MotoGP
FULL THROTTLE INTO A NEW ERA
The 2015 MotoGP™ season was nothing short of exciting with plenty of twists and turns and edge-of-your-seat moments. Breathtaking overtakes, superb saves and a fantastic finale in Valencia – the best riders in the world put on a blockbuster show.
Click above and relive the 2015 MotoGP™ season!
Though Valentino Rossi was in hot pursuit of the championship (and his tenth world title) for most of the season, in the end it was his Yamaha Motor Racing teammate Jorge Lorenzo who snuck by in the final race – the Spaniard’s third MotoGP™ title and fifth world title overall.
A dramatic title chase
Fans witnessed a fantastic fight throughout the season, though Rossi jumped out ahead with early wins in Qatar and Argentina and Lorenzo missed the first three podiums. Marc Márquez, who started the season as the defending riders' champion, was also in the mix with a win at Round 2 in Austin. He went head to head for victory against Rossi in Round 3. After that Lorenzo bounced back into the ring with four straight wins in Spain, France, Italy and Barcelona, putting himself back in contention. Rossi answered with a win at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. Though the season hadn’t reached the half way point, the race was most certainly on!
Round 16 in Australia was by far the season’s highlight – widely regarded as the best race in years – a contest that saw Márquez take a last-lap victory over Lorenzo. The epic show continued in Malaysia a week later. While Lorenzo raced to a second place finish, Rossi and Márquez traded places multiple times in a classic battle for third place that led to a touching incident that will be talked about for years.
Going into Valencia, Lorenzo had closed the gap to 7 points – and with his 7th win of the season he took the riders’ championship by five points. Bu the title was literally up for grabs down to the final seconds as Rossi piloted a near-perfect race from the back of the grid to 4th place.
A new era
Though the 2016 season of the MotoGP™ World Championship will begin as it has since 2008 – under the brilliant floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, the only night race on the calendar – a new stage has been set that many say will usher in a new era. That’s because 2016 brings the most radical regulation changes since MotoGP™ went to four-stroke engines in 2002.
2016 brings the most radical regulation changes since MotoGP™ went to four-stroke engines in 2002.
Beyond the switch to new tires – from Bridgestone to Michelin – the introduction of controlled software is what everyone is talking about. The spec ECU and software package look set to level the playing field and put more focus on the riders. These all-new challenges are sure to make this an incredible year.
So far reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo seems to be adapting to the new conditions the quickest, leading the pre-season tests in Sepang and Qatar. Though the Spaniard has yet to take back-to-back championships in the premier class, it’s clear that that’s precisely what he plans to do this year. Suzuki star Maverick Vinales also raised eyebrows with the fastest lap at Phillip Island. And after some initial debate about the tires, the riders appear increasingly confident, pushing harder at each test.
A race behind the race
2015 was also one heck of a ride for DHL –its inaugural season as Official Logistics Partner of MotoGP™. Behind the scenes we faced many twists and turns ourselves as we pushed to win the 2015 'race behind the race' – a complex global logistics operation to move some 350 tons of equipment to 18 races in 15 countries on five continents. But it was great fun to put our 30+ years of motorsports logistics experience to work for such a prestigious championship.
2015: 9 months, 18 races, 5 continents, 350 tons of material, 100,000+ kilometers travelled
Four cargo planes, 150 containers, up to 15 trucks, nearly 90,000 kilometers in the air and 15,000 on the road, that’s what it takes to deliver one of the biggest events in the world of motorsports – and the oldest World Championship of its kind.
A core team of around 30 DHL specialists ensures that this global project navigates the logistics race as smoothly as the riders on the track. There’s no room for error as the racing bikes, tires, spare parts, pit lane equipment and more have to be in the right place at the right time. It’s an enormous effort to coordinate the ten routes between races along with the local, on-site teams and select partners that support on Grand Prix weekends. The organization, coordination and monitoring of all logistics processes, as well as important additional services, such as sorting out customs formalities and the handling of sensitive goods, such as fuels or expensive small parts, are also part of what we do.
This year we’re also taking on the ‘paddock services’ for all races, which include transports for MotoGP™ suppliers, such as the tire, protective clothing or brake manufacturers.
After the race is before the race, and every hour counts.
Beyond the actual racing season, we’re also on board to provide logistics services for the winter tests, which took place this year in February and early March in Malaysia, Australia, Qatar and Spain. We transported all the equipment, which filled up an entire Boeing 747 or 777.
The stopwatch starts ticking ten days before the race with the stowage of the cargo in temperature controlled boxes or containers – depending on the requirements and time of year. Upon arrival at the destination airport, DHL monitors the local forwarding agents and ensures that everything finds its way to the right pits, garages, and service locations. Once the race is over, the crew takes everything out of the pit lane and packs all the equipment up again within 36 hours from Sunday to Monday. Our team always travels to the next circuit with the cargo, because as they say: “after the race is before the race, and every hour counts.”
2015 in numbers:
- 9 months
- 18 races
- 5 continents
- 54 teams
- 90 riders
- 2.7+ million spectators
- 330 tons of material
- 83,000 km by air
- 4 jumbo 747 freighters
- 15,000 km by road
- 188 trucks
- 1,580 organization staff
- 1,707 team staff
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