Mir eyes win as Motogp finale bids farewell to big boys

PORTIMAO: With Joan Mir’s World Championship already secured, the focus would also be on some emotional farewells in the Algarve. Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi will be bringing the curtain down on his 15-year factory Yamaha Motogp career in the final race of the season in Portugal on Sunday.

Andrea Dovizioso heads off for a planned sabbatical and Cal Crutchlow exits the series to become a test rider for Yamaha next year.

Pol Espargaro, Jack Miller, Johann Zarco and Danilo Petrucci are also among those departing for pastures new.

Espargaro and Miller could also break an all-time record by finishing top of the podium and becoming the tenth different race winner in a season that had Mir on course to clinch the championship without a single race victory less than a month ago.

Mir managed to shake off that tag by winning the European Grand Prix but the Spanish Suzuki rider would like nothing more than to add a final flourish to his decisive performance last week, when seventh place in Valencia was enough to become the first new Motogp champion since Marc Marquez in 2013.

However, the second place and the constructors’ title will be on the line on Sunday.

Fellow Spaniard Alex Rins is in the hunt for the runners-up spot, siting four points behind Franco Morbidelli of Petronas Yamaha SRT in the overall standings.

Morbidelli will also have a spring in his step ater the Italian finished first at last week’s Valencia Grand Prix, where he crossed the line 0.093seconds ahead of Miller to claim his third win of the season.

Rins was not far behind in fourth and his Suzuki team will be hoping to add a constructors’ championship to their rider and team titles.

It is all to play for with Ducati, given the two are level on points. Yamaha, who are 13 points behind, will go ahead with Fabio Quartararo alongside Maverick Vinales for the 2021 season ater announcing in January the factory team was parting ways with Rossi.

Instead, Rossi, 41, will be with Petronas Yamaha SRT team for his 22nd premier season.

Crutchlow, meanwhile, brings an end this weekend to his career as a full-time rider that saw him achieve 19 podium finishes and 3 race wins in 168 races. Dovizioso will ride for the final time before taking a break in 2021 while Espargaro is heading to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing next term.