Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp is ready to duke it out at the penultimate round of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship under the floodlights of the Lusail International Circuit this weekend. Riders Manuel Gonzales and Kohta Nozane both have some experience there and are determined to push.
Gonzalez had a strong start to the Malaysian GP and was fancying his chances, but a collision heading into Turn 2 on the very first lap ended his podium challenge. Though understandably disappointed, the Spaniard is ready to regroup and try again at the Lusail circuit, which is another one of his favourites. Manugasss is also a fan of riding under the floodlights, so he is fully motivated to get a good result this weekend.
Nozane knows the Lusail track from previous testing commitments but is yet to gain race experience in Doha. He is keen to start riding during the golden hour and is hoping to bounce back from the NC score in Sepang last weekend by getting a solid result at the Qatar GP.
Built on the outskirts of Doha, the Lusail International Circuit was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2004 and became the first and only circuit in MotoGP to host a night-time Grand Prix four years later. The track‘s flowing midsection and its mix of medium and high-speed corners (six left and ten right) add to the exciting racing. However, the track is best known for its iconic over a kilometre long main straight followed by a steep first corner – a combination that offers plenty of overtaking opportunities.
As the Grand Prix of Qatar is a night race, the schedule for the upcoming race weekend slightly differs from the usual. Moto2‘s Friday P1 session will be held from 14:50 - 15:30 local track time (GMT +3) followed by P2 from 19:05 - 19:45. On Saturday, P3 will take place from 14:15 - 14:45 and the qualifying sessions from 18:45 - 19:25. On Sunday, the race starts at 18:15.
