MotoGP 2019

[Walt_M.]

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.

[fret not]

Oh goody!  I had missed that there would be a race this weekend. 

[Walt_M.]

Well, that was exciting, for 4 minutes.

[fret not]

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.

[Walt_M.]

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.

[Walt_M.]

The race was more interesting this time,  Sachsenring next week!

[fret not]

 . . . . . . if only Zarco had a Yamaha . . .

[Walt_M.]

If Yamaha had a Zarco and not a Rossi. I am a Rossi fan but I think it is time...

[fret not]

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.

[Walt_M.]

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.

[Walt_M.]

Today is the second Marquez gimme race. He threw COTA away, bet he doesn't do it again.

[fret not]

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.

[Walt_M.]

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.

[Walt_M.]

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.

[fret not]

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. 

[Walt_M.]

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.

[fret not]

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.

[fret not]

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.

[Walt_M.]

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.

[Walt_M.]

Ah... an interesting race! I didn't doze off.