Round 14: 2016 Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón: MotorLand Aragón

yamfan said:

Iannone just confirmed he's withdrawing from this weekend's racing.

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Good ............ and I mean that in the best way possible.

He is not a championship chance and as such he should look at getting his fitness up for the season ending away rides and in order to be fitter for next season.

Yes he has an obligation to Ducati, but they also have an obligation to him so this decision is (IMO) a good one for all concerned (queue Stoner rumours)

Gaz said:

Arrib, I personally have found that he seems to be getting worse in terms of his writing but I do also suspect that he is being driven by the target market.

Let us not overlook at writing positive or pro-Rossi stories will ensure sales and/or internet traffic, all of which brings with it an income stream that is quite simply not available with other rider or negative press for Rossi, as negative press brings with it the social media trials and abuse, which causes stress.

I am no fan of Oxley but he does write some good stuff and do peruse the site from time to time (personally I find Krop enjoyable as well despite the criticism) and both Oxley and Krop are better than many within the motorcycling media mainstream. Unfortunately I suspect (and hell, I know I am not innocent here) I believe that these guys are being judged based a lot on our own preferences, bias or take on proceedings where we are not beholden to the editors and need to sell that these people are in order to keep their respective positions (and thus, access to the sport).

The dynamic of ALL journalism has changed with the internet and failing of the print magazines and has become quite tabloid style (using Australia and some other sites/magazines as a guide) which means that whether we like it or not. motorcycle journalism has followed the standards set or believed to be reuqired

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I continue to admire and enjoy David Emmett, a true enthusiast and an intelligent man who imo is as honest as he can be while surviving in the current motogp mileu.

Perhaps Oxley deserves some credit for not being unquestioningly pro-Rossi in the 2015 end of season imbroglio, and as I said I give him some credit for mentioning the historic context of passes for the lead at Valencia. I would not call allotting some blame to Rossi for Sepang 2015 even handed given Rossi was the only rider who rode illegally. His prose is more literate than many I would agree.

Arrabbiata1 said:

In spite of the lynch mob, I actually like Oxley’s writing style, and have many of his books because at the very least he’s a great scholar of the sport. It’s also overlooked that he called Rossi out last Autumn in both social media and column space. I think he alluded to it in his exchange with JPS. All this makes his recent Rossi-centric diatribe all the more puzzling.

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Oxley's piece was indefensible.

Oxley called out Rossi? Please compa.
Oxley called out Rossi like a fat kid calls out sugar.

He basically acknowledged a nuclear bomb went off in Sepang. Acknowledging it was "calling it out"?

So the man is knowledgeable about GP, this is praiseworthy because he's managed to write about it? That's exactly why he deserves criticism! Like i said, he's not some nobody hack like Simon Vudu. This guy is known, and should therefore be held to a standard. Again, this piece was indefensible! That's what bothers me the most about his pro Rossi propaganda, he should know better, or worse he's doing this purposefully, i believe the latter, therefore he deserves little veneration. There is no way you're gonna convince me when he proofread that piece such a knowledgeable man would conclude it reasonable to publish, so he did that on purpose. He set out to influence people's perceptions pro Rossi decidedly against Lorenzo. Alberto Puig is probably more knowledgeable than Oxley, do I admire him? I have little to no respect for Oxley's "knowledge" or his Yellow journalism. Lynch mob? That piece he wrote deserves to be pissed on.

Brother, that too me is like saying Fastest was a great movie about GP. Except it wasn't, it was a Rossi bio with filler.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks.

Lucy must find it difficult to raise an infant and a toddler without a man helping her out.

Why did they have a special tire for Misano? I dont recall them having to do that in the past. Now they are back to the construction tire used before Misano for Aragon.

Marc Marquez during FP1. Gorgeous picture.

povol said:

Why did they have a special tire for Misano? I dont recall them having to do that in the past. Now they are back to the construction tire used before Misano for Aragon.

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Probably Michelin going into overdrive to quickly develop some overnight specials to save some face.

Michelins response for the different front at Misano was that the track is more demanding on the front tyre. They have gone back to the usual front for Aragon but have made some slight improvements to the carcass of the hard rear for this track because of its high demand on the rear out of high speed corners, also an asymmetrical tyre because of higher demand in left corners.

Arrabbiata1 said:

In spite of the lynch mob, I actually like Oxley’s writing style, and have many of his books because at the very least he’s a great scholar of the sport. It’s also overlooked that he called Rossi out last Autumn in both social media and column space. I think he alluded to it in his exchange with JPS. All this makes his recent Rossi-centric diatribe all the more puzzling.

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Gaz said:

Arrib, I personally have found that he seems to be getting worse in terms of his writing but I do also suspect that he is being driven by the target market.

Let us not overlook at writing positive or pro-Rossi stories will ensure sales and/or internet traffic, all of which brings with it an income stream that is quite simply not available with other rider or negative press for Rossi, as negative press brings with it the social media trials and abuse, which causes stress.

I am no fan of Oxley but he does write some good stuff and do peruse the site from time to time (personally I find Krop enjoyable as well despite the criticism) and both Oxley and Krop are better than many within the motorcycling media mainstream. Unfortunately I suspect (and hell, I know I am not innocent here) I believe that these guys are being judged based a lot on our own preferences, bias or take on proceedings where we are not beholden to the editors and need to sell that these people are in order to keep their respective positions (and thus, access to the sport).

The dynamic of ALL journalism has changed with the internet and failing of the print magazines and has become quite tabloid style (using Australia and some other sites/magazines as a guide) which means that whether we like it or not. motorcycle journalism has followed the standards set or believed to be reuqired

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Dr No said:

Good Post.

Content is secondary to clicks. Nu Churnalism

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Journalism IMO is contingent on having a proper editor vetting the pieces.

What's particularly bothersome for me with regards to Oxley is that he has a wealth of information he can share, but he has gone down the same path that most every other GP journalist, or motorsport journalists at large of appealing to the lowest common denominator. While I still do respect Motorsport Magazine, it's sad to see them trolling after the same .... that the rest of the media outlets are. They've become as prolific with clickbait as Motorsport or Crash have. Even ESPN's UK F1 outlet has gone in the same direction. It's become nearly impossible to get any sensible or reasonable analysis any longer about things that go on. On this point, I do give Kropo quite a bit of credit as his post-race reports are the best thing out there to try and fill in the blanks and what have you. Everything else is just the regurgitating of news stories without much thought given...and when thought happens to be given, it's to validate whatever the mob at large is thinking/believing - hence the propensity to write an article disparaging Jorge Lorenzo for having an opinion about an overtake.

It's a money issue at the end of the day, and as long as clicks drive revenue, quality will suffer. If the journalists are not co-opted into the business side of it, and are left to write actual thoughtful articles, that are also done under an editor who gives a .... about journalism, then everyone will be the better for it in the long run rather than the endless run of hot takes that will scorch your monitor screen. I feel at this point, to make any real sense of the season, you have to wait for the yearly Motocourse volume to begin to get some measured and reasonable writing. Though it's not immune to the same ill-thought think pieces, it's still far better than trying to make sense of the thousands upon thousands of useless news articles that lack any real context. Oh, and of course, no shock is Michael Scott edits Motocourse, so that has quite a bit to do with the increased quality of what you read on the pages of the various volumes.

For me one of the absolute peak articles I have ever read on motorsport is the write-up that Denis Jenkinson wrote in 1955 (for Motorsport Magazine no less) detailing his ride as navigator for Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Mille Miglia road race. If you appreciate racing, it's worth a read as DSJ was an absolute master of his craft, who combined his acerbic wit with a retelling that makes you feel as if you were slotted into the car with Denis and Stirling. If you've never read it, I implore you to do so as the 1955 race is legendary (I don't use that lightly) in motorsport history.

With Moss in the Mille Miglia | Motor Sport Magazine

FP2 results, Honda 1-2-3

1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 48.429s [Lap 18/18] 333km/h (Top Speed)
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 48.494s +0.065s [15/19] 333km/h
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 48.510s +0.081s [17/18] 329km/h
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 48.669s +0.240s [18/20] 330km/h
5. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 48.749s +0.320s [12/14] 328km/h
6. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 48.886s +0.457s [15/19] 332km/h
7. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 48.914s +0.485s [16/16] 328km/h
8. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 48.970s +0.541s [16/18] 332km/h
9. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 49.065s +0.636s [16/18] 332km/h
10. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 1m 49.128s +0.699s [15/18] 334km/h
11. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 49.177s +0.748s [15/15] 327km/h
12. Yonny Hernandez COL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 49.243s +0.814s [15/18] 329km/h
13. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 49.298s +0.869s [15/18] 327km/h
14. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 49.301s +0.872s [16/18] 328km/h
15. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 1m 49.678s +1.249s [17/18] 334km/h
16. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 49.680s +1.251s [14/16] 327km/h
17. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 50.113s +1.684s [10/13] 335km/h
18. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 1m 50.649s +2.220s [15/21] 329km/h
19. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 50.940s +2.511s [16/16] 324km/h
20. Alex Lowes GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 50.988s +2.559s [5/16] 323km/h
21. Nicky Hayden USA Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 50.992s +2.563s [17/17] 327km/h

Well...doesn't look like Nicky will be #9.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks.

I'm surprised that Hayden is below Rabat TBH but I guess he has another day to get the bike and himself sorted. I would be extremely surprised if he finished below Rabat.

Jumkie said:

Well...doesn't look like Nicky will be #9.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks.

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I wonder what kind of learning/adjustment curve he is going thru especially after that piece of .... bike he was given last season. As long as he finishes ahead of Rabat in qualifying and the race, I will be pleased.

JPSLotus said:

I wonder what kind of learning/adjustment curve he is going thru especially after that piece of .... bike he was given last season. As long as he finishes ahead of Rabat in qualifying and the race, I will be pleased.

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Yes its a tall order, about the only thing he is familiar with is the track. The tyres and bike are pretty foreign to him.

AJV80 said:

Yes its a tall order, about the only thing he is familiar with is the track. The tyres and bike are pretty foreign to him.

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To put it into perspective, think about how incredible a talent Casey Stoner is: he retired in 2012, rode a Honda GP bike several times the next 3 years, switches to Ducati to test ride, and is at the top of the time sheets on a factory machine from a manufacturer he hadn't ridden since Valencia 2010, and with a new tire supplier. Then he proceeds to set down times in subsequent tests that are all either at the top of the sheets, or reputed to be near the all-time circuit records.

JPSLotus said:

To put it into perspective, think about how incredible a talent Casey Stoner is: he retired in 2012, rode a Honda GP bike several times the next 3 years, switches to Ducati to test ride, and is at the top of the time sheets on a factory machine from a manufacturer he hadn't ridden since Valencia 2010, and with a new tire supplier. Then he proceeds to set down times in subsequent tests that are all either at the top of the sheets, or reputed to be near the all-time circuit records.

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It's a crying shame the lad retired. He was an awesome sight throwing the Honda around, he sure wasn't bluffing when he said it was easy to ride after the Ducati

Jumkie said:

Well...doesn't look like Nicky will be #9.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks.

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p4p1 said:

I'm surprised that Hayden is below Rabat TBH but I guess he has another day to get the bike and himself sorted. I would be extremely surprised if he finished below Rabat.

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JPSLotus said:

I wonder what kind of learning/adjustment curve he is going thru especially after that piece of .... bike he was given last season. As long as he finishes ahead of Rabat in qualifying and the race, I will be pleased.

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Hayden is not there to compete anyway. He still gotta get back to WSBK to finish the season.





.....Vamos Tito!

Motokitty said:

Hayden is not there to compete anyway. He still gotta get back to WSBK to finish the season.





.....Vamos Tito!

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VDS should pay Vince McMahon to fly over to Valencia and have him fire Tito Rabat for the cameras. Then he can leave doing the patented McMahon strut.

Lorenzo's helmet for the weekend.

Should help if it rains

Jumkie said:

Oxley's piece was indefensible.

Oxley called out Rossi? Please compa.
Oxley called out Rossi like a fat kid calls out sugar.

He basically acknowledged a nuclear bomb went off in Sepang. Acknowledging it was "calling it out"?

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I largely agree with all the sentiments on here - but credit me for more savvy than that comps. He didn't simply as you say 'acknowledge' the Post Sepang apocalypse during the fallout, trust my recollection, he was very critical of the sycophantic tweets such as Michael Laverty's (amongst others) and in particular the unwritten rule of racing bollocks. Ok - granted, that's not exaclty 'calling Rossi out' but he had little time for the whinging at PI. I clearly remember it because I found it strange how he never mentioned it again.

Aside from his adoration of Rossi, I've always enjoyed his column space and his take on the history of the sport. I find Hodgson, Suzi Perry and Huewen's bias on BT equally as tiresome and actually, less informed which as Gaz pointed out, makes Oxley's compromised platitudes all the more unpalatable.

MdubSTYLIE said:

Lucy must find it difficult to raise an infant and a toddler without a man helping her out.

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And here I am thinking she was bringing up 2 kids

Jumkie said:

Well...doesn't look like Nicky will be #9.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks.

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Keep the chin up Jums, it aint over until the fat lady sings





Although I am not holding out for a Hayden win (sorry to say for you as doing a Bayliss would really throw some cats amongst the pigeons)

JPSLotus said:

I wonder what kind of learning/adjustment curve he is going thru especially after that piece of .... bike he was given last season. As long as he finishes ahead of Rabat in qualifying and the race, I will be pleased.

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Would be interesting to see an article (not publicity speak either) around this very point post season.

I reckon to do a comparison of the setup requirements etc between the bikes and how one differs and thus one's style needs to adjust would, if written freely be very interesting reading