Yeah, I'm happy for Tech 3 and the KTM deal, but Zarco needs a contract with more developed factory bike. And what the hell has happened to Lorenzo this year??
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Lorenzo was never going to ride a that GP17/18 bike well.
He is too smooth and the Yamaha was the perfect bike for him. I bet he could take Suzuki to the podium as it is more inline with the Yami. My guess is they don't spend much more time together and Ducati move on.
The Ducati's are just too damn abusive and it's a hold on and see type of approach. Dovi and Chaz Davies are riders that can excel on that type of machine.
Vinales is showing signs of a bust. He's a good rider but I just don't think he has the fire in his belly this year. Once you land on a factory team I'm sure you get a little more comfortable in life.
In other news Eli Tomac is killing it right now.
Pretty pumped for him.
Yeah but there is no way Honda will let him go and if you are winning it would be stupid to leave because once you leave from a seat at that table you don't come back. Just ask Stoner and Rossi.
Honda should send Pedrosa to WSBK and hire Zarco for 2019.
Oh Hell No you didn't.
Pedrosa is a bad ass. He unfortunately has some of the worst luck in the paddock.
I think that there is a stat somewhere that goes to the fact he is the only rider that has won at least 1 race a year since being in GP class.
Also, think of the freaking guys he's raced against. Some real talent and considered to be the best ever. So he's in elite company.
And Honda doesn't have a factory team in WSBK.
He'd fucking slay them bitches though.
Sorry. Got a little soft spot in my heart for the little fella. Also there is this.
Dani Pedrosa Has Hand Surgery after Argentina Crash - Asphalt & Rubber
I also like him, and he is living and buying expensive bikes to our lbs here in switzerland so there is that. But despite winning gp on a regular basis you can't deny the fact he is only fast when he is not injured and he seems to be healthy 1 race per year. On sunday's broadcast when Zarco passed Pedrosa who highsided after hitting that wet patch a former french gp rider half- joked about Pedrosa potentially breaking his collarbone for the 28th time. At some point he should call it a day, retire and do something else that doesn't require breaking a bone every few weeks.
The question mark for Honda is : would Zarco win more race per year than Pedrosa on the same bike ? I can't answer that question but as a manager I would be willing to give it a try. Repsol is probably against that idea though.
But can Marquez win titles on more than one manufacturer's bike like Rossi did? Reason again why Rossi is the GOAT.
Would Marquez's style have seen him win in the 2-stroke era? I seriously doubt it ... the level of electronics in today's MotoGP bikes is huge and I believe has allowed Marquez to walk away many times when he should have been picking himself out of the kitty litter.
Marquez is an amazing rider with amazing talent and the Honda is suited well for him, but he's not the GOAT. I don't believe he will ever leave Honda, and Honda won't let him go like they let Rossi go (Rossi got the better of that deal, given both party's arrogance (rider vs. bike)).
IOM TT style racing is completely different to closed circuit racing ... it's all about balls not necessarily talent. Michael Rutter won lots of TT-style races but couldn't even win a BSB championship.
I don't like that balls vs talents comparison and I don't think it is true.
The reality is that both type of riders are both talented and brave. But those 2 types of racing, once very close 50-60y ago are now very different and require different skills. They can't race with the same aggressiveness, with the same margin of errors, tracks are different, bike set up to. To excel in motogp/SBK a rider needs to be as light as possible while being a bit heavier can be viewed as an asset to stabilize and tame a superbike on a very fast and bumpy road. Gp riders now have huge and smooth run off areas, it wasn't the case 2 decades ago, etc.
And being able to switch from one discipline to the other must be very difficult, props for them for tackling that challenge. Steve Plater still managed to be both an iom TT/NW200 znd british supersport champ. nb
I believe Fogarty was the last of the TT winners who was able to transition into a successful closed circuit race career (successful being top level world championship winner, not domestic series).
The money is just too large in closed circuit now for the fast guys to bother (or risk it) with the TT races.
I think it's like freestyle motocross ... what was once the domain of never-made-its from the motocross/supercross circuit* is now full of specialists. The motocross/supercross stars of today wouldn't even try some of the tricks the FMX riders pull off. Same with MotoGP and WSBK ... to them, the TTs are a side-show act at best .. they know MotoGP is the real show.
*Patrana has never won a pro AMA race on the big bikes (250 or 450)
Fantastic drive by Ricciardo in China, great passing at the hairpin.
Small world.
Yeah, he's done alright for himself!
Was cool to see it all progress even though I was just a kid myself.
One thing to report from COTA today, Marquez is from another planet. From another universe perhaps. Unreal. His lean angle through T16, 17, 18 boggles my mind.
Marquez has been unbeaten in the US GP for the last 10 years. Some people complained about the track made worse when the track owner decided to scrub the surface instead of resurfacing. He just said everybody had to race with the same parameters and it was simply up to the rider and team to set up the bike accordingly.
I heard during the broadcast that Lorenzo could be headed to Suzuki next year. Sounds good for all parties involved, the ducati clearly don't suit him.
Jorge is just itching for Valentino to retire.
As I mentioned earlier the Suzuki is Jorge's only chance at a factory ride and on a bike that suits his smooth as style.
Looks like Vale ends up laughing about that whole charade between that riff.
Any bets on Jerez?
If I were Zarco, I'd wait for Jorge to get kicked to the curb and pounce on that sweet Ducati Factory ride.
KTM although is a good place they aren't winning any championships for 3 years. Aprilla has a better shot before than and that's not saying much.
Not snarky at all, I was were you are prior to COTA. Watching them there got me reading more about the current iteration of their MotoGP involvement.
Check out these two articles...
KTM launches 2018 MotoGP bike
PIT BEIRER INTERVIEW
Also, consider their success in Moto3, and going after Moto2 (even though they cannot develop motors there, the goal is rider development).
It's impressive that in basically less than 3 years of MotoGP they are already running middle of the pack and beating well established efforts. From an engineering perspective alone, that is amazing.
Regarding Zarco, this story reports him going with KTM over Honda.
Zarco chooses KTM over Honda for 2019 move
Honda isn't changing anything in that paddock. Dani and Marc are the best options and they seem to get along just enough to make it work.
KTM going after a rider that hasn't been on their bike is a challenge. It will take at least half a year for Zarco (if he goes) just to get comfortable on a bike and adapt his riding style to it or change the bike. Both are not easy task.
But this begs another question. If you don't have a factory ride can you be competitive?
Sure you have LCR and I'm a big Cal fan but he's almost the exception to the rule and has a pretty solid ride on that Honda.
Aprilla has a good motor and awesome chassis.
It's my understanding the bike is just too dang heavy compared to competition.
And, I would really love to ride one of these Moto3 beauties!
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History has shown that the Ducati factory ride isn't a guarantee to success .... so many failures of otherwise very fast and successful riders (Rossi and Lorenzo being the top of that list). Dovi is able to ride the Ducati the way it needs to be ridden to go fast ... you could argue Zarco is also a charger and less of a flow rider (a la Lorenzo), but the Yamaha rewards smoothness, so I wouldn't be so sure. Zarco would be the #1 rider if he went to KTM ... not so if he went to Ducati.
Agreed. It takes a pretty aggressive and talented rider to make the Ducati work. Stoner is a great example.
Zarco could be that loose nut as well. If I were a rider I don't know if I would be as concerned with having #1 status but more a bike that could land you on the podium each race. The KTM is not that bike yet and it will be a while if and when id does happen.
It's this point that still has me scratching my head about Lorenzo signing with Ducati in the first place. If with the big money, surely he knew it was not going to be the same sort of machine as he had been successful with.
Agree here ... head scratcher for sure. But I think it had a lot to do with getting out from under Rossi's shadow (full-on solar eclipse). Even when Lorenzo was winning and Rossi was finishing off the podium, Rossi was still more popular with fans and possibly even Yamaha brass ... Lorenzo couldn't get no respect. Perhaps Lorenzo thought it would finally prove how great he was if he could win on a bike Rossi failed on ... so far he's doing worse, IMO. These guys thrive on ego at this level ... ego and confidence. Lorenzo's is shot ... amazing how far the mighty can fall, and how fast.
As a rider I wouldn't sign a contract with ducati without having a test ride before. I know it is very unlikely they allow a rider from a competing team to test ride a bike before signing but this is the way to go with ducati. It seems you either can dial your riding style to it or you don't and your career will be ruined.
I've always enjoyed watching Lorenzo ride. Never been a huge fan, but have always admired his talent and dedication. Oddly, I find this "fall", and his struggle, make him a compelling "hero". I'm kinda rooting for him, but I don't think his redemption will come on a Ducati.
It's official ... Zarco to KTM
Bombshell: Zarco Joins KTM MotoGP – SuperbikePlanet
His IG from yesterday.
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Dat crash between Pedroza, Lorenzo and Dovizioso. Zarco won at the lottery.
Me's thinking that was the move that will put Lorenzo on a Suzuki.
All three made for a spectacular crash but Lorenzo had the most amount of hand in it.