Can Martin check off another win in Czechia?

It’s been an up and down start to the 2018 Moto3™ World Championship and most of the key contenders have a form sheet full of bad luck, DNFs and high and lows thus far. But last time out Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) struck back to take back the momentum – scoring his second win in a row and his fifth of the season. So did the tides change at the Sachsenring?

Martin has been, undoubtedly, the fastest rider in the field so far – shown by his six poles out of nine races, plus another two P2 starts. But that’s not the whole story and those chasing him down – especially Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) – have proved it’s true what they say: racing is more than simply being fastest. In a field of nearly 30 riders, there’s more to do on Sundays than simple laptimes.

So can those on the chase fight back? Although he took his first podium there in the wet in 2016, Martin didn’t race at Brno last season due to injury, something that could give heart to Bezzecchi, Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) behind him. With the gaps to the top ranging from the seven points for Bezzecchi to the 46 by which Bastianini is currently adrift, there’s an awful lot to play for and the task is a simple one: break Martin’s momentum.

There is a home hero to contend with, too: Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP). The Czech veteran could be a force to be reckoned with on home turf, along with another few names with pace but little to lose in the Championship – like former Brno winner and Sachsenring podium finisher John McPhee (CIP – Green Power).

It’s the start of the final leg of the journey and a lot can hinge on who’s on a roll and who’s not. Will it be Martin once again converting his pace into his ace card? Or can the chasing pack strike back? Find out in the Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky on the 5th August.