2023 banter & Silly season thread for MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Miller seems to have lost some pace.... maybe a tyre issue although still 15 to go.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Mir has another crash and is out.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Miller now down to 6th behind Fernandez.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Now Rins on the deck.

Bezzechi now nearly 2 secs clear of MM93 and Martin with a gap then to Zarco.

As it stands with no points today from Bags his lead in the championship is down to 1 point over Bezzechi.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bezzechi now opened up a 3 second lead with 6 to go. MMand Martin are having a good scrap for 2nd Zarco 4th and Fernandez 5th.

[Vassago]

Miller and Marquez crash out late on.

Bezzecchi wins GP #1000! Martin and Zarco on the podium. Augusto Fernandez 4th!

[Everso Biggyballies]

Yep a dominant Bezzechi win by over 4 seconds from Martin and Zarco 3rd in his home race.. Good day for Pramac with a double podium

Bezzechi now just one point behind Bagnaia,

MM93 always looked like he was going to go for the maximum finish and bini it if it went wrong. An accident waiting to happen. Good to watch though.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Race results:2023 French MotoGP

Pos Num Rider Nat Team Bike Time/Gap
1 72 Marco BEZZECCHI ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 41:37.970
2 89 Jorge MARTIN ESP Prima Pramac Racing Ducati +4.256
3 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Prima Pramac Racing Ducati +4.795
4 37 Augusto FERNANDEZ ESP GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM +6.281
5 41 Aleix ESPARGARO ESP Aprilia Racing Aprilia +6.726
6 33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +13.638
7 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +15.023
8 49 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati +15.826
9 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda +16.370
10 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +17.828
11 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +29.735
12 32 Lorenzo SAVADORI ITA CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia +36.135
13 94 Jonas FOLGER GER GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM +49.808
DNF 93 Marc MARQUEZ ESP Repsol Honda Team Honda +2 laps
DNF 43 Jack MILLER AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +3 laps
DNF 42 Alex RINS ESP LCR Honda CASTROL Honda +13 laps
DNF 36 Joan MIR ESP Repsol Honda Team Honda +15 laps
DNF 10 Luca MARINI ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati +22 laps
DNF 73 Alex MARQUEZ ESP Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati +22 laps
DNF 1 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +23 laps
DNF 12 Maverick VIÑALES ESP Aprilia Racing Aprilia +23 laps


Riders’ championship

Pos Rider Nat Pts
1 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA 94
2 Marco BEZZECCHI ITA 93
3 Brad BINDER RSA 81
4 Jorge MARTIN ESP 80

[Cheeveer]

Bezzechi is the Bastianini of 2023.

[SBan83]

Marquez the Menace lost it in Turn 1 during Sachsenring practice yesterday and broke Zarco's bike in half.



He apparently blamed Zarco for not doing enough to avoid the crash. What?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Yeah I saw Zarco was at best unimpressed with MM#93. Rightfully so.
He also suggested MM should think before opening his trap.
That was MM's something like 25th crash of the year, which obviously includes practice spills as well, but I think I read it is the longest string of consecutive race DNFs in MMs career to date.
I know he has missed a few races through injury this year but a quick look suggests Malaysia last year was the last time he managed to stay on the bike all race!

Edit: As he drops it again in qualy.... so that is his 26th crash. Unless he has had any others earlier this weekend I have not included.

2nd Edit to add spill #27 in final qualifying. Oh well, cant say he is not trying I guess is the polite way of putting it.

Another Edit: I must have blinked and missed another one in qualy that the commentators just mentioned, making it 3 crashes within 30 minutes of qualifying just this weekend.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Joan Mir has been ruled out of a third consecutive MotoGP, with Repsol Honda opting to replace him with WSBK rider Iker Lecuona.

Mir, champion in 2020, missed the last two races at Mugello and Sachsenring with a damaged right hand sustained after a fall in practice ahead of the former event. Despite undergoing treatment with his “renowned traumatologist” Dr Juan Garcias, Mir will also now sit out this weekend’s Dutch round at Assen, hence Lekuona getting the call..

Honda not having a good year, both MM and Mir struggling with injuries and when there MM seeming incapable of not crashing. 5 crashes for MM in the last race weekend alone and another race DNF.

Combined points total of 20 points for the season says it all.

[Vassago]

Well, Honda is lost in the woods and I'm not sure they can manufacture a bike to even challenge Ducati anytime soon. Yamaha has tailed off too and the Polish expert comentator claims Quartararo isn't really pushing for results anymore since he (FQ) knows it's futile and overriding the thing might lead to Marquez-like crashfest that could obviously lead into injuries.

The biggest off-season drama should be around Acosta who wants to move into MotoGP in 2024 but KTM is reportedly unwilling to drop any of their current riders (technically Pol Espargaro would be the weakest link but he's got a long history with the brand) so let's see what happens in the second half of the season.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I also understand there may be a bit of unsustainability creeping in to the MM93 > Honda relationship and that an amicable split might be forthcoming. I think Marc, having had 5 crashes last weekend alone might even have had influence over Marcs decision to not ride. Almost a whats the point of starting. He admits he could have gone faster in the Sprint race but that he just wanted to finish, and it came down to a risk v reward decision.... the risks of pushing harder to finish 7th or 8th over 11th did not warrant risking a crash and potential further injury. Had the reward been a potential podium maybe the risk is more acceptable, but reality says a podium was fantasy.

Fabio of course has also recently fired his management team. im sure the point @Vassago raises in the same (injury / crash) risk v reward (minor points) is on the money too.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Cracking finish to the Moto3 race at Assen.... first ten covered by a blanket and ends with a first win for Masia from Sasaki and Oncu .... a horror weekend for championship leader Hogado who came offon the first lap rejoined and came last. His championship lead went from 41 points to 16

[Everso Biggyballies]

Marc Marquez ruled out of Dutch MotoGP due to rib injury
Marc Marquez chose / was told not to start the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen due to injuries, his Honda MotoGP team has announced. Injuries from his 5 crashes last weekend aggravated by further time on his bum this weekend, not to mention feeling discomfort from minly his ribs in the Sprint race yesterday.

Anyway the race has started without MM93 and has been something of a crashfest with Zarco Quatararo and Vinales all out plus of course Miller threw it down the road. Bastianini another one out. All in the first third of the race .

Quatar looked like he was suffering as he needed assistance to leave the accident scene. Not sure if that was due to the injuries he carried into the race from his training mishap or fresh injuries

Binder did his usual blistering start to leead the first few laps but now Bagnaia has taken over the lead with Binder and Bezzechi not far behind