Honda riders in the Moto3 class – now in its second season after replacing the 125cc category last year – face a big challenge at the opening race of 2013. During the final preseason tests at Jerez there were two riders powered by Honda’s NSF250R engine inside the top-ten fastest times: Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini FTR Honda) and John McPhee Caretta (Technology-RTG FTR Honda). With Honda planning to provide engine upgrades for the first race, Honda’s Moto3 riders will be working hard to close the gap on the fastest bikes before race night at Losail. Expect Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) and fellow Italian teenager Alessandro Tonucci (Team La Fonte Tasca Racing Honda) to be among those in the hunt for podium finishes.

The Qatar Grand Prix has another unique aspect – it is the only MotoGP event that takes place over four days, rather than three. This is because there is window of just five hours between dusk and 11pm, when plummeting temperatures coat the circuit with dew, which dramatically reduces grip. Practice sessions begin at 6pm on Thursday and Friday, followed by qualifying at 6pm on Saturday and racing from 7pm on Sunday. During race weekend the track is lit by an amazing 5.4 million watt lighting system, the biggest of its kind, which could illuminate a road from Doha to Moscow or 70 FIFA football fields.

The circuit itself, constructed in 2004 to bring MotoGP to the Middle East for the first time, is a sinuous test for man and machine, with the layout of individual corners inspired by famous corners at racetracks from around the world. Corner speed and machine agility are vitally important at Losail with only one straight worthy of the name – the 1.068km/0.664 mile start-finish, which demands plenty of horsepower.

After Losail the MotoGP circuit heads west, setting up camp outside Austin in Texas for the Grand Prix of the Americas at the new Circuit of Americas. Practice starts on April 19. Racing takes place on April 21. Then it’s back to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on May 5.



San Carlo Team Italia Honda rider Romano Fenati says:

“I wasn’t so happy with the results of the final tests at Jerez, but we go to Losail remaining focused on the championship. We tried so many things with the FTR Honda during testing and I think we still have a lot of work to do. The best thing is that the team is working really well, so I’m sure we will improve. Last year we had a great race at Qatar and a great start to my career in GPs. I think this time it will be tougher, but we are ready for the challenge.”

GO&FUN Gresini Honda rider Niccolo Antonelli says:

“I am ready and excited about the first race of the season at the Losail circuit in Qatar. I can’t wait to get out on track and see how I am physically, but if I feel okay I will be trying my best to fight at the front. I have confidence in the new Honda engine and with the job the guys have done in the recent test at Jerez I think we can be racing with the best of them. I like Losail and the surreal atmosphere of racing at night is exciting to me so I can’t wait to get back on the bike and start this new adventure.”

Team La Fonte Tasca Racing rider Alessandro Tonucci says:

“For Qatar I feel very good and I’m training. I get on well with the team and in the last test we worked so hard but we have not yet found a definitive solution to balance the bike well. I hope to find something in the first practice session. We will also see how it goes the new engine that arrives in Qatar. I hope to do well!”

.