After a well-earned winter break the 2019 MotoGP season kicks off in Qatar over the weekend of 8th – 10th March 2019 with a much-changed line up of riders and teams across all classes.
What has changed in MotoGP?
With the retirement of Dani Pedrosa, after an amazing thirteen years in the top class, Jorge Lorenzo moves to his third team in four years, joining five times, and reigning, World Champion Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda.
Danilo Petrucci takes a promotion to the works Ducati team alongside last year's runner up Andrea Dovizioso while Johann Zarco moves from Tech3 Yamaha to Red Bull KTM.
Can Movistar Yamaha's Valentino Rossi finally achieve his personal goal of a tenth top class championship?
A quartet of rookies – Fabio Quartararo, former Moto3 World Champion Joan Mir, current Moto2 Champion Francesco (Peco) Bagnaia and 2018's Moto2 runner-up Miguel Olivera – add some new and exciting blood to the class, while Cal Crutchlow defends Britain's pride single-handedly after Scott Redding's move to BSB and Bradley Smith's move to the new MotoE championship.
Who has moved to Moto2?
With the introduction of new Triumph 765cc three-cylinder engines in place of the outgoing Honda 600cc fours, the Moto2 season promises to be closer and more exciting than ever before.
After a disappointing year in MotoGP, Swiss Thomas Luthi returns to Moto2 at Dunavolt Intact GP, while former Moto3 champion Jorge Martin, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi make the move upwards to the intermediate class. Britain is represented once again by Sam Lowes, who commences his second year since returning from MotoGP, and by Jake Dixon, starting his first full season in Moto2 after a wildcard ride at the 2017 British GP and a fantastic runners up spot, behind Leon Haslam, in BSB in 2018.
Who is new in Moto3?
Newcomers to the Moto3 class include Spain's Segio Garcia, Czech Filip Salac, Italian Ricardo Rossi, Japan's Ai Ogura and Britain's Tom Booth-amos. Moto3 also sees the return of controversial Italian rider Romano Fenati after his 'troublesome' season in Moto2. As always, the lower class promises to be fast and very furious with some of the closest and most exciting racing of all three classes.
What else has changed for the 2019 Season?
2019 sees the introduction of a new class - MotoE - using Moto Energica electric bikes. Britain's Bradley Smith topped the winter practice times against a vastly experienced line up including Randy De Puniet, Alex De Angelis, Sete Gibernau and Mike Di Meglio. Racing over five rounds, those meetings that include a MotoE round are marked below by (E).
Finally, in a move that reflects the MotoGP qualifying session, Moto2 and Moto3 will also run a split qualifying system in which combined times across all three timed practice sessions determine placement in groups with the top ten (fourteen for Moto3) riders earning automatic entry to QP2, along with fastest two (four for Moto3) from QP1.
2019 MotoGP Dates
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Round 1
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8th– 10th March 2019
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Losail, Qatar
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Round 2
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29th– 31st March 2019
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Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina
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Round 3
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12th– 14th April 2019
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Circuit of the Americas, USA
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Round 4
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3rd– 5th May 2019
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Jerez, Spain (E)
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Round 5
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17th– 19th May 2019
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Le Mans, France (E)
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Round 6
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31st– 2nd June 2019
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Mugello, Italy
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Round 7
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14th– 16th June 2019
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Barcelona, Catalunya
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Round 8
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28th– 30th June 2019
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Assen, Netherlands
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Round 9
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5th– 7th July 2019
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Sachsenring, Germany (E)
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Round 10
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2nd– 4th August 2019
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Brno, Czechia
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Round 11
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9th– 11th August 2019
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Red Bull Ring, Austria (E)
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Round 12
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23rd – 25th August 2019
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Silverstone, UK
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Round 13
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13th– 15th September 2019
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Misano, Italy (E)
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Round 14
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20th– 22nd September 2019
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Motorland Aragon, Spain
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Round 15
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4th– 6th October 2019
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Burinam, Thailand
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Round 16
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18th– 20th October 2019
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Twin Ring Motegi, Japan
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Round 17
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25th– 27th October 2019
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Philip Island, Australia
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Round 18
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1st– 3rd November 2019
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Sepang, Malaysian
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Round 19
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15th– 17th November 2019
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Valencia, Spain
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For more information, results and rider profiles, go to www.motogp.com
