Since the engines fired up in Qatar for the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship, every race weekend in 2017 has written another chapter in a season that will go down in history – and it’s only half way through. Heading into the summer break, there are another nine Grands Prix to look forward to in 2017, with the standings poised to deliver a remarkable race to the finish line at the last round in Valencia.
Never before has the battle been so tight at the top, with the four leaders covered by only ten points after nine races. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) have each all led the Championship and remain in the top four, with Marquez’ win at the German GP the catalyst for him to join the list as leader number four – on the third different machine to top the table. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) is also incredibly close to the lead - only 26 points off the top as 2017 tears up the history books.
The secret to the astonishing season so far is not only the Championship standings and the wheel-to-wheel action, however, with the competition throughout the field making for one of the greatest shows on earth. Dani Pedrosa’s win in Jerez means he joins each of the Championship leaders as the fifth different winner so far – and there are another five men who have stood on the podium in the first half of 2017: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) and Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). Duels for the win, five-rider battles and high-speed tactics are creating one of the most incredible Championships in history – week in, week out.
23 riders and six different manufacturers line up in the MotoGP™ World Championship, and every one has already been a protagonist in what is shaping up to be a season that will be talked about for years to come. Now the paddock lies dormant until Brno, when the fuse will be lit once again – and another nine incredible races get ready to fire up.
A new era has begun, with the unexpected now the expected – and the racing some of the best ever seen as MotoGP™ just keeps getting better. Next up is the Czech GP at Brno on August 6th, ahead of a visit to the Red Bull Ring in Austria the following weekend as MotoGP™ blasts back into life after the summer break. Make sure to save the date!