Fabio was great, it’s a shame Pecco wasn’t at the front at the start of the race though. Rins crashing seemed inevitable. Maverick same old I guess.
It’s interesting to me that Mav always seems to start the season great, then falls apart rather quickly. All through the weekend he seemed confused and had no confidence in anything, both verbally and on the bike. Does he let himself get psyched by all the possibilities? Himself?
In any case, what a huge difference in the man in the span of just 3 races.
In any case, what a huge difference in the man in the span of just 3 races.
Joined May 2019
607 Posts | 459+
Where I am.
In all fairness to MV, this is a team sport and a fit rider cannot win a race and then turn up at the next circuit to finish 26s behind his teammate without any technical problems on the bike. The setup, for whatever reason, was wrong. Why they get it so right at one circuit and so wrong at another, is a mystery and certainly a new MotoGP since the last 2 yrs.
Zarco's consistency is looking very promising. Pity that he couldn't stay on the bike for the entire race. I used to not take to his persona, thinking him a more intense version of a grumpy Pedrosa, but he has certainly brightened up with his performances. Kudo's to him bringing things around like that.
Bagnaia and Miller have certainly livened up the lineup at Ducati. I think they did the right move there.
Mir needs to get his qualifying sorted!
MM - congratulations on finishing your first race back from injury. It must be a huge relief for you. Now get on with the training.... your pace is certainly still there.
Joined Aug 2013
902 Posts | 509+
USA
Bagnia has really looked impressive on the factor ducati, had he started from the front (like he should have) it would have been a clear win.
what happened to Jack Miller? i didnt get a good look, but sort of looked as if he lost the rear under braking???
what happened to Jack Miller? i didnt get a good look, but sort of looked as if he lost the rear under braking???
Just watched some of the presser. Thoughts:
First, although MM was not there, great that he finished the race and seemed to be in ok shape considering.
Second, it was great to see those particular 3 young guns up there. I don’t think we have to worry about the quality of the racing going forward. On one hand, it seems the era of the “aliens” is receding, yet on the other it’s clear a new set of aliens is taking shape. There maybe more of them than there used to be, I think mainly due to fact that possibly the field is tightening among the manufacturers. For example, I wouldn’t have thought that Aleix on the Aprilia would have finished in front of Pol on the Honda yet there it is.
I like Fabio a lot, I still feel he is too revealing about his mental state, but perhaps this will change. I think he is even younger than the others? I think Mir is going to turn into a formidable racer, even more than he is now. He reminds me more and more of Lawson, superbly tough. I sure wouldn’t want to play poker against him.
Lastly, I am really looking forward to seeing these guys shoot it out with MM. All of them along with Marc have to be looking forward to this. They know that validation will be measured in terms of their success against him. MM knows they are coming and has something to prove.
It is shaping up to be an excellent season. Yes, Rins and Zarco crashed, but although they are almost “elder statesmen” compared to the guys on the podium, I think they will have their days as well.
The “Doctor” should hang it up or at least take that moniker off his leathers. I think he’s lost the license to practice.
First, although MM was not there, great that he finished the race and seemed to be in ok shape considering.
Second, it was great to see those particular 3 young guns up there. I don’t think we have to worry about the quality of the racing going forward. On one hand, it seems the era of the “aliens” is receding, yet on the other it’s clear a new set of aliens is taking shape. There maybe more of them than there used to be, I think mainly due to fact that possibly the field is tightening among the manufacturers. For example, I wouldn’t have thought that Aleix on the Aprilia would have finished in front of Pol on the Honda yet there it is.
I like Fabio a lot, I still feel he is too revealing about his mental state, but perhaps this will change. I think he is even younger than the others? I think Mir is going to turn into a formidable racer, even more than he is now. He reminds me more and more of Lawson, superbly tough. I sure wouldn’t want to play poker against him.
Lastly, I am really looking forward to seeing these guys shoot it out with MM. All of them along with Marc have to be looking forward to this. They know that validation will be measured in terms of their success against him. MM knows they are coming and has something to prove.
It is shaping up to be an excellent season. Yes, Rins and Zarco crashed, but although they are almost “elder statesmen” compared to the guys on the podium, I think they will have their days as well.
The “Doctor” should hang it up or at least take that moniker off his leathers. I think he’s lost the license to practice.
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Watched the race again and damned if I could guess at how he crashed. There were a few other crashes that seemed inexplicable. Given how most riders were sticking to a very narrowly proscribed line, seems reasonable to think the track was dirty or in some other way not kosher.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Jack's crash had to do with the surface going completely flat in the spot he went down. Seems the transition in surface camber was trickier than it looked on TV. Rossi went down in the same spot for the same reason I think. That all being said, Jack Miller needed a good result after the Losail stuff. He'll be out of Ducati at the end of the year if they think they've got a better option for '22. Morbidelli maybe? He wants out of SRT/Yamaha because they wouldn't give him a factory bike and the current issues this year to start out the year haven't helped either.
The scene is definitely interesting this year.
Incidentally, I love the track, reminds me a little of Laguna.
Incidentally, I love the track, reminds me a little of Laguna.
Joined Aug 2008
6K Posts | 748+
Thailand
Backflipping Zarco from Moto2 was a better indicator of his personality than the KTM year...
Miller the "right move" - pshaw!! He hasn't show anything yet that makes me think he is not Cal 2.0... a perennial also-ran with a few bright spots.
Joined Nov 2015
242 Posts | 144+
Australia
That was an intense start. It wasn't too surprising to see Marc get a little overwhelmed with all the close racing to begin with and with hindsight I think it was a wise move to back it off and bring it home with some points in the bag. Before the race started you'd think that would be a pretty straightforward plan however, when considering how many riders to fell for no real apparent reason, I think it was an exceptional return to racing in the premier class. It certainly highlights how much of a knife edge these racers are running on. No real surprise to see the emotions come to the surface once he returned to the garage.
What is it with Maverick? He seems to be in beast mode one day and then completely off the mark next. Regardless, I don't think the potential of the Yamaha can be denied. Achieving consistency may be their biggest challenge. Great ride by Fabio and Franco. Clearly Fabio had confidence from the start and put it to good use.
It looks like the pressure may be getting to Jack. No doubt he can punch out a quick one but his race craft clearly isn't as refined as his pace. Top step at Ducati comes with a lot of attention, expectation and pressure of leadership.
As for Rossi, unless there is some kind of radical turnaround I'd be very surprised to see him not announce his retirement come mid-year. Lets hope the European tracks lift his confidence and results. It would be a shame if he announced this as his final year, the fans only got half a seasons notice and ..... prevented them from attending a final farewell at their closet circuit. I imagine the atmosphere would be pretty epic with record number turnouts from the older generation for one final farewell. T-shirt sales would be through the roof!
What is it with Maverick? He seems to be in beast mode one day and then completely off the mark next. Regardless, I don't think the potential of the Yamaha can be denied. Achieving consistency may be their biggest challenge. Great ride by Fabio and Franco. Clearly Fabio had confidence from the start and put it to good use.
It looks like the pressure may be getting to Jack. No doubt he can punch out a quick one but his race craft clearly isn't as refined as his pace. Top step at Ducati comes with a lot of attention, expectation and pressure of leadership.
As for Rossi, unless there is some kind of radical turnaround I'd be very surprised to see him not announce his retirement come mid-year. Lets hope the European tracks lift his confidence and results. It would be a shame if he announced this as his final year, the fans only got half a seasons notice and ..... prevented them from attending a final farewell at their closet circuit. I imagine the atmosphere would be pretty epic with record number turnouts from the older generation for one final farewell. T-shirt sales would be through the roof!
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
I think Jack is finding out that life under the microscope isn't any fun. I thought he was a horrid selection for a factory team, and it wouldn't have mattered which team. At least on the satellite's he could mimic Cal and have the same fans/media fawning over him talking about how if he had the chance at a factory ride, he'd show everyone. Thing is, Miller is overrated as ..... Yes he has a GP win which is more than most on the grid, but it took a perfect storm to make that happen...and yes he took advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself. But there's nothing about his makeup that makes me think he's capable of handling the kind of pressure that comes from riding for Ducati. His season is going to be filled with ups and downs...and I predict far more downs than ups...both literally and metaphorically. I still believe the better pairing would have been Dovi/Bagnaia, not the current one. However what we have is what we get. Amateur hour in action. Once he is gone from Ducati I'm sure the media will concoct some story about how he wasn't given a fair shake and he needed more time.
Joined Aug 2008
6K Posts | 748+
Thailand
Ducati is not well know for their lazer sharp personnel decisions are they? If they did "know what they were getting" it only makes their decision all the more bizarre.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Ducati in the 4-stroke era has been pretty much one glaringly bad personnel decision after another. I mean let's not lose sight of the fact that they had one of the greatest talents in the history of the sport and ran him off because the Marlboro Man thought he was faking illness, and they refused to listen to him on bike design choices. Looked even better when he went to Honda and romped his way to the 2011 title as soon as he had a better platform to work with.
Then of course you've got that other decision as it related to Marco Melandri.
I really think the current key driver behind this lack of good personnel decisions is Gigi. Once he decided to back Lorenzo over Dovi, that was the end of the road for Dovi. Sure Lorenzo bagged a couple of wins before everything fell apart, but even the fight to get the tank corrected for Lorenzo's requests should never have been a thing to happen. I've said it before, and I'll say it till something shows me otherwise. Typical Italian arrogance with motorsport. Hasn't worked out for Ferrari all these years, and it sure as .... hasn't worked out for Ducati at all either. Just because you build a GP bike that you think can win titles, doesn't mean it will win titles. But they are insistent on keeping the same base engine design which is in itself a problem, but they think they can solve all of it with aerodynamics. Never address the root issue, just look for other ways to solve it...and you never really do solve it.
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