Jumkie
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Don't you go folding on me now. No way. Marc stayed neatly behind Pedro until it was clear Dani was not on the pace. At that point Pedro was dropping back considerably, watch the gap Marc pulls after the pass. Marc simply had to pass him as Dani had put it in reverse.
But he's supposedly under team orders remember? :rofl: Just to clarify here...you are actually still trying to suggest that HRC have officially instructed MM to ride shotgun and keep his distance!!!!??? Surely he should have remained where he was and concentrated on keeping a resurgent Crutchlow at bay??!! It's hard to defend at Assen but you can spoil someone's race. Yet again we see the team/rider interest coming firmly from Yamaha as opposed to HRC
Dead simple. No different to Catalunya. You are right, Dani's pace dropped..but before that Marquez couldn't get near him let alone contemplate a pass. Unlike Catalunya however, you can't maintain a defensive line at Assen as easily. Once again Marquez nearly went into the back of Pedrosa his closing speed was so great. The guy gets quicker towards the end of a race...and so does Cal.
That onboard of Marquez slingshotting past was hilarious. It really was just a matter of time. There is no team deference to Pedrosa...
absolute ......... On the contrary Livio makes no secret of the fact he likes to have number 2 rider that can take it to the No.1 - and actively encourages it. HRC will have as much belief..if not more belief that Marquez is capable of taking the title as Dani.
All Marc had to do was pass him at Catalunya too, but it's significantly harder than Assen to make a pass....and in spite of today's dreadful performance..Dani is a hard man to get by.
That said following todays race, I would like to reconsider if not retract certain elements of my reply to you on the qualifying thread - (probably best to delete it immediately) defending Dani. The main thing I'd like to immediately correct is the fact that Jorge has not demonstrated as much adaptability in the class as Dani due to the amenable and benign nature of the M1 relative to the Honda. Reportedly in warm up Jorge commented that the first ten laps were absolute murder until he found a way to sync with the bike and ride it around his injury. Simply heroic..Doohanesque...indeed we have not seen such mental fortitude and physical defiance since the likes of Mick, Gardner and Schwantz. I think he'd have found it harder on the Honda..but I also believe had Dani picked up the same injury on the Thursday as Lorenzo, he wouldn't even have left hospital or flown back from Barcelona - far less, contemplated riding.
It's fairly easy to speculate what was going on in Dani's head when Vale came storming past and like old days it began to scramble and unravel. As you said, this is Assen, fast, flowing beautifully cambered and all about corner speed. Valentino adores it here - in fact I'm sure he picked up his first 250 win at the Cathedral and of course the circuit of his 100th race victory here. He was purportedly ecstatic with the new settings that the Aragon test had yielded, and having restored that front end feel should anyone really be surprised by today's result. As Spalders said today..there has been some very clever engineering to not necessarily actually restore those settings he loved, but instead to ape them. Nonetheless, going into this meeting It was a no brainer that Lorenzo had this in the bag. Would have been a fascinating duel with Rossi though. Had it not been for Thursday's accident based upon his astonishing performance today this would have clearly been Jorge's for the taking. Take nothing away from Rossi though. He knows his strengths, the strengths of the bike and it's strength on a circuit like Assen and employed all three to devastating effect. Crap qualification was simply not an option either at this stage..and he got the job done on all accounts. Fabulous to see him take a well deserved win and stand on top of the block again after what seems so long ago...Sepang 2010!!!
Cal was unlucky, but also lucky not to do a Marquez on Marquez turn 1 of the last lap. Had he not tucked in behind Lorenzo (which apparently you lead us to believe Marc obediently also did with Pedro), I've no doubt he would have got second off Marc.
Back to Dani. Yeah, this isn't a circuit he likes not is it one that particularly favours the Honda..but the latter hardly deterred his team mate. A bad day and a shamefully squandered opportunity. I'm delighted, because it's kept the championship open.....and because ok, I admit it, for many reasons I don't want to see him crowned champion. If Vale can put his motorcycle where he wants to for the first time in two and a half years then he is without doubt on the ascendency and eager to spoil someone's day..even given the abundance of Honda friendly circuits. Saying that, don't discount the possibility of another Pedrosa run.
All I want to see is a close championship. Don't deride him...Dani has done us all a great service today.
I made a pact with the Lord. He delivered, I will keep my word.
