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MotoGP 2019

Started by fret not, February 04, 2019, 12:28:04 AM

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fret not

 . . . . 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:
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

#41
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.
Whale oil beef hooked!

Walt_M.

Another exciting race, glad I signed up for video pass.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

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.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

fret not

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.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

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. 
Whale oil beef hooked!

Walt_M.

Another one down. Some excitement but the end result was not a surprise.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

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.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

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.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

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)
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

Got to watch Aragon from the hospital on my phone. The competition was for second so I didn't miss much.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

Git home an' git well.   :police:
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

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
Whale oil beef hooked!

Walt_M.

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.
Whale oil beef hooked!

Walt_M.

All in all an interesting race and not too predictable going by practice and qualifying. One race left in the season.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

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.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

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.
Whale oil beef hooked!

fret not

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. 
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

Walt_M.

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.
Whale oil beef hooked!

Walt_M.

That wasn't a particularly daring prediction and it wasn't exactly an exciting race. 5 months and we start again.
Whale oil beef hooked!