Martin Raines is the MotoGP statistician he posted this on Twitter. David Emmett liked it. Seems relevant.
Martin Raines is the MotoGP statistician he posted this on Twitter. David Emmett liked it. Seems relevant.
There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop
Looking at that table, I'm beginning to be a bit concerned that I might be leaving my run too late. Nahh, I'll think about it next year.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
You'll be fine. I think you just buy one of those ktm200 dukes and rock up to the nearest red bull promotional event and they just let you in from there
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
The final round of Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2021 was held at Aragon last weekend.
The weather was excellent, which was nice for the final round, to say goodbye to everyone and the MotoGP paddock.
Aragon is a very challenging and difficult circuit to get your head around, most of the other riders had ridden there before in ETC or CEV, so Cormac would, again, be up against it.
Practice went well, improving 1-2 sec per lap in each session, but unfortunately, quite a bit away from the front guys (three or four of whom were still in contention if things went their way).
Qualifying practice started well, but lasted 4 laps until another rider tried a Hail Mary and slammed Cormac off the track and off the bike.
He managed to get back to the garage and the mechanics put the bike back together for him to get a run around the track to make sure the bike was working.
But last position for the race starts. The other rider received a long-lap penalty for his trouble.
Unfortunately, having only those four laps of QP meant that the set-up of the bike, and his experience of the track, were not right and the bike handling for the races was sub-optimal.
This not withstanding, Race 1 went well, dropping another 2 sec per lap off his best laptimes and coming home in the tail group. He had been dropped by 1 sec from the group, typically the kiss of death at Aragon due to the long back straight, but he was able to recover that gap and be 0.4 or so off the front of the tail group coming home in 20th. So, overall a job well done.
Race 2 however didn't go quite so well. Still finished the race in 19th position, but the set-up issues were more profound in this race due to changed conditions with the bike chattering and jumping about the place, so his confidence to push the bike was not there, understandably. Nevertheless, Cormac finished the race, again in the top 20, laptimes were not better, but he finished on a sub-optimal bike. Kia kaha to that.
So, that is a wrap of the Rookies Cup season. All riders had one or more DNFs, Cormac had aimed to finish all races, but he had to pull out of one with pain in his wrist after it was broken in practice the day before. But he did not crash in any races, so that was good. His laptimes improved in almost all sessions, except for one or two races (Mugello and Aragon) where exceptional circumstances (Mugello where we lost Jason, with whom Cormac was friends and Aragon where the bike set-up was just wrong) prevented improvement. Cormac was the only rider to not score points, but Rookies Cup staff made it clear to them (Cormac, Stacey) they know what level he has come from, a long way behind the European and ex-Asia Talent Cup riders. So for him to be racing at the same level as some of those guys shows he has the ability, but not the experience. That was what Year 1 was about, gaining experience.
So, that is goodbye to Rookies Cup.
Or is it????
Nahhhh! Cormac has been invited to return to Rookies Cup for 2022! Yusssss!!!
Huge improvements will be demanded next year however.
But in Years 2 and 3 the riders receive more support and input into what is happening and how to improve, so hopefully that will happen for him.
He will be expected to go from 16-20th to 5-15th on a regular basis in 2022.
This time the whole family will likely relocate to Europe (Spain most probably) for the Euro summer where he will likely compete in European Talent Cup alongside Rookies Cup. This is not 100% ideal as the bikes (Honda NSF250 vs KTM RC250RBRC) are quite different. But it is expensive enough to race ETC, let alone try and find a CEV Junior World Championship seat on a KTM. That would be the ideal, but cost is upwards of E100k.
So, the fund raising machine will be kicking in as soon as possible. You guys have been watching and taking an interest, well, none of this happens by magic. It takes sweat and grit and sticktoitiveness, but also money.
So, I ask therefore, please keep an eye on his FB pages (Cormac Racing) and please donate until it hurts when the calls come.
He has had a couple of awesome sponsors on board this year to assist with the British Talent Cup campaign, and hopefully they will remain on board. But ETC is another level up from that.
Cormac has one more round of BTC at Donnington Park GP circuit first weekend of October, to go out on a high, fingers crossed.
The boys arrive home on 11 Oct for MIQ and then home and then planning and execution of the NZSBK season cranks up. He has a lot to learn and improve upon for Rookies Cup 2022, so hopefully we can find some of those lessons over the summer here.
Righto.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Ono Lennon.
"If you have never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame." Counting Crows
"The girls were in tight dresses, just like sweets in cellophane" Joe Jackson
Yes early days ... but Maverick is gelling with that Aprillia. Be good to see him find a happy spot and stay in motogp...
Interesting discussion about what makes a motogp champ..
"If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France
ZRXOA #9170
FQ on FB: "FB was on another level, corner 12, I dont know how he was doing that on a used tyre"
"If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France
ZRXOA #9170
I'm a week behind (in many ways!) but enjoyed the fight at Aragon for the last 10 or so laps.
Looking like the Italian on the Doocati is a star in the making.
Copied last nights races so look forward to more scaps next Sunday on Ch3.
What I want now is some fine weather for a fang myself, after all it's been a month.
You'd never go hungry with Nigella Gaz.
If it weren't for flashbacks...I'd have no memory at all..
"If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France
ZRXOA #9170
"If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France
ZRXOA #9170
MotoE races were pretty darn good with a fair bit of drama - check it out if ya haven't already
Nicolo Bulega has signed with Aruba.it Ducati to race the Ducati Panigale V2 in the revamped WSS championship. Good luck to him. That opens a seat for someone in Moto2.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Ono Lennon.
"If you have never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame." Counting Crows
"The girls were in tight dresses, just like sweets in cellophane" Joe Jackson
While we wait for the next race....
Enjoy peoples, this could be one of the nuttiest races ever seen!
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