The MXGP season opener in Qatar has always delivered dramatic results and the 2016 edition is primed to deliver another one. Honda’s Evgeny Bobryshev won the qualifying race yesterday and will be in prime position to take the holeshot and give himself a great chance to win the race.  
However, the Losail Circuit has always sprung a surprise when it comes to race winners. Last season, Antonio Cairoli won the qualifying race but it was Max Nagl who won both the races. In 2014, Gautier Paulin made a clean sweep of the races despite starting in second.
So as Bobryshev lines up at the gate, he will be wary of this dubious distinction. And if he isn’t worried too much about history then he will be wary of defending champion Romain Febvre who will be starting the race in third place. And lurking in fourth place is eight-time Grand Prix motocross world champion Cairoli who seems to have recovered from the bruised ribs that he suffered recently. In a surprise second place was Honda Gariboldi rider Tim Gajser who has only moved to the MXGP class this season, having won the MX2 title in 2015. He will be making some headlines if he manages to get onto the podium in his first-ever MXGP race.
“We had a good start, which is something that we have been working on. I made some mistakes and lost a few seconds but I was able to control the race. I had good speed and I am hoping tomorrow will be better. I have now used to the bike and the track,” said Bobryshev yesterday during the post-qualifying press conference.
The Russian finished last season in third place in the standings, but didn’t have a single win to his name. And he will be keen to get that win right at the start of the season. Qualifying in sixth place yesterday was Paulin and will be hoping to do a repeat performance of his 2014 outing. The 2015 winner, Nagl, is in seventh place. With so many potential winners lining up, the Qatar MXGP season opener promises to have everyone on the edge of their seats.
In the MX2 category it was Jeffrey Herlings who won the qualifying race. Herlings had a sensational start to the 2015 season where he won 13 of the first 18 races before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. The Red Bull KTM rider will be keen to produce a similar run as last season while hoping to stay injury-free and complete it too.  “I am 100 per cent healthy. I haven’t been on the bike for a while. But I am feeling good. I am hoping that the track will offer more line options tomorrow. I am hoping for a good start and looking forward to having a good day,” said Herlings yesterday.
Both categories promise a lot of action and all the motorsport enthusiasts should head to the Losail Circuit and enjoy this insane piece of action. And add the unpredictability factor that Qatar always managed to produce and you can be rest assured that there will be lots of drama!

MXGP Qualifying race
1. 777 Bobryshev, Evgeny (RUS) Honda
2. 243 Gajser, Tim (SLO) Honda
3. 461 Febvre, Romain (FRA) Yamaha
4. 222 Cairoli, Antonio (ITA) KTM
5. 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn (NED) KTM
6. 21 Paulin, Gautier (FRA) Honda
7. 12 Nagl, Maximilian (GER) Husqvarna
8. 24 Simpson, Shaun (GBR) KTM
9. 100 Searle, Tommy (GBR) Kawasaki
10. 22 Strijbos, Kevin (BEL) Suzuki