2020 Grande Prémio MEO de Portugal

Keshav · Nov 19, 2020

Well - It's been an interesting year.

Last to be decided - who is runner up?
And Rookie Of The Year?

Silly season is starting late this year.

Will Dovi ride for Repsol again? Or go to WSBK? (I think not) Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa didn't.

How will Crutchlow do as a test rider at Yamaha? How long before he starts bitching about them?

MichaelBolton · Nov 19, 2020

I reckon the Yamahas will do well here, maybe Mav and Quarta can get back to business now that the pressure is gone.

Woodstock · Nov 19, 2020

I think Morbidelli and Rins will be pushing to try and secure second in the championship. Pol will have his last chance for a win with KTM so I’m expecting him to push hard too. I really hope Nakagami finally gets a podium in his last race of the season. I don’t think Mir will be on the podium now he has secured the championship.

misfit · Nov 20, 2020

Woodstock said:
I think Morbidelli and Rins will be pushing to try and secure second in the championship. Pol will have his last chance for a win with KTM so I’m expecting him to push hard too. I really hope Nakagami finally gets a podium in his last race of the season. I don’t think Mir will be on the podium now he has secured the championship.

I agree here.

With us speaking about Nakagami in this way, I can't help but imagine how some of these races would have gone with Marquez senior around!

Woodstock · Nov 20, 2020

Yes it would have been interesting! I’m sure he would have won the championship.

Bern1 · Nov 20, 2020

Interesting day.

Zarco has to win his first GP someday......or not. But might be a good bet. He doesn’t have anything to lose. Bagnaia seems mired in the doldrums of late, as did Zarco. Zarco will have a sharp stick ready.

I tend to also think Mir will not step out of character. A points racer will hardly change his colors with the title secure. I like him and admire his race craft but he just doesn’t seem to be cut of the Doohan-Rainey-Marquez winning is all that counts cloth.

On a Yamaha, Mav has something to prove, as does Fabio. Fabio just doesn’t seem up to it though. He will manage to psych himself out, even if he is in position to challenge.

Dovi, fuhgedaboutit. Out to pasture, you put a good mid pack run in, with a few highlights here and there. Enjoy the retirement!

Wild card, Miller!

michaelm · Nov 20, 2020

Bern1 said:
Interesting day.

Zarco has to win his first GP someday......or not. But might be a good bet. He doesn’t have anything to lose. Bagnaia seems mired in the doldrums of late, as did Zarco. Zarco will have a sharp stick ready.

I tend to also think Mir will not step out of character. A points racer will hardly change his colors with the title secure. I like him and admire his race craft but he just doesn’t seem to be cut of the Doohan-Rainey-Marquez winning is all that counts cloth.

On a Yamaha, Mav has something to prove, as does Fabio. Fabio just doesn’t seem up to it though. He will manage to psych himself out, even if he is in position to challenge.

Dovi, fuhgedaboutit. Out to pasture, you put a good mid pack run in, with a few highlights here and there. Enjoy the retirement!

Wild card, Miller!

A little harsh perhaps on a guy who has won a title on a Suzuki. I am not sure how many riders out there would be faster than him in qualifying/have better one lap pace than him on fresh tyres on a Suzuki riding against Yamahas and Ducatis etc, but am fairly sure few would be able to make use of the bike’s late race pace as well as he does.

Bern1 · Nov 21, 2020

Good points. I’m sure Mir will develop further. I’ll admit to being harsh on some accounts, not only on his!

It goes along with thinking of racing as “civilized” warfare.

michaelm · Nov 21, 2020

Bern1 said:
Good points. I’m sure Mir will develop further. I’ll admit to being harsh on some accounts, not only on his!

It goes along with thinking of racing as “civilized” warfare.

After the most recent practice sessions and qualifying you obviously have a point as well, Rins on the same bike showed better in qualifying this week-end and has done so previously as well.

I don’t see Mir as a points accumulator though, just as someone who at this stage in his career is not great at qualifying and perhaps early in races when everyone has fresh tires and a full fuel load. He is an out and out racer including being a demon passer once the bike comes to him during a race.

I agree with the racing as warfare thing, as exemplified by some of my favourite riders such as Gardner, Schwantz, Rainey, MM and my long term idol Mick Doohan, as well as by Valentino Rossi in his pomp of course. I still found Casey Stoner the most thrilling to watch as far as actual riding was concerned, I could watch that guy ride a lap on his own at full throttle all day, particularly around PI, and he made war on the limits of his bike and on the circuit de jour more than on his rivals.

Barbedwirebikerr · Nov 21, 2020

New track, new set ups. The better garages will be up front. I think morbidelli has the best crew chief aside from Marc. Nakagami should profit from HRC experience also. Wild card for me is Johann zarco.

KTM looks fast also. Oliviera looking the best so far.

Top 5 prediction.

Morbidelli
Nakagami
Miller
Oliviera
P. Espargaro

Keshav · Nov 22, 2020

Wow - three in one year for KTM! Who'd have thunk it?

Congrats to Olivera and to Poncherral and company.

Fond farewell to Cal.

Keshav · Nov 22, 2020

Barbedwirebikerr said:
New track, new set ups. The better garages will be up front. I think morbidelli has the best crew chief aside from Marc. Nakagami should profit from HRC experience also. Wild card for me is Johann zarco.

KTM looks fast also. Oliviera looking the best so far.

Top 5 prediction.

Morbidelli
Nakagami
Miller
Oliviera
P. Espargaro

That's the most accurate prediction I've seen here in more than ten years.

michaelm · Nov 22, 2020

Was hoping for a Jack Miller win, but while he was good Oliveira was better.

Watched the moto 2 race which I mostly haven’t been doing and enjoyed that race. Lowes was amazing riding with a broken wrist.

Keshav · Nov 22, 2020

Haven't watched the Moto 2 all season. Will start watching now to extend my viewing pleasure into the cold dark days of winter.

misfit · Nov 23, 2020

Moto2 can be a real blast. Some fabulous racing there. The season was quite up and down like with MotoGP.

Keshav · Nov 23, 2020

misfit said:
Moto2 can be a real blast. Some fabulous racing there. The season was quite up and down like with MotoGP.

In days of yore, I often found F2 (as it was once called) to frequently be more fun to watch than the premiere class races because the riders were young and wild to make their mark and of course, the bikes being so light and flickable made for much more slice and dice. The old two-stroke TZ 250s and the Aprilias with few electronics and simple engines weighed in at about 229 Lbs as compared with the current Moto 2 bikes at around 347 Lbs which really had a huge impact on how they were ridden, and the resultant show for the fans. Every years since the change to 4-strokes, I've become less and less interested in the class.

Mrpurple · Nov 24, 2020

Keshav said:
In days of yore, I often found F2 (as it was once called) to frequently be more fun to watch than the premiere class races because the riders were young and wild to make their mark and of course, the bikes being so light and flickable made for much more slice and dice. The old two-stroke TZ 250s and the Aprilias with few electronics and simple engines weighed in at about 229 Lbs as compared with the current Moto 2 bikes at around 347 Lbs which really had a huge impact on how they were ridden, and the resultant show for the fans. Every years since the change to 4-strokes, I've become less and less interested in the class.

I very much agree, I don't think Ive watched any feeder races since Sic vs Ayoma.

2-smokes are what i consider racers, not CBR 600 engines. Casey Stoner may still be racing if we had 750 2-strokes...imagine that beast.

Mick D · Nov 24, 2020

Mrpurple said:
I very much agree, I don't think Ive watched any feeder races since Sic vs Ayoma.

2-smokes are what i consider racers, not CBR 600 engines. Casey Stoner may still be racing if we had 750 2-strokes...imagine that beast.

Hmmm... haven't used CBR600s for a couple of years - Triumph triples now.

warthog1 · Nov 24, 2020

2 strokes appear done and dusted from a road bike stand point due to emissions.
I don't mind racing contributing to road bike development even if it may be trickle down in effect.
Love the sound of 4 strokes too and plenty of horsepower is being produced.
MM93 has been able to do some outstanding .... on them also, despite the weight.
(I hope he still can [emoji3525])
Don't mind them at all [emoji41]
Haven't seen much moto 2 as it aint broadcast here.
The riders coming through still seem to produce the goods anyway.

Keshav · Nov 25, 2020

Mick D said:
Hmmm... haven't used CBR600s for a couple of years - Triumph triples now.

Still, a production street bike engine. That and the fact that there's no inter-factory competition. Basically not drastically from run-of-the-mill supersport.

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