Highside

Round three of the 2010 MotoGP season is about to begin, and all eyes are turned to the Fiat Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. For the seventh time since the two first rode on the same team, Fiat Yamaha has qualified 1-2, and when the lights go out on Sunday, the vicious battle for the World Championship title resumes in earnest at the legendary home of French racing, Le Mans.

Rossi, who has been slowly recovering from a bad shoulder after an incident in training, has shown himself to be in good health and stamina going into the race. He currently sits four points behind his teammate Lorenzo in the standings, and will be looking to finish better than the disappointing 16th he posted in last year’s wet French Grand Prix. Lorenzo, on the other hand, will be looking to put in a repeat performance of last year’s chaotic race at Le Mans, and continue to build his lead in the standings.

Looking to challenge the Fiat Yamaha duo is the remainder of the Fantastic Four, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Stoner comes to Le Mans with a serious gap between himself and Lorenzo in the standings, thanks in no small part to his crash at the season opener in Qatar. Being beaten by his Marlboro Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden for the first time at the previous race in Jerez, Stoner will come off the line focused, and having qualified in 4th, he stands poised to make a strong start and take the hole shot into turn one. Pedrosa also comes to Le Mans with a bit of a grudge to settle, having led the previous race for nearly the entirety, only to have his victory snatched from his grasp in a last-lap pass by his bitter rival, Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa is notoriously quick off the line, and if the cards fall his way, he could very well end up doing what he does best–a lightning start that rockets him into first, where he can ride a lonely and unchallenged race to win.

Farther back in the grid, a number of riders are hoping to mess up the projected orders. Nicky Hayden has had an unbelievable start to his season, performing on a level that has been absent since he won the championship in 2006. Fellow American Ben Spies has yet to crack into the top four as many had predicted, but hopes are still high for the Texan to demonstrate the raw, furious talent that propelled him to the World Superbike title last year. A number of other rookies are hoping to start moving up the order as well, most notably Marco Simoncelli and Hiroshi Aoyama. The two former 250cc champions have performed well so far, but have failed to crack into the ranks of the rest of the veterans.

Of course, there’s one other thing that’s on all the other rider’s minds now. Last week’s rumor that Casey Stoner signed a contract with Honda for 2011 has marked the start to what will undoubtedly be a long and exciting Silly Season. As the riders take to the tracks at Le Mans, they will not only be riding for championship points, but also for seats on the best bikes, and the best teams, in the coming seasons.

The lights go out at Le Mans in less than 12 hours. Round three is upon us. Stay with us for more coverage of the MotoGP season as it unfolds!

Jorge Martinez, second from left, is welcomed into the MotoGP family.

Stepping in to replace the now-defunct Grupo Fransisco Hernando in the MotoGP class, the Aspar racing team will field one rider in the premier class ins 2010.

Jorge Martinez’s Aspar has been a dominant force in the 125s and 250s for the last few years, and is especially strong right now with their three 125 riders standing 1-2-3 in the standings, and Alvaro Bautista in second in the 250s.

The new Aspar team will field one Ducati rider in 2010.  Depending on the team’s success that year, Martinez has said that he is open to the idea of fielding a second rider in 2011.

The identity of the first Aspar MotoGP rider has not yet been revealed, but many bets are on Bautista taking the slot.  Bautista, who won with Aspar in the 125s before moving to the 250s with the same team, is poised to graduate up to the premier class in the next few years.

Joining him for sure in the premier class will be Marco Simoncelli, who has a confirmed ride for the Gresini Honda team.  Also looking to graduate in the next year or two is Hiroshi Aoyama, who currently leads the 250cc class and is poised to step in to fill the shoes of Yuki Takahashi as an (ideally) dominant rider in the premier class.

Jorge Martinez said he hopes to announce the identity of the team’s first MotoGP rider at Brno in August.