After the first round of the 2016 MotoGP season it’s time to release the first Overtake Motorsport Power Rankings of the season!
1. Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | —
Lorenzo dominated the season opener, which validated a pre-season of superb testing for the defending champion. His pace throughout the weekend on the Yamaha means Lorenzo stays at the No. 1 spot.
2. Marc Marquez | Honda | +1
Despite having a lesser machine in the Honda, Marquez was able to drag the bike to a podium finish. It’s only a matter of time until Honda figure out their ECU issues and then what can Marquez do? He moves up one spot in the rankings.
3. Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | -1
Valentino showed us last year that patience and consistency is as important as outright speed. He drops a spot because of Marquez’s performance on a lesser bike but remains in the top three because of the Yamaha.
4. Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | +3
The Ducatis are fast. Watching Dovi swamp Lorenzo on the straight and cover his pace for most of the race should be a precursor of things to come. He stayed on the bike unlike Iannone and therefore moves up three spots in the rankings.
5. Maverick Vinales | Suzuki | —
The Suzuki was the surprise of the pre-season, and Vinales outrode his teammate all throughout testing as well as in Qatar. The young Spaniard proved the Suzuki bike can be a challenger in the season. He remains No. 5.
6. Dani Pedrosa | Honda | -2
On a day where Marquez showed where the Honda could be, Dani showed us where it ought to be. Great riders outride the bike, Dani couldn’t quite manage the job. He drops two spots.
7. Andrea Iannone | Ducati | -2
He had the speed for the first 6 laps to match Lorenzo and his teammate, a costly error saw the Italian crash and therefore ruin his chance at a podium. The cardinal rule remains: Stay on the bike. Iannone falls to No. 7, down two positions.
8. Bradley Smith | Tech 3 Yamaha | —
He announced his signing to KTM and then followed it up by scoring points in his 25th consecutive race. His riding continues to impress, and although he was beaten by his teammate in Qatar he remains 8th.
9. Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | —
He qualified 10th, crashed out in Qatar but the one bike team of LCR Honda have more in the bank than that. He remains 9th in the rankings assuming his performance in Qatar was an early season fluke.
10th. Hector Barbara | Avintia Racing | New Entry
Hector managed to out qualify and outrace his teammate in Loris Baz by such a wide margin that he deserves the worst of the best 10th spot. The Avintia team knows it won’t compete beyond the tier of Pramac and Aprilla, but Barbara’s performance is as much a feel-good performance as they’re going to get.
