One of the reasons for the switch is the paddock rumor the RSV DR600 chassis is around 20 pounds heavier than the Suter, a lot of weight on a motorbike. It is also said to be less aerodynamic than the other prototype 600’s in the inaugural Moto2 class. Mapfre Aspar riders Julito Simon and Mike Di Meglio are currently 13^th and 22^nd in the title race, with the latter yet to score a point. Showing his faith in last year’s 125cc World Champion, Martinez told the Spanish press that the three riders on Suter MMX ahead of Julito in championship points are below the level of Simon. He would be referring to championship leader Shoya Tomizawa, fourth placed Jules Cluzel and eight placed Roberto Rolfo.

When Aprilia decided to abandon their Moto2 project around November 20, it left Aspar without a chassis for his riders, who just so happen to be the 2008 and 2009 125cc World Champions. He went and tested all the available options, basing his opinion on what Julito Simon and Mike Di Meglio thought of each frame. In the end Simon said the RSV, but Di Meglio wasn’t as sure, the Frenchman liked the Suter as well as the German made Kalex frame. Martinez went with Julito, but it appears (from within the team) the choice has turned against the two Spaniards.

It is an interesting decision and has been made too quickly in my opinion; Simon has qualified the bike 2^nd in both Qatar and Spain, something I don’t think possible if the bike was an absolute dog. He retired from Qatar due to a technical problem and finished 8th in Jerez. Di Meglio has had a much more difficult time; he qualified 13^th and 28^th in the first two races and finished 16^th and 22^nd. It seems that Aspar must not rate championship leader  Shoya Tomizawa very highly, thinking it is the bike and not the rider, because there are a couple of other frames that have had similar results to the Japanese rider. Riding the Moriwaki, Toni Elias has claimed a pole and a win, the same as Tomizawa. Tom Luthi has also proved the pace of the Japanese prototype, as he currently third in points. The British FTR was also very quick in Qatar with Alex Debon, the Kalex has been fast with Sergio Gadea and Kenny Noyes has been no slouch on his Promoharris.

With eight different chassis ahead of Simon’s RSV, Aspar will be surely hoping he has made the right decision for his Mapfre team. If indeed he has made the right choice, other teams may begin to feel they have a chassis disadvantage. If these teams have the money to purchase new bikes, this might start happening a lot more as the season goes on. Moto2 will face an interesting scenario if there starts be one or two dominant prototypes in the class that dominate, every team will purchase them and the grid will truly be a single make category, much like the final 250cc championship was with the Piaggio Group two-strokes.

It is almost a guarantee that the future rules of the 125cc class will not be decided until Dorna has a chance to evaluate the new four-stroke 600cc Moto2 class. If the category has a successful and competitive season than it is quite possible that the 125cc replacement class could have many of the Moto2 style rules implemented in their series and would become known as Moto3. More than likely, this would mean a standard four-stroke 250cc or 450cc motor with standard electronics and tires, but prototype chassis’, swingarms and other bits. One problem this might bring is if there are numerous factories who would want involvement such as KTM, Honda, Aprilia, and Yamaha; it would be highly unlikely that they would join a series in which they could not use their own engine design. It is for this reason that Aprilia withdrew from Moto2, the stock Honda motor inside an Aprilia chassis just did not make sense to the Piaggio Group bosses.

While the lack of development done on the factory Aprilia’s and Derbi’s since last year might be down to economic factors and a lack of competition within the class from outside of the Piaggio Group, it could also be the fact that there is little point for factories to invest large sums of money in two-stroke technology. It is for this reason exactly that Honda and Yamaha no longer have anything remotely related to a factory effort in the class, with the former having only one rider this year with Marcel Schrotter and the latter having not a single machine on the grid. As most of the developed world continues to implement stricter emission laws, it makes selling two-stroke motorbikes more and more difficult. Here in the United States, potential motorcycle customers will be very hard pressed to even find a two-stroke for sale in the shops. Aprilia do sell their fantastic RS 125cc bike in the States, but only for the track as it is not street legal due to emission regulations.

For all the enthusiast out there, enjoy the two-strokes while you can, because if the rest of the 2010 125cc World Championship is as exciting as the opening race in Qatar, then we are in for a fabulous season in what could be the second to last two-stroke title ever taken on the world stage.

The 2010 Title Contenders

#93-Marc Marquez-ESP-Red Bull Ajo Racing-Derbi

The 17-year old Catalan will enter the first race of the year in Qatar as most in the paddock’s title favorite due to his testing form this the off season, going fastest in each of the three official test held for the class. Having only ridden the under-powered KTM 125cc machine for both of his seasons in the class, it will be interesting to see how Marquez takes to the more developed Derbi RSA125. The main problem with the Spaniard is his lack of experience fighting for the championship, in his first two seasons in the class he has only been battling for victories, something of which he has yet to accomplish. When you look down the list of the other title hopefuls, they have all taken victories and been at the sharp end of the championship battle, that experience counts for a lot with the competition this close. Marquez has long been dubbed the next Pedrosa or Lorenzo by the Spanish press, even without a victory on the world stage.  It will be massively important for him to get his first victory early in the season so he can concentrate on firmly on the title, much like Bradley Smith had to do last season as he had to get his first win in the championship while also focusing on the title.

#44-Pol Espargaro-ESP-Tuenti Racing-Derbi

The younger of the Espargaro brothers may well be the true title favorite for the year if you don’t look too much into testing times this winter. The 18-year old from near Barcelona won two races last season and looked the strongest rider bar Julito Simon and Bradley Smith in the 125cc class from Indianapolis (his first victory) on. He would have been victorious in three straight races last season if it wasn’t for Andrea Iannone’s naughty last lap final corner move in Misano. If the ‘end of last year’ Espargaro shows up to race, it will be a difficult season for the others. He had a terrible off season last year due to manager and sponsor problems, but enters this season in the same team with a 2010 factory Derbi RSA125 at his disposable. Riding in an unfamiliar light blue paint scheme for the Tuenti Racing (formerly Bainet Racing) team after celebrity Spanish chef Karlos Arguinano pulled his title sponsorship and secondary sponsors of Minute Machine and Silestone, Espargaro will take pride in the fact that he is a Catalan riding for a Catalan team on a Catalan made Derbi motorbike. For a solid chance at the title Espargaro is going to have to qualify closer to the front than he normally does for his talent and become a more adaptable wet weather rider, an area he even admits to struggling in.

#38-Bradley Smith-GBR-Bancaja Aspar Team-Aprilia

Bradley Smith was far and away the best rider of 2009 with the exception of Julito Simon, who on the same bike as Smith, was nearly on another level. That is no injustice to ‘Bradders’, who even said himself that Julito was better on the brakes and was just that little bit quicker than him in certain areas of circuits. The 19-year old Brit is up against three Spaniards this season for the title and he will be hoping his ability to keep calm will earn him a few extra points as the Spanish trio is more than likely going to focus on one another. Without a shadow of a doubt this will be Smith’s final season in the 125cc class before moving up to Moto2 and he will be determined to be the first British motorcycle world champion in 33 years. With nine podiums and two victories last season, he should statistically have the best odds from the bookies to take the title this season, but as we know, things aren’t that simple in the crazy world of 125cc racing. He has downplayed is lack of pace in testing, usually over a second off the pace to Marquez and Espargaro, saying that he likes the fact that he enters the season off the radar compared to his opponents. Aspar will no doubt have a brilliant team for him again and after the Brit’s stunning season last year, it could be said that the title is Smith’s to lose.

#40-Nico Terol-ESP-Bancaja Aspar Team-Aprilia

As with Marc Marquez, Nico Terol is another rider to switch teams for the 2010 championship, but unlike his fellow Spaniard, he will be on a familiar factory Aprilia RSA. The oldest of the title contenders at 21, he will be hoping to make this his final season of 125cc racing, before making the switch to Moto2 as a 125cc world champion. Terol had a difficult start to 2009 as he and teammate Simone Corsi seemed to struggle with the Jack & Jones WRB Aprilia until Terol hit his form in the middle of the season, winning his second overall and only grand prix of the season in Brno. Of the three Spaniards, he enters the season with less attention given to him by the Spanish press compared to Marquez and Espargaro. Riding for what may be the best team in the 125cc paddock he will have the bike he needs at his disposal, it is just a matter of getting results and stringing together and championship for Terol now.

The World Championship Dark Horses

#7-Efren Vazquez-ESP-Tuenti Racing-Derbi

At 23-years old, Vazquez will hope this is his breakthrough season of 125cc racing as he is getting up there in age to compete against the teenagers that are shining in the two-stroke category. Riding the same factory Derbi RSA for Tuenti Racing as Pol Espargaro, the Spaniard has shown impressive testing form this winter, being the closest rider to the four title contenders of any other pilots in the category. Like Bancaja Aspar, the Tuenti team now has two riders instead of three and Vazquez will hope the lack of Joan Olive in the team will earn him a little extra focus during a grand prix weekend. With a fifth place being his best ever result, it will take a massive improvement over the course of the season to put him in contention for a title.

#11-Sandro Cortese-GER-Avant Intact Ajo Motorsport-Derbi

Riding out of the same garage with an identical Derbi RSA as Marc Marquez, Cortese will hope to match his more hyped teammate. If the German can defeat Marquez over the duration of a season, his stock will potentially go up more than any other rider in the paddock. The 20-year old had a strong 2009 campaign with three podiums, but lacked his first victory. Getting his maiden win would be great for the season, but he will know if he wants to prove to the world that he is massively quick; he must match or defeat his Ajo teammate Marc Marquez. His testing form has been quiet but impressive, ending the final official test in Jerez in fourth, ahead of title favorite Bradley Smith.

#99-Danny Webb-GBR-Andalucía Cajasol-Aprilia

Webb was one of the disappointments of 2009; finishing way down in 17^th in the championship standings last season after a string of DNF’s destroyed his year. He had a factory Aprilia last year, but couldn’t get to grips with the nature of the 2009-spec Aprilia RSA during testing and that carried over into the season. The 19-year old moves to the first year Cajasol Andalucía squad after the Jack & Jones WRB team that he signed with pulled the plug on their 125 program late into the winter. He will once again be on a factory-spec Aprilia RSA along with rookie teammate Alberto Moncayo, who has been a bit quicker than Webb throughout testing this winter. If Webb wants to keep people interested in him, the Brit will need to be consistently fighting for podiums this year, something most in the paddock think he is capable of.
#94-Jonas Folger-GER-Empowerment Ongetta-Aprilia

Taking Moto2 bound Andrea Iannone’s spot in the Ongetta squad as the team leader, the 2009 125cc Rookie of the Year will hope to be fighting at the sharp end of the field, much like he did last season. The 16-year old scored his first podium last season and was at times the fastest German in the class, something Sandro Cortese did not like one bit. Riding a factory Aprilia this season, he looks to build on his rookie campaign and take his maiden victory in the 125cc class. He is known as a racer and not for being quick in practice or qualifying so his lack of testing pace should not be too worrying for himself or his Ongetta team.  It will take a massive leap in consistency and performance if he is to breakthrough to the top five this season, but Folger will surely surprise quite a few of the paddock’s favorite riders this year with his pace late into races. With three competitive Germans in the class in 2010, the intra-Deutschland battles throughout the season should make for some great entertainment.

The Best of the Rest

#12-Tito Rabat-ESP-Blusens STX-Aprilia

With Scott Redding moving to Moto2 from the Blusens 125cc team, Rabat will be the sole rider for the Spanish team as they decided not to replace the Brit. Blusens struggled massively with reliability last year and in the end Rabat could only finish 18^th in the championship, he is surely better than that. The 20 year-old from Barcelona has been quick this off season, ending the final preseason test at Jerez in sixth.

Marcel Schrotter-GER-Interwetten-Honda

If there is such a thing as a guarantee in racing, then it has to be that Schrotter will take the Rookie of the Year trophy this November in Spain. The sole Honda in the field will no doubt have a bike disadvantage compared to the might of the Aprilia and Derbi machines on the grid as HRC has chosen not to focus on two-stroke development these days. With an unbelievable fifth place as a wildcard rider in Valencia last year, Schrotter is not an unknown in the paddock like some rookies tend to be. He has shown good form in testing and may well be the quickest of the three Germans this year, something fellow Germans Jonas Folger and Sandro Cortese will not take mildly. Schrotter is a name to look out for this year and in the future.

The other new pilot to the eighth of a liter class is Spaniard Isaac Vinales. The 16 year-old Catalan will ride for a new project called the Catalunya World Racing Team that will utilize a satellite Aprilia. Much like the Andalucían team of Alberto Moncayo and Danny Webb get funds from the Andalucían region of Spain, the CWRT will be getting money from the local Catalan authorities, using it as part of their tourism budget. Vinales was fourth in the CEV 125cc championship last year riding for the Jorge Martinez Aspar squad, taking one victory along the way. His grid spot is unconfirmed by Dorna and the FIM, but the Spanish press said the deal is done and an announcement is imminent.

The 17 riders competing in the 2010 MotoGP World Championship

The two day Qatar test is done and dusted and for the first time in the 2010 offseason, Valentino Rossi was not the quickest rider in attendance. His quickest time around the Losail International Circuit on night one was eclipsed by the Ducati Marlboro of Casey Stoner. The Australian improved his time enough from the first night to beat Rossi, who had been quickest in five straight sessions of testing this year.

1. Casey Stoner-AUS-Ducati Marlboro-1:55.353: It is known throughout the paddock that Stoner loves the Qatar circuit, dominating the race three years in a row, making him undefeated on the 800cc Ducati around the Losail International Circuit. On day two completed 51 laps on his way to setting the quickest time. The 2007 world champion had a crash at turn two during the session, his third in three years at the same point of the track. He complained the press that at the same time of night, around 10:30pm, the track becomes nearly impossible to ride in that area and crashes occur when riders are not even on the limit, but rather just riding a normal pace. After the test the riders asked the FIM to look at starting the race earlier to avoid the surface problems in turn two.

2. Valentino Rossi-ITA-FIAT Yamaha-1:55.402: Rossi had another successful test in Qatar; he led the way in the first night and was second quickest on night two. He and the other Yamaha riders have shown how good the new M1 is throughout the six test sessions the past couple months. He enters the first race as the favorite for the title, but maybe not the favorite to win the opening round. He is also one of the few riders to not have any crashes in preseason testing.

3. Andrea Dovizioso-ITA-Repsol Honda-1:55.879: The Italian completely overshadowed the rest of the Honda riders in Qatar, which should give him great confidence for the first race of the season. He was over one second quicker than his much more regarded teammate Dani Pedrosa, something that will make him very happy as he returns to Italy for training ahead of his third season in the premier class. If Dovi can continue his form he will be near the aliens this season, something he is definitely hoping for after taking his maiden win in MotoGP last season.

4. Ben Spies-USA-Monster Yamaha Tech 3-1:55.954: Last year’s World Superbike Champion seems at home in MotoGP already doesn’t he? The Tennessee born Texan won both races in Qatar last year with the Superbike Yamaha R1 but has never competed on a floodlit track, unlike all the other MotoGP riders in the paddock. He had a rough second day in Qatar, crashing at the same point as Stoner, Hayden and Edwards around the tricky turn two. Like Rossi, his time from day one was the quicker of his two. An interesting note from his session was that he did his fastest lap time on a hard tire, not a soft like most other riders in the paddock. His testing form has proved to the paddock that he will have to be taken seriously this year, as the Spies-Yamaha package looks to be one of the more intriguing aspects of the 2010 season.

5. Nicky Hayden-USA-Ducati Marlboro-1:56.115: Hayden has had a great test in Qatar, as has Ducati. The Kentuckian looks much more comfortable on the GP10 Ducati than he did last season the on the GP9, which will give the Italian factory a lot of satisfaction on how they have designed their bike. Hayden also had a crash at turn two, proving what Stoner was saying about that point of the track being too tricky when not even on the limit of the tire or bike. Hayden’s only complaint of the test was about the soft tire, he claimed it was impossible to use in comparison to the hard tire, so like Spies his fastest time was set on the theoretically slower of the two Bridgestone compounds.

6. Loris Capirossi-ITA-Rizla Suzuki-1:56.195: Suzuki always looks good in preseason testing so it is hard to read too much into the form of the new GSV-R. They have shown good speed in Qatar though, beating the entire field of Honda’s except for Dovizioso, which is definitely not a bad thing. Capirossi thinks that the bike has improved a lot since last season, with a new swing arm, electronics and chassis. He unfortunately had to cut his testing a bit short as he fell ill while in the Middle East. It would be foolish to put money on Loris winning the championship this year, but random podiums are a distinct possibility, something which they were not in 2009.

7. Jorge Lorenzo-ESP-FIAT Yamaha-1:56.504: Lorenzo’s main goal in this test was to get valuable testing miles on his M1 while not crashing so he would not injure his hand more than it already is. He couldn’t complete more than a couple laps at a time during the test as the pain in his throttle hand was too much to ride through. He will be looking not at the testing times, but rather at the first race of the season. He will be happy to have finished higher than Pedrosa even while injured though, something that was a bit unexpected before the test. Lorenzo will be a tad worried that he has been completely outclassed this offseason by his teammate and intense rival, Valentino Rossi.

8. Randy de Puniet-FRA-LCR Honda-1:56.504: The Frenchman ended the test on the exact same time as Lorenzo, in what was a strong showing by the one rider LCR team. The HRC bikes looked pretty poor at this test with the exception of Dovizioso, so de Puniet will be happy to be within the top ten. He declared himself happy with the outcome of the test, ending higher up the order than he was expecting after Malaysia, claiming the RC212V’s feel has improved since Sepang.

9. Colin Edwards-USA-Monster Tech 3 Yamaha-1:56.540: Edward’s had an uncharacteristic crash in the exact same spot as teammate Spies, once again proving how treacherous the turn two complex was in Qatar. Edward’s claims that he has a great package for the year but is leaving the test a little bit confused as to why is was so much slower than the other Yamaha’s. He thinks tire temperature played a big role in his lack of pace on the second night. He was not happy about his crash either, as he had done eight laps on his tire but still crashed due to a lack of temperature in his front Bridgestone.

10. Mika Kallio-FIN-Pramac Ducati-1:56.767: The Finn had a much better test in Qatar than he did in Malaysia when he was well down the order. He put in a monster effort with 146 laps over only two nights of the Losail International Circuit. Riding the new green GP10 Pramac Ducati, Kallio was happy he could put in his fastest laps on very used tires, but said that his one lap pace with the new Bridgestone front tire is a bit worrying for qualifying in the first race of the season. He also complained that he did not complete a race distance simulation in testing, which is never a good thing in the preseason.

11. Aleix Espargaro-ESP-Pramac Ducati-1:56.897: The elder of the Espargaro brothers improved his time from the first night by a full second, as he ended the test only a fraction down on his more experienced teammate. Aleix said he is prepared for the first race after a successful offseason of testing and training. The Catalan will be an interesting rider to keep an eye on as his commitment and speed definitely doesn’t seem lacking. Kallio and he will have quite a battle of the satellite Ducati’s this season one would imagine. Ducati will be very proud to have four of their five GP10’s ahead of the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa.

12. Alvaro Bautista-ESP-Rizla Suzuki-1:56.898: Bati looked a different rider in Qatar than he did in Malaysia. He improved his time over a second from day one and claimed that he has built himself a great base to start on when the racing actually begins in Qatar. Teammate Capirossi is still doing a majority of the development work for Suzuki while rookie Bautista continues to develop the settings needed to get him comfortable on an 800cc machine.

13. Dani Pedrosa-ESP-Repsol Honda-1:56.935: By far the most disappointing rider under the floodlights was Pedrosa. The Spaniard was one and a half seconds down on Stoner’s lap time around the Losail Circuit. He couldn’t even blame if fully on the team or the bike as his Repsol teammate went third quickest over the two days. In his first full healthy off season in quite a while, Dani does not look comfortable once so ever on the new RC212V, complaining that the front and bike of the bike are moving around too much. His lack of pace will definitely be a talking point in the lead up to the race in Qatar. Could Ben Spies see Pedrosa’s worrying form help the American get a ticket into the seemingly separate race of the aliens with Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner? Only time will tell.

14. Marco Melandri-ITA-San Carlo Gresini Honda-1:57.222: The award for the worst preseason testing form must go to the Gresini squad. Their new team Marco, that of Melandri and Simoncelli, just cannot find speed in their RC212V’s. Both of them have destroyed bikes, Melandri here and Simoncelli in Malaysia and neither have looked fast either. Big crashes coupled with weak lap times is always worrying when heading into the first race of the season. Melandri had a massive crash on day two, writing the Gresini Honda 800cc prototype completely off, afterwards he mentioned he was very lucky to walk away from it. The Italian is complaining this is the most difficult Honda he has ever ridden and the bike doesn’t even feel like a Honda as the engine power is way too overly aggressive.

15. Hector Barbera-ESP-Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati-1:57.223: Riding his bright yellow Ducati, meaning the grid will have Ducati’s consisting of Marlboro red, Pramac green and Aspar Yellow, Barbera put in a solid test. The times are not near the front but at the same time, the only non-world champion rookie in the field looks settled in to his satellite Ducati. It is also worth a mention that his rookie Aspar team also appear perfectly capable of handling MotoGP after years of dominating 125cc and 250cc. The Spaniard, still learning English, is very happy with the settings, team and bike that he has at his disposal this year and will definitely be competing for the best rookie from the 2009 250cc class.

16. Hiroshi Aoyama-JPN-Interwetten Honda-1:57.251: Aoyama is continuing his learning process onboard the MotoGP Honda, but seems far less confident in the machine than he would like heading into the first race. He has not set the world on fire in testing by any means, but it is always hard to read the soft spoken Japanese rider’s thoughts on what is going on. Aoyama is not foolish and knows there is a lot of work to be done if he is going to be near the front group of riders.

17. Marco Simoncelli-ITA-San Carlo Gresini Honda-1:57.379: Simoncelli has been by far the most disappointing rookie in testing. He has had three crashes, one of which in Malaysia was very violent and has not been near the top of the times at all. Like teammate Melandri, he can’t seem to figure out the trick to the 800cc Honda. Simoncelli really needs to stop crashing if he wants make progress this season and HRC will not like the fact that his Gresini team has completely demolished two brand new RC212V’s and thrown a couple more down the track to add insult to injury.