MotoGP - Moto 2 - Moto 3 - 2017 banter thread

[erwin greven]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Hopefully Michael van der Mark does well in this GP.

[John]

Oh, Jorge Lorenzo.

Oh, Sam Lowes.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Great race but one of the highlights to me was that great finish by Zarco. Mansell and Brabham spring to mind!
Have we ever seen the F1 WDC and MotoGP title fights both tied on points at the top in the same week?

[John]

Okay race by MotoGP standards. The last few laps between MM93 and Petrucci was great, and there's always that added tension of a drying track - you never know what's going to happen. Gotta feel sorry for Petrucci, though, another second place. Lorenzo is looking better and better on the Desmosedici, it looks like he's getting to terms with the bike as each week passes.

Baz had something great in the making, shame about his off.

Zarco, though. Innes Ireland-style!

[Everso Biggyballies]

Any hopes of Yamaha giving Zarco a chance to prove himself on Rossi's Yamaha while the Doctor is recuperating? Would seem more logical than hauling someone off the street (read: WSBK or similar).

None. Yamaha need to put their resources behind Vinales' title bid rather than create a distraction for themselves.

I read that there was a faint chance of Michael Van Der Mark taking the seat if Val was not fit in time for Motegi. There is no clashing WSBK event and being the 'home' event for Yamaha..... Having said that there is no WSBK clash with Aragon either.

All that is certain is that it will NOT be Zarco.... The Tech 3 team principal / owner Hervé Poncharal made it clear that he runs independently of Yamaha in terms of riders, sponsorship etc, and the contract with Yamaha is for the leasing of the bikes and parts supply. He made it very clear that Zarco does not have any contract with Yamaha, only with the Tech 3 team. He said he would decline any request as his commitments and priorities are more to his own team and sponsors.

Just thinking now following the results at Misano that maybe Yamaha do need to run a replacement for Rossi until Val returns. It is all very well saying concentrate on Vinales for the riders title, but he is at best an outside chance for the championship given the form of Dovi and MM93. It must be a disadvantage having only one rider to gain the all important data to give Vinales and his engineers the maximum data to base their search for the optimum settings. Vinales title hopes need the maximum opportunity, and running a second bike will be a help. With VDM not having any clashing WSBK events it is not like a rider is not available.

Another thought is regarding contractual commitments to FIM/Dorna... I know F1 dictates two entries at all events , with a provision for a one car reduction in cases of exception such as driver injury. I would imagine Yamaha probably have a commitment to Dorna to run two bikes at all events.

In addition Yamaha have now fallen a few points behind Honda in the Constructors title chase. Having a second bike will obviously enhance their chances of maintaining status in their chase of constructors points. I presume, as with F1, that the division of TV money etc is dependant on constructors / team points scored.

[Andy]

While we are at comparisons to F1, I didn't see any kind of F1-style safety car parade laps, of what I could see anyway. And the conditions were torrential for both Moto3 and Moto2.

[SBan83]

While we are at comparisons to F1, I didn't see any kind of F1-style safety car parade laps, of what I could see anyway. And the conditions were torrential for both Moto3 and Moto2.

Yes, that thought did run through my mind more than a few times, proving further to me which is the real man's series and which is for little girls afraid of getting their skirts wet.

Any hopes of Yamaha giving Zarco a chance to prove himself on Rossi's Yamaha while the Doctor is recuperating? Would seem more logical than hauling someone off the street (read: WSBK or similar).

None. Yamaha need to put their resources behind Vinales' title bid rather than create a distraction for themselves.

I read that there was a faint chance of Michael Van Der Mark taking the seat if Val was not fit in time for Motegi. There is no clashing WSBK event and being the 'home' event for Yamaha..... Having said that there is no WSBK clash with Aragon either.

All that is certain is that it will NOT be Zarco.... The Tech 3 team principal / owner Hervé Poncharal made it clear that he runs independently of Yamaha in terms of riders, sponsorship etc, and the contract with Yamaha is for the leasing of the bikes and parts supply. He made it very clear that Zarco does not have any contract with Yamaha, only with the Tech 3 team. He said he would decline any request as his commitments and priorities are more to his own team and sponsors.

Just thinking now following the results at Misano that maybe Yamaha do need to run a replacement for Rossi until Val returns. It is all very well saying concentrate on Vinales for the riders title, but he is at best an outside chance for the championship given the form of Dovi and MM93. It must be a disadvantage having only one rider to gain the all important data to give Vinales and his engineers the maximum data to base their search for the optimum settings. Vinales title hopes need the maximum opportunity, and running a second bike will be a help. With VDM not having any clashing WSBK events it is not like a rider is not available.

Another thought is regarding contractual commitments to FIM/Dorna... I know F1 dictates two entries at all events , with a provision for a one car reduction in cases of exception such as driver injury. I would imagine Yamaha probably have a commitment to Dorna to run two bikes at all events.

In addition Yamaha have now fallen a few points behind Honda in the Constructors title chase. Having a second bike will obviously enhance their chances of maintaining status in their chase of constructors points. I presume, as with F1, that the division of TV money etc is dependant on constructors / team points scored.

Not knowing how these teams operate exactly, I can only recall reading about Vinales and Rossi's starkly different riding styles causing issues at Yamaha. If the sheer volume of data obtained by running 2 riders outweighs the benefit of having the entire resources focused on Vinales and his style, inputs, etc., then fine, go for 2 riders but I think the latter is more useful at this point. But we can only guess.

[John]

MvdM confirmed on the Yamaha at Aragon.

[kals]

MvdM confirmed on the Yamaha at Aragon.

I was hoping it would be Alex Lowes, twin brother of Aprilia rider Sam and MvdM's team mate in WSBK. But Mark is a very good option and I'm intrigued by how he'll do.

[Everso Biggyballies]

..... one of the highlights to me was that great finish by Zarco. Mansell and Brabham spring to mind!

That finish in case any have not seen it.

[Everso Biggyballies]

The weekend's wet weather at Misano saw riders dropping their bikes at every opportunity..... so many in fact that the 140 crashes recorded over the weekend is a new outright record for a MotoGP weekend, beating the previous record set at Estoril 2010 by 10.

More than half (80) crashes were recorded during Sunday's wet warm-up sessions. Surprisingly the number of actual race day crashes at Misano was less than at earlier races this year at Le Mans (94) and Assen (91)

At Misano, more than half the riders crashed out from the Moto3 and Moto2 races, with MotoGP only having 15 finishers. Many riders crashed, remounted and crashed again.

The principal two crashers this year?

Well, number one is Sam Lowes, who has crashed 23 times this year. Oddly enough the second highest number has been recorded by Championship leader MM93 with 20, although with him only 2 have been in races. But there are still 5 races to go so plenty of time for more.

[caneparo]

Valentino rossi tested a road bike today in misano, only 18 days after he broke both his tibia and fibula!!!!!!
I guess none of us woukd even reach the toilet after a si iliar injure!
Vale tried to understand the pain and his leg swelling. He s really determined to try to be back at aragon. For a 38 year old this is incredibly impressive, go vale!

[Cheeveer]

Puh-lease make it happen! Leaving for Aragon on Thursday.

[John]

Valentino rossi tested a road bike today in misano, only 18 days after he broke both his tibia and fibula!!!!!!
I guess none of us woukd even reach the toilet after a si iliar injure!
Vale tried to understand the pain and his leg swelling. He s really determined to try to be back at aragon. For a 38 year old this is incredibly impressive, go vale!

As much as I love and admire Vale, I really don't want him to ride at Aragon. His championship hopes are gone, why risk it and possibly making it worse?

I say that as a normal person. Bike races are different, I know. I can't fathom how he even managed a trial run. Wow.

[MonteCristo]

Valentino rossi tested a road bike today in misano, only 18 days after he broke both his tibia and fibula!!!!!!
I guess none of us woukd even reach the toilet after a si iliar injure!
Vale tried to understand the pain and his leg swelling. He s really determined to try to be back at aragon. For a 38 year old this is incredibly impressive, go vale!

As much as I love and admire Vale, I really don't want him to ride at Aragon. His championship hopes are gone, why risk it and possibly making it worse?

I say that as a normal person. Bike races are different, I know. I can't fathom how he even managed a trial run. Wow.

Shows how much he loves it. But yeah - if that was me, no thanks!

[SBan83]

Racers are gonna race, broken bones and all, championship or not. That's what we love about 'em!