Assen 2016

What were the weather and track conditions during the first two sessions?

Circuit Information
Motul TT Assen
TT Circuit Assen
Netherlands

LENGTH: 4.5 km / 2.82 miles
CORNERS: 6 left - 12 right
WIDTH: 14 m. / 45.93 ft.
LONGEST STRAIGHT: 487 m. / 1597.77 ft.
Laps: 26
2/3 of laps: -
Total distance: 118.1 km - 73.3 miles

Weather courtesy of Weather.com:


A Few Good Riders

INTERIOR: A hot, tropical courtroom. The viewing seats are filled with men and women dressed in various team colors. And older man with graying hair sits in the judge's desk. He wears the official Ducati corporate colors, and has a distinctive, large brow that sweeps across his forehead. A brash young prosecutor addresses a well decorated member of the GP board who sits in the witness chair. The witness is laughing.

JARVIS: Is this funny, sir?

EZPELETA: No, it's not. It's tragic.

JARVIS: Do you have an answer?

EZPELETA: Absolutely. My answer is, 'I don't have the first darned clue!' Maybe Lorenzo is an early riser. Maybe he forgot something back in the paddock that he tried to turn around to get. And maybe he doesn't have any friends. I'm an educated man, but I'm afraid I can't speak intelligently about the travel habit of Jorge Lorenzo. What I do know is that he was set to race at 0:600. Are these really the questions you brought me here to answer? Please tell me you have an ace up your sleeve. This racer is on trial for his paddock life. Please tell me their lawyer hasn't pinned his hopes on a phone bill.

(pause)

EZPELETA: Do you have any other questions for me, counselor?

(pause)

DAL'IGNA: Jarvis? Do you have anything further for the witness?

Ezpeleta gets up to leave.

JARVIS: Excuse me, I didn't dismiss you.

EZPELETA: I beg your pardon?

JARVIS: I'm not through with my examination. Sit down.

Ezpeleta returns to seat. Jarvis retrieves two log books from his table.

JARVIS: Your honor, these are the Paddock Chief's Logs for both Catalunya and Argentina. These logs indicate no entries by anyone at 11 pm and no exits at 2 am. I would like these entered into evidence.

DAL'IGNA: I don't understand, you're admitting evidence about a meeting that didn't happen?

JARVIS: We believe it did, sir.

EZPELETA: This is ridiculous.

JARVIS: Sir, a moment ago....

EZPELETA: Check the logs for Christ's sake!

JARVIS: We'll get to them in a minute. (pauses) A moment ago you said that you ordered Iannone to order the other riders not to touch Lorenzo.

EZPELETA: That's right.

JARVIS: And Iannone was clear on what you wanted?

EZPELETA: Crystal.

JARVIS: Any chance they ignored you?

EZPELETA: You ever spend any time on a modern four stroke prototype, son?

JARVIS: No, sir.

EZPELETA: We follow racing orders, son. We follow racing order or people's career die.

LUDINGTON: You don't get in the way of the show.

EZPELETA: It's just that simple.

JARVIS: I just have one more question. If Lorenzo was not to be touched and he was "the show", why was his career at Yamaha in danger? Why would he need to be transferred to Ducati?

Ezpeleta sits there with no answer, looking lost.

EZPELETA: Lorenzo was a substandard rider who....

JARVIS: You said "his career was in danger". I said "Grave danger?" and you said....

EZPELETA: I know what I said

JARVIS: Then why the two orders?

EZPELETA: Sometimes riders take matters into their own hands....

JARVIS: No sir. You made it clear just a moment ago that your riders follow orders. They follow orders or people's career die. So Lorenzo shouldn't have been in any danger at all. Should he have, colonel?

EZPELETA: You little ........

JARVIS: Iannone ordered the "Code Red" didn't, he because that's what you told him to do.

ALONSO: Object!

DAL'IGNA: Counselor!

JARVIS: And when it went bad you cut this guy loose.

ALONSO: Your honor.

EZPELETA: You want answers?

JARVIS: I think I'm entitled to them.

EZPELETA: You want answers!

JARVIS: I want the truth.

EZPELETA: You can't handle the truth!

(dead silence)

EZPELETA: Son, we live in a world that has tracks. And those tracks have to be raced by men with bikes. Who's gonna do it? You? You weep for Jorge Lorenzo and you curse the racers who finished. You do it because you have the luxury. You don't know what I know: that Lorenzo's crash, while tragic, probably saved careers.

(dead silence)

You don't want the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about in parties, you want my racers on that track. You need my racers on that track.

(silence)

I have neither the time nor inclination to explain myself to someone who rises and sleeps under the blanket of MotoGP that I provide. I'd rather you just said thank you. Either way, I don't give a darn what you think you're entitled to.

JARVIS: Did you order the code red?

EZPELETA: I did the job you sent me to do.

JARVIS: Did you order the code red!

EZPELETA: You're ....... right I did!

(silence)

(Roll Credits)

libby said:

Where is our man from Austin and his pre race write up??

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Seriously bogged down at work, and spending most of my free cycles working on the story to go with this:

I'm curious to see what everyone's predictions are for the top three? (unbiased point of views not effected by love, or hate towards certain riders)

CharlieParker said:

What were the weather and track conditions during the first two sessions?

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Dry and warm...

Pretty nasty lowside from Lorenzo. He really seems to struggle at Assen, but he was testing the new chassis at the time of the crash.

HOLY ....! What a save by Marquez


video of the save already up on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/MotoGP/videos/10154570146840769/

Fark that was nasty ............... and whether it was luck, skill or a combination of both, that was a sensational save and recovery

The headshake was so violent it set off the airbags in his leathers.

moto vudu said:

Pretty nasty lowside from Lorenzo. He really seems to struggle at Assen, but he was testing the new chassis at the time of the crash.

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JLo is struggling here....when conditions arent perfect (new or old chassis) he struggles....I like that he was towing round a couple of the ducati's without throwing his toy out of pram...

10th overall combined times for Jorge....Iannone will be with him by the third lap at pace the two are going....

Marquez stealing the scooter to get back to pits was a definite highlight!

Dovi is a wet weather great..
Rossi gave himself the best chance for tomorrow.
Redding awesome job..
MM is making all the vs the Honda...
JLo fails again in the wet...now lets see if he can race to a win from 10th...

Good to see Redding doing something on that old chassis. I am going with another VR - MM race like last year, unless Dovi gets between the two and slows one down. Although, AD might surprise us and hang in for the whole race, since he doesn't have to worry about Iamapony.

Iamapony said:

Good to see Redding doing something on that old chassis. I am going with another VR - MM race like last year, unless Dovi gets between the two and slows one down. Although, AD might surprise us and hang in for the whole race, since he doesn't have to worry about Iamapony.

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Andea Iannone Iamapony, I get it. I like it better when I didnt.

Double MotoGP™ World Champion Stoner, who is currently an official Ducati Test Rider and won the 2007 title while riding for the manafacturer, thinks Lorenzo will struggle to begin with when he joins the team for the 2017 season.

“Of course at the beginning it's going to be very tough for him," Stoner told Autosport. “He's had so many years on the Yamaha, which is a very, very different machine and the Japanese and Italian styles, essentially, are very, very different. It will take a little bit of time to adjust, there's no doubt about that. But we know Jorge, we know how he just keeps slogging things out.”

MotoGP?

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Qualifying today is why Lorenzo's Ducati move is going to be a clusterfuck. He's a faster and more consistent version of Dani Pedrosa...give him the perfect setup with dry weather, he is untouchable. Without it...not so much.

Stoner's just trolling at this point. Dude should put his money where his mouth is or GTFO.

I'd like to see a duc win tomorrow but I have a feeling it will be the same dull Honda and yam war.

Thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Conditions will favor Rossi.

I reckon the Hondas will struggle tomorrow. Rossi will do good if Iannone doesn't take him out.

Yea will favour Rossi he made a championship from mixed conditions last year. It's easier on his old bones.

Let's hope Redding gets his finger out

Rainstorm expected tomorrow during racetime, on one of the few occasions where Rossi was dominating on normal conditions from day 1, so I don't agree so much that this is the ideal scenario for him this weekend, especially if flag to flag comes into the equation. Of course he can win, but there's also a chance for unusual things to finally happen, and I'm referring to a Ducati win or, craziest scenario, a factory win. hope Dovi will shake away the demons that usually haunt him when he has a chance to pull it off. Marquez seemed to be ok with his rain set-up but it'll be much more dangerous for him and his bike tomorrow. Lorenzo is in a lot of trouble.