2022 Spielberg - CryptoDATA Austrian Grand Prix

Paul55 said:

Whoever gave Crafar a job that included holding a microphone needs a ... whipping.

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mylexicon said:

Another interesting race weekend, though most of the interest was related to technical matters rather than race craft. Aleix couldn't get the holeshot device activated on the starting grid. Mir launched over the highside. Looked like an electronic problem, but maybe he was too hamfisted to be bailed out. Bastianini had a mechanical DNF. The Aprilia's ran the soft rear tire, which proved not to be the correct selection (imo) for them as they struggled with pace. Maverick faded badly and struggled with several grip-related mistakes. Jorge Martin seemed to indicate that he was struggling with a mechanical issue, after he ran wide. Then he dumped it with 2 to go. I guess the 2nd Ducati factory seat is the ride no one wants.

Anyway, Fabio was awesome. The Yamaha lacks a bit of pace, and he rode over the limit the entire race distance to get that result. His best lap was bested only by Jorge Martin, and Fabio's pass around Miller was remarkable. Quartararo managed to lose only 5 points to Bagnaia, and he picked up points on Aleix, extending his championship lead to more than 25 points. Bagnaia is definitely coming though, and the remainder of the calendar is quite friendly to Ducati. The championship could get tight if Bagnaia keeps this up.

Marini and Bezzechi were also impressive, the latter fought his way to 9th from 20th (IIRC) at the start. Brad Binder rode well, too.

Regarding Crafar, I dunno. He's a technically gifted mind who maintains good relations in the pit garage. Unfortunately, he's doesn't possess the gift of turning thoughts into concise verbal composition. Not ideal for a pit lane reporter, and MotoGP video content creator. We'll see. Maybe he will improve with experience.

Regarding the new Saturday sprint races, I'm opposed. Glad they won't count towards the win stat. Not pleased it will be a point scoring affair. It's already hard enough trying to tally the scores in WSBK. There is no reason to add complexity to the points scoring and career stats. Not a prerequisite of creating a Saturday sideshow for the TV people and promoters. Bad concept, created in bad faith.

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Keshav said:

Sprint races, assuming their intent is to increase revenue streams, is an idiotic idea. Firstly, having an extra race, increases the odds of riders being injured, in a race that doesn’t reward the rider or team with points toward their goal, creating the possibility that top riders may be hobbled by injury on the day of the actual race, or worse, the riders that thousands who come only on Sunday to see, won’t be in the race at all.

2nd, it will entail further wear and tear on the crews and the equipment, which logically will entail rule changes re: the number of engines allotted, not to mention the strain on tire manufacturers to maintain some kind of quality control with increased demand, all of which come at an economic price.

If Carmelo’s goal is just to sell more t-shirts, seats and popcorn, maybe he should think about getting himself some big-top tents and elephants and start a proper circus.

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mylexicon said:

I understand the general reasoning behind sprint races. The teams are wrecking bikes and injuring riders on Friday and Saturday, yet the stands are virtually empty and few people are watching on TV/internet. The GPC is merely seeking to generate some revenue from the enormous expense of Friday and Saturday activities.

Unfortunately, the reasonableness of sprint races dissipates after stating the premise, and confusion reigns. The sprint races will count for championship points (riders only?), but it will not count for stats. Fans will need to reassess the margins between riders in the standings. Is 50 points safe? Who is going to be paying the additional revenue? Are the fans only investing their time, and the TV people will pay? Will MotoGP subscribers get dinged for extra money? Will the tracks hit with higher sanctioning fees? What happens if TV people refuse to pay extra for sprints? Do those markets simply lose their ability to keep up with the championship? What happens if the paying customers do not have the time to invest in Saturday races? Do they walk away because they no longer understand what's happening in the championship?

Maybe Saturday sprints will work out, and Dorna will squeeze everyone for a bit more cash, and no one will complain. Who knows? But it shows a level of desperation and aggression that makes me believe the sport is less stable than the GPC claims. In prior seasons, the GPC was rearranging qualifying to generate additional Saturday interest, and there are still many more qualifying concepts that could be explored, but the GPC decided to go nuclear and add a WSBK Superpole race on Saturday. Did that work in WSBK? Doesn't seem like it created a windfall for them.

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mylexicon said:

The GPC are basically using the same points schedule and concept as WSBK, though F1 is probably forcing their hand. Fans have a limited amount of time and money, yet a seemingly unlimited number of entertainment opportunities. F1 is growing rapidly. MotoGP has stagnated.

Overall, it does seem the motorcycle racing industry continuously talks about F1, and borrowing the media concepts created by Liberty Media. But isn't that just the tail wagging the dog? F1 abandoned the pilots long ago. On any given weekend, about 75% of the grid lines up with a 0% chance of winning. Half of the grid has a 0% chance of making the podium. So Liberty commissioned a reality-TV series to create the illusion that the sport is driver-centric, and the driver's control the spectacle.

Didn't F1 steal this from MotoGP? For at least 2 decades, the riders were the gladiators of motorsport, and companies were making documentaries like the Unrideable series or Faster series. Now MotoGP has found itself in a quagmire of electro-mechanical rider aids, and while the spectacle and while the competitiveness of the grid has improved drastically, the spectacle has declined. Rossi is retired. Marquez is injured. No gladiator class have emerged because they are not able to slice and dice their way through the field using masterclass racecraft. You either nail the setup, and you ride in the top 5, or you miss the setup and you fade and flounder. There is very little gamesmanship or racecraft because they aren't necessary when everything is simmed and managed by onboard systems. Does concealing your pace matter when everyone is setting up the bike to hit the sim-perfect lap time?

So MotoGP has inadvertently steered itself into a tech quagmire, and it's trying to buy its way out with reality TV and Saturday sprint races. I'm not necessarily opposed to the changes, but if you're struggling to earn a living, dumping money into get rich quick schemes and lottery tickets is not the way out.

Dorna has indicated more changes are on the way. Maybe they will bring something with substance to the table. Their track record is quite poor, but you never know.

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