The first testing session of the new season has just concluded, and things are looking up a bit for KTM and Aprillia as they are getting very close to the sharp end of the pack.
First race of the new season is in about a month. Lots of healing and recovery going on as everyone is trying to be as well conditioned as possible, both mentally and physically.
Well, they now have competitive riders. Will the bikes measure up?
It looks like there will be heavy traffic near the sharp end. At least that's the way I see the season shaping up. Suzuki's motor is really good, but so are the Ducati and Honda this season, plus Yamaha has also made improvement with their motor. This makes for very close (exciting) competition on the track. If all goes well it should be a thoroughly entertaining season with a few surprises along the way.
Two weeks from now there will be some buzzing from the first MotoGP race of the new season as it all gets under way. All reports I see say it looks like a very interesting year coming.
The first race is in the books. Thankfully it was not the predicted crash fest. I won't play spoiler for those who might be watching on delay but it was a good race.
Read all about it on motomatters.com. Usually a couple days after the initial reporting of the race results there appears a more in depth assessment of the race and the dynamics within the pits.
Since my cable company dropped beIn I just follow on MotoGp so I know a little about the race and finishing order. Nothing like watching it live though. My favorite scene was last year, I think, from Lorenzo's rear camera when he slowed and Rossi hit him! Great shot.
Race two is in the books, glad I didn't waste money on the season pass. This could be a yawner unless Marquez develops narcolepsy.
Well, if you only look at who won the race I can see your point Walt, but there was quite a bit of activity sorting out the order for the podium and even farther back. Some races in the 60s and 70s were often won by a large lead. Agostini, Hailwood, Read, Roberts, etc. and racing was quite popular with the spectators.
I get sucked in by the technology, and realizing just how fast the bikes are going, how far over they can lean and still have control, how hard the tires are worked and still finish a race. And now the aerodynamic "war" is beginning to escalate. Racing is a violent activity, it may not look that way from the side lines but from the 'pilot's' seat it is full on battle.
Wait until COTA. Marquez has owned the place. If he wins like he did in Argentina, turn out the lights, the party's over.
I agree Marquez will probably win at Austin, but anything can happen, ya know. I see his shoulder is working pretty well now. I hope Lorenzo can find the handle for the RC213V pretty soon.
In the World Super Bike (WSBK) series Ducati is going very well so far, at least for Alvaro Bautista. Chaz Davies is a bit disappointing so far. I thought he would take it to Jonathan Rea with the new Panigale v4, but so far Mr. Davies can't keep up with Mr. Rea or Mr. Bautista.
The US round of MotoGP will happen this Sunday at the Austin TX Circuit Of The Americas (COTA). I wonder how many stories this race will generate. 8)
At least 3!
Yeah, a lot of "anything can happen" did! Marquez crashed out, so did Crutchlow, and Lorenzo had a mechanical problem that put him out. And surprise surprise, Rins on the Suzuki won the race! All in all it was a disappointing race for Honda.
Race in Jerez, Spain, this weekend. The reports say Lorenzo has found something to make the Honda work for him, and is turning quick laps in practice. We may yet see this season whether Lorenzo or Marquez is the better rider. I will be watching from a distance.
Jerez qualifying is over and the Petronas satellite Yamahas are 1-2! Marquez, Divizioso and Vinales. Why can't the Yamaha factory team figure this track out? Rossi couldn't get out of Q1 and will start 13th.
So, Marquez wins this one and Alex Rins on the Suzuki is now just one point behind Marquez in the Championship title chase. Looks like Lorenzo has not yet found how to manage the Honda. He has had moments of brilliance but not much for results. I would hope he gets on top of the situation soon.
Another race is in the books and the suspense is in who will be second.
Exciting race in Italy, unless you are a Yamaha fan.
I cheer for all of them. ;)
Another race weekend, another curious qualifying session. In addition to the pole, 4 yamahas in the top 5. See how far they go back at the start tomorrow.
Oh goody! I had missed that there would be a race this weekend.
Well, that was exciting, for 4 minutes.
Interesting that Lorenzo is getting some confidence on the Honda, maybe a little too much for the moment, as he took out the top Ducati rider and the factory Yamaha team in one move. He did post some decent lap times in the run-up to the race, so we may yet see Lorenzo and Marquez go at it.
Race weekend again. Quartararo is on pole, Vinales and Rins. Marquez is 4th. Should be a good race, Lorenzo is out with a fractured vertebra, fortunately no nerve damage but he will be sidelined until after the summer break.
The race was more interesting this time, Sachsenring next week!
. . . . . . if only Zarco had a Yamaha . . . ;D
If Yamaha had a Zarco and not a Rossi. I am a Rossi fan but I think it is time...
Valentino will have to make up his mind what he really wants to do, other than winning the championship, because of Marc and the new kids. He could easily fit into running the factory Yamaha team.
I think it's possible that Rossi has been the problem with Team Yamaha the last couple of years. They may have been trying to build a bike for Rossi and just let Vinales figure out how to ride it, kind of like Honda and Marquez with Lorenzo out in the cold. Zarco and Tech III were having no trouble beating the factory with a 2 yr old bike and Petronas and Quartararo are going fast now.
Today is the second Marquez gimme race. He threw COTA away, bet he doesn't do it again.
If all goes along as it has been then Marquez will have another championship, but we never know until it is officially decided. Something could happen to upset his plan, but he is really good about recovering and saving most of his missteps. Maybe Honda will make their bikes easier to ride and finish better. Maybe Yamaha is coming back in a big way, Maybe KTM and Aprillia will find better answers. For sure there are some new kids able to push the leaders an make the races a bit more exciting to watch.
The folks over at WSBK are witnessing some new blood pushing for supremacy, in Toprak Razgatlioglu from Turkey actually dicing with Jonathan Rea for the win. New guy going fast. Just remember that last year Jonathan Rea on a WSBK Kawasaki was faster around a Spanish track than Marc Marquez on a MotoGP bike. So, anyone giving Rea sweat is notable.
Marquez has a 58 point lead over Dovizioso going into the summer break. It would take a serious event for a lead change. The bikes are pretty much set for the season. The only race is for second place. Rins has been fast on the Suzuki but it is seriously underpowered and he has to really push. Quartararo is fast but impatient. Vinales is improving and no longer relying on Rossi. I would give the edge to Vinales at this point but let's see what happens at Brno next month.
Brno is here. How time flies. I finally broke down and signed up for live coverage. Watching a wet FP4 and Marquez is 2 seconds a lap faster than Vinales. The session is over and Vinales is only .7 seconds down.
Walt, did you sign up with MotoGP official site, or with a TV channel? I'm thinking of getting the races on the internet through the official MotoGP site so I can watch them on the computer, I think it is about $50 for a season. Not the "big screen" for sure but good enough for just me. It would be nice to get it on the TV but that 'package'with BeInsports from Dish TV is a whole lot more.
I got motogp video pass. $80 for half the season and, to me worth it. FP4 was riveting. I also got a 19 inch monitor.
Just imagine how much it would cost to actually attend a MotoGP race! Also, the recorded version will have replays and close ups that are not possible when you are at the track. for watching a race I think the internet is much better than actually being at the race. I have been to a lot of races over the years at Sears Point, Ontario, and Laguna Seca as a spectator, and Vacaville, Cotati, Orange County, Laguna Seca, and Sears Point as a participant. This doesn't include the speedway and flat track events that I watched just for fun. I got to see some famous riders at notable tracks, and have some stories from that time but the recorded events show so much more than you can possibly take in when at the track. I will modify my statement here, the bigger races now usually have some big screens available for the audience, which provides more detail. Times have changed some.
So Marc Marquez is 63 points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso. He took the lead and kept it, but won by only a few seconds. Ducati should be happy with Dovizioso and Miller on the podium too.
That was pretty much it. Marc had a moment around lap 10 but Dovi gained nothing on him. The wet qualifying caused some weird starting positions, Zarco was on the front row! And Vinales started 10th and shot to the rear eventually coming back to finish 10th.
Oh well, next week Austria.
Ah... an interesting race! I didn't doze off.
. . . . and the musical chairs game of the riders at this late date trying to find a ride. Zarco is leaving KTM, and Lorenzo will finish his contract with Honda, so Miller is safe at Pramac(Ducati) for now. However, next year most all of the contracts are up, so the "silly season" will play out again. This is as good as a soap opera, with all the intrigue and undercurrents of passion (oh, and ego, money, fame, etc.). :police:
Now we have Silverstone, repaved again, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's cancellation. Big shock at who's fastest in practice. Actually is a shock. Quartararo had a lap record disallowed for exceeding track limits but they looked at a replay and reinstated it. Rossi got lucky and had a fast time reinstated too. Exciting? Yes.
Another exciting race, glad I signed up for video pass.
Who is cheating (behind the scenes contract offers) on who? Who will team with Pol Espargaro on the KTM factory squad? Who will be first to retire (Rossi, Crutchlow, Lorenzo)? It's like a soap opera.
I just watched a video clip of the start of the Silverstone GP, and it shows that traction/grip on the new track surface may not be as great as everyone has been telling us. The bike at the front has a bobble just before Quartararo falls. I tried to replay the video several times but it seems to need to load each time, so replays take a long time and I got impatient and clicked out. I did see the bobble, then the fall of Q (was that at the same spot as the bobble?) so possibly a slick spot. Anyway, Q went down and Dovizioso runs right over his bike and is launched onto the track surface and tumbles a bit. Dovi's bike burns and he is carted off to the hospital.
Then at the end of the race Rins powers right past Marquez to put his Suzuki wheel across the line just before the Honda wheel of Marquez. Rins gets the win and 25 more points, Marquez gets 20 points for finishing 2nd, and extends his lead in the championship over Dovizioso(closest contender), who crashed and gets NO points for this race. So it looks like Dovi is not going to be able to challenge for the championship, which means Marquez will most likely retain his title as world champion. Nobody else is close enough to make a challenge.
It was monumental how Rins made the pass on Marquez, he took the inside line and powered right by Marc on the Honda. Suzuki has arrived for sure. Honda has more power this season, some say equal to Ducati, but Suzuki has arrived! This makes closer racing and apparently more excitement for the spectators.
Actually the track grip was good. The bobbles at the start were caused by overriding with full fuel and hard rear tires that were not fully warmed up. Loved Rins' pass but it was due to far superior corner speed. Marquez had used up his rear tire and had nothing left. He also ran out of fuel on the cooldown lap.
Another one down. Some excitement but the end result was not a surprise.
This all makes me wonder what Honda is doing to make their bike handle better so someone else beside Marc Marquez can ride it. I would think their engineers might take a serious look at the Suzuki chassis geometry. I know the motors are different configurations, and that the inline 4 has more gyroscopic effect than the V4 for better stability at extreme lean angles, but still, the Suzuki seems to be much more manageable. Honda is hanging on the talents of Marquez and their engineers in the motor building department and ignoring "the dance" they all must perform. I don't seriously think they are actually ignoring anything but they are missing some key part of the equation, as is Ducati.
I think Honda is having trouble criticizing their bike as long as they keep winning. Crutchlow has been complaining about it for a long time. I think Lorenzo's difficulty may be making them reconsider. As for the Suzuki handling, let's see how they do if they find more power. Yamaha seems to have found some power somewhere but it is interesting that the lowest spec Yamaha finished highest.
We can offer conjecture from afar, but it would be interesting to know the dynamics in "the box" and back at the factory. There are cultural issues for sure, as well as personal ego issues among the engineers, riders, bosses, etc. It's their game and their money, so they get to pick and choose what goes and what doesn't. I will continue to "hide and watch". 8)
Got to watch Aragon from the hospital on my phone. The competition was for second so I didn't miss much.
Git home an' git well. :police:
Now we're in Thailand and Marquez has finally been shown that he is human. he had a massive highside in FP1. he didn't break anything but had to go to the hospital. He came back for FP2 but was only 5th fastest. Beaten by 3 Yamahas and Miller on Ducati. Qualifying is for night owls here but reasonable for the west coast
Now they are in Sepang. 3 Yamahas on the front row, Quartararo, Vinales and Morbidelli. Marquez had a big highside while trying to harass Quartararo then Quartararo went on to a lap record for pole. Marquez is starting 11th. Hope he doesn't crash too many on the start.
All in all an interesting race and not too predictable going by practice and qualifying. One race left in the season.
And that one race is coming right up mid month. And then there will be some "test" sessions and some practice before the new season begins in early March. Now is when any available rider or seat is news, as most contracts have been agreed to by now, but there is always some wrinkle that will likely show up and disturb the calm. The New Year is the beginning date for most of the new contracts and the ending date of the old ones. Contracts can be tricky, and this year most all of them are "up" for renewal . . . or not.
Johan Zarco finished the last race ahead of factory rider Jorge Lorenzo, on virtually the same bike. Lorenzo seems to be having some issues with the Honda, but I recall him having issues when the tires weren't working right, or there were mixed conditions on the track, or something else. Lorenzo likes something easier to ride, and could be a title threat if he got it. I think he could have been the champion this year if he was riding the Suzuki, even if they didn't have the money he wanted, the championship would be big. At this time of the season it is easy to second guess with hind sight.
What will Honda do to make their chassis more user friendly, or maybe it's more than just the chassis. Honda has horse power now, and it looks like Yamaha has squeezed a bit more out of their motor. KTM and Aprillia are still trying to get into the game, and I think they will if they persist, KTM especially, as they are used to winning when they go dirt racing. It's a big step, but if they want to go racing and win . . . . . . I hope they show significant improvement this coming season.
I think Zarco and Lorenzo are likely to be the only change. if Lorenzo finishes out of the points at Valencia, he may retire and if Zarco does well he may get his ride. Unless Crutchlow can make a case.
Well, there are rumors of Cal retiring, especially after his mangled foot/ankle at Phillip Island last season. His recovery is continuing. Also, he now has a wife and daughter, is into his 30s, has a place in southern California, and still not likely to win a championship.
Finally we are at Valencia, day 1. Lorenzo has announced his retirement, Zarco is 2nd Honda in 10th. Marquez is 3rd, Quartararo and Vinales are 1 and 2. Prediction, Marquez will win the race.
That wasn't a particularly daring prediction and it wasn't exactly an exciting race. 5 months and we start again.
I just read that Zarco turned down a MotoGP ride :o with a Ducati satellite team, and will most likely go back to Moto2 with the MarcVDS team.
Alex Marquez is reported to be part of the factory Honda team. He is the recent Moto2 World Champion but he ain't his brother, Marc. I hope Honda doesn't regret putting him on the "A" team.
Alex tested on the factory RC213V both days at Valencia. He was not particularly impressive but at this time last year, neither was Quartararo. Zarco wasn't there as he still does not have a contract. Yamaha said they would be happy to have him as their test rider but he may be able to make more money in Moto2. A 2 yr. old Ducati with Aventia may not be so appealing. Fun fact, everyone's contract is up next year.