Submitted by David Emmett on
Last but not least of the entry lists released by the FIM today is the 125cc class. Few surprises here either, but certainly a few names of note. Perhaps the most remarkable name on the list is not that of a rider, but of a bike. The vaunted Italian marque Lambretta is on the grid, fielding a two-rider team. For those over the age of about 40, Lambretta is forever associated with scooters rather than racing motorcycles, in part as a result of popular culture and the film Quadrophenia. But the Lambretta team is actually the remnants of the old Loncin team, the Chinese manufacturer of commuter bikes having pulled out at the end of last season. It is unlikely that the Lambretta team will be racing with vast numbers of lights and mirrors attached to the fairing.
The championship promises to be very close, probably closer than last year, despite the departure of Julian Simon. Though Bancaja Aspar's Bradley Smith is the red hot favorite to win the class, he will have some pretty tough competition. Pol Espargaro has grown in maturity over the past year, and is sure to win at least a couple of races; Marc Marquez has blossomed into a fully-fledged championship-level rider; and both Sandro Cortese and Nico Terol will be a factor. Danny Webb will hope that his switch to the WRB Jack&Jones team will pay dividends, while the two men who dominated the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Jakub Kornfeil and Sturla Fagerhaug, are likely to learn quickly. They have Jonas Folger's example to follow, who showed flashes of genius in 2009 and will hope to convert that into becoming a front runner for 2010.
Provisional 2010 125cc Rider Lineup
No. | Rider | Nationality | Team | Bike |
5 | ALEXIS MASBOU | FRA | WORLDWIDERACE TEAM | APRILIA |
7 | EFREN VAZQUEZ | SPA | BAINET DERBI | DERBI |
9 | MUHAMMAD ZULFAHMI | MAL | EMPOWERMENT WORLDWIDERACE TEAM | APRILIA |
11 | SANDRO CORTESE | GER | RED BULL AJO MOTORSPORT | DERBI |
12 | ESTEVE RABAT | SPA | BQR RACING | APRILIA |
14 | JOHANN ZARCO | FRA | WTR SAN MARINO TEAM | APRILIA |
18 | NICOLAS TEROL | SPA | BANCAJA ASPAR TEAM | APRILIA |
23 | ALBERTO MONCAYO | SPA | ANDALUCIA CAJASOL | APRILIA |
24 | SIMONE CORSI | ITA | FONTANA RACING | APRILIA |
26 | ADRIAN MARTIN | SPA | TEAM WRB | APRILIA |
32 | LORENZO SAVADORI | ITA | MATTEONI C.P. RACING | APRILIA |
35 | RANDY KRUMMENACHER | SWI | MOLENAAR RACING | APRILIA |
38 | BRADLEY SMITH | GBR | BANCAJA ASPAR TEAM | APRILIA |
39 | LUIS SALOM | SPA | LAMBRETTA REPARTO CORSE | LAMBRETTA |
44 | POL ESPARGARO | SPA | BAINET DERBI | DERBI |
50 | STURLA FAGERHAUG | NOR | EMPOWERMENT WORLDWIDERACE TEAM | APRILIA |
69 | LOUIS ROSSI | FRA | CBC CORSE | APRILIA |
71 | TOMOYOSHI KOYAMA | JAP | RACING TEAM GERMANY | HONDA |
72 | MARCO RAVAIOLI | ITA | LAMBRETTA REPARTO CORSE | LAMBRETTA |
78 | MARCEL SCHROTTER | GER | INTERWETTEN RACING | HONDA |
80 | QUENTIN JACQUET | FRA | MOLENAAR RACING | APRILIA |
84 | JAKUB KORNFEIL | CZE | RACING TEAM GERMANY | HONDA |
87 | LUCA MARCONI | ITA | WORLDWIDERACE TEAM | APRILIA |
93 | MARC MARQUEZ | SPA | RED BULL AJO MOTORSPORT | DERBI |
94 | JONAS FOLGER | GER | WORLDWIDERACE TEAM | APRILIA |
99 | DANNY WEBB | GBR | TEAM WRB | APRILIA |
TBA | TO BE ANNOUNCED | TBA | CBC CORSE | APRILIA |
Comments
Favorites for the title
Favorites for the title:
Smith
Terol
Espargaro
Corsi
Marquez
Lambretta
Jokes aside, I really do hope this means these guys will be racing some vintage scoots in the pack. That would be a team I could support. Best wishes to Marco and Luis.