MotoGP kicks off its triple-header this weekend at MotorLand Aragon and things could not be better poised as the business end of the campaign really begins.
Over the next three weeks, we’re set to see some thrilling action in the premier class and in Moto2 and Moto3 as the championship fights intensify.
In MotoGP, it now looks as though it’s Fabio Quartararo v Pecco Bagnaia for the title, though you would not yet rule out Aleix Espargaro fully from the running.
At the start of this year, many tipped the Yamaha man and the Ducati star to be battling it out this season and it looks as though we’re now getting that battle, though Bagnaia certainly made us wait for it.
His start to the campaign was poor by his high standards and it was Espargaro on the Aprilia that took the fight to the reigning champion in Fabio, though the standings now have Pecco just 30 points behind Quartararo with Aleix just another three points back, though momentum is definitely with Bagnaia.
He became the first Ducati rider to make it four wins on the spin at Misano last time out and, with him winning at Aragon last season, he is the safe bet for victory this weekend.
Marc Marquez returns
The title fight isn’t the only big headline to look out for in the premier class this weekend, though, with a certain Spaniard making his latest return to the grid on the no. 93 Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez has missed much of this season through injury and subsequent surgery but he has been through another rehab period and is back on the bike, competing this very weekend.
Aragon is a track, like so many on the calendar, that Marquez has excelled at over the years and he’ll be wanting to do something special this weekend on his racing return, after completing a good amount of laps at the Misano test earlier this month.
Having a rider of Marquez’s immense talent and reputation is good for the sport and it’s obviously a poorer place without him, though Bagnaia and Quartararo will be eager to show that they are the main men in town these days when it comes to MotoGP.
Few may expect a Marquez win here, of course, but he himself will be setting the bar high for expectations, though the hope has to be he just gets through the weekend without throwing himself off the bike.
An intriguing weekend awaits in Spain.
BT Sport is the home of MotoGP. Watch all the live action from MotoGP Aragon on BT Sport 2 from 16 – 18 September. Find out more at bt.com/sport/motogp
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