The 2021 Relevant Topic Thread

[Albert Tatlock]

Pardon me, I didn't get permission from king Keshav to create a new topic, but I will go ahead anyway.
In case none of you has noticed, this forum sucks. It is one continuous conversation about Rossi.
There are so many great storylines that need to be discussed.
Time to drag this forum, kicking and screaming into 2021.

KTM has two great young riders on the factory team, and two very talented riders in the nutsack ready for their money shot next year. Plus Pedro Acosta is ovulating a few years out.
It looks like we have a potential superteam in the next few years.
KTM has vastly improved in a short time. They have a strong bike this year that has been handicapped by Michelin. With all that Red Bull money and influence, I can only see things getting incrementally better.
What can we expect from these four great riders?

Im a big fan of Binder and I think he has the best upside. The bloke is a Sunday rider. No matter how badly he does in practice and Q, he is able to turn it into a good result, often running the fastest laps of the race.

Olivera has better consistency, is a proven race winner, but never seems to override the bike like Brad. He's not one to make up a ton of spots, but qualifies well and runs solid races.

Remy is having a cracking season this year, but what's worrying is that he has had disappointing seasons prior to this year. Did he finally come into his own?
He's a great story and it's impossible not to root for him given his pedigree.
He seems to be a simple Aussie bloke. Loves wrenching on hot rods and racing motorbikes. Whats not to love

Raul Fernandez has been somewhat disappointing. Early on, it looked like he and Remy would be close all year. Remy has since pulled the pin and left him behind.
I do think it was a great signing though. You have four teammates with great familiarity with each other and passion for the brand that brought them up

And then we have the phenon Acosta. A little early to discuss him in relation to the big class, but KTM is going to have their hands full holding on to him

 

[MigsAngel]

... It is one continuous conversation about Rossi.

There are so many great storylines that need to be discussed.
Time to drag this forum, kicking and screaming into 2021..

You aren't wrong....most of the members that keep bringing up Rossi just want to blame him for everything and anything.... Once Rossi goes for good in a few months some members will have nothing to complain about and this forum might actually be totally dead, if as you say the members come up to 2021...

I mostly browse the comment here these days, and instead go to Reddit which has a series of MotoGP channels including the official one which are 100s of times more active and diverse in discussion than this one nowadays.

KTM has two great young riders on the factory team.

Totally agree....they have the best potential team and line up for the next 4 years or more.
If Binder doesnt become champion during his career with KTM it will be travesty, South Africa deserves a champion....

Olivera smartest man in the paddock....and makes a great teammate to Binder....

Remy and Raul Fernandez - The future is bright, they just need to stick with KTM and dont get tempted by some ..... HRC empty promise of being second fiddle to MM....

Acosta - KTM may need to add a 3rd team or a 3rd bike to one of their teams to accommodate him. Great to see him go as good as he does.

I said this before but i will repeat it....
KTM - has a great pipeline of riders now and probably in wings for next 10 years...
VR46 - have put in the time and money to get talent up and ready for Ducati and themselves....it seems like half the paddock owes the VR46 academy credit for their success
Ducati - I am hugely disappointed with Jack, but have great hopes with Martin...

Regarding others
Suzuki - need to look beyond Rins soon, but where....
HRC - they are screwed, the bike is pig, their lead development rider is the one one that can just about ride it, and they have no good future rider prospects that i can see...if MM goes to another team or get hurt again thats will be another year or more in wilderness for them.
Aprilia - Need to open up the purse and hire ANYONE but an Esparagus to develop their bike...

 

[Albert Tatlock]

Good point regarding HRC. Their lure has always been, that they are the great and magical Oz. Pol said as much when he signed with them. How’s that looking for him now.
Ducati and Ktm are establishing pipelines while Honda’s strategy is to be the hot bird in the room. Problem is, it’s getting around that she smells, and shags like a corpse.

Im also convinced that MM has lost his edge. Either that, or he’s sandbagging, knowing this bike and this year is pointless.

 

[JPSLotus]

Good point regarding HRC. Their lure has always been, that they are the great and magical Oz. Pol said as much when he signed with them. How’s that looking for him now.
Ducati and Ktm are establishing pipelines while Honda’s strategy is to be the hot bird in the room. Problem is, it’s getting around that she smells, and shags like a corpse.

Im also convinced that MM has lost his edge. Either that, or he’s sandbagging, knowing this bike and this year is pointless.

I don't think MM has lost his edge. He was on it at the Sachsenring in spite of the right side weakness. The issue from what I can tell is Honda doesn't seem to have made any real progress in 2020 and that's carried over into 2021. The bike I don't think is matched up to the tires at all, and it's probably going to require some type of redesign in the off-season.

I thought the Pol signing was a mistake. Didn't see him being able to ride the RCV to the level required. Should have left Alex Marquez on that second seat after seeing how everything's gone this season. Not that I was a fan of that signing either, but given HRC's choices at this point, he would have been the better choice. Not sure about Nakagami, he has his moments where he does well, but then the following race he might do nothing of consequence.

In short, HRC appears to be ...... right now.

 

[michaelm]

I don't think MM has lost his edge. He was on it at the Sachsenring in spite of the right side weakness. The issue from what I can tell is Honda doesn't seem to have made any real progress in 2020 and that's carried over into 2021. The bike I don't think is matched up to the tires at all, and it's probably going to require some type of redesign in the off-season.

I thought the Pol signing was a mistake. Didn't see him being able to ride the RCV to the level required. Should have left Alex Marquez on that second seat after seeing how everything's gone this season. Not that I was a fan of that signing either, but given HRC's choices at this point, he would have been the better choice. Not sure about Nakagami, he has his moments where he does well, but then the following race he might do nothing of consequence.

In short, HRC appears to be ...... right now.

They need a bike re-design imo as well. The bike doesn't work with the current tyres or the control ECU.

 

[JPSLotus]

They need a bike re-design imo as well. The bike doesn't work with the current tyres or the control ECU.

No it definitely doesn't work with either.

I know it's become commonplace for people to blame MM for where the RCV has gone, but I really don't think this is all his fault. The engine I think is the one you could hang on him since he kept asking for more power when the Ducati was the only real competition. Now the balance of power has shifted where there's more factories getting into the mix, so putting all your eggs into the powerful engine and only being able to make up time under heavy braking, was never going to go well.

As we all know, HRC gets ideas in their head that might make sense theoretically speaking, but isn't really applicable on the race track.

MM isn't even using a hole shot device where the other teams are all-in on that. How much time is he losing because he doesn't have the luxury of say Ducati where the bike is lowering to get better traction out of corners? More of a tangential thought, but I actually feel the hole shot devices should be banned because it falls under moveable aero devices. Yes it helps traction, but the lowering of the bike will change the aero profile.

 

[MigsAngel]

They need a bike re-design imo as well. The bike doesn't work with the current tyres or the control ECU.

They need Dani back...he is the only reason HRC was rideable from 2007 to 2016 (yes he rode in 2018, but HRC stopped listening him by 2016 IMO)...

Alex M is good sort of....but lets be honest he isnt going to be champion at any time soon, and he isn't going to develop a wining all around package for HRC either....he is just a good wingman for his brother....I give him another 2 years before he goes to WSBK or a satellite Duke but not the VR46 team....