Moto2; Who could make the step to MotoGP for 2021?
The 2020 Moto2 field is absolutely stacked to the rafters with talent, with riders chomping at the bit to get their shot in MotoGP for next year.
Fabio Quartararo has proven you do not always need major Moto2 success to be a fantastic MotoGP rider, blowing everyone’s collective minds in 2019 after graduating as a single race winner in the Moto2 class to end up top rookie and pretty much became a podium fixture alongside Marc Marquez in the second half of the season. As it stands, there are 3 rides free in the MotoGP class for 2021, with two being factory rides at Ducati and Aprilia respectively, as well as at Pramac Ducati and all are good seats. There are realistically 5 riders who could step up and impress straight away, and two huge talents that could come with risk. We’ll look at them in short here.
Who – Luca Marini.
Why – He’s been winning since 2019 in Moto2 aboard the VR46 Sky Racing machines, ending the season with 3 wins and has already taken a win in 2020, as well as a 2nd place in 3 races. Part of the VR46 riders academy, he has the connections to make the step up and the talent to back it up. You don’t get to be at the top without serious talent, and has been talked about as a top-level rider in waiting for years.
Who – Jorge Martin.
Why – He’s already a World Champion, having taken the title on a Gresini Moto3 Honda in 2018. He made the step up and the adaptation was hard, but by the end of the year he was taking podiums aboard a flawed KTM chassis, and has moved to a Kalex with the Ajo squad for this year and was immediately on the pace, taking 2nd at Qatar and being a fixture in the top 8 at both Jerez races. He’s only had a season in Moto2 and looks like he’s been there for years.
Who – Lorenzo Baldassari.
Why – Baldassari has really come of age since 2018 at Jerez when he took his first win aboard the Pons team. He then exploded out the blocks in the Triumph era, taking wins and podiums with ease before the tyre profile change knocked him for six. It feels like he’s built for a big bike with his size and style, and Pramac would be an ideal relationship for him.
Who – Marco Bezzecchi.
Why – Marini’s stablemate at the VR46 Sky Racing squad and in the Riders Academy has been in Moto2 since he came up in 2019, and was another victim of a rookie season on a flawed KTM on the Tech 3 squad. On paper he looked unremarkable, with 23rd place and 17th points scored. That doesn’t tell the whole story, as you saw flashes of utter brilliance on the machine without the results showing. He came to Qatar and was brilliant on the Kalex machine from the off, and so far has taken a podium at the Andalucia GP despite breaking his ankle previous to Jerez. Bezzecchi has been tipped by many as the true heir to Valentino Rossi, and he seems closest to his boss in talent, style and personality. Who wouldn’t want someone with those credentials?
Who – Enea Bastianini.
Why- He is now a bona fide Moto2 race winner after the Andalucia GP, following on from his Qatar podium. The Qatar podium was amazingly only his second in the class, after his single appearance in 2019 at Brno. He seems to have stepped up his game for 2020, and at the time of writing lies 2nd in the world standing. Packed with talent, yet always flying under the radar, you could easily see ‘Bestia’ in the upper echelons of the big class.
Who – Aron Canet.
Why- It is more a case of why not for Canet. He is extremely raw, a total rookie to Moto2 and does things in his own way. Yet all this pales into insignificance when you realise he is currently the 4th best Moto2 rider in the world on paper, and blowing everyone’s minds with how good he is on the Aspar team Speed Up. He can clash with people massively, meaning he would be a huge risk, but an asset to any team if he can realise his talent.
Who – Stefano Manzi.
Why- Manzi would be a hugely left-field choice, but something has clicked this year for the much-maligned Forward Racing rider. As a rider with a reputation for crashing that has been cultivated over 4 years in the Moto2 class, it was only towards the end of 2019 that we saw what the VR46 Academy rider could do, and he took the still new MV Agusta chassis to within a whisker of a podium in its first year, something not many chassis’ could achieve. The results have been steady in 2020 with a 15th, 11th and a 9th, but the improvement each race and finishing each time shows the corner he has turned. He is an exciting rider with a very extreme style, and could very easily be an uncovered gem on the right bike, but could also be seen as a massive risk.
Featured image- www.motogp.com
