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#3 Dani Pedrosa |
Honda |
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Starts: 52 Wins: 6 Poles: 11
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- The Spaniard carries the weight of the Honda Motor Company on his shoulders, not easy when you're struggling for fitness after a frightening string of injuries
- Doubts remain over his title credentials, having won just six races in three seasons
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#4 Andrea Dovizioso |
Honda |
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Starts: 18 Wins: 0 Poles: 0
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- A wise owl who would be on the tip of everyone's tongues if he wasn't measured against fellow sophomore Jorge Lorenzo
- Works ride with Hayden's title-winning crew is a dream chance, but will his loyalty to Honda (he's never ridden anything else) be his downfall?
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#5 Colin Edwards |
Tech 3 Yamaha |
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Starts: 102 Wins: 0 Poles: 3
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- A contender on his day but some dismal starts and woeful tyre choices have hurt him
- Had a major spat with Toseland after the Briton 'stole' his crew chief
- A double World Superbike champion so knows how to ride, and his 'tell it how it is' attitude is good for the sport
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#7 Chris Vermeulen |
Suzuki |
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Starts: 55 Wins: 1 Poles: 3
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- Has to deliver in 2009 because a single win at a wet Le Mans doesn't count in Vermeulen's world
- Bike is an evolution so shouldn't be any nasty surprises. Has a clever engineer in Tom O'Kane, who pioneered data logging in MotoGP
- Fit as a fiddle and rarely crashes
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#14 Randy de Puniet |
LCR Honda |
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Starts: 53 Wins: 0 Poles: 0
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- Tough kid who has the mad glint in his eye, but will be hamstrung due to non-HRC Hondas having to run 1000rpm lower than the factory bikes
- Can take the harder compound tyres in his stride when others struggle
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#15 Alex de Angelis |
Gresini Honda |
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Starts: 18 Wins: 0 Poles: 0
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- On a satellite bike while team-mate Elias gets the HRC machine, but hardly helped his cause by crashing frequently last year
- Bigger 2009 bike means he's got a chance of fitting on it
- A wily thinker who will also go out and just wring the bike's neck
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#24 Toni Elias |
Gresini Honda |
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Starts: 62 Wins: 1 Poles: 0
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- Back on a Honda after being fooled by Stoner's 2007 title into thinking the 800cc Ducati was easy to ride
- Can go like the wind but hasn't delivered over a full season. Has a propensity to only go quickly at contract time, but is a proper fighter
- Has an HRC bike, so no excuses.
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#27 Casey Stoner |
Ducati |
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Starts: 52 Wins: 16 Poles: 15 Titles: 1
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- Still the fastest over one lap, but can he do a race distance comfortably after all sorts of wrist surgery and complications over the winter?
- No worries inside the garage, enjoys an excellent understanding with his Ducati team
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#33 Marco Melandri |
Hayate Kawasaki |
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Starts: 96 Wins: 5 Poles: 0
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- Hayate still has some clever people on board so could 'do a Brawn' and improve on previous squad's form if the loss of interference from parent company is a boon
- Melandri needs to prove to himself that he can still ride after petrol-wasting season on a works Ducati
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#36 Mika Kallio |
Pramac Ducati |
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Rookie 3rd in 250cc in 2008
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- Cool, even by Finnish standards, and deceptively quick, impressively out-pacing fellow Ducati new-boy Nicky Hayden in the winter
- Reticent personality means he'll let his results do the talking - wonder where we've heard that before?
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#46 Valentino Rossi |
Yamaha |
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Starts: 150 Wins: 71 Titles: 6 Poles: 41
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- Already a six-time MotoGP champion, Rossi got inside arch-rival Stoner's head at Laguna last year and that counts for a lot
- Somehow injured his foot while putting up curtains during the winter
- Always in the ball park even when he isn't the fastest
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#52 James Toseland |
Tech 3 Yamaha |
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Starts: 18 Wins: 0 Poles: 0
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- Second season in the MotoGP so now knows the circuits and the vibe
- Had some tremendous, hard-fought, races in the midfield last year, earning plaudits from hard riders like Capirossi
- Started 2009 literally on the wrong foot after a massive, metatarsal-breaking, high-side...
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#59 Sete Gibernau |
Francisco Hernando Ducati |
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Starts: 153 Wins: 9 Poles: 13
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- One of the 990cc greats, the only man to consistently challenge Rossi
- Lack of a world title still smarts and he can still ride but might need rain to shine on a satellite Ducati
- Work on Hernando's £4.7b property development recently stopped, but at least the team paid for bikes up front
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#65 Loris Capirossi |
Suzuki |
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Starts: 169 Wins: 9 Poles: 13
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- Will he ever stop? Amazing to think that he won his first race and 125cc world title back in 1990
- Was very quick in the recent Qatar test, proving that the Suzuki bike is stronger than last year and will be up there fighting as always
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#69 Nicky Hayden |
Ducati |
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Starts: 98 Wins: 3 Poles: 5 Titles: 1
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- Walks six inches taller after escaping the negative atmosphere of Honda
- Will be stung by lack of test mileage and needs more time on the Ducati
- His slang and humour is lost on the Italian mechanics and could lead to communication problems
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#72 Yuki Takahashi |
Scot Honda |
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Rookie 5th in 250cc in 2008
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- 250cc midfielder satisfying Honda's need for a Japanese rider
- Was the best Japanese on a Honda in 250cc after Hiroshi Aoyama left for KTM some years ago, but not going to set the world on fire
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#88 Niccolo Canepa |
Pramac Ducati |
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Rookie Ducati test rider in 2008
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- Well educated and measured rookie stepping up from Ducati test role
- Has a great deal of experience from Superstocks and some Superbike rides, plus many km around Mugello for Ducati
- Can he be quick enough? Probably, but not in this team
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#99 Jorge Lorenzo |
Yamaha |
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Starts: 17 Wins: 1 Poles: 4
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- Stunningly fast, one of the biggest talents of his generation. Can he be quick enough to become a thorn in Rossi's side as Criville was to Doohan?
- Switching from Michelin to Bridgestone could be a difficult step but there seems to be an open flow of information from Rossi
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