Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

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.

True. It was quite a spectacle. In fact, the charge that Rins, Rossi and Oliveira brought at the end was something to see. In Oliveira, I see another silent samurai. He is a very talented rider, qualified well in the last race, got taken out, couldn't qualify too well this time around but rode very well. KTM is turning out to be a revelation.

Back to the point though, Rossi might very well be on his way for his 200th podium and we may start to see him on the podium more often now. Kudos to The Doctor. He sees kids half his age on the grid and on a good day, races right past them. We won't be able to say something like this for someone for a long time... maybe ever!

Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts about Aleix? He faded a bit in the end but considering the fact that the RS-GP is a new motorcycle from the ground up and due to reliability concerns, they may still have a little more grunt in their backpocket. The way Iannone rode the Desmosedici, I really wish he was riding the new GP. But he's too distracted to be a consistent contender. An extremely talented rider who'd risk missing a race for a darn nose job will seldom be a contender. I also hope that the Noale manufacturer fixes the front end troubles of the Aleix... If so, I feel he'll add some more spice to the already simmering season!

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts about Aleix? He faded a bit in the end but considering the fact that the RS-GP is a new motorcycle from the ground up and due to reliability concerns, they may still have a little more grunt in their backpocket. If so, I feel he'll add some more spice to the already simmering season!

More than Alleix i feel Pol was a genuine podium contender till his clash with Zarco .KTM managing a historic win shows the turn around compared to last year when they were inconsistent with Zarco .Other than the brilliant rides by Binder and Morbidelli the long lap taken by Zarco was unforgettable ,the precision was unbelievable.Quatararo was struggling the whole weekend compared to Morbidelli but he definitely has the talent and pace to overcome the blip but most worrying was Vinales lack of pace after being such a strong contender at the start of the season.

[€lixir]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

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.

Seems like Ducati management always have problems in contract signing or have no trust in their riders. Except Andrea Dovizioso no riders have stayed with Ducati for more than 2 years (Factory Ducati). Dovi can still be competitive imo, hope things don't go wrong like what happened to Casey Stoner & Jorge Lorenzo in Ducati.
If Dovi leaves Ducati then we can see either Johann Zarco or Pecco Bagnaia on factory team, while satellite Pramac is eyeing on Moto2 and SkyVR46 rider Luca Marini.

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Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts about Aleix? He faded a bit in the end but considering the fact that the RS-GP is a new motorcycle from the ground up and due to reliability concerns, they may still have a little more grunt in their backpocket. The way Iannone rode the Desmosedici, I really wish he was riding the new GP. But he's too distracted to be a consistent contender. An extremely talented rider who'd risk missing a race for a darn nose job will seldom be a contender. I also hope that the Noale manufacturer fixes the front end troubles of the Aleix... If so, I feel he'll add some more spice to the already simmering season!

Aleix worked hard in Q2 for 4th grid place but on race day in first few laps was going well before being overshadowed by KTMs & Yamahas. At least with can say the 2020 RS-GP have improved a lot being complete new build from scratch, but still have issues regarding corner speed & reliability. I think if Iannone wasn't banned, then could had ridden the new RS-GP differently.

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

More than Alleix i feel Pol was a genuine podium contender till his clash with Zarco.

The thing is that Pol, and KTM in general had a strong showing at the opening two rounds as well. The results may speak otherwise but the signs that the bike is now ready to mingle with the big boys at the front were already there. About Aprilia, the RS-GP did look strong in testing but the results at both the Jerez races were dismal. While Aleix faded at Brno as well, but it was much better than before. That's why I believe that despite their current woes, they may be up to a decent pace by mid season. And the double headers may also help them setup their bike specifically for the track in question.

But Pol, yes, he has a podium coming to him and it'll come sooner than later if he's patient. But we can cut him some slack considering the move on him by Binder really roughed him up and emotions probably got the best of him. He would have hoped to bring KTM's first dry podium/win on the no. 44 KTM but 33 had some other plans.

Zarco, of course, was sensational. The track was dirty and you could see some dust being kicked up as well but he stuck to the white line like Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street

Seems like Ducati management always have problems in contract signing or have no trust in their riders. Except Andrea Dovizioso no riders have stayed with Ducati for more than 2 years (Factory Ducati).

I agree and it is a huge concern. Dovi still has a lot left in him and he showed that in Jerez 1. Despite the tyres not gelling well with the GP'20, he persevered. Both the Jerez races were more like a game of attrition. So many crashes and failures and yet, he was able to gather decent points. I feel that unless Ducati sorts this stuff out, even hiring new riders won't be of much help.

About Aprilia, I agree. Iannone, despite whatever has happened in the past, has shown that he can Bull ride the toughest of motorcycles out there. And Aprilia at the moment may need just that. In a fantasy world, I hope that Casey Stoner casually suggests to help Aprilia (like Dani for KTM) and they are able to hire a good rider as well. RSV4s are one of the best superbikes out there and the RS-GP should be that well on the grid. While I may encounter a unicorn or a leprechaun before that happens, let's hope for the best.

Also, about Moto2, Bastianini is showing what a strong rider he is. Despite a rather bleak and unfortunate season the last time around, he was 10th in the championship standings. I expected a lot from him last year and seeing him ride like he is this season, he seems like he's sorted and poised for a championship. Joe Roberts, Jorge Martin, and Luca Marini are also to be watched!

And then Albert Arenas and John McPhee in Moto3. All 3 classes are really exciting to watch this year despite all the doom and gloom (without the fans) of a shortened season!

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

[QUOTE=xBhp;1393553]The thing is that Pol, and KTM in general had a strong showing at the opening two rounds as well. The results may speak otherwise but the signs that the bike is now ready to mingle with the big boys at the front were already there. About Aprilia, the RS-GP did look strong in testing but the results at both the Jerez races were dismal. While Aleix faded at Brno as well, but it was much better than before. That's why I believe that despite their current woes, they may be up to a decent pace by mid season. And the double headers may also help them setup their bike specifically for the track in question.

I agree that Aprilia has upped the game but consistency is the key along with managing the unpredictable Michelin tyres .I expected Suzuki to be a strong podium player going by their last year performance but injury to Rins has affected them though he did a great job in Brno ,Mir is another one to watch out for among the rookies going by his consistency and performance in Moto 3.

Bastianini looks good in Moto 2 along with Marini but i expected more from Martin ,he has not shown the consistency that i expected in the recent races.Joe Roberts reminded me of Simoncelli somehow.

Arenas ,Ogura and Mcphee have shown consistency while Foggia had a great result at Brno in Moto 3.

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

I agree that Aprilia has upped the game but consistency is the key along with managing the unpredictable Michelin tyres.

That's true.Consistency is something that they have to look into because Aleix seems like he has got the taste and the positive winter tests have also made him realize that he is in premier class for a reason and he can compete. That is something very important for a racer. I hope Aprilia can fix that before he loses the 'drive' again. After the last race, he said that the traction and the resultant acceleration of the KTM made the RS-GP seem like a Moto2 bike. That is a lot coming from a seasoned campaigner.

But for engineers to work they need input... a whole lot of it. While I understand that every track is different but the problems, if the bike has one, should be similar. I say that because after Jerez he pointed out that the front end was the problem. Now he refers to acceleration and traction so he may be referring to the rear. Anyway, I hope Bradley Smith works out a fix and they figure out the problem soon.

Suzuki is definitely very strong this year but the crash of Rins' and the injury have somewhat washed away Suzuki's plans for this year. Mir is a good racer but this is his 2nd year in MotoGP and without tangible results, considering the cut-throat competition, his 'ride' to the future may get bumpy. After all, the lashing that Lecuona got (and it might have gotten worse after he took out Mir) despite being a rookie means that KTM now feels that they are established and they have the money so their attitude may have changed from 'Alright, we'll figure it out' to 'You better get their quick because we have a lot many in the line'. And we know they are not wrong.

Jorge Martin will be there. He has taken his time but he seems like someone who can hang in there and sweat it out. Roberts... well, he's American, he's doing well, and he's a showman.

I have really high hopes of Arenas and McPhee in Moto3. Let's see how it goes.

We are getting ready for the Red Bull Ring now. KTM's home... a win or a podium here and they'll party the roof off of the ring.

[€lixir]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Finally Ducati's management will decide Andrea Dovizioso's future contract after double header in Austria. It seems former 5 time Champion Jorge Lorenzo is linked with a return to Ducati other than Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia.
With Austria FP1 results Dovi looked strong , came in second behind KTM's P. Espargaro.

Update: Dovi's manager has confirmed Dovi won't stay in Ducati for 2021 [emoji853]. Finally sad to see Ducati once again losing their potential rider.

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

.
Update: Dovi's manager has confirmed Dovi won't stay in Ducati for 2021 [emoji853]. Finally sad to see Ducati once again losing their potential rider.

Dovi's performance in qualifying looked like he wanted Ducati to know that they will regret not agreeing to his terms .But what a session Vinales on pole and Quatararo in 3rd at a track where Ducati and KTM are expected to dominate with Miller in 2nd the best Ducati .Binder failed to make it to Q2 while Pol had a better session.Just waiting for tomorrow's race.

[€lixir]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Dovi's performance in qualifying looked like he wanted Ducati to know that they will regret not agreeing to his terms .But what a session Vinales on pole and Quatararo in 3rd at a track where Ducati and KTM are expected to dominate with Miller in 2nd the best Ducati .Binder failed to make it to Q2 while Pol had a better session.Just waiting for tomorrow's race.

Finally Dovizioso & Ducati take their first win of the season after a horrific crash at Austrian MotoGP, with Suzuki & Mir taking second spot along with Pramac rider Miller finishing at third spot.
Ducati, KTM & Suzuki looked strong after restarted 20 lap Austrian GP, but as KTM's over-confident Espargaro crashed with his KTM partner Oliveira smilar to what happened last week at Czech Grand Prix between him and Zarco. Ducati showed once again Austrian GP is their second home with Dovi winning once again, Suzuki riders showed that they are contenders for championship but Rins crashed out lead from Dovizioso. Mir took his first MotoGP podium and second position after Miller's wide gap in final corner.
Binder was one of the highlight, his fantastic progress from 17th on the grid to 4th
For Yamaha Rossi took 5th position while World championship leader Quartararo finished in 8th and Vinales claming 10th. Seems Yamaha is having engine trouble and their 300rpm rev limiter isn't helping them.
Yesterday's GP also involved two horrific crashes, first involved in Moto2 with Enea Bastianini losing control and former MotoGP Tech3 rider Hafizh Syahrin crashing and splitting his bike into Enea's bike. Second involved between Morbidelli and Zarco, Vinales and Rossi nearly escaped.

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Finally Dovizioso & Ducati take their first win of the season after a horrific crash at Austrian MotoGP, with Suzuki & Mir taking second spot along with Pramac rider Miller finishing at third spot.
.

Ducati will definitely be having second thoughts about Dovi .Such an open race but Dovi rode it to perfection .What a pass by Mir on the last lap on Miller - he kept a cool head compared to Pol, Rins and Olivera who were in with a chance .Another brilliant ride by Binder to come up the pack after a poor qualifying.Rossi and Vinales almost lost their heads in the crash involving Zarco and Morbidelli -lucky guys for sure .

Martin rode a perfect race for KTM in Moto 2 after the horrific crash while superman Arenas won it for KTM in Moto 3 .

All in all this season is turning out to be worth the wait and now to see how it plays once Marc comes back .Honda is losing face bigtime specially losing Lorenzo and giving Alex a chance .

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Another good, competitive race added to a season already studded with some stellar ones. And to think this was just Race 4 (5 for Moto3 and Moto2).
@€lixir and @bharatheshk Spot on about Dovi. That man is like a statue of zen. He raced so calmly and managed his race so well... there is a reason why Dovi was almost always able to pip Marquez in last lap battles. His experience and his assessment and understanding of races is just superb. And guess what... He had predicted Rins to have a good race too and he did. Without a doubt, it is Ducati's loss.

As Mr Stoner rightly said, "At some point you must understand that it is the rider, not the wind tunnels, that gets results. So listen to them." Truer words are rarely spoken. I personally would love to see Dovi ride again in 2021 but with Aprilia seemingly the only option, it seems bleak. And if it does happen and if Dovi is able to turn the RS-GP in a proper refined weapon... Noale vs Bologna will be a delight.

Jack Miller had a good race too. The gamble with the soft tyres also kinda paid off. But Mir... he showed that he's matured. In the beginning of the chase he did seem a tad impatient here and there, but apart from that, he rode a clean and wonderful race. Kept the pressure on Miller, kept at it, masked his and his bike's weak points and capitalized on the strong ones. @bharatheshk said to watch out for Mir...

Quartararo is still trying to find his footing at the top spot in the championship standings. Still a lot to come from him, I am sure. In addition to Mir, Rins also proved that Suzuki is now a force to be reckoned with. I don't know if you guys noticed but he almost kept up with the Ducati of Dovi... even on the straights! And the tyre preservation and corner speed of that Suzuki is already strong. The straight line point might be debatable because of slipstream but even then, we have seen quite a few machines struggle with even staying in that slipstream...

Honestly speaking, my favourite rider is Marquez but what happened yesterday, my respect for Rossi, which was already considerable to begin with, has gone a whole another level. He is 41, been racing for 25 years, was there at the time of the unfortunate accident of Simoncelli... and on Sunday, the guy got nearly decapitated. I have never seen him that shaken... and yet, he went out, raced hard, and finished the line in fifth! In contrast, look at Vinales, he was spooked. His lap times were sporadic to the end (he says it was a technical issue which is even worse for his championship aspiration). And to be honest, I don't blame him. Just take a look at this... (the photo was posted on MotoGP's instagram channel)



If that does not spook one, I do not know what will. These guys are iron clad, man... And that is why they deserve respect. From us and from their fellow riders. I may not be entirely correct, but it was not entirely Zarco's fault. He was just being too aggressive and forgot the speed at which they were. When you brake from over 300 km/h, you do it taking into consideration the distance to the turn, the radius of the curve your motorcycle's braking potential. It is a calculation correct to the thousandth decimal point.

Add slipstream, which is not even a minor factor, and you're done for. That is what happened. The sad thing is that the same thing had happened with Zarco when he hit 93's rear and flew off. It was similar to this crash in most of the details except Marquez didn't go down (he had to retire because his bike's real panels and seat were damaged).

Here both of them went down and it was horrific. The layout of the track is a tad dangerous too. After a 300+ km/h slight left kink, you have an extremely slow right hairpin. And man... what a disaster it could have been. I saw a beautiful visual somewhere where the likes of Simoncelli, Hayden, Kato were looking over Vinales and Rossi... I think it was very much accurate. Someone was watching over them.

And now... KTM. The team with perhaps the most strange string of events in the past few races. Talking about Sunday, Pol rides well, takes lead, stretches, and the race is red flagged. He could have been a tad more sensitive towards the incident but let's just say these guys are focussed only on one thing and that's victory. You kinda forgive him. The race restarts and he botches it up royally with many mistakes and the final one taking Oliveira along for a dirt ride.

I mean... he's talented for sure but man... where did the focus go? I think the sudden competitive upturn of the RC16 and the Repsol contract are getting to him... I hope that is not the case though. Oliveira was riding a great race... again. And he got taken out... again! He just might be the new-gen Pedrosa and that makes me really sad. Binder the Wonder kid... well, he got to a well deserved 4th. And to think that he said, off the record, that he can't stand more than two laps of this circuit. But anyway, this Sunday does help the matter but he needs more to validate his title challenge. The same goes for KTM.

Marini showed his consistency by finishing in 2nd and Jorge Martin showed that he's gonna be a frontrunner by winning it. Unfortunate crash for Bastiannini but Syahrin... that was insane. Even Bastiannini slid right to the middle of the track after his highside and somehow ran off the track and then Syahrin... and he came out of the slipstream too when he hit the Italian's bike at a million kilometres an hour. Pons and Izdihar did well to escape serious injury after avoiding the debris and Syahrin who was laid out on the kerb... This was utterly terrifying. Yesterday was just a very, very scary day and we have another race at the Ring...

Moto3... Arenas is really something isn't he. And so is McPhee. I can't wait to seem them in higher classes. I just hope they do not end up like Di Giannantonio and Dalla Porta in Moto2... I hope those two pick up their game as they were a whole lot of fun to watch in Moto3.

What are the opinions of you guys on the Zarco-Morbi crash and the curiously frustrating case of Pol Espargaro? Also, how do you think the return of 93 is going to affect the championship?

[bharatheshk]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

What are the opinions of you guys on the Zarco-Morbi crash and the curiously frustrating case of Pol Espargaro? Also, how do you think the return of 93 is going to affect the championship?

Zarco has been in many such close calls but it's a different kind of dangerous compared to being agressive in the corners and cutting off somebody .The track layout has already been questioned by many riders and will definitely have some corrective measures before the next season .The sight of Syahrin being treated on track sent me back to Simoncelli's last race, till they declared all riders to be conscious .

Pol has the pace and talent to make it but whether he has the temperament to handle it will be revealed at the next race .He was being impatient even during the initial stages of the first part of the race and during the red flag break which was compounded by the poor start in the second part.Binder i feel has a better chance to succeed going by the last race ,he didn't let poor qualifying frustrate him but calmly made his way up the pack .I think Pol is getting affected by Binder's performance and trying too hard .

As you rightly mentioned the pace of Suzuki in the straights was right up there with the Ducati and KTM's which was a revelation adding to their overall handling package. Yamaha is the one that needs to up their engine package to the sweet handling bike.Building the Honda around Marc has resulted in a bike akin to the Ducati which could be muscled around only by Casey Stoner. There was a time when Honda used to believe that their machine was more important than the rider ( hint -Rossi) but now the tables have turned and they are more dependent on Marc to get the result, instead of getting some of the most talented rookies coming along to partner Marc they have gone from Pedrosa to Lorenzo to Alex to Pol .They should have a satellite team to groom youngsters to take over .Ducati meanwhile has gone and dumped the one person who has got them consistency since Stoner's heydays.

Anyway Marc has a good challenge waiting for him and i'm sure he is happy that the points are getting split among different riders . I have been following Rossi since his 250 days and the fact that he still has the motivation to do what he does is amazing and hats off to him .Vinales is turning out to be a disappointment since he wanted to be top dog this year and once Quatararo joins next year he might find it more difficult.

Let the next race begin.

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Zarco has been in many such close calls but it's a different kind of dangerous compared to being agressive in the corners and cutting off somebody. The track layout has already been questioned by many riders and will definitely have some corrective measures before the next season.

I believe that Pol is also on the path that Zarco is following. There is a fine line between aggressive and dangerous. He has the habit of walking that line and inevitably, he dwindles on the wrong side quite often. But at the moment, it just seems like Zarco is desperate for a ride. He is not getting any younger and he was almost left rideless this year. Perhaps with Dovi Gone, he sees a seat for himself and that's why he's pushing a tad too hard.

Pol's temperament has been questionable but its his conduct that bothers me more. Anyway, the pressure of being the top KTM when the RC16 is finally competitive, being showed down by a rookie, and the showing HRC that he's worth it... it is quite a lot to be honest. But with his ways, he is not helping his case. I really want to see him succeed but I think what Marc said has gotten to him, "With Repsol, it is either podiums or disaster." He should have apologized to Oliveira and hugged it out instead of walking away. In case of Zarco too, he should have worded it better than that...

Suzuki, despite the additional inputs from a satellite team and an extra pair of riders, has developed that GSX-RR by leaps and bounds. It is amazing to watch it go around the track and take it to the big boys. And it looks the best too, in my opinion.

Honda has 1 rider centric and Ducati is no-rider centric Yamaha seems to be stuck and I think if Lorenzo got to test more this year, it would have been a help. Lorenzo is peculiarly good at developing motorcycles, I believe. Anyway, recent news suggests that Quartararo's Yamaha developed braking issues and it was so bad that he had to use 4 fingers to grab the lever and try to slow the bike down... This is almost a nightmare for the already tech-issues-stricken M1.

As you rightly said, Marc must be happy with championship contenders taking points away from each other. While Vinales has been left behind and will probably be picked off by Binder, we have another race at the Ring and I think Desmo Dovi and El Diablo will be smack dab in each other's faces in terms of points.

I am really excited for the next race as double-headers seem to help almost everyone and almost everyone is competitive so this Sunday's race is going to be even more fun. I just hope it is safer than this Sunday though.

[HyperRetard]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

I am

Since you seem to be the most active in this thread, I guess its best to ask this question here itself. Who are you? I mean I understand that you're a xBhp mod, but which one?

SunilG? Sunny? Divya_Sharan? Samarth? Pkon? Ken_cool?

[xBhp]

Re: Moto GP 2020 discussion thread

Since you seem to be the most active in this thread, I guess its best to ask this question here itself. Who are you? I mean I understand that you're a xBhp mod, but which one?

SunilG? Sunny? Divya_Sharan? Samarth? Pkon? Ken_cool?

So the cat's out of the bag. Wish it was Schrodinger's though... poor thing has been stuck for a while.

Anyway, my name is Karan. I have been with the xBhp Core Team for more than 2 years. Usually I am caught up with the magazine and for the news and reviews that I post on the forums, the xBhp profile suffices. I am not much of a conversationalist so the arrangement was working fine. But since you popped the question, I felt obliged to answer.

About being the most active one in this thread, I am nuts about MotoGP. And to think that around 2 years ago, all I knew was Rossi is good, Lorenzo wins a lot and wow, they have their knees down on every turn. Then when I started watching it properly, I became a junkie. I fidget when there's a long gap between race weekends and I dread the phrase Winter is coming. We have had some great threads for prior MotoGP seasons but not in the recent past. Nowadays, quite a few people watch it and since @bharatheshk started the thread, I thought of participating as well.

The participation till now has been wonderful from everyone and I am thankful. I hope it picks up further and we can discuss the sport without threatening to murder each other over favourites like I see on some other places on the internet.

Since I am enjoying this discussion so much, I would like to thank all of you for your participation and hope that we can keep it going. I have some more ideas as well like quiz and games that we can do on a particular day. I reckon that'd be fun. Also, if you guys have any ideas, bring it on.

And as always, I can't wait for the clock to show 14:30 this Sunday.