Moto GP

[PepeLePew]

Unless its something in Rossi's contract I can't see how having a replacement rider do well and score points is disruption. As I said all the other top teams replace injured riders immediately. I guess we'll only find out if it's a Rossi thing or a Yamaha thing if Vinales hurts himself.

[Edge]

13 hours ago, Pepe Le Pew said:

Unless its something in Rossi's contract I can't see how having a replacement rider do well and score points is disruption. .................

OK maybe I misunderstood, I thought you were implying that the only conceivable (to you) reason why Yamaha wouldn't give eg Zarco a run out on the M1 was that the Rossi camp was in a position to stop it and in fact did, presumably because it was felt that if eg Zarco was unduly(?) successful (or not)  it would be 'disruptive' in some way to either Rossi's pride or the considerable associated commercial interests.
OK a considerably convoluted twist if that's not what you meant at all.  

I've no idea how complicated it would be to change settings and everything else on the bike for Zarco, I just read somewhere that, being much smaller, he couldn't just jump on it and go......maybe just disruptive to the Tech3 team dunno.......shame anyway, it would have been interesting.

Any road up, the series no longer revolves around any hopes Rossi may have had for the title, so can't wait for 
Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, Riviera Di Rimini, Italy
Still rooting for Marquez myself, but watching how it unfolds is compelling to say the least.
 

Edited September 6, 2017 by Edge

[PepeLePew]

I'm not implying anything, I'm just wondering why Yamaha are the only team on the grid that does not replace an injured rider. It's not about Zarco specifically, stick any old chump on there, give the bike a run out, a race test, even Rossi was saying the Tech 3 guys should have current bikes so more data can be gathered. It's not about settings either. That would take a couple of hours max, probably more like 20 mins, all depends on what he likes and how the Yam is built.

I'm surmising that the only thing left that stops them is something contractual re Rossi, tis all. Because I can't think of any other reason they would leave an empty ride sitting there for 2 or 3 races. I could be wrong, perhaps there is another reason, I just can't imagine what it might be.

[Edge]

We're off ....and again in theory this could be Lorenzo's chance to shine at last.....but not yet.

In FP1 it was Marquez on top 'straight out of the box'   ............

Marc Marquez continues his mesmeric ability to lap quickly at the beginning of a race weekend by topping MotoGP FP1 at Misano by over 0.4s.

Left foot braking from Silverstone................

 

 

[biggles]

Devastated that Vallie is out and killed his title chances. Now I have to decide whether to cheer for Ducati or Marquez, who seems like a nice bloke ! 

[Edge]

Petrucci just on top of FP2 but all very close with Vinales and Dovi ...Marquez 5th.

Speculation about replacing Rossi continues :-

Valentino Rossi is unfit to return to MotoGP action at Aragon later this month, several names have been mentioned as likely replacements.

Factory test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Yamaha World Superbike's Alex Lowes, for example, both raced a YZR-M1 in MotoGP last season.

But according to paddock rumours at Misano, another rider in contention is their Suzuka winning team-mate Michael van der Mark

[Edge]

FP 3

Edited September 9, 2017 by Edge

[PepeLePew]

2 hours ago, Edge said:

FP 4

FP3!

[Edge]

36 minutes ago, Pepe Le Pew said:

FP3!

Oops sorry. FP4

Updated....

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2017 by Edge

[PepeLePew]

Yep, so far Marc has his name written all over this one, but then again he has pretty much dominated most practices this year. Someone said yesterday 'he has the ability to dance along the edge of a crash'. Riding like that over 1 lap is special, the work of a riding god you could say but even he cannot do that for a race distance. I think you can safely say he has the race in hand when his FP times look easy rather than god like.

Interestingly Yamaha, Honda and Ducati are 4 wins apiece with Dovi being the winningest rider.

[Kim Jong Il]

Vinales

Dovi

Marquez

That was good right till the end. Would Marquez have pulled one out of the bag if....

Dovi gets the right lap in at the right time.

Could be interesting tomorrow. 

[PepeLePew]

And Lorenzo starting to poke his head round the door of the front row.

Crutchache finally worked out where the throttle is, 7th for Pedrosa, seems he's still in 2 minds whether to actually bother racing this weekend

[Kim Jong Il]

As the tail end hurricane Irma passes over San Morino and drops a bunch of rain I wonder who will turn out to be rain god of the main event.

Just watched the Moto 3 race and a lot of (relatively low speed) spills. Just how much was the field strung out out at the end.

[PepeLePew]

BSB race 1 yesterday at Silverstone half the track was soaked, half was dry. A bunch of the top riders revolted and tried to get the organisers to delay as they said it was too dangerous. They didn't and it made for an interesting race with a very mixed up result.

[Edge]

Magnificent indeed.

Thought Lor had gone but.....

 

Edited September 10, 2017 by Edge

[Kim Jong Il]

All level at the top.

Good result for Marquesz especially after the last round blow up.

Bit surprised Dovi dropped off like he did, he seemed to get pretty close to Marquesz with about 12 or so laps to go.

Sort of even more surprised that Lorenzo binned it when he did, relatively no pressure, almost cruising.

[Edge]

Lorenzo claiming that, with a 4.5 sec lead, he was engrossed in contemplating an engine mapping change.
Certainly scary the way he was able to take off, but still he hasn't held it together for the distance yet. and he's not in contention so maybe it doesn't matter too much if he does re' the C'ship.

Petrucci great to watch once again and what a nice guy.
Marquez once again the Magnificent.
Dovi not done with this yet, nor Maverick, but somehow it feels like Marc might be on a home run now.

[stacksreg123]

It was a great day at the track even though I got soaked to my underwear. Absolute Highlight was fenati in moto3. Incredible performance! Also mm did a great job as usual. Here some random pics I shot

[PepeLePew]

Dovi seemed to have the opposite of last weeks race.

Whatever Lorenzo's excuse for dropping it there are 2 issues his rivals will be worried about. 1, the ridiculous gap he managed to pull in just a few laps, 2 the fact that it was in the wet which has rarely been the place Lorenzo shines. Of course even if he won every race left he can't affect the Cshp but he's chipping away at the duke and slowly making progress. Great though Marc and Dovi have been so far if that is the true level of the Ducati they'd both have looked pretty average if it had been ridden like that all season (by anyone)

[Edge]

As per the previous paddock gossips reports.

Michael van der Mark to make MotoGP debut in place of Valentino Rossi at Aragon.

van der Mark stepped up to WorldSBK, with Ten Kate Honda, as the reigning World Supersport champion in 2015.

After nine podiums and fourth in last year's championship, the 24-year-old Dutchman switched to the official Yamaha WorldSBK team. He has claimed a best finish of fourth this season, but looked on course for the current R1's first victory before a tyre failure at Misano.

van der Mark also made ten grand prix appearances in the 125c and Moto2 classes between 2008 and 2011, with a best result of 18th in his home Assen race in 2009. van der Mark is now set to be the first Dutch rider since Jurgen van den Goorbergh in 2005 to race in MotoGP.

van der Mark is currently seventh in the WorldSBK standings, two places behind team-mate Alex Lowes.

Rossi should be fit for the following Japanese MotoGP, which starts 42 days after his accident.

Edited September 11, 2017 by Edge

[PepeLePew]

My guess is Rossi will be out for at least next 2 races then. Still odd that they didn't shove someone on it for Misano IMO. Whenever Honda are a man down they parachute in a half decent rider within minutes (Hayden 2016 x2)

I don't rate VDM highly. He's had 1 decent showing in WSB this year, other than that he has been distinctly average, often not even that. Rich dad got him through M3 and 2 but his lack of results meant he never stood even a sniff of a MGP offer. Wouldn't surprise me if cash wasn't changing hands to get this opportunity. If I had to pick an SB Yam rider to plop on Rossi's M1 it would have been James Ellison who has shone in BSB despite not making the cut this weekend. A succession of bike failures and bad luck has been his season so far and despite that his talent has shone.  That said Rossi's ride could well be a Poison chalice. Despite my reservations I wish VDM well and hope he shines and proves me wrong.

[Edge]

If he has a rich Dad then maybe cash....no idea.
I don't follow WSB any more so I know nothing about MvdM, just that it was news that Yamaha are willing and able to put Rossi's bike out there.
On that basis I'd have been just as happy to see it done more anonymously (to me anyway) by putting the factory test rider out there on it.

Good luck to him anyway, especially never having had his leg over before.
It sounds like Yamaha had no choice but to put someone on it?
"While the factory Yamaha MotoGP squad was unable to field a replacement at Rossi’s home round at Misano this weekend the team must field a second rider due to championship rules for the Aragon round after it was confirmed the Italian rider wouldn't be able to recover in time."

[PepeLePew]

Ah, thanks. Interesting, I wonder if Dorna changed the rules after Yamaha didn't replace Rossi last time.  Sounds like they wouldn't do it if they didn't have to, to me, or they'd have filled the seat for Italy.

WSB hasn't been great this year, Rea & Kawasaki are walking it with occasional input from Team mate Sykes (70 pts behind) or Davies on the Duke (100 pts behind!).

BSB has seen a lot closer racing. Last weekends Silverstone rounds mixed it up a bit more thanks to the weather. I think only 7 riders finished race 3,  Whitham said it was the worst attrition rate he'd ever seen in a race.

[Edge]

From   http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/882368/1/motogp-releases-provisional-2018-calendar

The inaugural Thailand MotoGP is set to be held on October 5-7.

The date is listed on the provisional 2018 MotoGP calendar, which confirms the Buriram round as the only new addition to the present 18-race line-up.

As rumoured, Thailand will precede the usual Japan-Australia-Malaysia run, with a weekend off separating the new event from the established triple header.

The British MotoGP is set for its usual late-August date, but with the venue still to be decided following the Circuit of Wales fallout. The choice is understood to be continue with Silverstone under a new deal or switch to Donington Park.

[biggles]

Best get in early to reserve accommodation, it will go quickly