As is fast becoming a new tradition, the 2014 MotoGP World Championship begins under floodlights at Qatar this weekend, with Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez poised to begin the defence of his classic Rookie World Championship, and team-mate Dani Pedrosa prepared for his own assault on the ultimate crown in motorcycle racing.

The factory pair head a total of four Honda RC213V riders, but for 2014 there is a new MotoGP category, the “Open” class, and four new Honda RCV1000R customer machines make a total of eight Hondas on the 23-strong grid.

The first race of the year is always keenly anticipated, and the Losail circuit’s unique desert location and unique after-dark timing lend a special atmosphere to the event.

Here one year ago reigning Moto2 champion Marquez made his stunning debut in the MotoGP class, qualifying sixth but fighting his way to third ina dazzling first-race rostrum. He won the second round, and – but for one crash and one black flag – finished on the top-three podium at every race, including six race wins.

Still only 20 years old and with 125cc and Moto2 titles already in his cabinet, his blazing maiden season made him the youngest-ever premier-class World Champion. He did it with almost a year to spare: should he secure the title before thisyear’s Japanese GP in October, he will again beat the previous (1983) record holder, Honda’s Freddie Spencer.

Marquez dominated the first round of pre-season tests at Sepang in Malaysia, but then suffered a leg fracture in a crash while training. He missed the next tests under doctors’ orders, to ensure recovery for the start of the new season.

Team-mate Pedrosa’s 2013 title challenge was blunted by injury and misfortune, but the former 125cc and double 250cc World Champion still added three more race wins (bringing his career total to 48), as well as ten other top-three scores to secure third overall.

The 28-year-old Spaniard returns for his ninth year in the official Repsol Honda team. After devoting pre-season testing to selecting the best possible setting combinations to exploit the power and handling of the awesomely fast Honda RC213V, he is ready for another campaign to achieve overall victory in the premier class, to add to his earlier titles.

HRC Vice-President Shuhei Nakamoto shared the feeling of eager anticipation.

“We’ve had a positive winter testing period with Dani. He has had an incredibly busy test schedule, completing over 500 laps in the nine days of testing, which has been vital. He is happy with the bike, and ready for the start of the season.

“Unfortunately Marc was unable to take part in two out of three tests. Anyway in the only test he did, Marc was very fast and completed many laps gathering a lot of data for the HRC engineers. Now we must wait and see his physical condition when he arrives in Qatar. It will be an interesting season, and we look forward to starting it.”

Two riders return in the same Honda satellite teams as last year.

Alvaro Bautista, riding the GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V, finished sixth overall last year. Although the 29-year-old Spaniard never quite made the top three, a series of strong performances at year’s end proved how the team had got to grips with the rider’s exclusive use of Showa suspension and Nissin brakes. His secondary role is in race-development of these Japanese components, supplied by companies with strong links with Honda.

Germany’s only MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl, in his third season riding the LCR Honda RC213V, secured a first podium last season, finishing second at the US GP after claiming a maiden pole position at the challenging Laguna Seca circuit. The 24-year-old’s chances in the close secondary battle for fifth overall were spoiled with a freak injury in Malaysia. The former Moto2 World Champion finished up seventh.

Four riders will campaign the works-replica RCV1000R machines, including former Honda World Champions Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama. Top US racer Hayden claimed the MotoGP crown in 2006; Japan’s Aoyama was the last ever 250cc World Champion in 2009. Now they are team-mates in the Spanish Drive M7 Aspar Honda team, spearheading the new Honda’s challenge.

Class rookie Scott Redding rides the GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R alongside Bautista. The Briton, still the youngest-ever GP winner, finished a strong second in the Moto2 championship last year, fighting to defend his lead until a rare crash left him injured with three races to go.

The final RCV1000R goes to Czech racer Karel Abraham, a former Moto2 race winner in his fourth season in the premier class. Abraham pulled out of the latter half of last season for reconstructive surgery to a shoulder injury, and was working his way to full fitness at pre-season tests.

The 5.38-km Losail circuit, with ten right hand corners and six lefts, is designed with a priority on motorcycle safety. Extensive run-off areas are surrounded by artificial grass, to reduce the sand blown onto the track by the desert winds, a constant problem at Qatar for traction and tyre wear.

The 1.068-km start-finish straight is one of the longest on the calendar, with speeds approaching 350 km/h – Marquez’s Repsol Honda RC213V recorded 344.7 km/h last year. Even the best riders sometimes over-run the first corner early in practice, as they adapt to the speed and occasional tailwinds. Races are often decided atthe finish line, as riders slipstream rivals tomake dramatic overtaking moves over the line.

The corners are predominantly right-handers, with several corner combinations requiring precise lines to avoid losing time.

The first grand prix was run in the blistering daytime heat in 2004, while the first race under the lights was in 2008. The 3,600 floodlighting fixtures made Losail the largest permanent venue sports-lighting project in the world, and at night the circuit is visible for miles in every direction.

Uniquely the Qatar GP is a four-day weekend. Moto3 practice begins at 6:00 p.m. (GMT +3) on Thursday evening, with the first MotoGP race of the season on Sunday night at 10:00 p.m.

From Qatar, the MotoGP circus crosses the Atlantic for two consecutive races in North and South America. Round two is at Austin, Texas on April 13, with the first race at Argentina’s new Termas de Rio Hondo circuit two weeks later.


Honda MotoGP Rider Quotes


Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says:

“Obviously it was very disappointing for me to miss the two tests but the good news is that I’m getting better and the bone is mending. I’ve been exercising more, so I’ll have to see how I am in Qatar – I don’t expect to be 100 percent, but I will try my hardest. The important thing is to take some valuable points and then get up to 100 percent by round two in Austin. Arriving in Qatar as World Champion is something new to me – to defend the Title – and I know that from the first session the eyes of the world will be on us. Taking my first podium here last year was special and I have good memories!”

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:

“It’s been a pretty positive pre-season and we’ve completed a lot of laps in both Sepang and Phillip Island. We’ve made a lot of progress but as always there is room to improve. Since we finished in Australia, I’ve been concentrating on my fitness and focusing on the start of the season, my days are pretty hectic with the various training regimes. The race weekend in Qatar is quite long, as it stretches over four days, and the grip level is always quite low the first practice. Now I’m looking forward to the start of the Championship!”

LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl says:

“I am very excited to be back on track, especially in Losail. Racing in the night time is very special for MotoGP fans but also for the riders. During the last test session in Qatar we mainly focused on the overall package of my machine to get a proper base for the first race. We struggled a bit on soft tyres but the pace on the long distance was quite good. We have done a good job in the winter break and I feel physically and mentally ready for this new season”

GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says:

“During the three-day test in Qatar we made several changes to the bike: during the first day of practice I was not feeling very comfortable, but by the end of the test the situation had undoubtedly improved, so we are confident ahead the first Grand Prix. However, we must consider that the Losail International Circuit for us is one of the most difficult tracks of the season; unfortunately, here we are still not able to be as fast as we would like. Therefore I expect a tough weekend, in which we will need to work hard if we want to improve. But we will give 110 percent to try to be protagonists.”

GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Scott Redding says:

“Racing for the first time in MotoGP will be a great thrill, no doubt: after all, competing in the premier class is a dream for every rider. When I line up my bike on the starting grid, for sure I will feel a little nervous, but also very curious to begin this new adventure and finally see what we can get. Our goal right now is to stay with Nicky Hayden and try to be the best Honda rider in the Open category, although it must be recognized that I still have to learn many things, from tyre behaviour to the electronics. I like the Losail circuit a lot, as well as racing at night … not being able to see anything else around the track is a strange but pleasant feeling, because it helps me to stay focused. Finally, it is very cool to think that my first MotoGP race will be exactly my 100th World Championship Grand Prix.”

Drive M7 Aspar Honda rider Nicky Hayden says:

“Even though the last test went well and we made some important progress I honestly hoped we would be better prepared for the season and closer to the front by now. Anyway, in terms of the level of communication and the relationships in the team we are getting stronger and stronger. This will be my first race back on a Honda and my feeling with the chassis definitely helps: it’s fun to ride. We are ready to start a new adventure and I am excited, looking forward to getting started. We know it won't be easy because there is a lot of strong competition but the simple fact that I am back in MotoGP for another season is a source of satisfaction and also motivation to do a good job. As a team we are hoping to get more and more competitive as the season progresses. Losail is not one of my favourite tracks but I like the feeling of racing under the lights.”

Drive M7 Aspar Honda rider Hiroshi Aoyama says:

“Everything is new to me this year in terms of the bike and the team so we are still in a transitional stage but we were in Qatar just two weeks ago for a three day test and we gathered a lot of information that will be important this weekend. The aim is to put everything we learned in the test into practice. The first race of the season always has a special and unusual feel to it. I am looking forward to getting there and giving it my best. The level in this championship is very high and there are a lot of strong riders in the Open category this season. Our motivation couldn't be higher and we are looking to make the strongest possible start to the season. I am looking forward to a new adventure with a new team and back with Honda.”

Cardion AB Motoracing Honda rider Karel Abraham says:

“The start of the season has come a little too soon for me, because my shoulder is still not fully recovered – but during the tests I was constantly improving, gaining overall positions and closing the gap to Nicky Hayden, the fastest rider on the Honda RCV1000R. Of course I am still learning the new bike, but I will be giving it my best effort to gain points at Qatar.”


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