Disaster struck for several riders at the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina where the MotoGP riders met for the second race of the 2017 season. After having things spoiled by rainfall on day two of proceedings, many riders came off due to different circumstances and it meant that only two factory teams successfully had both riders finish, and in the points, one of those being a brand new team, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Lorenzo crashes out at the first turn of the Argentinian GP

The first to crash out, at the first turn of the race was new factory Ducati Team rider, Jorge Lorenzo; in an incident that was his own fault. The Spaniard, who many fans hoped would bring the Ducati back to its championship winning ways (there is still time yet but after this performance it may be a longer wait), came into contact with the former pilot of the bike Andrea Iannone who is now with Team Suzuki Ecstar.

The Italian was going about his business at turn one, when Lorenzo tried to take an inside line and hit the rear of Iannone’s GSX-RR. Lorenzo went down and crashed out of the race, his bike was unrecoverable, whereas although Iannone’s momentum was spoiled he was able to continue and recover from time and space lost; unfortunately he then received a ride-through penalty for a jump start which left him at the back of the grid by the time he completed it.

Lorenzo explains the incident

Trying to remain positive after a disastrous second round of the season, Lorenzo felt he had “made a great start and managed to pass four or five riders”. Then he found that “coming into the first corner it was all rather chaotic”; he mentioned how “a lot of riders [were] trying to overtake each other under braking”, as usual (he might not be as used to be so far back on his old machinery).

Describing the build up to the crash he said he was “on the inside” when he suddenly found himself “coming up on Iannone”. This is when he “touched his rear wheel and crashed out”. He felt that it was a “real pity” that he “never even managed to get through the first corner of the race” as he mentioned that on race day he “had a good feeling” with his bike. Instead he said, “Now we have to look ahead and continue to work in a positive way like we are doing already.”

Marquez crashes out of the lead of the race

Next to crash out, was 2016 MotoGP champion, Marc Marquez who was leading the race on his Repsol Honda. He had been pulling away from the rest of the pack, maybe pushing far too hard, as he came off at turn two of lap four. Both he and the bike slid into the gravel and it was game over for the Spaniard.

After collecting a DNF he mentioned that he was “feeling really good on the bike” and found that he was “able to ride strong” as a result of the fact that they “made a great improvement to the setup in the warm-up”. The change left him feeling “pretty comfortable” on his bike.

He spoke of how the “crash was unexpected” and unsure of where it all went round he said that he “must have made a small mistake and it cost [him] a lot”. Fortunately he was able to say, “Luckily I am OK” however he admitted that “these kinds of mistakes disappoint” him especially as “everything was going so well”. Instead he said, “We must put this behind us and think of the next race in Austin.”

Injured rookie, Rins crashes out and forced to retire due to pain in leg

Next to fall was rookie, Alex Rins from his Team Suzuki Ecstar on lap eight of the race at Turn 13. Already injured, as he broke his leg during a training incident after Qatar, he had a low crash that saw him and the bike slide out. He was able to pick up the bike and re-join the race but was forced to retire five laps later.

Afterwards Rins admitted the “truth” that is has “been a tough weekend” that he knew would be “hard due to the injury” which he said “hurt [him] for the whole three days”. Still, his aim was to “start the race” and he said that in the end they achieved it. He spoke of how “despite jumping from the back” as he was last on the grid in 23rd, he was “pretty happy” with himself as he found he “managed to stay cool and make an excellent start”.

During the race he noticed that he “felt pretty comfortable with the ankle” as it “didn’t hurt too much”, but then he said it “felt bad with the braking”. When in 15th place on track he explained how he “tried to overtake in the only possible corner” that he thought he could in the “entrance of corner 13” which is where he “managed to get up into 14th place”, however this is when he found he “lost control of the front end and crashed”.

Although for him it “was not a bad crash”, he explained that he hit his foot and the “pain increased thus not allowing [him] to finish the race.” Instead he said it was “time to look ahead and go to Austin”, a circuit that he likes “very much” and in the meantime he hopes to “recover a lot with some rest and physiotherapy”.

British rookie, Lowes retires with gear selection problem

British rookie, Sam Lowes also retired on the same lap of the race on his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Lowes was reported to have a gear selection problem that forced him to end the race early. He found at the start of the race that he “lost a few meters” however he was later “catching up” and he “managed to lap with a good pace”; he noticed he was “about to reach the zone where they were battling for points”.

This is when he noticed that he “had a problem with gear selection” which meant he “had to go into the pit lane” but overall still felt it was “a good weekend” for him on his new machinery. Comparing it to Qatar, he found that during the first round he did not have “the chance to work a lot on the 2017 bike before the race” when they should have been “finding a good base setup”.

In Argentina he found they “changed a few details” that meant that “in the race [he] felt at ease”. He feels that his bike “is very competitive at the end of the race” and he was reassured by the thought that he “would have been able to make up a few positions”.

Pedrosa crashes out after making his way to fourth

Next to crash out of the race, was the other Repsol Honda rider, Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard had been engaged in a battle with several riders, mainly Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) for fifth position. Whilst caught up in a battle with the Italian, rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was able to bypass the two pushing them further down the points. On lap 12 Pedrosa then finally passed Petrucci who he was all over the back of, and went on to take on Zarco.

The Frenchman proved difficult to pass however but Pedrosa emerged successful and then he blocked the Frenchman from retaliating. Pedrosa was now in fourth at risk of becoming the next victim of Alvaro Bautista (Pull & Bear Aspar Team) who was making his way through the pack. On lap 14 of the race, at the same corner as his teammate, turn two, Pedrosa crashed almost identically.

Pedrosa felt that he “got a decent start” but then found that he “lost time in the first part of the race duelling with Petrucci and Zarco”. After he passed them he “started pushing hard” as he found he was “feeling good on the bike and wanted to try and close the gap on the others to fight for the podium”. This is when he unfortunately crashed in the second corner.

He explained that there are a “lot of bumps in that turn” which he thinks “create a tricky situation” especially as he explained that the “grip is kind of ‘on-off’”. He described that “when you’re pushing really hard the limit becomes quite narrow”. He said, “Of course it’s a shame about the crash” but was reassured saying, “on another hand I’m happy I felt good enough to try and chase down the front group.”

History repeats itself as Dovizioso again wiped out, this time by Aleix Espargaro

Then, history repeated itself for poor little Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) who just like last year was wiped out during the Argentinian GP. Last year as he and his former Ducati Team teammate Andrea Iannone were battling it out for second place in the race, Iannone crashed out and took Dovizioso with him. Dovizioso, the hero, picked his bike up and legged it to the finish line to salvage what points he could, a mere three due to the amount of non-finishers rather than the 20 he was expecting and probably deserved.

Come back to 2017 and Dovizioso was hoping to make up for last year. He was pursuing Petrucci who had just lost a place to Bautista. He began lap 15 and was going about his business, when Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who was running a fantastic race himself on his new machinery, crashed out of the race. When he fell, he caught the back of Dovizioso and wiped the unsuspecting Italian out of the race.

Dovizioso was left in the gravel in shock once again as he crouched on his knees wondering what the hell just happened, and probably would he ever finish an Argentinian GP without someone stopping him? The first thing Aleix Espargaro did was run to the Italian to apologise for the incident on track; the Spaniard has since taken to social media to apologise again. Fortunately, both riders appeared to be unhurt as a result of the incident.

Dovizioso feels he has no luck in Argentina

Dovizioso described the Argentinian GP as a “strange race” as he found he “had very little grip” and that he “was not particularly competitive”. He managed to “recover well in the early stages and gain some positions” and explained how when he “got involved in the fight with Danilo who always brakes on the limit”, he was trying to “find the right moment to pass him” which was when he was unfortunately “hit by Aleix Espargaro’s bike and crashed out”.

He went on to say, “Here in Argentina I don’t have any luck at all” as he said, “Seeing as today I was taken out yet again”. He was left feeling “bitterly disappointed” especially as he thought that “being able to bring home a probably fifth place in such a difficult weekend, would have been very important.”

Aleix explains the incident

Explaining his point of view, Aleix Espargaro found that “in the opening laps [he] was a bit slower than the other riders, but the things began to work right”. He found that just as he was “starting to increase [his] pace” which meant he had “gotten close to the group”, this is when he “saw Dovi off the line” and so he “moved in”. This is when he said, “unfortunately I had to brake hard and I lost the front.”

Aleix was left feeling “really sorry for the team and for Andrea” who he described as being “unwillingly involved in [his] crash”. He felt that the end result was a “pity” because he thought that “in the second part of the race [they ] could have done well.” Now he hopes to “confirm [their] progress” in Austin where they will meet for the third race of the season.