2019 Phillip Island - Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
- Thread starter AJV80
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Marc did the same thing that he has done the last handful of races, tuck in behind the leading Yamaha, then pass for the win on the last lap. Marc could have passed Maverick when ever he wanted and checked out, I think he's been doing this to save a little fuel something that has been a concern.
Jack was the best Ducati rider though out the weekend, and got what he deserved.
Bagnaia finally had a good race, he was aggressive and it paid off.
Jack was the best Ducati rider though out the weekend, and got what he deserved.
Bagnaia finally had a good race, he was aggressive and it paid off.
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He knew that Mav was the real threat that weekend, the guy was fastest all weekend and won the race last year.
Marc's instincts, his team, and race management is textbook perfect. The guy rarely makes a bad choice or picks a bad tyre and when he does he knows how to manage it to maximise its strengths and mitigate its weaknesses. And on top of that the freak makes saves at 70 degree lean angles at Phillip Island T1.... how do you even go about beating a guy like that?.
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Folks have pretty much covered all the points of interest on this race, except for Zarco's ride being really impressive. I wouldn't ever wish anything bad for Lorenzo, but if he were in some way released from Honda, and Zarco were to step in, it would be good for the sport. Lorenzo seems to be in some way - fundamentally broken.
Good to see the Aprilias making notable progress. Great to see evidence that Iannone appears to be maturing while retaining his essential ballsiness.
Good to see the Aprilias making notable progress. Great to see evidence that Iannone appears to be maturing while retaining his essential ballsiness.
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I was impressed, he did his usual 'get a tow behind the quickest guy in quali" to get him near the front. But he held his own for much longer than i thought he could, I was expecting him to drop back like a stone. Alexis did a good job also.
Not sure if it was Aprilia blowing the 2 inch thick cobwebs off the cheque book and opening it or if it was just something in the water at PI? Both riders in the top 10, really showed KTM up. It's not just about how much money you spend, it's about how and where you spend it.
Great to see Zarco adapt to the Honda, Pol is no slouch on the KTM and rides the wheels of it and would have gone harder to defend the KTm brand somewhat. There was only a 10th in it between them come the chequered flag. Not bad for his first ride on a year old RCV.
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Best race of the season. Always great races at phillip. Shame vin chrashed. Think he would have won. Great seeing rossi leading for a bit. Wonder what happened to him at the end. Cool seeing the aprilia up there. But yama need to sort their .... out with grip and speed. 2 ducs passing rossi at the straight and marc passing vin on the final lap like nothing. And wtf is lorenzo doing?? Ianonne to honda and lorenzo to aprilia?
Agree on Lorenzo, even as a fan of his, I see even less point in him riding to finish 15th on the factory Honda than I do in Rossi riding to finish just in the top 10.
One race does not indicate maturity, lest of all when that race is at a circuit where he has generally performed relatively well and when that performance is at a track that the other Aprilia rider describes as special and was himself 1.3 seconds back.
Reality of Ianonne is that he the occasional glimpse of form or brilliance and people get all excited but then he all to soon reverts to form and goes back to the mediocrity with which he seems so comfortable.
Not denying that he has ability but one race does not give me any hope for Ianonne to suddenly show the form that people so crave.
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Zarco's performance surely has HRC bigwigs considering already. Three rider HRC team? Is there room on the grid and in the rules to do this? Surely hell be cheap (a million or two), aside from the potential repairs, I'm sure they have enough engines, chassis and fairings to do so. Maybe too soon after this weekend, but if he can put it in the top ten next few races, why not consider?
I think there is only so many grid spots that are available. But he could be an excellent choice as a test rider with wildcards, leading into a grid spot in 2021.
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Maybe it's only wishful thinking, but between how his poor performance is affecting his general sense of self-worth and confidence and how his poor performance affects HRC's standing in the manufacturer's competition - I think there might be room, on both sides, for a suitable compromise that would let Lorenzo out of his contract.
Whether it's his injuries that are holding him back - and if they're really the issue he shouldn't be riding - or it's his inability to adjust to the bike, he really needs to take time off to either heal or negotiate a contract with a different team.
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I don't get why everyone is so impressed with Zarco, he had one race and finished ahead of 3 riders (Abraham, Syahrin, and Lorenzo). started 14th, he didn't pass anyone, was passed twice, managed to get 13th because of a few DNFs in front of him, but he kept the rubber side down and not crash.... I dont think thats enough for Honda get the check book out.
People just wanted to see if he'd beat Lorenzo or not. He did so "tick", he's now better than Lorenzo.
That's not what I think btw. I am completely gutted by Lorenzo and no longer know what to think. As Keshav said, if this really is down to his injuries, he shouldn't be racing. I'm a long time Lorenzo fan and am at a loss.
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Lorenzo could be testing parts and settings for 2020, who know what the team is doing with him. I still think Lorenzo does not have the upper body strength and stamina to ride the RCV.
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Logically speaking, if Lorenzo can't ride the bike at a competitive clip, his assessment of parts and settings will only be useful or pertinent to slow riding.
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For one thing, Zarco did better than Lorenzo who has had ample time to adjust to the bike. Moreover, Zarco has a good track record on the Yamaha. He's not exactly an unknown. Especially important, he's young and not plagued with injuries, and will work cheaper than Lorenzo. I would say that adds up to a lot of potential.
