MotoGP: 2024 Round 1 Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar

p4p1 · Mar 14, 2024

#22 said:
Agreed.

It was a question mate rather than a statement. But good to know I was thinking along the right lines.

Mrpurple · Mar 15, 2024

I'm on the BB wagon. I also hope Marc does well and someone new wins the cup...

#22 · Mar 15, 2024

p4p1 said:
It was a question mate rather than a statement. But good to know I was thinking along the right lines.

I missed the question marks, but yes you and I are thinking along the right lines. You always learn more racing than testing imo. I remember at Cadwell Park some years ago, I was running my shifter kart in practice with my 'backup' engine that didn't quite have some of the trick parts my No1 engine did. It seemed fine, was pulling good laptimes. My dad asked if I wanted to swap to the No1 engine for the heat race and I declined.

First words I said to him when I came in after the heat was was "Change the engine"....he chuckled and still does to this day. Because you push so much harder in races and feel and learn things you don't in testing, especially running with others.

JPSLotus · Mar 15, 2024

What has happened to Marco Bezzecchi?

Marco Bezzecchi details his struggles on the GP23 after a torrid Qatar MotoGP

www.crash.net

Marco Bezzecchi’s bad start to 2024 is alarming.

Last year’s unexpected MotoGP title challenge and third-placed finish made him a breakthrough star.

But his adaptation from the GP22 last year to this season’s GP23 has been a struggle so far.

Bezzecchi finished 11th in the sprint race then 14th in the grand prix at the Qatar MotoGP.

"Unfortunately, it was a tough Sunday for me,” he was quoted by Motorsport.

“We had made a step in the warm-up and I was happy because I finally felt good enough on the bike.

“But then, as soon as the race started, I immediately had a lot of front lock and I have still not managed to explain why.

“At that point I started to lose feeling when braking and entering corners, so I started opening the throttle earlier because I was missing something in terms of speed.

"This led me to run out of rear tyre very early.

“I tried to manage the situation, but with 11 laps to go I had already moved onto map C, which is the one with less power, and there was still half the race to go.

"It was a very difficult weekend for me.

“We found some interesting things, but we also saw that it is very difficult to straighten out a weekend that starts off in the wrong way.

“In Portimao we hope to find a better base from Friday to do better on Saturday and Sunday too.”

Last season VR46’s Bezzecchi won three grands prix on the ‘22 Ducati.

This year he opted to stay with VR46 on a year-old bike rather than accept a step-up to Pramac, where he would have received the developed 2024 Desmosedici.

Looking around the grid, Marc Marquez is among the riders making much better progress than Bezzecchi on the same machinery.

"Obviously I look at the fastest, but the Marquez brothers and my teammate have the same bike as me and managed to be faster than me, both in terms of time attack and race pace,” Bezzecchi admitted.

“So I want to concentrate on them and study the data to understand what I'm missing and why, right now, I can't do what they do.”

Bezzecchi detailed his woes: "I have no feeling with the front tyre when braking, the bike doesn't turn and for this reason I lose speed when travelling and I open the throttle too late.

“Or I enter the corner too slow, precisely because the bike doesn't turn, so I open the throttle too early and in this way I run out of tyres.

“I'm struggling, but I'm working a lot, so I'll get there.

“It's a frustrating situation, but also motivating."

Interesting that he has no feeling in the front tire of the bike under braking.

But I guess more interesting to me is someone who never rode the Ducati Desmosedici in a full distance grand prix till Sunday night finished 4th on a track that they don't get on well with.

PRS717 · Mar 15, 2024

JPSLotus said:
Interesting that he has no feeling in the front tire of the bike under braking.

Isn't this what Enea said last year about the GP23 as well?

JPSLotus · Mar 15, 2024

PRS717 said:
Isn't this what Enea said last year about the GP23 as well?

I remember him complaining about the braking feel at some point. I do wonder if it requires heavier braking than might be expected. I guess we'll see how setups develop for the GP23 riders and if anything changes.

mikesbytes · Mar 15, 2024

The GP23 looks pretty much like the GP23 did at the beginning of the 23 season, ie its missing the updates that happened during the 23 season. If this is the case then that could throw fuel behind the Bastainini comment last year being consistent with the Bezzecchi comment this year. However the other 3 GP23 riders were up there so its a problem that can be worked around

#22 · Mar 16, 2024

JPSLotus said:
Interesting that he has no feeling in the front tire of the bike under braking.

But I guess more interesting to me is someone who never rode the Ducati Desmosedici in a full distance grand prix till Sunday night finished 4th on a track that they don't get on well with.

He's been nowhere on it so far, much like thr beast during 2023. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a similar season tbh. He's in the "find out" phase.

And yes, I found that very interesting too.

PRS717 · Mar 16, 2024

#22 said:
And yes, I found that very interesting too.

Agreed and I think COTA is going to be a statement race for Marc.

#22 · Mar 19, 2024

Bezzecchi details “frustrating” time on 2023 Ducati MotoGP bike

misfit · Mar 24, 2024

Struggling to adapt, is he? Not a good sign, IMO, especially if as bad as it currently is.

MotoGP: 2024 Round 1 Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar

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