MotoGP Grand Prix of San Marino 2016: Key Battles, Predictions for Race

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi will hope a partisan crowd can push him on to cut further into the Championship lead when the MotoGP season rolls into his home track for the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider could only trim three points off Marc Marquez's lead with his third-place finish at the British Grand Prix last time out but should be positive about his chances of topping the podium at the Misano World Circuit, where he won two years ago.

MotoGP's Twitter account offered up some statistics ahead of the race, which show Rossi's Yamaha team have claimed the most victories at Misano since the Grand Prix series returned to the track in 2007:

Marquez finished fourth at Silverstone to see his lead at the top of the standings reduced to 50 points. The Spaniard, of Repsol Honda, will again be the man to beat and can have confidence because of his decent record at the San Marino Grand Prix, having won there in 2015.

Here is a closer look at the battles we might see in Round 13 of 18.

Key Battles

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

At San Marino in 2015, over 90,000 fans watched Rossi endure a frustrating time in a rain-affected race that saw him come home in fifth. Marquez took the chequered flag that day.

The bad weather caught out Italian legend, and he paid for being the last rider to switch back to slicks after the rain stopped.

However, speaking to MotoGP's official website, Rossi said he was looking forward to his homecoming:

"

Misano will be the most special weekend of the season, because Misano is "my race", it's my home. Usually we are quite good there, so we hope to be competitive. There will be a great atmosphere: a lot of fans, a lot of people around and also a lot of pressure, so we have to try to give 20 [per cent] more than the maximum!

"

Marquez has looked the part all season, and Rossi will have to hope the Spanish star has an off day to make any real inroad into overhauling the deficit between the pair with just six races of the 2016 calendar remaining.

Indeed, the 23-year-old's victory last year was his first in MotoGP class at Misano, so the form book is not in Rossi's favour, and it will take a vintage display from the Italian if he is to beat Marquez on Sunday.

Away from the big two, Maverick Vinales came of age at Silverstone with his debut MotoGP win, taking victory, and intrigue will surround the youngster to see whether he can continue that form at Misano.

Delighted with his success, Vinales posted an image via Twitter of Rossi embracing him:

At just 21, Vinales demonstrated experience beyond his years to hold off the challenge of LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow for a win that ensured the rest of the field now knows all about his talent.

The Spanish Suzuki rider is 21 points behind defending MotoGP champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo in the race for third, and their matchup could be as entertaining and gripping as the one between Marquez and Rossi.

Lorenzo should have the edge, however, and has good pedigree at Misano. Despite crashing out spectacularly last year, he has triumphed in this race three times.

British hopes will rest on the in-form Crutchlow, who has gained more points than anyone over the last four races but isn’t sure how.

"I have no idea why," Crutchlow said, per Mitchell Adam of Autosport. "I feel good on the bike, I am able to push, I know my limit was always better than what I showed at the start of the year."

For the most part, the key clash at Misano looks to be between Marquez and Rossi. The Italian will need at least a top-two finish and his rival to falter badly to have any hope of recording a 10th world title this year. If that happens, fans should get set for a fantastic run-in.

However, as noted by Mat Oxley of Motor Sport Magazine, seven different riders have won the last seven races. That trend is unlikely to continue on Sunday, when Marquez should prove strong enough to maintain what is already a healthy lead in the title race.