MotoGP 2018

[pritch]

One word for it -
Karma

There must be at least two words, my word was "Bugger!"

[carbonhed]

Enjoyed that, moto3 , moto2 and then oops after leading sooooo long . Bugger

can't tell ya more !

Well at least he didn't break any bones like Crutchlow. So near and yet so far... Assen 2017 wasn't it? Priceless.

[SaferRides]

And I think they still switch from carbon to steel discs in the wet. I briefly tried to spot that last night but the bike I was watching had big covers over the brake discs.

Yes, during the FP4 rain delay they showed one of the teams fitting steel discs. Only 3 bolts to attach the discs.

[EJK]

"Your ambition outweighed your talent"

[roogazza]

Dovi wondered why the Ducati was further back, 6th or 7th wasn't it ?
The fact that the Yamahas were working is a good reason.
I hope this is the case for 2019.

[pritch]

Interesting comments on social media overnight. Marquez said that Rossi's bike was working well in the areas where it had been suffering previously. Dare we hope that Yamaha are on the road to recovery?

Jorge Lorenzo posted praising Rossi's ride,

"Apart from the crash, I’ve never seen @ValeYellow46 so consistent. More than 10 laps in just 1 tenth at the hottest and longest track impressed me today. And some said he started too feel his age after last race..."

So too did Simon Crafar and Mat Oxley, and they know that of which they write. Rossi's lap times were apparently a miracle of metronomic consistency.

One swallow does not a summer make, but...

[Autech]

Interesting comments on social media overnight. Marquez said that Rossi's bike was working well in the areas where it had been suffering previously. Dare we hope that Yamaha are on the road to recovery?

Jorge Lorenzo posted praising Rossi's ride,

"Apart from the crash, I’ve never seen @ValeYellow46 so consistent. More than 10 laps in just 1 tenth at the hottest and longest track impressed me today. And some said he started too feel his age after last race..."

So too did Simon Crafar and Mat Oxley, and they know that of which they write. Rossi's lap times were apparently a miracle of metronomic consistency.

One swallow does not a summer make, but...

Yeah he was scarily consistent.

I have a theory on their change in form, have a look at the practice schedule for PI and Malaysia and tell me what they've changed...

Fuck it I will answer it.

Moto2 are now on track before Motogp in all the practice sessions it, so Yamaha can actually set their bike up for the track conditions they will face in the race. How many times did we see Yamaha right up there this year in Practice and quali only for them to drop like a stone on the Dunlop rubber, then miraculously get faster and faster as the race progressed?
This is the key change IMO, Yamaha needs good grip to be fast and if they can get the bike dialed in look out.

[SaferRides]

I'm not sure that running the same laptimes throughout the race is the best way to manage the Michelins. Marquez especially will go hard for a few laps, then back off to let the tyres recover.

I assume that the soft tyre Michelin bring to Sepang is not the same as the soft at say Assen?

[Brett]

A great performance by Rossi - until the rear let go! So gutted, was hoping it was a break in the trend. Still, shows he still has it, his consistency (as noted) was phenomenal.

Yet, extremely hard not to yet again, be impressed by Marc. He caught Rossi while pushing hard and managed to bring it home. Testament to the talent that the dude has. He is very likeable (and I DO like him) and his talent is unquestionable, yet for some reason I still can't bring myself to support him. I just don't know what it is. I found myself willing Zarco on once Rossi was out.

[merv]

Yet, extremely hard not to yet again, be impressed by Marc. He caught Rossi while pushing hard and managed to bring it home. Testament to the talent that the dude has. He is very likeable (and I DO like him) and his talent is unquestionable, yet for some reason I still can't bring myself to support him. I just don't know what it is. I found myself willing Zarco on once Rossi was out.

Perhaps you are just not a Honda fan.

I'm a Honda supporter and loved when Rossi was on the RC211V, thought he was a bit of an idiot to leave them, but then sort of thought it was okay he was on the Yamaha but didn't appreciate how he treated Stoner and started losing faith in him then, particularly because of his trash talk going to Ducati which just totally backfired on him and ended up with his ambiton outweighing his talent. His return to Yamaha was vaguely okay until he had his brain fart in 2015 over Phillip Island where he was the only one that had the stupid dream that Marquez was helping Lorenzo. The rest is history and he has caused MotoGP a lot of angst by having the yellow crowd so wound up against Marquez, but Marquez just keeps smiling and winning and not losing the mind games against the old guy.

I reckon one of the most interesting things to watch will be to see how Zarco goes on the KTM and whether KTM can step it up a notch.

[denill]

Perhaps you are just not a Honda fan.

I'm a Honda supporter and loved when Rossi was on the RC211V, thought he was a bit of an idiot to leave them, but then sort of thought it was okay he was on the Yamaha but didn't appreciate how he treated Stoner and started losing faith in him then, particularly because of his trash talk going to Ducati which just totally backfired on him and ended up with his ambiton outweighing his talent. His return to Yamaha was vaguely okay until he had his brain fart in 2015 over Phillip Island where he was the only one that had the stupid dream that Marquez was helping Lorenzo. The rest is history and he has caused MotoGP a lot of angst by having the yellow crowd so wound up against Marquez, but Marquez just keeps smiling and winning and not losing the mind games against the old guy.

I reckon one of the most interesting things to watch will be to see how Zarco goes on the KTM and whether KTM can step it up a notch.

I agree with all the aspects you have raised in that summary Merv.........

[merv]

I agree with all the aspects you have raised in that summary Merv.........

Cheers Bill. Still supporting Hondas yourself too I presume and you're to blame for first selling them into our family lol

[SaferRides]

It's quite telling that Dovi and Rossi, who hardly ever crash, both succumbed to the pressure from Marquez while leading.

A couple of things - Sepang was the first race he's won from outside the first 6 on the grid, and it must be a few years since he's won a race after winning the championship.

[denill]

Cheers Bill. Still supporting Hondas yourself too I presume and you're to blame for first selling them into our family lol

Ha ha, but yeah, good days Merv.

[Reckless]

Yet, extremely hard not to yet again, be impressed by Marc. He caught Rossi while pushing hard and managed to bring it home. Testament to the talent that the dude has. He is very likeable (and I DO like him) and his talent is unquestionable, yet for some reason I still can't bring myself to support him. I just don't know what it is. I found myself willing Zarco on once Rossi was out.

I was the same as you but MM has matured. I'm turning towards MM away from Rossi -
I think the last straw was when MM offered Rossi his hand at that press conference ( was it last year) and Rossi turned his Nose up at it (over not such a big deal if I remember rightly).
If MM keeps carrying himself the way he did before after and during hard battles like the past ones with Dovi he deserves every record he gets.

PS I wonder if MM fell like Rossi did in the last race whether or not he would have saved it??????
The minute I saw it t I thought MM wouldnt have gone down.
Perhaps gone to second after the save and then passed back to win on the last corner - MM style.

PSS Wasn't that moto3 race Phillip Island just the best ever!