Went on a 2nd hand book binge. Just finished Doohans book and Raineys before that (sodding autocorrect) . Good reads.
No8 Wire Extraordinaire
Went on a 2nd hand book binge. Just finished Doohans book and Raineys before that (sodding autocorrect) . Good reads.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Forum whore
He got canned for not testing. Best reason to can a test rider, really.Originally Posted by Autech
Miller will continue to eat tyres and crash at inopportune moments. His temperament is his worst enemy.
If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?
Moblie chicane
Miller will win the title this year. Feel free to quote me at the end of the year if I'm wrong
I'd say his temperament last year was good enough for the title if he had the luck, all the stuff that went wrong for him last year was not his fault IIRC
one placenta
...I wouldn't rule out Morbidelli for the title either...but Miller is certainly a contender this year...Miller will win the title this year. Feel free to quote me at the end of the year if I'm wrong
I'd say his temperament last year was good enough for the title if he had the luck, all the stuff that went wrong for him last year was not his fault IIRC
Forum whore
Miller fastest boys and unofficial all time lap record
Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Lead. Gap Prev. Gap Laps Last lap
1 MILLER, Jack 1:53.183 51 / 51
2 QUARTARARO, Fabio 1:53.263 0.080 0.080 55 / 62
3 VIÑALES, Maverick 1:53.510 0.327 0.247 75 / 77
4 ZARCO, Johann 1:53.899 0.716 0.389 62 / 65
5 ESPARGARO, Pol 1:53.899 0.716 0.000 47 / 53
6 ESPARGARO, Aleix 1:53.971 0.788 0.072 20 / 31
7 MIR, Joan 1:54.078 0.895 0.107 57 / 57
8 RINS, Alex 1:54.143 0.960 0.065 56 / 63
9 BAGNAIA, Francesco 1:54.236 1.053 0.093 29 / 51
10 NAKAGAMI, Takaaki 1:54.262 1.079 0.026 38 / 50
11 MORBIDELLI, Franco 1:54.367 1.184 0.105 37 / 55
12 OLIVEIRA, Miguel 1:54.526 1.343 0.159 50 / 58
13 ROSSI, Valentino 1:54.618 1.435 0.092 45 / 56
14 BASTIANINI, Enea 1:54.738 1.555 0.120 43 / 44
15 MARQUEZ, Alex 1:54.930 1.747 0.192 42 / 56
16 BRADL, Stefan 1:54.974 1.791 0.044 4 / 15
17 PETRUCCI, Danilo 1:54.978 1.795 0.004 46 / 48
18 TEST2, Yamaha 1:54.998 1.815 0.020 28 / 53
19 MARTIN, Jorge 1:55.010 1.827 0.012 25 / 44
20 BINDER, Brad 1:55.279 2.096 0.269 24 / 50
21 LECUONA, Iker 1:55.315 2.132 0.036 43 / 47
22 MARINI, Luca 1:55.328 2.145 0.013 21 / 54
23 PEDROSA, Dani 1:55.640 2.457 0.312 28 / 58
24 GUINTOLI, Sylvain 1:55.642 2.459 0.002 38 / 52
25 SAVADORI, Lorenzo 1:56.168 2.985 0.526 30 / 39
26 PIRRO, Michele 1:57.255 4.072 1.087 25 / 29
27 TEST1, Yamaha 1:57.510 4.327 0.255 39 / 64
28 TSUDA, Takuya 1:57.795 4.612 0.285 25 / 27
NC TEST3, Yamaha
On a Motorcycle you're penetrating distance, right along with the machine!! In a car you're just a spectator, the windshields like a TV!!
'Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out! Shouting, ' Holy sh!t... What a Ride!! '
Forum whore
Not sure if allowed to copy the whole article but stuff it - for those without a subscription Day 3 round up - its a good read
Fastest man Miller beats all time lap record on Day 3
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Aussie topped the timesheets from the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP duo as the Qatar Test lights up
Tags MotoGP, 2021, QATAR MOTOGP™ OFFICIAL TEST, FP3, #QatarTest
Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) set an unofficial all-time lap record around the Losail International Circuit on Day 3 of the Official 2021 MotoGP™ Qatar Test, the Australian storming his way to a 1:53.183 to finish 0.080s ahead of second place Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Maverick Viñales made it two Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes inside the top three as the Qatar Test revved into life on Wednesday.
Thankfully for all the riders and teams, the second leg of the Qatar Test was greeted by the best weather conditions we’ve seen since the paddock landed in Doha. The wind wasn’t causing issues, the sun was shining and the riders were rearing to get going again after Monday and Tuesday on the sidelines.
After seeing the factory riders testing the intriguing new Ducati aero, Zarco was today giving it a whirl in Losail and judging by the timesheets – if indeed his best laps were with it on – the Frenchman was feeling good. Miller was sitting top of the timesheets for quite a substantial amount of the afternoon, until Quartararo slammed in his rapid time. So far, so good for Miller in Qatar who headed out at the end of the day, did a flying lap, went top, and pitted again. Confidence flowing on the Australian’s side of the garage. Miller said his best lap felt “mega” and described the conditions as “perfect” and he got through all the things he needed to get through on Wednesday.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended Day 3 in P9 as the third fastest Desmosedici rider on track, 51 laps were completed by the Italian and he finished 1.053s off Miller’s time. Bagnaia was concentrating on his longer run pace and made a big step compared to Sunday, and Pecco was pleased with his Wednesday’s work. Fourth fastest Zarco was “pretty happy” with the progress being made, and the Frenchman added that the GP21 has “huge potential” – promising signs for the Bologna factory.
Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was the fastest rookie on track in P14, the reigning Moto2™ World Champion was P14 on the timesheets and finished ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) – impressive to say the least. The Italian was also just 0.120s behind nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and is settling into MotoGP™ life very well indeed.
The other two rookies are looking great too. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) improved his previous best time by half a second and has been checking Miller and Zarco’s data, confirming that in “three or four corners” he could immediately go faster. Martin placed P19 with a 1:55.010, with Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) three tenths behind Martin in P22.
In the Yamaha camp on Day 3 of the Official Test, as well as Yamaha’s stunning white and red 60th Anniversary livery, a new mudguard and front fork covers were seen being tried. The reasoning is unknown to us, but it could be to create smoother airflow into the radiator to potentially increase top speed. The riders were also doing back-to-back runs on the new and old chassis to get some final confirmation on if any improvements have been made.
The factory duo strutted their stuff in the closing stages to finish P2 and P3, with Viñales completing the most laps of anyone on Day 3 at Losail. The Spaniard did suffer a crash at Turn 1 but thankfully he was unharmed, and Viñales was apparently doing plenty of practice starts at the end of pitlane – an area to work on for sure. Overall, a good day on paper for both Quartararo and Viñales. The former said that he’s found some good pace on used tyres and he was very happy about his fastest lap on the new chassis, and his day – in general – was really good, despite Miller beating his effort.
Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi both finished outside the top 10, the Italians were 1.1 and 1.4 seconds adrift of the best time respectively, but that shouldn’t be looked too much into. Rossi’s main concern was the rear grip on Sunday evening, and The Doctor also said that the new chassis was much closer to the 2020 one, rather than the 2019 one. An intriguing couple of days are coming up for the Iwata factory, that’s for sure.
Pol Espargaro’s adaptation to the Repsol Honda Team machine continues to be seamless. The Spaniard was leading the way at midday and eventually snuck into the 1:53s on just his third day on the RC213V. Already, Pol Espargaro is nearly half a second quicker than he was on the KTM at Losail last season and just half a second shy of Marc Marquez’s all-time lap record in Qatar. The number 44 was also seen using Honda’s carbon bonded chassis, it seems the Japanese factory have chosen this as the way forward. 53 more laps were completed by Espargaro on Day 3, another fantastic day at the office.
Stefan Bradl’s Day 3 ended early after a crash at Turn 2, the German was reported to have pain in his neck and decided to sit out the rest of the day. LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami also crashed, as did LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez – that’s now seven crashes between them in the Qatar Test. Nakagami was the quicker of the two and snuck into the top 10 on a day where he tested some new items, the Japanese rider reported that they were working very well in some areas. More time is needed, according to Nakagami, to confirm which chassis is the one to go with. He has a "much better" feeling on the bike than on Saturday and Sunday, teammate Alex Marquez finished P15 on the timesheets.
Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini once again ended the day towards the summit of the times. The all-new RS-GP in the hands of the Spaniard ended the day P6, but Espargaro completed the lowest number of laps of any full-time rider – 31. A couple of technical issues and a small crash on new tyres hampered his day, and the Spaniard is hoping for fewer problems tomorrow to complete the programme and do a race simulation. MotoGP™ rookie Lorenzo Savadori completed 39 laps to finish the day 25th, another day of valuable track time for the Italian.
World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar were seen with an extra set of fairings on the side of their bikes, with Joan Mir and Alex Rins claiming P7 and P8 on the timesheets. Between them, 120 laps were put into the 2021 GSX-RR as the Hamamatsu continue to rattle through their busy testing schedule in Qatar. The big focus so far has been a new chassis and we’re still no nearer to knowing whether Suzuki have fixed their main 2020 problem – one-lap pace. It’s difficult to say whether the duo pushed for a quick lap like Miller, Quartararo, Viñales and potentially some others did, it seems like the blue machines haven’t yet shown their hand in pre-season testing.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the leading KTM rider once again in P12, the gap between the Portuguese rider and Miller’s time was 1.343s. It’s fair to say it’s been a quiet test for the Austrian factory so far at the Losail International Circuit, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) suffering another crash at Turn 2. The South African was uninjured but P20 isn’t where he would have expected to be at this stage, but Binder said he's feeling more comfortable on the new bike and the team have a good direction to work in. A new swingarm and mudguard – that test rider Dani Pedrosa has been testing – has been spotted on Binder’s bike, with the KTM runners also using the new, skinnier fairing once again.
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona were P17 and P21 on the timesheets respectively, with Lecuona suffering a small crash at Turn 2 early doors. Lecuona is expecting Thursday will be better and admits he need more time with the bike, the Spaniard has tried many new parts during the test and wants to improve his lap time in the remaining two days.
The penultimate day of pre-season testing will be coming your way on Thursday afternoon from the Losail International Circuit, follow every lap with Live Timing from 12:00 CET. Analysis, reaction and interviews are coming up on After the Flag LIVE at 18:30 CET, make sure you don’t miss that too.
Top 10 Day 3:
1. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:53.183
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.080
3. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.327
4. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 0.716
5. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.716
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 0.788
7. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.895
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.960
9. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 1.053
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 1.079
On a Motorcycle you're penetrating distance, right along with the machine!! In a car you're just a spectator, the windshields like a TV!!
'Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out! Shouting, ' Holy sh!t... What a Ride!! '
Forum whore
I'd say the times mean nothing as it's Losail, but they are having a double header so probably a good chance for the Duc riders to bank some points.
Not long now...
Forum whore
I won't be quoting you, so it's not a problem. But seriously, have seen a lot of riders over the last 40 years of following this motorcycle GP racing. He'll choke under championship pressure if gets to the front of the points table. Then he'll start blaming everyone except himself.Miller will win the title this year. Feel free to quote me at the end of the year if I'm wrong
I'd say his temperament last year was good enough for the title if he had the luck, all the stuff that went wrong for him last year was not his fault IIRC
Having said that, I'd be thrilled to see him win. Despite my scepticism he has worked extremely hard to get where he is, on the minimum level of talent required to make it to MotoGP.
If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?
Forum whore
Pre-season testing times never mean anything. Except for Rossi. The ideal time for him to retire was 2016. Pre-season testing is where Honda sandbag, Ducati pull all the stops out and install the cheater engines and electronics, KTM run around being cheeky little dominance asserting Austrians and Yamaha look slightly bewildered.
If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?
Forum whore
Reading between the lines, Pol is very happy. Hopefully he won't try to be a hero in the first few races until has has a good feel for the front end, but he could go really well this year.
Forum whore
Autech Picked Miller and as a southern hemisphere rider I'd like to see it as well
but
Pol is certainly getting the hang of the Honda really quick first crash under the belt and fastest
I wonder what MM is thinking
Pol Espargaro 0.4s clear at Day 4's halfway point
The Repsol Honda Team rider continues his fine form as testing continues in Qatar
Tags MotoGP, 2021, QATAR MOTOGP™ OFFICIAL TEST
Repsol Honda Team’s Pol Espargaro hasn’t let his first crash of 2021 faze him as the Spaniard currently sets the pace on Day 4 of the Official Qatar Test. A 1:54.103 so far sees the number 44 sit 0.445s clear of second place Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), and 0.485s ahead of Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli.
UPDATE
Viñales spearheads Yamaha trio on penultimate day
It was an Iwata factory 1-2-3 on the Day 4 timesheets at the Qatar Test, Miller’s Day 3 time remains the fastest overall
Tags MotoGP, 2021, QATAR MOTOGP™ OFFICIAL TEST, FP4
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales occupies top spot at the end of play on Day 4 of the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test, thanks to a late 1:53.244 lap time. It’s three Yamahas leading the way on Thursday as Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both set 1:53.3s to cement their good form heading into the final day of pre-season testing.
In terms of new tech, nothing too out of the ordinary was seen on Thursday. However, track conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for Day 4 of testing, handing riders a fantastic opportunity to get some crucial laps under their belts with time running out before the start of the season.
Top 10 on Day 4:
1. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – 1:53.244
2. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.079
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.154
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.200
5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 0.396
6. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.583
7. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.616
8. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.749
9. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 0.812
10. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.859
On a Motorcycle you're penetrating distance, right along with the machine!! In a car you're just a spectator, the windshields like a TV!!
'Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out! Shouting, ' Holy sh!t... What a Ride!! '
No8 Wire Extraordinaire
Re the Rossi bit, and I'm not a fan boy, but I seem to recall 2019 he was showing he could get right up the front. And Yamaha have had some weak electronics for a few years.
Plus I bet he made a heap of money from his merch business.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Forum whore
Not saying Grandad can't ride at the pointy end. But I'm pretty sure the results are commensurate with the diminishing flow rate when he takes a piss as each year passes.
If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?
Geriatric hoon
It is starting to seem that Rossi hung on a bit long. Last year was odd and we could justify excuses, not this year. He really needs to be at the sharp end not circulating to make up the numbers. He may well have the same bike he had last year and he never seemed to get to grips with it then, nor now? He has the reputation of saving his best for Sunday. Come Sunday the 28th we'll see.
There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop
Forum whore
I have all 13 fingers crossed.
If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?
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