Qatar is always a tricky place to draw too many firm conclusions about the MotoGP season we’re about to see but after round two at the Circuit of the Americas, we have a few more answers to the questions we have been posing in recent months. In Texas, we saw confirmation that Marc Marquez is even better than he was in 2013, that the Moto3 champion is already a contender for the Moto2 crown, and that Australia has a genuine Grand Prix superstar on its hands again. They weren’t the only riders to impress though as the TCF Power Five discovers.
5. Andrea Iannone (MotoGP)
When we look at the timing screens to see where the fastest Ducati is, the temptation is to look for Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso but it’s becoming noticeable how often Andrea Iannone is leading the way for the Italian manufacturer.

Although his result didn’t reflect it, Andrea Iannone shone in Austin (Photo Credit: Pramac Racing)
Iannone was a strong contender early in the race in Qatar before falling off and at the Circuit of the Americas, he found himself in a lofty position again after starting strongly. The Pramac rider rose to third and although he had no answer for the two Repsol Hondas, the Italian ran comfortably ahead of Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha and it wasn’t until his tyres ran in trouble that his grip on a podium position was loosened.
With six laps to go, Iannone’s resistance was broken and he eventually slipped to seventh as his pace continued to suffer but the man who would often win races by a country mile in Moto2 had already showed he could match MotoGP’s finest on his day. If he keeps this form up, that day (and the podium) will come.
(Photo Credit: MotoGP.com)