MotoGP, Superbikes and Road Racing 2021

CJhaughey · 27-07-2020 3:40pm

Rossi won the 250 title the year FQ was born, how mad is that!
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XsApollo · 27-07-2020 3:54pm

The level is so, so high all the way down through the field that it’s unlikely Rossi will win another title but if he did I wouldn’t be surprised.
He doesn’t have that extra do or die gear anymore.
If he gets the bike where he likes it he is good for a few wins at certain tracks or definitely Fighting at the front.

Oh And Rossi is the only other person bar Lorenzo to finish ahead of Marc in a championship since Marc arrived in MotoGP , which in turn makes him the only rider on the grid to have finished ahead of Marc in a championship.
So we need him for that too, so we have 1 person at least that can say they have beaten Marc.. :-D

CJhaughey · 29-07-2020 1:57pm

Back to Jerez this weekend but instead of the GP circus ,its time for the Superbikes!
There won't be many rounds of SBK this year with the UK, Netherlands and Qatar being cancelled, so if you want to see the new Honda on track with the Kawasaki and Ducati then this is a rare opportunity.

Max Headroom · 29-07-2020 3:53pm

Looking forward to the IOW next year....:)

Scotty # · 29-07-2020 3:57pm

Max Headroom wrote: »

Looking forward to the IOW next year....:)

Road racing in the UK in the middle of October... what are they thinking?

Infoanon · 31-07-2020 5:09pm

Confirmation from Dorna that all the fly away races are now cancelled.
Not a huge surprise though there were hopes for Malaysia.

An additional round in Europe is to be added - believed to be Portimao - announcement due August 10th.

That means a maximum of 14 rounds this year - if Le Man's goes ahead

Max Headroom · 01-08-2020 7:58pm

WSBK...Great ride from Redding today......very disappointing again from Laverty...38 seconds back...:(

No joy for McGlinchy either...

Frankx · 01-08-2020 10:59pm

Max Headroom wrote: »

WSBK...Great ride from Redding today......very disappointing again from Laverty...38 seconds back...:(

No joy for McGlinchy either...

Could be fireworks

Was good watching him and the Irwin's and Hicky in BSB last season

funkey_monkey · 02-08-2020 11:54am

I think laverty will be the one dropped from BMW to make room for Michael. It will be justified too - he has not done much in a long time.

Embarrassing start to the 600's. Feel a bit sorry for that guy, but still ride into the back of another bike.

Max Headroom · 03-08-2020 10:52am

Delighted for Davies, he's such a nice lad.....interested to see JR progression or he'll need to start work on some better excuses....:P

Infoanon · 03-08-2020 9:26pm

Marc Marquez back in hospital to repair a damaged plate in his arms. Operation and observation for 48 hours.

No word on participation at Brno yet.

h3000 · 03-08-2020 9:27pm

https://twitter.com/matoxley/status/1290379333576663041

tommyboy26 · 03-08-2020 9:36pm

he needs to think smartly about his recovery or he could cause serious long term damage. whats one season off if it extends his career by a few years

Infoanon · 03-08-2020 9:42pm

tommyboy26 wrote: »

he needs to think smartly about his recovery or he could cause serious long term damage. whats one season off if it extends his career by a few years

Looks almost certain that Marc will miss Brno and with 3 races in 3 weekends a long layoff seems a sensible decision.

50 points down on Fabio,carrying an injury and a maximum of 15 races (that's IF Le Man's goes ahead ) this season not even Marc can overcome those odds.

Infoanon · 04-08-2020 12:13pm

Confirmed Marc to miss Brno - Bradl will ride the bike.

Max Headroom · 05-08-2020 2:14pm

Wonder if Rossi is thinking.."maybe......"

Beltby · 05-08-2020 2:28pm

Yamaha might run out of engines this season. It would be cruel on them if that's what keeps them from winning a championship, but it's up to Yamaha to build engines to last.

Did they say what the cause of the failure on morbidellis bike was? It didn't sound too healthy when it pulled up.

Scotty # · 05-08-2020 3:42pm

Max Headroom wrote: »

Wonder if Rossi is thinking.."maybe......"

Doubt it. It was only through others misfortune that he got a podium the last day. Any other weekend the very same performance could have seen him in 6th place.

He's worth several hundred million and has lots of other interests, mainly rallying, I don't know why he doesn't call it a day and enjoy his retirement, quitting under his own terms rather than being told nobody want's him. Petronas already expressed doubt.

Infoanon · 05-08-2020 4:28pm

Scotty # wrote: »

Doubt it. It was only through others misfortune that he got a podium the last day. Any other weekend the very same performance could have seen him in 6th place.

He's worth several hundred million and has lots of other interests, mainly rallying, I don't know why he doesn't call it a day and enjoy his retirement, quitting under his own terms rather than being told nobody want's him. Petronas already expressed doubt.

Firstly he was on for a second place ahead of Maverick before his error and key to my statement is ahead of team leader Maverick.

Rossi is no longer the fastest but he is still wiliest and it was clear after Jerez #2 that he had made a big breakthrough - not enough to be champion but definitely enough to have podiums.

Re SRT Petronas - what expression of doubt ? , was the exact opposite not said ?

Infoanon · 05-08-2020 5:19pm

Beltby wrote: »

Yamaha might run out of engines this season. It would be cruel on them if that's what keeps them from winning a championship, but it's up to Yamaha to build engines to last.

Did they say what the cause of the failure on morbidellis bike was? It didn't sound too healthy when it pulled up.

2 engines sent back to Japan for dismantling apparently.

Yamahas engine problems are the elephant in the room for Fabios or Mavericks title challenge.

Big weekend for Dovi and the Ducatis with Yamaha expected to struggle.

CJhaughey · 06-08-2020 7:28am

There is a getout clause, if the problem is related to a sensor or similar component that has failed in a batch then its possible for the engines to be unsealed and the component replaced and then resealed.
So a possible out for Yamaha if indeed that is the case.

CJhaughey · 06-08-2020 8:52am

Marquez may miss the Austrian round as well, returning for the Misano double header.
If he misses Brno and Austria that means a very large points loss.

Infoanon · 06-08-2020 10:04am

CJhaughey wrote: »

Marquez may miss the Austrian round as well, returning for the Misano double header.
If he misses Brno and Austria that means a very large points loss.

Championship is already over for Marc - not even Marc can overcome a potential 100+ deficit with a max of 250 points on the table,and that's assuming he is fit enough to win.
You would need multiple riders picking up injuries causing them to miss races etc which obviously nobody wants.

Now the logic behind hiring Pol next year is clear to see - no one expects a Honda to win at a circuit where at worst they have the second best bike behind the Ducatis.

Cal would normally be a podim contender but he is carrying an injury so unless a miracle happens for Nakagami it's a Ducati / Yamaha podium.
Huge race for Ducati , Suzuki are effectively stifled by Rins injury,KTMS lack the horsepower and Aprilla have their overheating issues.

Brno probably one of the best circuits in the world - the TV cameras do not do justice to 'Honda' hill or the gradient on the turn on to the straights.

CJhaughey · 06-08-2020 10:19am

Infoanon wrote: »

Huge race for Ducati , Suzuki are effectively stifled by Rins injury,KTMS lack the horsepower and Aprilla have their overheating issues.

Brno probably one of the best circuits in the world - the TV cameras do not do justice to 'Honda' hill or the gradient on the turn on to the straights.

Agreed about Brno, fantastic circuit has it all.
Now Ducati may be about to shoot their whole foot off, again, with the announcement that they might be about to get rid of Dovi.
They can't agree on Money apparently and will decide after the second Spielburgring race on whether they want to continue with Dovi or move to Bagnaia as their #1 rider.
They had an agreement but after C19 they want to reduce the money and thats a sticking point for Dovi understandably.
Runner up for the last three years behind MM and they treat him like this?

Ducati are disastrous at rider management . They have made ****e of every decent rider they ever had because they can't manage riders effectively.

Scotty # · 06-08-2020 11:59am

Infoanon wrote: »

Firstly he was on for a second place ahead of Maverick before his error and key to my statement is ahead of team leader Maverick.

He was on for second yes, but he couldn't keep MV behind him and finished 3rd. If MM was racing it would most likely have been 4th. If Bagnaia's engine hadn't blown, 5th. If Morbidelli's hadn't blown, who knows, possibly 6th. Yes, he had a good race. I'm a fan so was delighted to see it. But, in my opinion, his result was mostly down to the high attrition rather than outstanding performance.

Infoanon wrote: »

Re SRT Petronas - what expression of doubt ? , was the exact opposite not said ?

Razlan Razali has said he had doubts after Jerez #1 regarding signing Rossi. He's said after Jerez #2 that those doubts have been lifted.

speedcafe.com wrote:

“Vale is Vale,” he told Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. “To be honest, I had my doubts after the first race. I kept telling myself that ‘the Doctor’ would come back and he did. Although Rossi’s ride with the Sepang International Circuit-owned squad has not yet been confirmed, Razali says that the podium result “made it easier” to justify the signing to shareholders. “We are Petronas (SRT) and we make choices based on business, but we cannot ignore the fans who perhaps would like a local rider. It is not a forced choice, but he is not a normal rider. According to Razali, the delay in finalising the deal with Rossi relates to matters concerning the “structure” between Yamaha, VR46, and SRT, the former of which has promised full factory support to ‘The Doctor’.

Although Rossi would represent a significant departure from SRT’s make-up, Razali says the squad is committed to retaining its philosophy.

“We don’t want our team to be famous for Valentino,” he declared.

“We want anyone who runs with us to make results. From a certain point of view, it gives me more joy to have created something from nothing and to be where we are today with Fabio. “We want to continue that philosophy, and with Valentino we want to be sure we can help him. We don’t want to be popular because he is there, but to help make him competitive even at his age.

“After talking to him and his staff, we are understanding of what he needs.”

Yamaha have said they'll provide Rossi with a full factory bike (and Morbidelli too??) but it absolutely sounds to me like SRT are being told they're taking Rossi and don't have a lot of say in it. It is not a forced choice, it's easier to justify to the shareholders... strange comments from a team boss for a new signing.

I wonder who'll be paying the wage bill?

pjohnson · 06-08-2020 12:04pm

Morbidelli already has factory bike and support no?

I think it was Simon Patterson that tweeted the entire 2020 is on factory supported 2020 bikes excpet the Avintia's and Nakagami?

Scotty # · 06-08-2020 4:52pm

It comes down to money. SRT lease their bikes rather than purchase them. Last year they leased one 'Spec A' bike and one 'Spec B' bike with Morbidelli on the Spec A. This year they're both on Spec A.

KTM have last years up for sale at the moment for €288k each (which includes a signed Pol Espargaró leathers and helmet...:D) but no parts afaik.

I'm open to correction but as I understand it Yamaha's 'Spec A' is the same as Rossi's and Vinale's for the most part but is supplied un-tuned so to speak and it's up to SRT's engineers to get the most out of it.

Lin Jarvis has stated that Rossi "will get the full Yamaha factory bike AND engineers support". So I presume it's different to the leased version.

That's if it goes ahead at all. Nothing is signed yet. Both SRT and Rossi seem reluctant to finish the deal (up until Jerez#2 anyway). There were reports of Rossi signing a two year deal a few weeks ago but Razlan was quickly on to Twitter do deny it. He's since deleted the tweet but...

Infoanon · 06-08-2020 5:40pm

Scotty # wrote: »

Razlan Razali has said he had doubts after Jerez #1 regarding signing Rossi. He's said after Jerez #2 that those doubts have been lifted.
I wonder who'll be paying the wage bill?

Razali made a comment after the second race saying he had doubts but now they have been lifted is very different to Razali saying he had doubts.
General consensus from the reliable sources is that Rossi and SRT is a done deal - the issue is Rossis engineers and who will pay for them ! - though in theory you'd think that Fabio would want to take his engineers to the factory team.

A spec , B spec bikes mean different things to different manufacturers - SRT will have factory bikes next season - SRT can pay the lease and Yamaha need to keep Rossi happy.
Yamaha are following the recent trend set by KTM,then Ducati and belatedly by Honda.
BUT having a factory spec bike does not mean it's the latest bike and/or its the same bike as the factory team.
Additionally , as seen clearly with Cals factory spec Honda Vs Marcs , the electronics are set by the satellite teams engineers which can be a major disadvantage to the satellite teams.

Infoanon · 08-08-2020 12:57pm

Qualifying is going to be amazing - Cal the only Honda into quali 2 and Zarco fastest Ducati !!

Dovi,Miller,Rins,Oliveria all in Quali 1

Pecco out for the next 2 races - Pirro to race in Austria for Pramac

Infoanon · 08-08-2020 1:58pm

What a qualifying session !

tommyboy26 · 08-08-2020 2:04pm

Infoanon wrote: »

What a qualifying session !

who would have thought he would of been on pole!!!!

h3000 · 09-08-2020 1:26pm

MotoGP isn’t quite as predictable as it used to be is it :eek: I know Marc isn’t out there but still.

Faugheen · 09-08-2020 1:30pm

This is great stuff. Zarco’s long lap was a thing of beauty!

Infoanon · 09-08-2020 1:32pm

Faugheen wrote: »

This is great stuff. Zarco’s long lap was a thing of beauty!

Race Direction should hang their heads in shame

Infoanon · 09-08-2020 1:46pm

h3000 wrote: »

MotoGP isn’t quite as predictable as it used to be is it :eek: I know Marc isn’t out there but still.

Understatement of the weekend !

No one could have seen that podium

Beltby · 09-08-2020 1:48pm

Zarco did extremely well to hang on to the podium.

tommyboy26 · 09-08-2020 6:03pm

Infoanon wrote: »

Race Direction should hang their heads in shame

worse call i have seen in a long time. no way zarco could of seen Pol

Infoanon · 09-08-2020 6:08pm

tommyboy26 wrote: »

worse call i have seen in a long time. no way zarco could of seen Pol

Not forgetting Pol had made an error and gone wide in the first place.
Pol blaming Zarco on the basis that it was an avoidable incident - joke of a decision and ultimately cost Zarco a place.

Ducati bigwigs very unhappy about the decision and very vocal about it. Ducati not Avintia btw .

Austria next weekend - supposedly another power circuit that should suit the Ducatis and Hondas. ...

legrand · 09-08-2020 10:59pm

Faugheen wrote: »

This is great stuff. Zarco’s long lap was a thing of beauty!

sweet..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s2JjTbgu7Q

Scotty # · 09-08-2020 11:58pm

Infoanon wrote: »

...and ultimately cost Zarco a place.

He only lost 1.8s on that lap, I'm not so sure it cost him a place. It was pretty amazing how well he took it.

Felt a bit sorry for Morbidelli but Binder thoroughly deserved it.

Rossi had a great race. Vinales on the other hand... I don;t know how he managed to get another two years out of Yamaha. He was supposed to be this whiz kid coming to Yamaha (much like all the talk of FQ now) but he's been a disappointment to say the least.

Very disappointed with Alex Marquez's performance so far too. I can see now why Honda want rid.

I know Dorna are trying to keep races as tight as possible and have the bikes as even as they can but I don't like the way the factory bikes are becoming the underdogs.

Infoanon · 10-08-2020 12:56am

Scotty # wrote: »

I know Dorna are trying to keep races as tight as possible and have the bikes as even as they can but I don't like the way the factory bikes are becoming the underdogs.

Factory Bikes finished first and second so I am not to sure what point you are trying to make.

Dornas strategy is to level the playing field for the manufacturers - KTM has proven the success of the strategy.

CJhaughey · 10-08-2020 9:19am

Infoanon wrote: »

Factory Bikes finished first and second so I am not to sure what point you are trying to make.

Dornas strategy is to level the playing field for the manufacturers - KTM has proven the success of the strategy.

Infoanon wrote: »

KTM has proven the success of the strategy.

The genius strategy of hiring Dani Pedrosa as a test rider is the part I think they have benefited most from.
Dani is a very fast rider and his development over the off season is what I think has made the difference.
Its easy enough to get near to the podium but the last few tenths are what is hard and unless you have the benefit of a rider as fast as Dani who knows how a fast bike feels you are in a hard place.

Honda are in the place I always said they would be if you make a machine so volatile only one being can ride it.
RCV undoubtedly an amazing machine in the hands of MM but anyone else not so much.

Yamaha are in a bad place as well, they have been following their own stupid engineering strategy for way too long and have made bad mistakes in their electronic strategies.

The factory team has been more affected by this than the satellite teams which is why you see FM and FQ doing better IMO.

Scotty # · 10-08-2020 11:57am

Infoanon wrote: »

Factory Bikes finished first and second so I am not to sure what point you are trying to make.

Second place Morbidelli is not on the current Yamaha factory bike. He's on Spec A which I believe is based on last years factory bike. Yamaha or SRT don't provide details on the differences. Quartararo was to race on a Spec A this year but has been upgraded to full factory.

Yamaha, Ducati, and Honda were all beaten by their respective satellites.

Scotty # · 10-08-2020 12:02pm

Double post, boards acting a bit funny at the moment.

ErnestBorgnine · 10-08-2020 2:18pm

https://twitter.com/sophia_wrc/status/1292789153558679558

Infoanon · 10-08-2020 2:32pm

Scotty # wrote: »

Yamaha, Ducati, and Honda were all beaten by their respective satellites.

Why is this a bad thing ? , for a starter's it's the way things used to be ,riders ability to the fore and intense competition requiring the factory teams to utilise the independent teams riders input.

However it isn't as straightforward as it has been painted.

Morbidelli was on a different tyre strategy while Fabio and Maverick where in tyre trouble from the off. (The actual spec of the Yams is very nuanced and played little part in how the race played out.

Hondas problems are part of the Jorge fallout and tyre issues.
Stefan Bradl has hardly been on the bike while Alex is a rookie on a difficult bike (and Honda are Not trying to get rid of him - the plan was to put him in LCR for 2020 but Cals tie ups proved impossible to unwind.Alex is the reigning Moto 2 champion lest we forget).

Ducatis - Simply the GP20 does not work on the new Michelins. The ongoing destabilising of Dovi is not helping the situation.

Dornas strategy is to level the playing field for the manufacturers - KTM has proven the strategy with their success yesterday.
Nobody wants an F1 situation in Moto gp.

The real winner yesterday though was Rins - a rider who has to limit his laps due to injury came close to a podium- a rider who faces a long layoff if he gets injured again.

Moto gp is in a really good place at the moment.

KTM are currently pounding around Brno with Dani leading their testing - pol for a win in Sunday in Austria ?

ErnestBorgnine · 10-08-2020 4:52pm

Portimao has been added to the calendar and will be the last GP of the season on Nov. 22nd.

tommyboy26 · 10-08-2020 6:38pm

Scotty # wrote: »

Vinales on the other hand... I don;t know how he managed to get another two years out of Yamaha. He was supposed to be this whiz kid coming to Yamaha (much like all the talk of FQ now) but he's been a disappointment to say the least.

he seems to do very well if he isnt put off by another rider but the second someone goes under him its like he is afraid to snap back

Infoanon wrote: »

Stefan Bradl has hardly been on the bike while Alex is a rookie on a difficult bike (and Honda are Not trying to get rid of him - the plan was to put him in LCR for 2020 but Cals tie ups proved impossible to unwind).

pol for a win in Sunday in Austria ?

are LCR keeping cal?

why pol and not binder?

ErnestBorgnine wrote: »

Portimao has been added to the calendar and will be the last GP of the season on Nov. 22nd.

great to see a new track being introduced especially this year. hopefully it is resurfaced properly

CJhaughey · 10-08-2020 7:48pm

tommyboy26 wrote: »

great to see a new track being introduced especially this year. hopefully it is resurfaced properly

I can't see Portimao needing to be resurfaced.
It looked fine yesterday with the Superbikes so I would think the GP bikes would be ok on it.
I really can't see any resurfacing works happening this year, no punters means a lot of lost revenue to tracks.

Infoanon · 10-08-2020 8:22pm

CJhaughey wrote: »

I can't see Portimao needing to be resurfaced.
It looked fine yesterday with the Superbikes so I would think the GP bikes would be ok on it.
I really can't see any resurfacing works happening this year, no punters means a lot of lost revenue to tracks.

It's being resurfaced - the F1 cars are also racing there later this year

MotoGP, Superbikes and Road Racing 2021

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