* DOTD = Data Of The Day *
Rider photo sourced from MotoGP.com
The anticipation is slowly consuming race fans as they await the start of the 2020 MotoGP season. This is not only fueled by the longing for 20+ lap battles between some of the most talented riders to date, but also by the unknowns that lie within the paddock… For example, contact renewals. Almost every single rider is up for a contract renewal and only a small handful of riders have announced a signing for 2021 or longer.
Throughout a season, riders are competing not only for individual championship points, but also team and manufacturer points. This can cause a continuous shift in pressure from one teammate to the other as they carry their weight and try to avoid becoming the “weak link.” The ongoing competition between two teammates is an often overlooked battle that begins in off-season testing and ends with the final race of the season. Each rider must not only defend their seat, but prove to their current team and competing teams that they deserve a ride for the next season.
It is not uncommon for a rider to fall in the shadow of their teammate and as it turns out, having two riders on a team earning double digit points is a big advantage in the team standings. Today we are going to rewind to October 2019 to see what the team standings were going into the 15th race of the season. Additionally, we provided the % of weight each rider was carrying throughout the season.
Note: since these rankings were originally released last year, a few riders have left the series, a few have signed contract renewals and a few have signed contracts with new teams…
Spoiler alert – the % weight next to each rider is very telling for their future.
1st Place:
Ducati Team, 357 points
57% Andrea Dovizioso / 43% Danilo Petrucci
2nd Place:
Repsol Honda Team, 333 points
90% Marc Marquez / 6.9% Jorge Lorenzo Remaining points: Stefan Bradl, test rider
3rd Place:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, 284 points
52% Maverick Vinales / 48% Valentino Rossi
4th Place:
Team Suzuki Ecstar, 209 points
75% Alex Rins / 25% Joan Mir
5th Place:
Petronas Yamaha SRT, 203 points
61% Fabio Quartararo / 39% Franco Morbidelli
6th Place:
LCR Honda, 166 points
59% Cal Crutchlow / 41% Takaaki Nakagami
7th Place:
Pramac Racing, 146 points
80% Jack Miller / 20% Francesco Bagnaia
8th Place:
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 104 points
74% Pol Espargaro / 26% Johann Zarco
Mika Kallio, Zarco’s replacement has yet to earn points
9th Place:
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, 78 points
59% Aleix Espargaro / 41% Andrea Iannone
10th Place:
Red Bull KTM Tech 3, 36 points
81% Miguel Oliveira / 19% Hafizh Syahrin
11th Place:
Reale Avintia Racing, 23 points
78% Tito Rabat / 22% Karel Abraham