Talk MotoGP

pixantz61d ago

Well, it's not a rule made specially for Enea on the fly. If something wasn't fair, it was he not being fair to himself doing that error. But it was a bummer given the circumstances. He kind of deserved a podium. So what if 3 faster riders crashed ahead of him, eh?

ahambly231d ago

I do think it's a bit harsh in these circumstances, but it's a difficult one to police. Opening it up to interpretation depending on how much of an advantage someone gets from would just gives stewards an even bigger headache

kyle.archer1d ago

The track limit rules have been there for long enough... Brad Binder lost a podium in the 2023 Dutch GP at Assen for a track limit offence on the final lap just like Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin received in the Motegi Sprint. Yes, what they gained was negligible, but the rules are the same for everyone.

ahambly232d ago

I think a double LLP is the right punishment - he ruined the Sprint for both Acosta and Diggia, so that seems fair enough.

kyle.archer2d ago

Alex Marquez cannot have any issues with receiving a penalty for causing a crash that took two riders out of the Motegi Sprint. He also cannot argue with it being a double long lap penalty, as that was the same penalty that Johann Zarco received for his Catalan GP crash

ahambly232d ago

They don't make them like Miller anymore. Absolutely audacious to attempt it, and even more impressive to actually pull it off without a trip to the medical centre...

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kyle.archer2d ago

MotoGP is going to miss Jack Miller A LOT in 2027, and will have to hope that Yamaha develop a bike that allows Toprak Razgatlioglu to enjoy himself and show his character again

ahambly234d ago

It was just such a strange weekend for him to be so dominant after such a difficult season. There had to have been some sizeable changes Ducati made to his bike for that weekend only

kyle.archer4d ago

The rumours that Ducati changed Francesco Bagnaia's GP25 more align with a GP24 at Motegi last year are only louder one year on, having continued to struggle to adapt to the GP25 and now the GP26

david.comerford4d ago

There were some interesting rumours floating around about his bike at that race, but they were never confirmed. In the end, it just sums up how confusing the last two years have been for Pecco at Ducati

kyle.archer4d ago

Bulega is the obvious candidate given his testing experience with Ducati's 850cc bike. But if Honda adapt well to the new regulations, Moreira will hope to strike while the iron is hot.

ahambly234d ago

I think Moreira or Alonso could potentially be in with a shout next year if Honda's bike is as good as everyone is saying

kyle.archer11d ago

Of course it is not a problem (only for Liberty Media in its efforts to have riders from multiple nations to help grow MotoGP in one specific way). Spanish and Italian riders largely dominate the paddock as those countries invested in creating a pathway that has yielded results.

tihemme11d ago

Spanish/Italian dominance is only a problem if an international quota is enforced by the organizational tier before the organizational tier does its part to invest in international Motorsport at the youth levels. If they want to impose a passport rule, the most dominant logos on leathers for international youth riders should be Dorna and Liberty Media’s.

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david.comerford11d ago

First off, it's not just Spain - it's Spain and Italy. Ultimately, those are the countries producing the best riders at the moment. It should be a meritocracy and it broadly is. Those two nations dominate because they take motorcycle racing the most seriously. We shouldn't lower the overall quality of the grid purely so Liberty can appeal to more markets.

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tihemme11d ago

An acceptable result is for Somkiat to show up and finish the race with a personal best, and for Joan to come through this medical nightmare healthy enough to ride again before the season ends.

david.comerford11d ago

Nakagami was already due to be a wildcard. They should have just stuck with four riders...

ahambly2312d ago

Seeing the chequered flag, tbh. Chantra was often a few seconds behind during his full-time days in MotoGP, so "im not holding out any hope that he will be able to score any points at Motegi.

david.comerford11d ago

They need to focus on building up the infrastructure outside Spain, Italy and Japan. The signing bonus is a very short-sighted solution

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kyle.archer12d ago

Valencia certainly draws a big attendance, so deserves to be the season finale on that basis. But in terms of action? The cold conditions and the circuit layout in Valencia in November do not tend to make it a great spectacle for the season finale

david.comerford12d ago

There was some talk that it might be Adelaide, but I think it's better to see if that race is actually any good before giving it such a significant slot!

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pixantz611d ago

Impressive times but too early to comment. I mean, you could keep the speculation stove burning whole day but it doesn't matter. I'll sit up and take notice once things start to really get serious. My personal marker is that Dark Red Dot on the charts. Once it starts hovering around the top, I'll know people are really turning up the wick now 😉

johanesbp12d ago

850cc fastest lap averages in mid 1:29? that's sprint race pace.

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ahambly2313d ago

Hmmm Maverick Vinales seems to still be quite competitive, so will we see him at Motegi? 🤔

tihemme13d ago

First off - full acknowledgment, Pedro ran one hell of a race. But easy does it on the designation. He’s on home soil where he has most track experience, on a bike that weirdly suits him alone. He still needs to mature through trial and error. Give him a year on a new bike under Marc’s mentorship, and revisit the question. My bet? He will be. But not yet.

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jonnyh17913d ago

He is a very special rider who will push Marc to his limit and beyond next year. His challenger when he is King will be Quiles

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aaditya.krishnamurthy13d ago

Look, I'm a huge fan of Acosta's and I think he is the future of the sport... But 'Alien' is a distinction that has to be earned. Acosta just hasn't earned that yet. We've seen how the KTM's mechanical weakness has HURT him this season. I have no doubt he will be one, but that monicker has to be earned.

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tihemme13d ago

I’d give Bez eight as well. He kept his head to finish the race, and kept up when Pedro and Jorge widened the gap. He’s learning to pace himself and not take unnecessary risks.

david.comerford13d ago

I think Marquez deserves a seven as well. He may have looked ordinary but he still beat all the other Ducatis. Acosta should be nine because he blew the Sprint

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aaditya.krishnamurthy14d ago

Honestly, this might sound harsh, but even with the brake issue, I wouldn't give Marc Marquez a score higher than a five or a six! He just didn't have it on the day, and squandering a front row start like he did isn't like him at all.

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ardashjoseph13d ago

Wahan about the “arm pump”of Martin? It seems when Marc is not around, it’s not an issue??

david.comerford14d ago

It seems like a good weekend for Martin right now but when Marc is below par, you need to win. Those six lost points could cost him

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aaditya.krishnamurthy14d ago

I mean, outside of the few points he left on the table today, Martin had about as perfect a weekend as he could have hoped for. It's a slender lead, but one that will give him breathing room over Marquez.

hughmungass14d ago

I've suddenly come to the conclusion that Acosta with the belligerence of youth is not going to be an easy target for Marcs headgames as he has a confidence unmatched by any other of Marcs rivals. So Marcs just going to have to duke it out the old fashioned way & in playing the long game.... Youth will eventually win out. Great win to Pedro 🏁

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tihemme14d ago

Called it! Pedro pushed the limit yesterday to find it, and today played spectacularly within it for the win. Fantastic for him, for KTM, and for Ducati!

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getjeffrey14d ago

🤯

hughmungass14d ago

It's realistic to presume that by staying in M2 he may now stagnate, go backwards & get spat out the other end. I don't think he will get a GP berth as too many talented younger riders around him (Quiles also next year) & he should have gone to WSBK IMHO

pixantz614d ago

Maybe he thinks that Moto2 is a better springboard to jump into Motogp? Don't know if this makes sense 😅

tyler.rowlinson14d ago

Manu can’t hang around in the junior categories much longer, especially if he wins the title this year. He needs to make a move at some point, and WSBK is a good option for him

tihemme14d ago

Saturdays are already a nightmare. If Liberty wants more entertaining rider content, stop overwhelming them with endless, needless tasks and expectations. Quality, not quantity, folks. These are high-level athletes first, celebrities eighth. They need focus and energy. Giving space for both will heighten the quality of their engagement with media in turn.

david.comerford15d ago

Apparently we could also see a Q1/Q2/Q3 format like in F1. I see why they want to homogenise, but I don't think it will go down well

8c7kgjbwg215d ago

Just like the F1 , i think it’s a great idea. If someone has difficulties or crashes in sprint qualifying then they have another chance for the main GP. 👍😀🏁🏆

blackbianchi113d ago

Think back to what YOU were doing when you were 22 years old. Then all you haters can shut the hell up. How much pressure is on this young man, and he is still giving it his all. You can see it in his riding that he is committed 100%. Did you think Pedro was the first person to crash while leading? How about Marco, ........last week.

tihemme15d ago

He’s learned well from the master: push the limit to find the limit and from there, play just within it. Tomorrow is the real race.

hughmungass15d ago

Watching his entry speed & trajectory into the corner, I thought WTF is he doing & briefly wondered if he was enjoying himself so much, he decided to try that corner out with a 90 degree lean angle just to see if it could be done. A mistake so moving on

tihemme15d ago

The recovery from 8th was phenomenal, and it’s good to see pump arm isn’t a factor right now. I thought Bez would be third. Marc looked pissed off; his expression on the podium and in the car could have seared steak. What’s with that?

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hughmungass15d ago

Quite the turnout for Martin and deserves all the plaudits after falling back to 8th place I think. The leveller for a few of them will be the longer format so really looking forward to that. Bagnaia suprised so might put in an appearance on Sunday?

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ahambly2315d ago

Unreal from Martin, a real champion's performance despite it only being a Sprint race. Absolutely gutted for Acosta, though, even if the crash was entirely his fault.

pixantz615d ago

As I said yesterday, the Italian bikes will respond today. Yesterday they were building setups while the world was shouting "Acosta! Acosta!" Close tight packed grid for Austria. Lets see!

ahambly2315d ago

Fair play to Martin, I really thought Acosta was going to be untouchable in qualifying but that was a mega effort from the Aprilia man.

kyle.archer16d ago

Great to see Jorge Martin finally delivering in qualifying again, and Fabio Quartararo sneaking his Yamaha into the top nine? Another reminder of the rider that Quartararo has become due to Yamaha's woes, and will be interesting to see whether he keeps pushing in the Austrian GP or accepts his fate and drops back

hughmungass16d ago

Each piece on Marcs psychological chessboard is named after each rider on the grid & he keeps he keeps moving them around as he pleases with the headgames that he plays. It is Acostas turn to be the recipient of these games this weekend & nobody plays psycho chess better than Marc Marc Karpov.... a master player 😜

pixantz616d ago

If anyone noticed, Acosta has been normally very rapid in Austria always. I think Martin and Marc will sit up and take notice on saturday. Everone seemed preoccupied with things other than Pedro on friday. He'll have company soon up top.

blackbianchi116d ago

I am praying that he wins. But....this is just FP1, and we have a broken thumb, arm pump, lack of confidence, and a 7 time world champion to get over on.

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ahambly2316d ago

May be a little too early to tell after FP1, but Acosta and Espargaro's pace suggest KTM may have a strong package at their home race this weekend.

aaditya.krishnamurthy16d ago

Didn't expect Espargaro to knock Marquez out of the Top 3, but it might be a good sign for KTM at their home race! Acosta looked rapid, he REALLY wants to get the first win this weekend!

jonnyh17916d ago

#PA37 🏆🧡🇦🇹🇪🇸

hughmungass17d ago

The statement 'Marcs latter years', what stage is this question referring to... pre 2020 or post 2020? The question is absurd and there is absolutely no fair comparison to Acosta as pre 2020 Marc was winning races & post 2020 he was injured severely but still won 3 races. Comparison.... Acosta has yet to win a race

ahambly2317d ago

I'd have to agree with Espargaro here. The fact Acosta is able to score so many podiums atop the KTM while a top 10 for the rest of the stable is classed as a good result is incredible.

tihemme17d ago

Pecco said in an interview with The Talking Helmet that the media events were getting completely out of hand. In other sports, it’s a single media scrum pre- and post-event, not 20 or 30 separate journalists asking the same questions over and over. I’ve noticed it as well; too many things pulling the riders in different directions, when they just wanna ride!

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tihemme17d ago

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a private conversation in a media room. I do think it can be taken out of context. What “settings” or “set up?” Electronics? Brakes? Either way, not an appropriate venue for the conversation, where they know every eye, ear and mic is on them.

hughmungass17d ago

We will never experience the pressure these guys are constantly under & they have to be so careful what they say & where. There is no context Pecco.... you plainly said what was heard & you should know better but he is obviously very frustrated to make this slip up. His woes IMO are psychological & he needs a massive reset but where & when? Aprilia?

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joshualewis61516d ago

Of course. Based off of how many points behind he was and how he's racing with 1 1/2 arms, but let's not forget that everyone else isn't exactly making it hard for him. Marc learns from his mistakes.

pixantz618d ago

Definately. People don't yet understand the extent of what we would be witnessing. Its a once in a lifetime moment and we are alive in that moment in history! How many times does one get to see such a feat in one's lifetime?

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tihemme18d ago

Yes, and it wouldn’t be the first time Marquez wore that mantel.