So here is my preview of the upcoming 2019 Moto2 season, I have a few predictions in the comments section. I did a Moto3 preview for anyone who is interested. Like last year, this class is really open. There are a bunch of guys who can be championship contenders and more than half of the grid has potential to end up on the podium. I'd love to hear your predictions below or if you got a problem with what I'm saying.
- Kiefer Racing
- Lucas Tulociv (18)
- This young German steps up after riding in CEV Moto2, where he finished 8th. In his two wildcards last season, he was at the back. Things seemed to have gone downhill after Steffan Kiefer died, it could be a rough year for the German team.
- Lucas Tulociv (18)
- NTS RW Racing GP
- Steven Odendaal (25)
- The 2016 CEV Moto2 champ moved up when NTS decided to make the jump out of CEV. It was a struggle last year for the whole team, if the bike improves they should expect to get a few more points.
- Bo Bendsnyder (19)
- The former Red Bull Rookies Cup winner had an atrocious 2018, scoring 2 points to his teammates 40. To make it worse, he had gruesome injury to end the year when his engine exploded. He had to do a bit of crowdfunding before landing at the Dutch team.
- Steven Odendaal (25)
- Italitrans Racing Team
- Andrea Locatelli (22)
- Locatelli remains while Pasini gets the boot. He's now the veteran rider and will have to improve. 15th wont cut it next year. The problem with Loca is that he has never put together a strong and complete season, he finished 9th in his last season in Moto3.
- Enea Bastianini (21)
- Bastia's 24 podiums in Moto3 was the most of all time, but a championship eluded him. It will be interesting to see where he finishes compared to his teammate, who had a worse Moto3 record.
- Andrea Locatelli (22)
- Pons HP40 Team
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (22)
- The lanky Italian had the best year of his career in 2018, standing on the podium 5 times. He watched as his roommate, Pecco Bagnaia, win the title last season. Next year can be his turn.
- Agusto Fernandez (21)
- Fernandez was the midseason replacement for Hector Barbera and preformed well. He barely missed out on a podium, but did more than enough to secure the ride for 2019.
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (22)
- Speed Up Racing
- Jorge Navaro (23)
- Navarro came into Moto2 with a great Moto3 career, but things never clicked withe the Gresini squad. Speed Up was a lifeline for Quartararo and Navaro will be looking to repeat that. Hopefully things dont go the Danny Kent route.
- Fabi Di Giannantonio (20)
- His court case with Gresini left him with few options when it was resolved. He's a great pick up for Speed Up. He was the Moto3 runner up in 2018 and was one of the tallest riders on the grid. If the bike is good he can preform.
- Jorge Navaro (23)
- Sky Racing Team VR46
- Luca Marini (21)
- Rossi's brother had his breakout year in 2018 and should be considered a challenger for the title in 2019. He's going to be facing a lot of pressure next season, be he seems to have handled it well and should have the right tools.
- Nicolo Bulega (19)
- After a great rookie season in Moto3, Bulega was never able to replicate that year again. Many people suggest his size, he was the largest rider in Moto3, but that excuse is gone now. Very curious to see what Bulega can do on a properly fitting bike.
- Luca Marini (21)
- Dynavolt Intact GP
- Thomas Luthi (32)
- Luthi's short sting in MotoGp is over and he's back where he belongs. Luthi lands at the Intact team, which is coming off a great season. It seems like Luthi brings money, which can be huge for the team taking the next step. He could compete for wins as soon as Qatar.
- Marcel Schrotter (26)
- The German landed his first podium and put together a very strong 2018 season. He was at the fighting at the front for most of the season. We'll be seeing more of him on the podium and maybe he can get his first victory.
- Thomas Luthi (32)
- American Racing Team
- Joe Roberts (21)
- The American had a frustrating 2018 but improved towards the end and ended up with more points than his teammate. He moves away from the NTS to a KTM. He brings with him some investment, his manager took over the team. He should be expecting to be fighting for the points regularly.
- Iker Lecuona (19)
- Lecuona was quietly putting together a great season until he capped it off with a podium in Valencia. The team was rumored to have had money problems during the season and missed out on a few upgrades. Lecuona could certainly add to his podium total.
- Joe Roberts (21)
- Angel Nieto Team
- Xavi Cardelus (20)
- The Andorran moves to the grid full time after making 12 replacement and wildcard rides last season, which were scoreless. The Aspar team is no joke, they have a long history in the sport and a strong shop, it must have cost a pretty penny for the ride.
- Jake Dixon (23)
- The Englishman makes a bold decision to try and advance his career. He was runner up in BSB last season, but knows that if you want to get to MotoGP, Moto2 is the best shot. Really looking forward to what he car produce.
- Xavi Cardelus (20)
- IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
- Dimas Ekky Pratama (26)
- The Indonesian comes in with a few wildcards to his name and a podium in CEV Moto2. He is here because of his passport so expectations arent high.
- Somiat Chantra (20)
- Chantra had a great wildcard in Moto3 in Thailand, finishing 9th. He also came in 9th in CEV Moto3 last year. He moves up to Moto2 because of his passport, maybe he can show something in the Asian rounds.
- Dimas Ekky Pratama (26)
- Federal Oil Gresini Moto2
- Same Lowes (28)
- Lowes' stint in MotoGp was a bust and his comeback was not he was expecting. A reunion with the Gresini team could bring back that results that we saw from the Brit before he moved up.
- Same Lowes (28)
- Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
- Simone Corsi (31)
- Corsi has been racing in the class since 2010 and has a few podiums to his name. But his results have been slipping for the past few seasons and he's been far away from the podium. Given his age, he needs to preform. Pasini got better results and still got dropped.
- Simone Corsi (31)
- Red Bull KTM Ajo
- Brad Binder (23)
- The 2016 Moto3 champion has been doing incredibly well since he moved up to Moto2. His main competition has left, he has the best record of anyone in the class. But he's gotten off slow the last 2 years, if he does that it could really hurt his title run.
- Jorge Martin (21)
- The 2018 Moto3 champion moves to the factory KTM and looks to continue where he left off. Martin is fast, he's a monster on Saturdays and has left everyone in the dust from pole a few times. Expect him to continue to qualify well and maybe compete for a win.
- Brad Binder (23)
- SAG Team
- Tetsuta Nagashima (26)
- The Japanese rider returns to the SAG Team after being part of the Honda Team Asia project. He nearly doubled his point total from 2017, hopefully he keeps improving.
- Remy Gardner (20)
- The son of the Australian legend put together a great 2019 on a questionable bike, while also breaking both of his legs during the season. He deserved another year at Tech3, but clearly KTM has plans. He scored points at almost every race last year and narrowly missed out on a podium, hopefully he keeps it up.
- Tetsuta Nagashima (26)
- Forward Racing
- Stefano Mani (19)
- The VR46 Academy member has had a pretty terrible Moto2 career so far. He was easily beaten by his teammate at the VR46 team in 2017 and only had 2 point scoring finishes last year but 9 retirements. With MV Agusta backing the team, Manzi will really have to step up this year if he wants to stay.
- Dominique Aegerter (28)
- The Swiss veteran had to bring some funds to the table to get a ride in 2019. Given the right hardware, Aagerter has shown that he can end up on the podium. If he plays his cards right this year and is the clear #1, he could buy more time in Moto2.
- Stefano Mani (19)
- Red Bull KTM Tech3
- Phillip Ottl (22)
- The German rider capitalized on his victory in Jerez and signed pretty early in the season. Overall his 2018 was unimpressive, finishing 16th. What always held Tech3's Moto2 team back was that they were making the bike themselves. Being on KTM's turns Tech3 into one of the better teams on the grid. Ottl is lucky to have this ride.
- Marco Bezzecchi (20)
- Bezzecchi put up a great Moto3 title fight in 2019 but ended up short. He came out of nowhere last year but doesnt get that luxury next year, people expect results out of him. He's on a great track to succeed though, being part of the KTM ladder, and he has a beatable teammate. Bezzecchi could put together a solid year.
- Phillip Ottl (22)
- EG 0,0 Marc VDS
- Alex Marquez (22)
- Opinions vary on the younger Marquez. People claim that he's overrated, but he gets results. He's on the podium plenty of times and competes most of the other time. But this is the exact same thing we said about him last year and he finished in the same place. The question of the Moto2 season is definitely "is Alex Marquez going to take the next step?"
- Xavi Vierge (21)
- The Catalan cashed out on his great 2018 by moving to arguably the best team on the grid. Marc VDS has been competitive every year and Vierge is probably hoping that 2019 is his year. Another complete season and he could be champion or on his way up to MotoGP.
- Alex Marquez (22)
- Petronas Sprinta Racing
- Khairul Idham Pawi (20)
- In his 3 years in the World Championship, 2 of Pawi's 8 point scoring finishes have been wins. Without the rain he's nothing. Apparently, the Petronas Team plans to invest more into the lower classes and have told Pawi that if he preforms well, he could be in line for a MotoGP seat. I wouldnt count on it.
- Khairul Idham Pawi (20)
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