MotoGP | Thailand GP: The 'unexplored' land of Buriram. Dates, times and info

MotoGP GP Thailand Preview – The European MotoGP season ended with the Aragon GP before the grand finale in Valencia. Now we're off to Asia for the first stage of the four away from the old continent, the next race will be at the Buriram circuit for the Thai Grand Prix.

The track of the fifteenth round of the 2018 MotoGP is a 'new' structure. The MotoGP teams have already carried out three days of testing on this track during the winter break, but things have changed since then.

In the tests the fastest was Dani Pedrosa, but the Sabadell rider seems to have lost motivation and feeling with the bike after announcing his retirement. The Aragon GP, ​​which ended in fifth place, could be a new beginning and, perhaps, the first victory could arrive at Buriram.

The Honda rider will have to deal with many riders who could make his life difficult, above all, his teammate, Marc Marquez, is without a shadow of a doubt the main candidate for victory. His triumph would almost certainly lead him to play his first match ball for the world championship at the Japanese GP.

Don't underestimate the speed of the Ducatis. The Red has proven to be a highly competitive bike and the layout of the Thailand track could highlight the GP18's strong points. Andrea Dovizioso will try in every way to take the victory after seeing it slip away in Aragon, while Jorge Lorenzo, after the fall at the first corner at the last GP, will try in every way to make up for it. The Majorcan is not yet fully recovered from the blow to his foot, but he will certainly do everything possible to be not only on the track, but also among the leaders.

The continent changes, but Yamaha's chances of competing for victory do not change. It's a new track, but the M1 demonstrated its difficulties once again in the Aragon GP. It will be tough for Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales to compete for the podium, perhaps it will even be tough to get into the top 5.

Info Thailand GP

As already mentioned, MotoGP has already lapped on the Buriram track during the winter tests. The track, designed by architect Hermann Tilke and opened in 2014, measures 4554 m and has 12 bends (5 left and 7 right). The layout is very similar to that of the Spielberg circuit in Austria, with two long straights 'joined' by a tight bend and a more tortuous second part of the track. Obviously there are no circuit records, as far as MotoGP is concerned, as a reference we will take the best time recorded by Dani Pedrosa during the winter tests when he stopped the clock at 1:29.781.

Thailand GP Weather

The weather conditions in this part of the world are often very particular. A bit like Malaysia, thunderstorms can alternate with sunny spells very quickly. There is currently no rain reported for the Thailand GP weekend.

Thailand GP Times (Italian time)

Friday 14th October
FP1 Moto3 4.00pm-4.40pm
FP1 MotoGP 4.55pm-5.40pm
FP1 Moto2 5.55pm-6.40pm
FP2 Moto3 8.10pm-8.50pm
FP2 MotoGP 9.05pm-9.50pm
FP2 Moto2 10.05pm-10.50pm

Saturday October 6
FP3 Moto3 4.00pm-4.40pm
FP3 MotoGP 4.55pm-5.40pm
FP3 Moto2 5.55pm-6.40pm
Moto3 qualifying 7.35-8.15
FP4 MotoGP 8.30pm-9.00pm
Q1 MotoGP 9.10pm-9.25pm
Q2 MotoGP 9.35pm-9.50pm
Moto2 qualifying 10.05-10.50

Sunday October 7
Moto3 Warm Up 3.40pm-4.00pm
Moto2 Warm Up 4.10pm-4.30pm
Warm Up MotoGP 4.40-5.00
Moto3 race 6.00
Moto2 race 7.20
MotoGP race 9.00

Where to see the Thai GP

All sessions will be live on the Sky Sport MotoGP channel, and will be streamed on the SkyGo and NowTv platforms. TV8 will broadcast Saturday's qualifying sessions deferred starting from 14.00pm.

Races on Sunday at the following times:
Moto3 11.00 am
Moto2 12.15 am
MotoGP at 14.00pm