MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix 2015: Race Schedule, Live Stream and Top Riders

Championship leader Valentino Rossi will be hopeful of extending his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings this weekend on home soil, as the Yamaha man looks to make it back-to-back wins at the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Italian rider raced to victory at Silverstone last time out to put some daylight between himself and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, but there is still plenty at stake heading to Misano, with just 12 points separating the two Yamahas. Marc Marquez’s error at the British Grand Prix looks to have ruled out his chances of retaining the world title; the Honda man trails Rossi by 77 points.

Here’s a look ahead to one of the most absorbing races on the MotoGP calendar, some key viewing details and a rundown of the two men chasing world championship glory.

Date	Time	Event
Friday, Sept. 11	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Sept. 11	1:05 p.m - 1:50 p.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Sept. 12	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Sept. 12	12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Sept. 12	1:10 p.m. - 1:25 p.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Sept. 12	1:35 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Race

Action can be streamed via the BT Sport website.

Jorge Lorenzo

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

The Spaniard’s win at Brno moved him level on points with Rossi going into Silverstone, but Lorenzo was unable to take advantage of a superior grid position on the day and eventually finished the race in a disappointing fourth place.

Now, the challenge will be to bounce back and reel in a rider who has incomparable experience to call upon. Perhaps that's why Lorenzo has been in a pensive mood this week, tweeting a quotation from legendary boxer Muhammad Ali:

But it’s what he does out on the track that will ultimately determine whether or not the Yamaha man can become a three-time MotoGP world champion. Indeed, on race days, his team-mate has had an edge over Lorenzo, meaning the Spaniard hasn’t been able to convert his superior performances in qualifying into a more consistent set of results.

Lorenzo seems to be up for the fight, though, insisting he will relish the challenge of taking on Rossi in his own back yard, per Crash.net: "Now I'm focused on the race at Misano because it's a special track for us and for Yamaha. I know Valentino will feel good because it's his home Grand Prix, but in the past I've always been quite fast there and achieved several victories, so let's see what happens."

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Expect another strong performance from Lorenzo, who has won on three of his last four visits to Misano. As such, the Yamaha man should be imperious in qualifying once again, but he will fall short of glory when the chequered flag is waved on Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Runner-Up

Valentino Rossi

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

As is often the case at Misano, expect plenty of Italians to make the trip to San Marino to lend their backing to Rossi, whose home town of Tavullia is located close to the track. The world championship leader has been in wonderful form on Sundays this season, compensating for poor qualifying performances with wily drives when the lights go out.

Silverstone was a prime example of that. In a frantic start, Rossi kept his cool to manoeuvre his way to the front of the field and maintained focus in changeable conditions while others, like Marquez, showed their inexperience.

Here’s a look at the highlights from that virtuoso Rossi performance, per BT Sport MotoGP:

The man known as the “the Doctor” has been unerringly consistent so far this season. Rossi, despite being way down the grid on occasions, has been on the podium at the end of every single Grand Prix. As noted by MotoGP statistician Martin Raines, that’s 16 in a row now for the Italian, and he’s getting close to his all-time record:

There are few more fervent backers anywhere in motorsport than the fanatics who pack out Misano, and they’ll want to see Rossi take another substantial step toward the title. With Lorenzo strong at this circuit and Marquez looking close to his best again, it’s certainly not going to be an easy feat.

But there’s an aura about the veteran rider at the moment. Of all the men on the grid, you’d trust Rossi the most with a 12-point lead.

At a venue where he has tasted victory on three separate occasions so far in his MotoGP career, expect another Sunday masterclass from the 36-year-old superstar.

Prediction: Winner