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2019 Motegi - Motul Grand Prix of Japan

Keshav

Keshav

Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
With the championship in the bag - the four-round Mundialito commences to see who gets 2nd in the championship. Dovi has a "commanding" but not insurmountable lead. If he all of a sudden gets hot and starts winning races, a lot of people are going to be annoyed. He does however really have a taste for beating MM in Honda's back yard . . . but I think this time, the fight is out of him.
 
I'm going out on a limb and saying it's time for Quartarraro to not just stay in front of Marquez until the last lap, but take a back seat early, conserve his tires and study MM and see where there might be ..... in the armor.

What better place to do it than Japan when you are looking for a top ride?

I hope and think Lorenzo will be showing some improvement.

Dovi is done, even if he wins a race or two down the stretch. I like him but he just doesn't seem to bring his game when he needs to. The rest of the Ducati riders can't deal with the geometry of the machine. I like Petrux too but he just doesn't have the killer instinct in him to win. Weird that Ducati have stuck with all these really second tier riders for so long. Either that or Gigi needs to build a machine they can win on.

Rins due for some better results, if it rains he has a chance.

Vinales good at practicing, Cal good at crashing, Miller skipped a grade and shouldn't have.....

Let's have fun watching!
 
Bern1 said:
I'm going out on a limb and saying it's time for Quartarraro to not just stay in front of Marquez until the last lap, but take a back seat early, conserve his tires and study MM and see where there might be ..... in the armor.

What better place to do it than Japan when you are looking for a top ride?

I hope and think Lorenzo will be showing some improvement.

Dovi is done, even if he wins a race or two down the stretch. I like him but he just doesn't seem to bring his game when he needs to. The rest of the Ducati riders can't deal with the geometry of the machine. I like Petrux too but he just doesn't have the killer instinct in him to win. Weird that Ducati have stuck with all these really second tier riders for so long. Either that or Gigi needs to build a machine they can win on.

Rins due for some better results, if it rains he has a chance.

Vinales good at practicing, Cal good at crashing, Miller skipped a grade and shouldn't have.....

Let's have fun watching!
Click to expand...

Not sure it's Dovi not being able bring the fight, so much as it's a case of Ducati not keeping pace development-wise or even possibly, they've taken a step or two backwards. It happens. Dovi still has many more points than any other Ducati riders.
 
Keshav said:
Not sure it's Dovi not being able bring the fight, so much as it's a case of Ducati not keeping pace development-wise or even possibly, they've taken a step or two backwards. It happens. Dovi still has many more points than any other Ducati riders.
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It's not a as much of a two horse race in 2019 as it was in 2018.

I think that the Ducati's are still a very strong bike this season. Honda has a touch more power in 2019 which has helped Marc bridge the gap to the Ducati's but at the same time it seems they have made the Honda worse for everyone else. Marc is finishing 1st or 2nd when it's pretty much all him rather than the bike...He is riding better this season than he ever has. Dovi is comfortably the runner up with a convincing margin over Rins.

Mind you the Suzuki and Yamaha have also improved this year compared to last year which I think has played the biggest part in making Ducati appear as if they have 'dropped the ball' this season results wise.
 
Bern1 said:
Vinales good at practicing, Cal good at crashing, Miller skipped a grade and shouldn't have.....
Click to expand...

I used to think the same thing but Miller was battling it out with Alex Marquez in Moto3 just before he left to join MotoGP. With all things going well for Miller, by the time/if Alex makes it to MotoGP Miller would have already earned himself a full factory ride with Ducati not to mention all the experience he would have gained racing at the top level in the process.

I know which position I would rather be in...
 
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AJV80 said:
I used to think the same thing but Miller was battling it out with Alex Marquez in Moto3 just before he left to join MotoGP. With all things going well for Miller, by the time/if Alex makes it to MotoGP Miller would have already earned himself a full factory ride with Ducati not to mention all the experience he would have gained racing at the top level in the process.

I know which position I would rather be in...
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He gets a lot of .... but in his rookie year he beat Nicky Hayden on the same bike and was battling with a lot of the mid pack guys during that and his second year. It’s gotta be better than being in moto2. If you’re aim is to be better on the big bike then you’re probably better off being on the big bike ASAP.
 
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Repsol 93 said:
The rider with the World Championship in hand?
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Not taking anything away from any Moto2 world champions, but having the Moto2 world championship does not guarantee results when transitioning to MotoGP.

Personally, If my goal was to race in MotoGP I'd much rather be the rider with more MotoGP experience mixing it with the big boys, on a superior MotoGP bike and have a premier class win under my belt, than be the same age and be a MotoGP rookie with a Moto2 World Championship to my name.
 
AJV80 said:
Not taking anything away from any Moto2 world champions, but having the Moto2 world championship does not guarantee results when transitioning to MotoGP.
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Wouldn't having a championship open the doors to a better ride? That should mean faster progress than just experience turning laps on a lower tier machine.
 
C'mon Valentino, it's time vacate your seat for someone who deserves an opportunity. You will still be part of the circus management, and you will get even more face time on telle, I promise.
 
AJV80 said:
Not taking anything away from any Moto2 world champions, but having the Moto2 world championship does not guarantee results when transitioning to MotoGP.

Personally, If my goal was to race in MotoGP I'd much rather be the rider with more MotoGP experience mixing it with the big boys, on a superior MotoGP bike and have a premier class win under my belt, than be the same age and be a MotoGP rookie with a Moto2 World Championship to my name.
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It’s been a long time since the best riders compete in the smaller classes. It’s a world championship that doesn’t really make you the best in the world at anything.

I hope Alex does well if he moves up but he had to wait until a good amount of guys left the class in his fourth year to be in a position to win the championship. Not great signs IMO.
 
Repsol 93 said:
Wouldn't having a championship open the doors to a better ride? That should mean faster progress than just experience turning laps on a lower tier machine.
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Not always. Where did 2x champion Zarco end up? Vinales got his ride without a moto2 championship and then got the Yamaha ride based on his results on another manufacturer in MotoGP. Pol? Hasn’t had a ride as good as the one Miller is currently on. Ditto Tito. Morbidelli kind of. He’s on a good ride now but he got that coming off a Honda GP bike rather than his moto2 title.
 
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SlartyBartFast said:
C'mon Valentino, it's time vacate your seat for someone who deserves an opportunity. You will still be part of the circus management, and you will get even more face time on telle, I promise.
Click to expand...

I thought the same watching the race, with no particular rancour against him currently, what is the point of him racing for a position in the lower reaches of the top 10 ?. Maybe MM is so good he would be destroying prime Rossi and prime Doohan, but 40 year old Rossi and an aging injury plagued Jorge on the wrong bike are not providing any competition however good they may once have been, and I don’t think lightning is going to strike twice for Dovi again in terms of actually contending although he probably has more high finishes in the points other than first in him. Petrucci and Miller don’t look very likely either. Maybe Vinales’ early races for Yamaha were something of a fluke as well, it is hard to think he is being less than fully backed by Yamaha now after I tended to blame favouritism towards Rossi for his fade out in that first year. FQ and Rins at least look to have good pace, those guys and maybe Morbidelli seem to be the future in the current field.

Uncle Carmelo may still be keen though, and Yamaha struggled for sponsorship while Valentino was at Ducati, but him transitioning to be the Yamaha team principal as you imply might address most of that. I guess being flogged by MM as a team manager may lack appeal for him as well.
 
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michaelm said:
I thought the same watching the race, with no particular rancour against him currently, what is the point of him racing for a position in the lower reaches of the top 10 ?. Maybe MM is so good he would be destroying prime Rossi and prime Doohan, but 40 year old Rossi and an aging injury plagued Jorge on the wrong bike are not providing any competition however good they may once have been, and I don’t think lightning is going to strike twice for Dovi again in terms of actually contending although he probably has more high finishes in the points other than first in him. Petrucci and Miller don’t look very likely either. Maybe Vinales’ early races for Yamaha were something of a fluke as well, it is hard to think he is being less than fully backed by Yamaha now after I tended to blame favouritism towards Rossi for his fade out in that first year. FQ and Rins at least look to have good pace, those guys and maybe Morbidelli seem to be the future in the current field.

Uncle Carmelo may still be keen though, and Yamaha struggled for sponsorship while Valentino was at Ducati, but him transitioning to be the Yamaha team principal as you imply might address most of that. I guess being flogged by MM as a team manager may lack appeal for him as well.
Click to expand...

One thing I did notice today was that when Luca Marini won the Moto2 race Rossi did not even come out to celebrate and shake his brothers hand. Uccio and Max ran out to celebrate with him, but no big brother... seemed a bit rough??? A big contrast compared to Marc who makes a point of always being in Parc Ferme to greet his brother.
 
AJV80 said:
One thing I did notice today was that when Luca Marini won the Moto2 race Rossi did not even come out to celebrate and shake his brothers hand. Uccio and Max ran out to celebrate with him, but no big brother... seemed a bit rough??? A big contrast compared to Marc who makes a point of always being in Parc Ferme to greet his brother.
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Not being all cunty about it - but please don't post spoilers about other races in different threads. I haven't watched the Moto 2 yet.:cry:
 

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