Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[bharatheshk]

Finally the 2020 MotoGP season is underway. The updated calendar given below may change. Should be a very interesting season with lot of back to back races to make up time lost to Covid-19.

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

And your prediction came true!

The first race was a screamer. Fabio Quartararo with a much deserved win, the ups and downs that Maverick saw with a fantastic getaway in the beginning followed by a rough patch for a few laps and then a composed ride to second place, and Dovizioso's cool calculated and experienced approach for a third place.

The performances of Jack Miller, Pol Espargaro, and Brand Binder were pretty darn good and one can hope some really good things to come our way from these riders.

Without taking any credit away from these riders, the day was (and wasn't) Marqeuz's. That save, that bull's run with dirty tyres and then a stunning show from 16th to 3rd... There are moments in a race and Dovizioso's dash saying 'Being followed by #93' was certainly one of them. His crash was unfortunate but then, the conditions were already tricky and he had abused the soul out of those novel Michelins... Still, an unfortunate end to a heroic ride. I wonder what Vinales must have felt when the board showed Marc chasing him... He saw him lose the front at a crazy speed and then seeing him right on his tail again. He's something else.

It is good for MotoGP that riders like Brad Binder, and Quartararo are here and then one's like Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro are getting more opportunities. And with all of these people, the championship open for taking, and a rattled Marquez miffed about being led by a considerable margin by the time he comes back, should make for a heck of a season.

We just hope that Rossi can resolve his issues with the tyre and the bike and put on a show. But time is cruel and, without the intent to hurt anyone's feelings, it might have caught up with him. We sure hope not.

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[QUOTE=xBhp;1392901]And your prediction came true!

The first race was a screamer. Fabio Quartararo with a much deserved win, the ups and downs that Maverick saw with a fantastic getaway in the beginning followed by a rough patch for a few laps and then a composed ride to second place, and Dovizioso's cool calculated and experienced approach for a third place.


True ,the first race was good for the season to come, with a composed ride by Quatararo for his first win .The good rides by the rookies is an indication that the old guard cannot take things for granted .Since Marc came onto the scene he has dominated the races with his obvious freakish talent ,especially his saves from near impossible situations and this race was no exception .As you mentioned,his ride from 18th to 3rd was mind blowing ,but pushing too hard lady luck caught up and even his supreme talent couldn't save him.Hope he recovers soon from his surgery and should be back for the Brno race as per the doctors.

looking forward to the next few races,since they will give an indication to the direction the championship will take and if anyone can challenge Marc finally .

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[QUOTE=bharatheshk;1392922]

looking forward to the next few races,since they will give an indication to the direction the championship will take and if anyone can challenge Marc finally.

We also hope that he returns soon as well. There are some rumors that he may race this weekend as well but that seems more like clickbait. Brno... well, it is a tough call. From what we feel, it can go two ways from here on:

# Marc lets himself be bogged down by beliefs of people who think that his championship is already lost. Now that may lead him to push himself a tad too much and risk something worse which we hope doesn't happen. While his ambition might never outweigh his talent because he has a lot of it, it might end up outweighing his luck some day and while all the riders on the grid are supremely talented, luck has an integral part to play.

# Cooler heads prevail he decides to rest this weekend and come back in Brno only if he feels like he can. Even if Quartararo wins another weekend and Marc comes back in Brno, he still may have a chance at the championship (with luck playing an even more important role).

All in all, we just hope he does not end up doing something reckless that endangers him (or others) because God knows that it is magical to watch him ride.

[slevynhawk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Marc, Alex and Cal all declared medically fit.. to try riding the bike tomorrow.. The grit, mental determination and fire in these people is other worldly something which is very inspirational and make the sports awesome..

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[QUOTE=xBhp;1392932]

We also hope that he returns soon as well. There are some rumors that he may race this weekend as well but that seems more like clickbait. Brno... well, it is a tough call. From what we feel, it can go two ways from here on:

because God knows that it is magical to watch him ride.

True what you said but the impossible has happened again with the medical team at FIM clearing Marc along with Cal and Rins to ride in the Andalucia GP this weekend .Cal also had a surgery to fix a small scaphoid fracture .This makes the weekend even more exciting ,can't wait for it to begin .

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Qualifying is over and the big news is not Quatararo's back to back pole but Marc not taking part in tomorrow's race. After just one lap of Q1 Marc went back to the pits and Puig tweeted later that they will play it safe and not risk it. The other 2 injury returnees Cal and Rins also could not make it to Q2 with Dovi having a bad qualifying session .Vinales in 2nd ,Rossi in 4th and Morbidelli in 5th mark a Yamaha qualifying lockout with Bagnaia the best Ducati rider in 3rd position.Who can last the race distance is now the question for tomorrow.

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Marc has had a second surgery on monday to replace the plate inserted to repair his fracture,the titanium plate had got damaged due to stress.So he might miss the Brno GP .

[road_ripper]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Marc has had a second surgery on monday to replace the plate inserted to repair his fracture,the titanium plate had got damaged due to stress.So he might miss the Brno GP .

This was already in the writing given the way he was pushing himself training so hard post surgery. He should have given a break and slowly cruised to recovery on his way to BRNO, this was way too much even for his body and with him missing the brno, championship is wide open to Yamahas & Ducatis (Factory and Satellite teams both)

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

This was already in the writing given the way he was pushing himself training so hard post surgery. He should have given a break and slowly cruised to recovery on his way to BRNO, this was way too much even for his body)

True,He has been riding his luck for some time now and hopefully he will take care not to push it too much but then what are champions if they don't try to beat the odds that normal people find hard to beat .

Anyway Honda has deputed test rider Bradl to partner Alex for the Brno GP .Honda as a team will lose a lot in the championship due to this while Marc might still have a chance of getting back once he is fit.

[€lixir]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Don't think Factory Ducati have chance in 2020 Championship, Both factory riders, Andrea Dovizioso & Danilo Petrucci are suffering from injuries and problems adapting to new Michelins, seems Pramac riders Jack Miller & Francesco Bagnaia have adapted well (Bagnaia will be out of two race due to injury).
Will have to check will will happen at Czech GP then could predict top riders who could win.

This was already in the writing given the way he was pushing himself training so hard post surgery. He should have given a break and slowly cruised to recovery on his way to BRNO, this was way too much even for his body and with him missing the brno, championship is wide open to Yamahas & Ducatis (Factory and Satellite teams both)

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

This season is definitely getting interesting with Zarco claiming pole at Brno though doubtful about his pace for race distance .Most interesting thing is all the satellite team riders have better qualifying pace compared to their factory teams .Quatararo in 2nd seems the best bet for the race going by recent form but you never know.

[€lixir]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Race results of round 3 from the Czech Republic Grand Prix, Brno has shown MotoGP season 2020 is getting more interesting, KTM Rookie Brad Binder claims his first victory with Franco Morbidelli claiming his first podium for satellite Petronas Yamaha along with Johann Zarco.
With these results now we can see KTM has worked hard (kudos to Dani Pedrosa) and could challenge established teams. Along side Fabio Quatararo, I think Brad Binder could challenge Marc Marquez in near future for championship, but who knows Marquez is on another level.

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

It was an extremely interesting race indeed. While saying this out loud may not be appropriate, but it's like 93's absence and brought everyone back to life and most importantly, back to fight.

Brad Binder was insane yesterday. Letting it loose and backing it up in one go (the overtake on Morbidelli) and the maneuver with Pol, he made a statement that he is here and he won't back down. I believe that Quartararo is a wonderful rider and he has ways to go still, but when it comes to battling Marc, I think Binder is more equipped with the aggression needed. But then, Quartararo's smoothness might just ensure that he doesn't have to fight at all.

Talking about Quartararo, I am sure that it was a learning experience for him but I also hope that being overtaken by Oliveira towards the end does not discourage him too much. He should focus on the fact that almost all of his championship rivals post the second round were behind him still. The kid is good and I really hope he stays on track. God knows we need metronomic domination of the race every once in a while... like Lorenzo did.

Morbidelli... well, no surprise there. He's being working hard and he was overshadowed a lot, he persevered and despite that bizarre drop in grip, he held on and got to a very well deserved podium. But I think Zarco was the star after Binder yesterday. The ups and downs he went through were insane. Qualifying on pole, being pushed back at the start, pushing ahead post that, the incident with Pol, that ungodly long-lap and finally, keeping Rins at bay on a dead tyre. Seems like he's gonna join Quartararo in MotoGP's own French Revolution.

I wonder what Ducati must be thinking right now. No clarity on Dovi, Petrux leaving, Miller confirmed for factory but starting to fade (I hope not), while Bagnaia shining through and now Zarco... And even more importantly, the GP'20 doesn't seem to be making any headway into being competitive.

Marquez must be sitting at home pondering over the growing challenge from the young guns. Sadly enough, Honda has been backed into a corner now and while Marquez is an extraordinary human being and en even better racer, the retaliation cannot be led by Marquez alone... Taka needs to make full use of 93's absence and the 'sudden surge of competitiveness' to make himself known and limit the points damage being done to HRC.

The elephant in the room... Rossi (not literally). His sudden surge in form is curious and I remember reading reports that for the remainder of his time at factory Yamaha, he has taken charge. And with his young and new and fiesty crew chief, we may just start to see the Rossi we know again. He may be 41 but he is still hungry and... very fast on his days.

Anyway, with the show being put up by KTM, the glimpses from Aprilia, the strength of the Suzuki being accentuated by the braveheart Rins, and the woes of Honda, Ducati, and Yamaha (factory, especially Vinales).This sure seems to be one of the most fun seasons in a long while...

[road_ripper]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

The elephant in the room... Rossi (not literally). His sudden surge in form is curious and I remember reading reports that for the remainder of his time at factory Yamaha, he has taken charge. And with his young and new and fiesty crew chief, we may just start to see the Rossi we know again. He may be 41 but he is still hungry and... very fast on his days.

Yesterdays race was such a mixed bag one after long time, else its just Honda/ Ducati for the past few seasons..
Rossi is amazing, he keeps re-inventing himself every 2 -3 seasons, should take lots of determination and effort to do what he is doing at his age. Yesterdays race he was a podium contender for sure if he had started a row in front. If you check the lap times after Lap 10, Rossi was faster than most of the leading guys in most of the laps and few laps within 0.1-0.2 seconds of the fastest leading guy. I firmly believe if it was another 3-4 laps he would have made to podium, he was much faster than Zarco and Morbidelli towards the last 8-10 laps!