2024 MotoGP Round 8: Motul TT Assen - TT Circuit Assen

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I rarely have access to the internet over the weekends, so can't comment on every post I missed. However, I think Pecco deserves a pat on the back for this weekend. He was simply on another level. Credit where credit is due.

I've stopped discussing MotoGP with my family sadly, because I used to enjoy it. They are all rapidly becoming what they used to hate in VR46 fans, but with Marquez. They even suggested to me that Bagnaia was getting extra parts the others weren't and accused me of being a 'fanboy' when I simply said "Why can't you admire the fact a guy rode out of his skin on a track he always does well at?" I wonder if Marc does as well at Sachsenring as everyone expects, whether they'll say he was getting special parts? This is virtually the only place left that has some level headedness about it.

Marc was unlucky on Sunday but pragmatic. His Saturday was atrocious, and I dare say some of his latin temperament came out a little too much.

Other than that, nothing else to say apart from what has already been said.
 
I rarely have access to the internet over the weekends, so can't comment on every post I missed. However, I think Pecco deserves a pat on the back for this weekend. He was simply on another level. Credit where credit is due.

I've stopped discussing MotoGP with my family sadly, because I used to enjoy it. They are all rapidly becoming what they used to hate in VR46 fans, but with Marquez. They even suggested to me that Bagnaia was getting extra parts the others weren't and accused me of being a 'fanboy' when I simply said "Why can't you admire the fact a guy rode out of his skin on a track he always does well at?" I wonder if Marc does as well at Sachsenring as everyone expects, whether they'll say he was getting special parts? This is virtually the only place left that has some level headedness about it.

Marc was unlucky on Sunday but pragmatic. His Saturday was atrocious, and I dare say some of his latin temperament came out a little too much.

Other than that, nothing else to say apart from what has already been said.

Meh, this is why I'm going to extol Francesco Bagnaia much as I can.. Yes I agree he is utterly devoid of any real charisma, but he's special to watch ride. I just think it's unfortunate that it comes in the AeroGP era because you can never be sure what is entirely down to the rider versus what isn't. But regardless, he rode fantastically Sunday. I'd love to see Marc win at the Sachsenring, but I don't see it happening. I'm just hoping that whatever the case may be, we get the titanic battle for P1 that we didn't get the past 2 races. But if any track can deliver magic, it's this one. I hope MM does win just because he's poetry in motion at this circuit.

I've tried the Reddit thing, not for me since people seem to be clowns on there. While I know it was horribly toxic, I used to post on the comments on the Crash.net articles years ago just to troll certain fans.

In any event, Saturday in the sprint was unlucky for MM. He took too much kerb. His line on Sunday was different through that one.
 
Just listened to the Paddock Pass guys. They're saying that the riders in general had issues with tyre temperature, not merely pressure.

It was the lack of warmth in the rubber that both caused crashes, and kept the likes of Diggia and Marc from riding without restraint.
 
VR46 is damn lucky to have Fabio G. on the team this year, otherwise they'd really suck !

Not sure what to make of FabG. On the one hand, he is 47 points clear of Bezzechi, and he's the 2nd best GP23 rider behind Marquez. He's also scored a top-10 finish in every GP this season. His steadily improving consistency is raising his profile in the paddock, especially among satellite teams who don't like paying for spare bodywork.

On the other hand, he still underperforms in the sprints, scoring in just 4 events in 2023 and only 50% of this year's sprints. Though he is collecting camera time near the front, he rarely factors in the podium battle over race distance.

The jury is still out, imo, but he deserves credit. In my opinion, no rider should be looked down upon because they adapt slowly. FabG is getting faster every year, crashing less, and getting more camera time for his team. The people who said last year that Fabio belongs in MotoGP were correct. We'll see if he can continue his steady progress towards the front.
 
I've tried the Reddit thing
Reddit is ....... awful. I stopped posting on r/motogp long ago. This forum is the only sane place left to discuss MotoGP, and hope it remains like that a long time.

Meh, this is why I'm going to extol Francesco Bagnaia much as I can.. Yes I agree he is utterly devoid of any real charisma, but he's special to watch ride.
He's no different from a Lorenzo, Pedrosa or Dovizioso in terms of charisma. Not everyone was born to be a crowd-pleaser, in fact I find it cringe when he tries to force a "personality" like he did in Mugello with the rock'n'roll thing, it doesn't fit his character (I also cringed when Lorenzo did extravagant celebrations that didn't suit him). He's suited to do the business and let his riding do the talk. He's been improving every season, time will tell if he has hit his peak yet or not.
 
Meh, this is why I'm going to extol Francesco Bagnaia much as I can.. Yes I agree he is utterly devoid of any real charisma, but he's special to watch ride.
I agree. I see him in the Lorenzo mould that he is generally a rider that isn't spectacular on the face of it, and excels at hitting the front and just going, but his metronomic consistency when he needs it is a joy to watch.
I've tried the Reddit thing, not for me since people seem to be clowns on there. While I know it was horribly toxic, I used to post on the comments on the Crash.net articles years ago just to troll certain fans.
Yeah I left Reddit over a year ago. Even ignoring the motoGP subreddit, the whole site is just toxic and negative as hell. My mental health vastly improved after I left. I confess I do troll the Marquez haters over on Motorsport.com from time to time.
Not sure what to make of FabG. On the one hand, he is 47 points clear of Bezzechi, and he's the 2nd best GP23 rider behind Marquez. He's also scored a top-10 finish in every GP this season. His steadily improving consistency is raising his profile in the paddock, especially among satellite teams who don't like paying for spare bodywork.

On the other hand, he still underperforms in the sprints, scoring in just 4 events in 2023 and only 50% of this year's sprints. Though he is collecting camera time near the front, he rarely factors in the podium battle over race distance.

The jury is still out, imo, but he deserves credit. In my opinion, no rider should be looked down upon because they adapt slowly. FabG is getting faster every year, crashing less, and getting more camera time for his team. The people who said last year that Fabio belongs in MotoGP were correct. We'll see if he can continue his steady progress towards the front.
He's certainly steered away from his reputation as a pay rider since last summer. I honestly believe that's what made Ducati go cool on Bezzechi. The next supertalent wouldn't be being beaten by Diggia. Some will say 'GP23, front end issues blah blah', but the 3 other GP23 riders, 1 of which was completely new to the brand, and the other two are not seen as potential future WC's. Aprilia can say "we are basing his performance on last yr' all they like, but it's a huge red flag to me. What if the Aprilia is not to his liking?
Reddit is ....... awful. I stopped posting on r/motogp long ago. This forum is the only sane place left to discuss MotoGP, and hope it remains like that a long time.
Likewise. I genuinely enjoy the banter and discussion here. Critically, people here can have a difference of opinion and not hate each other.
 
wish we would return to Bridgestone.
Honestly we had some of the greatest racing probably of all time on Michelins from 2015-2020.
What I've noticed is that the top riders run pretty much identical lap times throughout the race.
I think the racing would be better if there was at least some falloff that riders have to manage. Pirelli's Moto2 tires have some falloff and Moto2 consistently produces great racing this year.
 
Meh, this is why I'm going to extol Francesco Bagnaia much as I can.. Yes I agree he is utterly devoid of any real charisma, but he's special to watch ride. I just think it's unfortunate that it comes in the AeroGP era because you can never be sure what is entirely down to the rider versus what isn't. But regardless, he rode fantastically Sunday. I'd love to see Marc win at the Sachsenring, but I don't see it happening. I'm just hoping that whatever the case may be, we get the titanic battle for P1 that we didn't get the past 2 races. But if any track can deliver magic, it's this one. I hope MM does win just because he's poetry in motion at this circuit.
I've always tried my best not to discredit Frantisek's undeniable rider talent wholesale making clear I just don't like him. In the last three GPs he's been completely unbeatable and apart from the last lap at Barcelona, seemed to be on rails.
This has me kinda worried about the excitement in MotoGP. One unstoppable rider dominating all the races isn't good for the sport. It's what we've seen in F1 for some time and as F1 is about to get good again I'm wondering if MotoGP will go that route.
So far, concessions have helped not at all. Ducati is further ahead than ever. It felt like Frantisek is just cruising, keeping Jörg at a 2 second gap and has no problem stepping up when Jörg gets closer.
The only way I see to keep the championship exciting is that the other riders find a way to make Frantisek uncomfortable. Race him hard on lap one, break his flow.
 
BTW - wtf is this auto-censoring on this forum??? Also - recently, I came on the forum and found my avatar had been edited? Are we now being hosted by a Christian fundamentalist AI? I mean, it's not as if this is a forum for 5 year olds.
I never paid that much attention to the avatars. I didn't even know it was possible that AI can change them.
As far as curse words go, I didn't notice the forum software censoring them, I usually censor f***ing or sh*t myself.
I've seen it on another forum though, where the software even censors the word cockpit.
 
The tyres haven't been the problem so much, it's the aero.
I think it's mostly the devices. Tires aren't the cause of less exciting racing but could be a way to tweak it.
The bikes already had aero nine years ago, but obviously not to the extreme extent we're seeing now.
 
I've always tried my best not to discredit Frantisek's undeniable rider talent wholesale making clear I just don't like him. In the last three GPs he's been completely unbeatable and apart from the last lap at Barcelona, seemed to be on rails.
This has me kinda worried about the excitement in MotoGP. One unstoppable rider dominating all the races isn't good for the sport. It's what we've seen in F1 for some time and as F1 is about to get good again I'm wondering if MotoGP will go that route.
So far, concessions have helped not at all. Ducati is further ahead than ever. It felt like Frantisek is just cruising, keeping Jörg at a 2 second gap and has no problem stepping up when Jörg gets closer.
The only way I see to keep the championship exciting is that the other riders find a way to make Frantisek uncomfortable. Race him hard on lap one, break his flow.

I don't disagree but there is a long way to go. Pecco loves Assen and the rest of the schedule will not be so easy. I do agree he (Pecco) needs to get roughed up in the opening laps. He never saw anyone's wheel at Assen. Credit to him for that. I'd think by now he's gotten rid of the Pecco-blunders he's committed in the past but you never know. I really hope he has to work for it. Others need to step up and yes, I'm looking at you Maverick. Would love to see Digi make another step forward and if Enea could qualify better, that would be good. I'm excited to see how Marc goes at the Ring but I'm trying to temper my expectations at the same time.
 
I think it all comes down to who is doing the dominating and whether “you” as a fan like that rider or not.

I respected and admired Doohan as a rider and competitor but I did not like him. As far as most of the racing went, I didn’t enjoy those 5 straight years of titles. Likewise the same with Rossi and Marquez. I’m a Stoner and Lorenzo fan, so I loved those years.

YMMV
 
I don't disagree but there is a long way to go. Pecco loves Assen and the rest of the schedule will not be so easy. I do agree he (Pecco) needs to get roughed up in the opening laps. He never saw anyone's wheel at Assen. Credit to him for that. I'd think by now he's gotten rid of the Pecco-blunders he's committed in the past but you never know. I really hope he has to work for it. Others need to step up and yes, I'm looking at you Maverick. Would love to see Digi make another step forward and if Enea could qualify better, that would be good. I'm excited to see how Marc goes at the Ring but I'm trying to temper my expectations at the same time.
Well I hope it won't be so easy. If he loses his rhythm he might have a couple of bad races which could at least keep the championship close.
He's possibly the only rider on a GP24 that will also ride a GP25 next year so I hope he won't be getting countless performance upgrades that are exclusive to him.


And that "wholesale" was supposed to be a "while".
 
Well I hope it won't be so easy. If he loses his rhythm he might have a couple of bad races which could at least keep the championship close.
He's possibly the only rider on a GP24 that will also ride a GP25 next year so I hope he won't be getting countless performance upgrades that are exclusive to him.


And that "wholesale" was supposed to be a "while".
Possibly the only GP24 rider that will get updates however we have seen an update on DiGi's GP23 bike
 
I think it's mostly the devices. Tires aren't the cause of less exciting racing but could be a way to tweak it.
The bikes already had aero nine years ago, but obviously not to the extreme extent we're seeing now.

I lean towards blaming the ride height devices, but I can see the argument for aero. It's pushing on the front tire in the braking zones, allowing shorter stops which contribute to tire overheating and high front pressure.

Big picture I blame the electronics. Modern electronics can dial power delivery and make adjustments as the conditions and/or bikes changes. Even before the rider aids kick in, the engines are predictable and customizable. Riders don’t need to hold back performance. The power delivery will be the same on lap 25 as lap 1, if the rider wants it that way, or it can vary power delivery by estimated tire performance.

I don’t know the MM specs, but the ECU could probably be further simplified.
 

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