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Opening the season with a sensational final lap performance, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) beat Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to the line at the Losail International Circuit by just 0.027s, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the podium.

Frenchman Zarco shot off pole position to take the lead into the first corner under the floodlights of Qatar, but there was nothing to split the top ten riders in the opening laps, and it looked as if any one of them could fight for the victory throughout the 22-lap thriller. With fastest laps flying in on each lap, Zarco was still able to keep hold of the lead despite facing some tense competition.

With big battles taking place behind him, the French rider kept calm at the front whilst Rossi made his way through the field to get into podium fighting positions by the third lap, hunting down his fellow Yamaha in the lead. Marquez was never far away from the fight, sitting in the top five as soon as the lights went out. As ten laps had been completed riders were getting into a rhythm, but you could sense action was on the horizon.

Silent assassin Dovizioso moved up to third position on lap 11 as he spent the start of the race working through the field, passing his countryman Rossi who slipped back to the riders fighting for fifth. A clear battled had now developed for the podium, with Dovizioso and Marquez closing in on Zarco and they were able to make their move on the 18th lap, with Zarco losing two positions into the opening corner - as Dovizisoso took the lead.

The action was not over there, with Dovizioso and Marquez pushing themselves to the final corner of the final lap – taking no prisoners. Reigning world champion Marquez made his move through turn 15 but he was unable to make it stick, and Dovizoso led into the final corner meaning he was able to slingshot his Desmosedici over the line, 0.027s ahead.

In a similar display to the Austrian and Japanese GP’s of 2017, the duo fought to the very end, but it was Dovizoso who took the first honors of 2018, the Italian now heads to Argentina as MotoGP Championship leader.

Behind the duo, Rossi fought off his rivals to secure a safe third position ahead of top independent rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL), whilst Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) made some strong moves on the closing laps to complete the top five.

Comeback king Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) crossed the line in sixth, after being down in 14th on the opening lap. Making his 200th start in the premier-class, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took seventh position, ahead of early race leader Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), crossing the line in eighth. Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had a lonely Qatar GP in ninth position, ahead of Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) who completed the top ten in his first race for his new team.

Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) opened the season in 11th, ahead of top rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who crossed the line in the top 12, as Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) salvaged three points from a tough weekend in 13th. Making his MotoGP™ debut, Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took a top 14 finish, ahead of Karel Abraham (Angel Nieto Team) who takes home the final point from Qatar in 15th.

It was a bad start to the season for Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who crashed out of the top six fight on the 13th lap at turn two, whilst Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) had a start to 2018 to forget and the Spaniard crashed out on the same lap – at turn 16. Pol Esparagaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) retired from the race on the 15th lap, with work to do before Argentina.

The paddock will now pack up and head to Argentina from 6th – 8th April for the second round of what is set to be a phenomenal MotoGP season.

Moto2

Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) took a sensational maiden victory in the Grand Prix of Qatar, beating his compatriot Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) to the line as the victory was decided on the final lap under the floodlights. The 2017 rookie of the year secured his team’s debut victory in the class and began his season in the best possible way, as Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) rounded out the podium.

Getting a strong start off the line as the lights went out, Bagnaia took the lead into the first corner with the sun still in the sky, as pole position man Marquez had a slight moment with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in the run up to the opening corner. But it was the Italians making a break in the opening lap, with Bagnaia and Baldassari leading the way ahead of Marquez, who quickly recovered from the wobble.

Setting the pace in the opening laps of 20, the SKY Racing Team VR46 rider began to pull out a lead around the Losail International Circuit with Baldassari and Marquez chasing him down. The 32 riders kept the fight close with day turning to night throughout the first Moto2 fight of the season. But they soon fell into a rhythm, with Bagnaia taking control of the race and leading the way ahead of the duo, and excitement filled the field as a group of five riders developed into a battle fourth.

Marquez fell into problems as he was close to overtaking the Pons HP40 bike for second, running off track through turn one of lap 15, with his rear brake disc glowing under the night sky. However this was not an issue set to end his race early, and the 21 year old clung onto the final podium spot, holding off Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) who took fourth position.

Continuing to lead into the penultimate laps, Bagnaia was etching ever closer to securing his debut victory in Moto2, but Baldassari began to hunt down his compatriot in the lead and the fight was neck and neck on the final lap. Getting into the strongest possible position on the final lap, Italian Baldassari made his move into the penultimate corner and briefly took the lead however Bagnaia stole it straight back, holding his advantage following the long run to the line.

Oliveira finished in a distant top five, but was able to hold off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who secured sixth position overall after some tough battles throughout the race. Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) took eighth, beating his team-mate Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) by just 0.097 over the line. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) won his battle for ninth, ahead of Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) who rounded out the top ten.

Making a very credible debut in the Moto2 class, Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) moved up from 24th position on the grid to take a top 11 finish, ahead of Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) in 12th position. 13th went to Hector Barbera (Pons HP40), who crossed the line 0.007 behind Gardner, as Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) took 14th, and Dominique Aegerter (Keifer Racing) secured the final points scoring finish this weekend in Qatar.

There were just two riders to not meet the chequered flag in the Grand Prix of Qatar, and it was a bad day for Swiss Innovative Investors. Iker Lecuona parked his bike up on the 10th lap, whilst teammate Sam Lowes had a tough return, crashing out through turn 16.

Moto3

Taking his second ever Moto3 victory in scintillating style, Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took 25 points at the Grand Prix of Qatar as he waited four months to secure his first back-to-back victory. Holding his lean to the line, he was able to start the season in the best possible way, beating compatriot Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) who took home second.

As Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) started pole position for the fifth time of his career, it was Martin who stormed off the line and despite not getting the holeshot – which went to Antonelli – he took an early lead, and pulled a gap of over half a second in the opening four laps. However he wasn’t to be left alone for long, as the duo of Canet and Italian Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) soon caught the Spanish rider at the front.

A six-wheeled battle for the victory soon became four wheeled, as Bastianini witnessed opening round heartbreak crashing out of second position on the sixth lap, leaving Martin and Canet to lead the way by half a second. The Spanish duo spent the next 11 laps of 18 pulling out a gap on their rivals with two mature displays of race craft, to cross the line over six seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Martin seemed to take control of the race and secure the lead for the majority of the 18 laps, but Canet certainly hadn’t given up as he stayed on his tail until the closing laps. Coming down to the wire, Martin led over the line for the penultimate lap and began to open up a slight gap over his fellow Honda rider through the first sector. Ultimately Martin held his advantage, with a stunning corner speed through the all important turn 15, and he sealed the victory after a drag to the line, by just 0.023 ahead of Canet to take the first honors of 2018.

Third position and the final spot on the podium was a sensational battle, as five riders became nine and they began the battle under the sunny skies of Qatar in a bid to take the final trophy, swapping paint on each lap. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider), Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing), John Mcphee (CIP – Green Power) and Marco Bezzecchi (PruestlGP) were locked in the fight, with McPhee falling victim to the tight fight and crashed in the final lap.

As the riders hurtled around the 5.3km Losail International Circuit, it was Dalla Porta who secured his debut podium finish and was victor of the sensational battle. Taking third position by only 0.045s, it was a true test of slipstream over the line in Qatar for the Italian. Pole man Antonelli took fourth position, ahead of Argentinean and opening lap race leader Rodrigo in fifth. It was a stunning display from Di Giannantonio, as he zoomed up from 16th position on the grid to take a top six finish, whilst Toba took seventh position on the line.

Compatriot Sasaki was eighth in the opening race of the season, as Kornfeil took ninth and Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) rounded out the top ten. Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was a distant 11th position, ahead of Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) in 12th, Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) and Bezzecchi who rejoined the race following a final lap crash to take 14th. Spanish youngster Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) was the final points scorer in the first Moto3™ race of the season.

It was a difficult debut outing for Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing), as the duo were involved in a collision on the fourth lap and were unable to rejoin the Grand Prix of Qatar. Whilst Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) lost control of his KTM through turn two meaning the Italian also left Qatar with zero points scored. Rookie Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was another victim of turn six, crashing out on his debut.