Thread watched MotoGP: 2024 Round 3 Grand Prix of The Americas April 12-14

[PRS717]

Anybody miss Crafar this weekend? I never thought I'd say it but I do. I do enjoy his insights and other info.

 

[JFM01]

Why did pretty much the whole Moto3 field get a long lap?

 

[JFM01]

That's a first, at least for me. Nepa and Ortola crashed and one of them got on the wrong bike.

 

[mylexicon]

Nice ride by Joe Roberts in Moto2. I don't often watch the lower classes, but I saw he was on the pace this weekend. The mistake at Turn 12 was unfortunate, but he needed help to get in touch with Sergio anyway, and it was obvious Joe was pushing. He was taking every high risk line over every bump for 2-3 laps leading up to running wide at the end of the back straight.

2nd place is a nice result, particularly with discussion swirling regarding Trackhouse finding an American rider for the premier class.

 

[mylexicon]

Boring sprint, spiced up by a couple of laps where Marc/Pedro/Jorge got tangled up and the last lap battle for the 6th-11th places. Mav looked in complete control and made it look easy, he even afforded a small mistake that had no relevance in the end result. Marc looked unstable during the first half of the sprint but calmer afterwards and finished 2nd comfortably despite a couple of tentative attacks by Acosta, later surpassed by a Martín who should be happy to finish ahead of Bagnaia, the Italian with a pretty bad start that compromised his race. Good comeback from Binder, even if it ended up being fruitless in terms of points. Shootout to Marini for keeping his streak of last place finishes intact. Let's hope tomorrow is better but COTA isn't known for exciting racing.

Maverick rode well. For grins I watched the helicopter footage of Mav running wide at Turn 12 to get a feel for how badly he missed the apex. The official feed didn't show what happened next, which was Marquez messing up Turn 15, and handing a few tenths back to Mav.

The official feed made it look like Mav screwed up, but he managed to stabilize the gap and keep Marquez at bay. In fact, Vinales ran wide, Marquez thought he'd have a go, but his charge fell apart 3 corners after it began, when he missed the apex at 15, and lost momentum when he cut back hard to get back on line for the long right-hander around the grandstand.

Not sure if that's good or bad for Mav. Can he take chances knowing he has a few tenths in hand, or did he get bailed out by Marquez, and he can't count on charity from Ducati during today's GP? I guess we'll find out.

 

[JFM01]

Man, Marc is it 2013 or what?
No way he would've made it past Jörg from that far back.

 

[mylexicon]

Thank god for Marquez trying to keep things interesting, though he is tilting at windmills again.

Martin uses Bagnaia as a backstop at Turn 1. Race direction has their eyes wide shut.

 

[JFM01]

Yeah Marc once again doing what he ain't supposed to.
Low IQ performance by him today .

 

[JFM01]

Yes my guy crashed but what an awesome race this was.
This could be the year Maverick finally leaves the "eternal talent" category.
He dropped to 11th after turn one. Whenever this happened last year he finished around 15th. Today he soldiered on and fought his way through the field to make history.
This dude is a player this year.

 

[Bern1]

Cracking race. Good for Mav. Got it recovered and covered from 11th. Acosta proves he’s the real deal. Big question mark for Marquez, wtf? Good on Bastianni as well. As usual, had a flash from Jack. Binder has to be asking himself some questions.

 

[mylexicon]

The first 12 laps were breathtaking, and the result was great for Vinales fans (unique for everyone else). Acosta delivered another excellent performance. He is miles ahead of the other KTM riders. Guidotti must be breathing a sigh of relief. He left Ducati and promised he could organize people into a threat to Ducati. Acosta is bringing his words to fruition. Bastianini also gave his best considering his middling pace so far this year. He goes well at COTA, but he kept his nose clean long enough to let his tires do the work in the later laps.

It seems Thriller Miller has adopted the Hayden method of staying relevant. Do whatever it takes to stay in contention early, and then hope the leaders pull you along. Inevitably, Jack fades, just like Hayden did at Ducati most weekends. Bagnaia knows he's in a bit of trouble. His sprint race performance was unremarkable, and he's finished behind Martin in the grand prix. Binder must also be feeling the heat. He's not been factoring in the races or championship this season, and with Acosta showing what the bike can do, he must be a bit uneasy.

I reviewed Martins' move at Turn 1. I guess it wasn't that bad. It was just serendipity that he barged the reigning champ and the pole-sitter in one move.

 

[MichaelBolton]

Life can be funny, in 2021 when Maverick tried to destroy the bike, Quartararo and Yamaha were top of the world and Aprilia was the worst bike on the paddock. 3 years later, Maverick is tasting victory again and looking unstoppable at the moment while Fabio/Yamaha struggle battling for the points. A good case of falling upwards for Mav, who took his time to regain form but all the confidence Aprilia placed on him seems to be paying off now. You can't judge a rider's performance with a bike after a year nowadays.

I agree that the race was a cracking one until Marc's mistake, which is frankly disappointing but to be honest he seemed to be uncomfortable until then. He needs to reflect on his mistakes and perhaps learn to postpone the desire for victory until he finds himself really comfortable on that Duc.

Acosta, what a race son, I thought he was gonna run out of steam at some point but he lasted the entire race; beating Maverick was too much to ask, but you can't really demand more from the Shark. Dream start to his MotoGP career.

Martín had a mature ride, he would've binned it the previous year, valuable points for him, and Bestia quietly 2nd in the standings. Another factor adding to this year's unpredictability. Bagnaia will be disappointed but this is what he needs to do. I predicted Marc's chances for the championship depended on having more consistency than the inconsistent Pecco and Jorge, but so far reality is showing the opposite picture. The tighter the championship is and the more contenders you add, the less you can afford dropping points for risking too much. Shaping to be a very good year.

The less to say about the Japanese manufacturers, the better. Progress is slow and concessions aren't miraculous.

 

[Keshav]

That other interviewer sounded like a leprechaun on crack, polar opposite of Crafar who always sounds like he's on a high dose of Thorazine.

NOT - a boring race! Thought when MM crashed, my excitement would wane. Vinales from 11th to the win, what more could you ask for? ... maybe him being that good consistently??? Got to love Acosta. Can't say I didn't love the sight of Martin and Bagnaia dejectedly limping back to the garage. I think Martin will come to future races and be even more motivated. Pecco looked like he'd experienced a preview of the future and was crushed. Great to see 1st and 2nd be not Ducatis. Ducati cup has been way boring.

 

[ApriliaRS250]

When i saw zarco retired and nakagami crashed i knew the next one will be Mir and i was right, its really a honda .... show, marc will be so happy he left

 

[JPSLotus]

I enjoyed the race.

I was disappointed in MM crashing out, but it's his MO. That said, I regret picking him to win the title. He won't win the title with 2 successive main event DNF's. It was such a stupid mistake as he had a lead that while not large, was manageable. It was an entirely avoidable situation in my opinion, but he lives life on the the limit all the time and it bites him in the ass. You'd think he would have learned by this point of his career.

Maverick was fantastic. Absolutely brilliant ride to come back from a horrible start. I'll admit I didn't think he'd make up much ground when he dropped back but he seemed to just focus on riding regardless of being in traffic. Rider of the weekend easily and I'm happy to see him do so well this weekend. He is so unbelievably fast when he is on. It's just mesmerizing to watch. I really hope he pulls himself into championship contention.

Acosta is also brilliant. He just needs a drop of more experience in my opinion to get that first win. I would be shocked if he doesn't get it soon, or at least this season. Really makes you wonder about the rest of the KTM riders.

Prosecco Bagnaia is overrated in my opinion. Fast on his day but not fast enough when it's not his day.

.... Jorge Martin, I can't stand him.

Looking forward to the next race!

 

[Keshav]

I think Marquez still has time to be better on the Duc, not enough time to win a championship this year, but if he can stay uninjured, he'll be a factor this year. It felt like he forgot he wasn't on a Honda and tried to push the front end in a way that just doesn't work on the Ducati. Martin reminds me of Simoncelli, not for reasons of recklessness per se, but there's a caveman quality about him that just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[mylexicon]

When Marquez hit the front, I was hoping for attack and parry at the front. Like the rest of the crowd, I groaned when he went down. COTA is not known for crowd noise and palpable excitement during MotoGP, but it was fun to hear the fans during the race.

 

[MdubSTYLIE]

When i saw zarco retired and nakagami crashed i knew the next one will be Mir and i was right, its really a honda .... show, marc will be so happy he left

Thats like predicting a sunrise. I am fine with Marc crashing. He is in go for win mode. I don't think he thinks he can fight for the championship so he is here to fight for wins gain confidence and understand the limit. You can't find the limit without going over it. Although this was a strange crash because the front went very early. Mav was outstanding. I don't know how I feel about him. I feel happy for him when he wins and laugh when a blows it. I guess I am just glad he puts on a show. Pedro has yet to show a flaw. If this continues he will be fighting for the title this year. Its hard to say for sure but it is impossible to say anything negative about him at this point. I like everything about this kid. He has became my favorite since his moto3 title and not just because Jumkie says he looks like me and calls him my ........

 

[Hollywood]

I thought it was a good race, and one of the bigger crowds I have seen at COTA.

 

[Mrpurple]

MM is still a win or bin rider, some desperation coming on to make hay while the sun shines.

Especially when you have a madman like Acosta nipping at your heels...