP championship in first and second positions – played out a thrilling duel in last month’s season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, where Marquez fought for victory until the last corner of the last lap to cross the finish line 0.027 seconds behind the Italian.

The racing was just as spectacular further down the order, with the top 15 finishers separated by just 23.287s seconds, making this the closest top 15 since the dawn of Grand Prix racing in 1949. In other words, this was the perfect way to start the 70th season of motorcycling’s World Championships and further proof that MotoGP is enjoying a golden era of close racing and thrilling action.

The Moto3 and Honda-powered Moto2 races at Losail, Qatar, were similarly close, with Moto3 victory secured by 0.023 seconds and Moto2 success by 0.112 seconds; further evidence that another tremendous year of racing lies ahead.

Each of Honda’s six MotoGP riders can look forward to Sunday and the rest of the season with confidence because Honda had its best weekend in years at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit, a track that doesn’t usually suit the RC213V. Not only did Marquez fight for victory, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL RC213V) finished a strong fourth and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) came home seventh, despite grip issues and a niggling hand injury. Honda’s big improvement this year is engine performance, with the latest RC213V V4 unit offering improved torque and peak horsepower.

Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo circuit has been a much happier hunting ground for Honda’s MotoGP contingent. At least one Honda rider has been on the podium each year since the venue’s inaugural Grand Prix of 2014, with Marquez winning twice and crashing out twice while contesting victory. Termas is a great challenge for riders, dominated by flowing, undulating high-speed corner sequences that reward bravery and skill.

Marquez has always been fast at Termas, excelling through the sections that demand fast direction changes: notably turns two to three, turns nine to ten to 11 and the high-speed right-left flick of turns 13 and 14. Last year he was two seconds clear at the front of the pack when he tumbled out of the race at turn two. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old Spaniard, who has won 35 MotoGP races from 91 starts, will commence the weekend as one of the favourites, especially after completing a valuable test with the Repsol Honda Team at Jerez, Spain, last week.

Marquez’s team-mate Pedrosa has also enjoyed contrasting fortunes at Termas, with two podium finishes in 2014 and 2016 and a tumble last year, when the former 250cc and 125cc World Champion also crashed out at turn two.

Now in his 13th season with the Repsol Honda Team, the 32-year old Spaniard’s first Grand Prix of 2018 was his 200th MotoGP start. He finished the race just 4.6 seconds behind the winner, an impressive result considering his left-hand injury, sustained at the final preseason tests, which bothered him throughout the Qatar event. All being well, the hand should be close to 100 percent this weekend.

Crutchlow is another who has excelled at Termas, despite missing the venue’s inaugural 2014 event through injury. The twice MotoGP winner has scored two of his six MotoGP podiums for Honda at this track. In 2015 he was third and last year he pushed Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) all the way in a tight scrap for second, only to lose out in the closing laps.

The Briton is also coming off his best start to a season since 2012, when he also scored a fourth place at the first round. Now an HRC-contracted rider, 32-year-old Crutchlow finished Qatar just 2.8 seconds behind the winner and believes that 2018 could be his best year yet in MotoGP.

Honda has three exciting MotoGP rookies this season. Reigning Moto2 World Champion Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS RC213V) impressed in his first race as a premier-class rider, finishing an excellent 12th in Qatar, just two seconds off a top-ten finish.

The 23-year old Italian is another rider with a fine record at Termas. He was in Moto2 podium contention in 2016 before crashing out, then last year ago he took a triumphant victory, the second of a superb three-race winning streak that set him on the road to his first world title.

Team-mate Thomas Luthi (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS RC213V) was disappointed not to score points in his MotoGP debut, especially after finishing 16th, less than a second behind the final point scorer. The Swiss rider, who was Moto2 World Championship runner-up in 2016 and 2017, commenced his rookie premier-class campaign following a preseason truncated by injuries sustained at the end of last season. All things considered, Qatar showcased Luthi’s overall potential. Last year at Termas, he ascended the Moto2 podium after a fine ride to third place.

Fellow rookie Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU RC213V) finished his MotoGP debut just 0.4 seconds behind Luthi, his former Moto2 rival. After showing great speed during preseason testing at Sepang and Thailand’s Chang International Circuit, Nakagami found Losail more of a challenge, but the Japanese star has every reason to believe he will be riding for his first MotoGP points this weekend.


Marc Marquez 93

“We started the season with a great race and a close podium finish in Qatar, and we had a positive test in Jerez last week. I feel good at the moment, happy with my bike and with how my team is working, but we’re just at the beginning of what will surely be a tough season. We must wait and see how it goes at different circuits, starting with Termas this Sunday. I like the Argentinean track and I enjoy the atmosphere with the fans, who are always very passionate and supportive, but we must not lower our guard. After the excitement of the first race, it’s now time to be calm, concentrate, and work hard to try and be faster. I think this championship is very open, with many strong rivals that can fight for the victory on Sunday. At the moment everything seems very equal, and during the season we’ll see who is able to improve and to consistently stay at the front.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

“I look forward to going to Argentina to resume working with my team and prepare for Sunday’s race. In Qatar we didn’t get the result we were expecting and were capable of achieving, but we know the potential is there, which gives us confidence. In Argentina we’ll keep working with this positive attitude. The track conditions at Termas may be challenging at the start of the weekend but they’ll be the same for everyone, and they usually improve over the weekend. We’ll work on our bike to be ready for whatever conditions we have for the race, and then we’ll give 100 per cent when the lights go off.”

Cal Crutchlow 35

“Obviously the aim was the podium in Qatar but the aim was also to finish with points, so the first race was quite positive for us. Again, I honestly think that Honda and my team did a great job over the winter. Now we go to Argentina where in 2017 and 2015 I finished on the podium with Honda, so the mood is quite high ahead of this weekend. There’s no reason why we can’t be strong at Termas de Rio Hondo, but the championship is long and my intention is to get as many points as possible.”

Franco Morbidelli 21

“I’m really looking forward to this race because it’s a race where the Honda usually performs better than in Qatar. We have a bit more theoretical potential there. It will be nice to see. After the good result we achieved in Qatar and the good progression we’ve made since, I can’t wait to jump on the bike and do my job. I will give my maximum to learn the track as quickly as possible and to reach a good level. We will see. For sure I’ll try to be fast!”

Thomas Luthi 12

“When I got back from Qatar I was disappointed I hadn’t achieved my first points in MotoGP, but I’m really happy overall with the progress we made over the weekend. I think it’s important we can continue like that in Argentina. It will be a new track for me with a MotoGP bike, as opposed to Qatar, where I tested before the race, so this will be all-new. Overall, I like the track and I’m really looking forward to making more progress. We really learned a lot in Qatar and if we can continue that work it will be positive.

Takaaki Nakagami 30

“My team and Honda helped me a lot over the winter and in Qatar for the first MotoGP race of my career. The result was not brilliant, but I understood many things and got more experience ahead of the next round in Argentina. Every circuit is ‘new’ when you ride a MotoGP bike, but I can always count on my team and I believe I can be stronger in Argentina.”