The MotoGP Thread

Bahahahaha. Well played, that was perfectly done.

We'd probably start seeing a fair bit of influx in sponsorship dollars from the synthetic diamond manufacturers.
 
With a bunch of contracts ending in 2024, we’re in for an extended silly season.

motorcyclesports.net

It looks like Fabio Quartararo and Aprilia's CEO, Massimo Rivola, have already initiated discussions

Fabio Quartararo’s performance at the Qatar Grand Prix, securing an 11th place finish nearly 18 seconds behind the winner, Bagnaia, and a 12th place in the Sprint, 13 seconds behind Martin, falls short of the expectations for the former world champion. Despite outperforming his teammate, Alex...
motorcyclesports.net motorcyclesports.net

www.motorsport.com

Martin’s time with Pramac MotoGP team ‘like it or not has come to an end'

www.motorsport.com www.motorsport.com
 
Up next, 22-24 March: Portimao

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve​

Nestled in the beautiful setting of Portugal’s Algarve, the 100,000 capacity Autodromo Internacional do Algarve – known more colloquially as Portimao, after the port city it sits half an hour outside of – was opened on the 2nd of November 2008. The circuit was inaugurated by WorldSBK when they headed to Portugal for their final round of that season – but it’s not just a racetrack. The Algarve Motorsports Park is a state-of-the-art complex which boasts the stunning racetrack, a go-kart track, an off-road park, a hotel, an apartment complex, a technology park and a sports complex – it really is the bee’s knees. In terms of the actual circuit layout, the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve has 15 corners – nine right, six left. The undulation in Portimao is incredible and the front straight will allow the MotoGP™ riders to really stretch the legs of their machines, before a unique downhill descend into Turn 1.

1710555635687.jpeg
 
I don’t think I could even pick one track - there are so many! :)

That hill between turns 8 & 9 produces some of the most amazing still photos on the calendar. It’s one of the few places where they almost look like road racers getting air over the jumps. Spectacular visuals. And I can only imagine what it feels like in your gut as you descend the other side of the hill. Like some Six Flags roller coaster.
 
While I understand why a team would focus a program around a rider as talented as Marquez, it baffles me how Honda would not have respected that his extreme talent may have been the reason he was excelling on their bike.

When the other riders begin to have major issues with the bike, it’s time to reevaluate. You can still favor Marquez’s preferences. But given their history of success, it’s astonishing to me that they let it go so deep into this hole.
 
I think there are two distinct factors that complicated matters.

1) Alberto Puig, IMO, is not a leader with a vision. He's not a sophisticated problem-solver and certainly NOT a good communicator. He may have been a great racer but I think he's horrible as a team director. I draw my conclusions from his interview responses over the past two seasons. The team director is the essential liaison between the two principal camps (factory engineers and the team) but I think Puig's slack-jawed presence allowed problems to fester rather than help HRC mitigate their performance stall.

2) I think merging the two and four wheel race programs into one at the Honda factory complicated the factory's responsiveness to feedback. This factor is far more forgivable. It's an organizational consolidation of two specialized programs that have operated independently of each other. These are never seamless transitions and there were bound to be interrupted processes, confusion in roles, internal and external communication gaps, disagreements amongst engineers, resourcing conflicts, etc. HRC has adjusted some leaders so I think this season we'll see some improvements and the article seems to indicate there is a much faster feedback and supply loop.

However, the factory I really care to see improve is Yamaha. I don't care much about FQ20's success (he's turned into a whiny narcissist) but I would like to AR42 succeed.
 
All good points. I 100% agree about Puig. He seems to have none of the skills required to communicate effectively, let alone right a sinking ship. I’m sure it’s my naïveté, but I’m still baffled at how a company as experienced and large as Honda can’t juggle that transition/consolidation. But you may be absolutely correct. Their progress this year has shown promise. And most importantly, they seem committed to taking every advantage of the concessions.

Unfortunately, can’t say the same for Yamaha yet. At least not so far. I’ve been a long time fan of Rins, and really thought he should have been moved to Yamaha when Suzuki bailed. I like Morbidelli (as a character), but his fall from grace has been severe - and surely Yamaha could have worked something out with his contract. They certainly needed a rider who could contribute to development, particularly given their loss of a satellite team.

The final Suzuki year, Rins seemed to have moved past his “flash of brilliance…crash…flash of brilliance…crash…crash…” phase of his career. His riding style seems to line up perfectly with the Yamaha strengths (or at least their FORMER strengths!). I haven’t read enough yet about whether Yama is taking advantage of these concessions. I certainly hope they do. It should fast track any team back into contention if done correctly.

I don’t mind FQ. He’s talented - and I’ve given him a bit of a pass on his demeanor during interviews. Only because I try to imagine what it would be like to have a team as qualified as Yamaha promise a trip to the moon, only to deliver a jalopy stuck in a ditch :). He’s probably kicking himself for not jumping ship when he had the chance.
 
Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see to which Japanese manufacturer emerges first out of its slump.

Given that Suzuki has all but killed its road racing program except for some shoestring efforts, it's really down to HRC and GYTR.

The concessions are entirely generous so if either manufacturer is slow to make progress, that points to an internal problem.

Going to be an fascinating study in organizational dynamics.
 
FA54 from Moto2 has been assimilated into the Borgo Panigale borg…resistance was futile.

“Ducati Corse and Fermin Aldeguer are thrilled to announce their agreement, which will see the Spanish rider move up to MotoGP™ from the Moto2™ category in 2025. Fermin will ride a Desmosedici GP for the next two years, with the option to extend the contract for another two years.”

This announcement may be a motorcycle racing parallel to the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 in that this will kick off an irreversible chain of events that embroils all teams.
 
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NothingClever said:
This announcement may be a motorcycle racing parallel to the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 in that this will kick off an irreversible chain of events that embroils all teams.
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Ha! Well played.

I didn’t watch every Moto2 race from last season - but one of the podcasts I listen to had a guy gushing over FA at the end of last season. So I kept an eye out last race. Gotta say, last weekend didn’t live up to the hype. I had a hard time keeping up with his name/# falling down the list :)

Seriously though, moto2 this year should be interesting with the new tires. Seemed to catch a bunch of riders out.

I honestly think that one of the most interesting things that we will see this year is the fight for survival. So many riders scrambling for so few seats. Seems like the teams will have the advantage of a buyers market. Plenty of talent on the grid. Should get plenty spicy.
 
BMW may be itching to jump in the fray.

www.crash.net

New BMW boss makes intriguing hint about future MotoGP entry

New Head of BMW Motorrad says he 'wouldn't rule out' MotoGP.
www.crash.net www.crash.net

I found this comment interesting...

"At February’s Sepang test, Aprilia’s Massimo Rivola said it would be ‘nice’ for MotoGP to welcome a new manufacturer to replace Suzuki when the technical rules change for 2027."

Without wading through the FIM Regulations, I'm curious what technical rule prevents BMW from joining in 2025.
 
Has there been mention of a rule that prevents their entry next year? I haven’t seen that. I just assumed any manufacturer would be more inclined to wait for rule changes, in order to reduce development costs for a bike that would have to significantly change soon(ish) anyway.

I thought about BMW when Suzuki initially bailed, especially since dorna clearly wanted a completely new manufacturer (not a rebadge). Declining KTM the space when they sought to make room for both Espargaro and Acosta made that clear. So there aren’t a ton of options out there (CF Moto???). And BMW has been a presence in most of the major series, so they should have the infrastructure to handle it.

Now BMW just has to stop blowing up engines… :)
 
I find it interesting that I’ve heard several mentions of chatter since the race. Seems to be mostly rear chatter - and it was pointed out that this has largely been dealt with for the past several years.

I wonder what this is about? Aero? Tire pressures? Increased power?

It’s mentioned in the above article referencing AM73, but both Bagnia and Martin mentioned it post race as well. Not sure if it’s solely a Ducati issue - but those are the only riders I’ve seen mentioning it.
 
MotoE starts this weekend too. Superb racing, that.

And if you don't mind E-racing, Extreme E is super to watch. Guy/gal teams and Travis Pastrana is in it now. If you don't know him, you should know him.

 
motopreserve said:
I find it interesting that I’ve heard several mentions of chatter since the race. Seems to be mostly rear chatter - and it was pointed out that this has largely been dealt with for the past several years.

I wonder what this is about? Aero? Tire pressures? Increased power?

It’s mentioned in the above article referencing AM73, but both Bagnia and Martin mentioned it post race as well. Not sure if it’s solely a Ducati issue - but those are the only riders I’ve seen mentioning it.
Click to expand...

I also caught the various comments about rear chatter. From what I saw (heard), it was a Ducati problem at that track. I didn’t hear about chatter last season amongst all the other races. I don’t think it’s aero. Could be the rear ride height device. IIRC, they use it on corner exit, which is when I think they were experiencing chatter.
 
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