2018 HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France

JPSLotus · May 14, 2018

Another grand prix and another thread to potentially get ....... up. The possibilities are endless. MM working on 2 wins in a row which should have been 3 in a row had it not been for spineless Dorna Direction acquiescing to Rossi's ......... But what's done is done. The Yamaha's did well here last year till Rossi crashed out trying to overtake Vinales on the final lap. The Yamaha's will not be doing well here since ELECTRONICS!

Zarco on the other hand I think has a real chance to score that maiden victory but he's going to have to beat Marquez and right now I have trouble seeing him do that. MM crashed out last year, but I don't see him making the same mistake twice. The RCV is turning and has power so it's going to be a matter of tire selection and weather. I'm leaning towards picking Marquez going three in a row, but am unsure with the Zarco factor. I think Marquez is in full ".... you" mode and will be looking to beat the crap out of the rest of the field. Zarco will go with the soft/soft combo that works well for him but has longevity issues so he will start strong then possibly falter.

Either way it's going to be an interesting race because if Marquez bags this one, that puts him in a good position where it's doubtful he will win a Mugello due to it being a Ducati power circuit. So I'd say he needs to win this race because Dovi will be strong at Mugello. Lolrenzo might be in the mix early on before his tires disintegrate because he can't make harder compounds work for the race distance.

Predictions?

p4p1 · May 14, 2018

Agree that it's hard to pick against Marquez right now. He is in unbelievable form. He's been unmatched for pace in the last 3 races, and despite having crashed in the last two races in LeMans I think he will be hard to beat. Zarco I think will be strong and I expect the two factory Yamahas to be stronger than they have been the last 3 races. I wouldn't be surprised to see MV fighting for the win.

I'm hoping for a great race, as a Marquez fan I would like to see him get the W but I would also love to see Zarco get his first in in front of this home fans.

Furiosa · May 14, 2018

Yep, hard to see past a Marquez romp. Now there's a thought... But really, he does appear to be on some unbelievable form just now. Even if it all does get a bit hallirackit sometimes.

Zarco should be on home form, too.

I feel a bit meh about Vinales.

Cal will be Cal and his ego will see him through.

Lorenzo is showing glimmers of form at times but it's all a bit grim one way or another. I'm a fangirl, though, so would love for him to finally get the hang of the thing or get comfy or whatever the issues are.

Morbidelli is making steady progress and getting used to things. Luthi not so much, maybe.

The prospect of a race weekend lifts my week regardless so yaay

Keshav · May 14, 2018

JPSLotus said:
Another grand prix and another thread to potentially get ....... up. The possibilities are endless. MM working on 2 wins in a row which should have been 3 in a row had it not been for spineless Dorna Direction acquiescing to Rossi's ......... But what's done is done. The Yamaha's did well here last year till Rossi crashed out trying to overtake Vinales on the final lap. The Yamaha's will not be doing well here since ELECTRONICS!

Zarco on the other hand I think has a real chance to score that maiden victory but he's going to have to beat Marquez and right now I have trouble seeing him do that. MM crashed out last year, but I don't see him making the same mistake twice. The RCV is turning and has power so it's going to be a matter of tire selection and weather. I'm leaning towards picking Marquez going three in a row, but am unsure with the Zarco factor. I think Marquez is in full ".... you" mode and will be looking to beat the crap out of the rest of the field. Zarco will go with the soft/soft combo that works well for him but has longevity issues so he will start strong then possibly falter.

Either way it's going to be an interesting race because if Marquez bags this one, that puts him in a good position where it's doubtful he will win a Mugello due to it being a Ducati power circuit. So I'd say he needs to win this race because Dovi will be strong at Mugello. Lolrenzo might be in the mix early on before his tires disintegrate because he can't make harder compounds work for the race distance.

Predictions?

Hopefully not. Think positive. Zarco winning in France is a great fairytale ending scenario. So much so that odds are against it. Vinales loves this track. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the podium. Look for Mir and Morbidelli to duke it out in their race.

danski · May 14, 2018

I think last year Yamaha were in the same boat as this year. Don't forget they had a mare at Jerez then dominated at Le Mans.
For that reason I reckon it could be an all Yamaha podium.

RCV600RR · May 14, 2018

This is one of Honda's weakest tracks, so I'll say an all-Yamaha podium.

If Marquez wins here, the title race is over.

JPSLotus · May 14, 2018

RCV600RR said:
This is one of Honda's weakest tracks, so I'll say an all-Yamaha podium.

If Marquez wins here, the title race is over.

I think this race is going to tell us how good the RCV really is this year. I know last year after they got the setup right, turn 17 and 18 at Aragon, the corner speed that Marquez had was absolutely unreal. They seem to have figured something out with the corner speed and you need that here.

Hollywood · May 14, 2018

Zarco, Maverick, even Rossi seem to do well here, even JLo. while Marquez has not had the best results in recent trips to France, so he is kind of the wild card. Dovi needs to have a good weekend, he needs to rebound from a poor result in Spain.

Ducati has stated that they want to get their 2019 budget sorted by June 1st, this is the last race before that deadline, so I would expect some news on rider contracts. Petrucci needs to have a good round, this may be his last opportunity to make a case for why he should be a factory Ducati rider.

povol · May 14, 2018

Keshav said:
Hopefully not. Think positive. Zarco winning in France is a great fairytale ending scenario. So much so that odds are against it. Vinales loves this track. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the podium. Look for Mir and Morbidelli to duke it out in their race.

Morbidelli is in GP, Mir in Moto 2

synn · May 14, 2018

1) Rossi
2- 23) Dont care

Keshav · May 14, 2018

povol said:
[/B]

Morbidelli is in GP, Mir in Moto 2

I didn't mean in the same race. Only that both riders compete strongly at this circuit. I don't expect Morbidelli to podium
but he loves to fight it out at this circuit. Mir should be on the podium in his race.

Holypuck · May 14, 2018

I think and hope it will finally be Zarco's time. And I'm not even a fan

povol · May 14, 2018

Hollywood said:
Zarco, Maverick, even Rossi seem to do well here, even JLo. while Marquez has not had the best results in recent trips to France, so he is kind of the wild card. Dovi needs to have a good weekend, he needs to rebound from a poor result in Spain.

Ducati has stated that they want to get their 2019 budget sorted by June 1st, this is the last race before that deadline, so I would expect some news on rider contracts. Petrucci needs to have a good round, this may be his last opportunity to make a case for why he should be a factory Ducati rider.

LeMans is hit or miss with Marquez but is the sight of one of his most dominant rides since he entered GP. 2014 I think it was he was dumped at he start, ran off track a few times and found himself in 10th place. While coming thru traffic he was running laps 1/2 a second faster than the leader and took the lead and cruised to victory . With the track being resurfaced it may help Yamaha but having even more grip the better bike and rider should be even better.

McZee · May 14, 2018

It's a real acid test for the Yam's, that's for sure. But there is no getting past the fact that the Honda is a stronger bike early season than it has been for the last couple of years.

To summarize, I haven't got a clue who's going to win it, all the big names are in with a shot, so long as Jack doesn't go cart-wheeling towards the wall again, I don't care.

Theo · May 16, 2018

JPSLotus said:
Another grand prix and another thread to potentially get ....... up. The possibilities are endless. MM working on 2 wins in a row which should have been 3 in a row had it not been for spineless Dorna Direction acquiescing to Rossi's ......... But what's done is done. The Yamaha's did well here last year till Rossi crashed out trying to overtake Vinales on the final lap. The Yamaha's will not be doing well here since ELECTRONICS!

Zarco on the other hand I think has a real chance to score that maiden victory but he's going to have to beat Marquez and right now I have trouble seeing him do that. MM crashed out last year, but I don't see him making the same mistake twice. The RCV is turning and has power so it's going to be a matter of tire selection and weather. I'm leaning towards picking Marquez going three in a row, but am unsure with the Zarco factor. I think Marquez is in full ".... you" mode and will be looking to beat the crap out of the rest of the field. Zarco will go with the soft/soft combo that works well for him but has longevity issues so he will start strong then possibly falter.

Either way it's going to be an interesting race because if Marquez bags this one, that puts him in a good position where it's doubtful he will win a Mugello due to it being a Ducati power circuit. So I'd say he needs to win this race because Dovi will be strong at Mugello. Lolrenzo might be in the mix early on before his tires disintegrate because he can't make harder compounds work for the race distance.

Predictions?

I'm 50/50 on the winner, if its dry and MM gets a good start without getting caught up in the 1st 2 corner mayhem, I'd fancy his chances with Zarco another 2nd. In the wet its got to be Zarco, he knows the track like the back of his hand and its good when you are a frenchman as well.
Can't see the ayamahahahas anywhere to be honest, their riders look like they suck lemons all day long. As an aside I think Bradley will beat the young Asparagus if it rains and being Le Mans its bound to be wet 9/10 times.

So my pick is :
WET
Zarco, MM, Rins,
DRY
MM, Zarco, Dani.

MigsAngel · May 16, 2018

Holypuck said:
I think and hope it will finally be Zarco's time. And I'm not even a fan

My fear is that Zarco will desperate for a win and at home that he will cause some sort of chaos with MM and possibly others....especially at that last corner...

Theo · May 17, 2018

MigsAngel said:
My fear is that Zarco will desperate for a win and at home that he will cause some sort of chaos with MM and possibly others....especially at that last corner...

Do you mean "do a Sam Lowes" job. I don't think he will for the simple reason he will not want to upset the potential benefits of getting a podium and boosting French participation.

BarryMachine · May 18, 2018

FP1

Marc.
Dovi
Vinny
Crutchy
Zarco
...
The slow ones.

Holypuck · May 18, 2018

MigsAngel said:
My fear is that Zarco will desperate for a win and at home that he will cause some sort of chaos with MM and possibly others....especially at that last corner...

I'm all in. This ain't ballet after all.

Zarco has got the balls, the speed and the bike. Sometimes in this sport an aggressive move is what you need to win.

I obviously hope no chaos will happen but hey, again, this ain't ballet.

EDIT: if anyone in here likes ballet please don't get offended

#22 · May 18, 2018

Marquez leads FP1, but close at the front:

1 93 spain Marc Marquez Honda 1'32.476
2 4 italy Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1'32.501 0.025
3 25 spain Maverick Viñales Yamaha 1'32.543 0.067
4 35 united_kingdom Cal Crutchlow Honda 1'32.734 0.258
5 5 france Johann Zarco Yamaha 1'32.755 0.279
6 46 italy Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1'32.777 0.301
7 29 italy Andrea Iannone Suzuki 1'32.919 0.443
8 99 spain Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 1'33.084 0.608
9 38 united_kingdom Bradley Smith KTM 1'33.157 0.681
10 44 spain Pol Espargaro KTM 1'33.245 0.769
11 9 italy Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1'33.254 0.778
12 43 australia Jack Miller Ducati 1'33.268 0.792
13 53 spain Tito Rabat Ducati 1'33.326 0.850
14 41 spain Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1'33.380 0.904
15 26 spain Dani Pedrosa Honda 1'33.389 0.913
16 19 spain Alvaro Bautista Ducati 1'33.492 1.016
17 42 spain Alex Rins Suzuki 1'33.692 1.216
18 30 japan Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1'33.833 1.357
19 45 united_kingdom Scott Redding Aprilia 1'33.851 1.375
20 17 czech_republic Karel Abraham Ducati 1'34.333 1.857
21 21 italy Franco Morbidelli Honda 1'34.509 2.033
22 55 malaysia Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 1'34.600 2.124
23 10 belgium Xavier Simeon Ducati 1'35.224 2.748
24 12 switzerland Thomas Luthi Honda 1'35.232 2.756

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2018 HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France

JPSLotus

p4p1

Furiosa

Keshav

danski

RCV600RR

JPSLotus

Hollywood

povol

synn

Keshav

Holypuck

povol

McZee

Theo

MigsAngel

Theo

BarryMachine

Holypuck

#22

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