With one day before official free practice begins for the 2010 125cc world championship begins, the only two-stroke category remaining in the championship looks set to be a stunning battle between top runners. Unlike last year, when Julito Simon went into the season the main title favorite, after showing dominating form in winter testing, this year there are four legitimate contenders to take home the 2010 world championship. For each grand prix, minus Laguna Seca where only the MotoGP class races, the 125cc category should provide an intense and exciting opening to the day, before the Moto2 and MotoGP classes battle it out.

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 17th 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 18th 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.

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