MotoGP thread

rsvmark

So it's Qatar this weekend and thankfully the pressure of Mother's Day will have subsided and I can relax in front of the box and enjoy the races. My completely uninformed punt for the season is:

1 Marquez
2 Rossi
3 Vinales

i think Gorgeous George is going to struggle on the Duke. It seems that it loves having its neck wrung and Jorge is far too tidy to ride like that. The mix of Marquez and HRC will be too much for the competition..... Love to be proved wrong though. What do you guys reckon?

marantz1300

i think you are spot on with your predictions.
would love to see casey back as a wild card.

rsvmark

marantz1300 said:

i think you are spot on with your predictions.
would love to see casey back as a wild card.

Stoner back? Oooooo yes please. Sadly, can't see it happening unless you have some inside knowledge!

Marz

Thinking Vinales over Rossi,  got a feeling Marquez is gonna struggle against Yamaha, Dovi not far away early on but love to see Suzuki n Crazy Joe up there !

quarky

Going to be a good race, I can feel it!

stickyfiddle

I haven't watched this properly in ages. Is there anywhere you can watch online?

MtB

I think it's live on BT Sport. Channel 5 have the highlights on Monday nights

stickyfiddle

Hmm, can't get BT online I think (I'm not in the UK). I wonder if I can get a dream from some international Tv channel.

rsvmark

I always like Qatar - something about the colours under floodlights, red hot discs and the odd belch of flame from the exhaust......

marantz1300

you can watch on Mobdro.

stickyfiddle

marantz1300 said:

you can watch on Mobdro.

I don't know what that is but I'll google it

gubble

Was a good race when it eventually got going

I predicted Vinales, MM93 then Dovi for this race - so I had some of this correct.

Was amazed at the speed of the Suzuki - they've clearly found a few extra ponies in the stable during the winter. Normal service was of course resumed whe Iannone lost the front and threw it into the gravel.

Not surprised by JL48 being so far back on the Duke - I think he's going to struggle this year. Clearly doesn't have the confidence in the bike and he's still clearly spooked at the thought of rain.

Hats off to Zarco though for leading the race in spectacular style.

quarky

Great to have motogp back. I felt sorry for Zarco, that was an incredible start!

MtB

I'm not sure about whether it's been Suzuki finding extra ponies or just that the technical rule changes have levelled the playing field. I picked up on one of the commentators comments about that there is less electronic wizardry on the bikes, which brings out more rider skill - hence Mav and the Doctor laying darkies out of a few of the corners.

Certainly this was one that they were considering:
ECU 
As previously reported, all permanent MotoGP manufacturers will now have to agree unanimously on the introduction of future software modifications. Previously only Honda, Yamaha and Ducati had a vote. 

Other amendments to the ECU rules include a new section warning "It is not permitted to override in any way the Official MotoGP ECU software strategies outputs, regardless of whether this may be achieved without altering the ECU outputs to the actuators (eg. overriding tools designed for dyno calibration purposes are not permitted to be used on track)." 

Calibration parameters must also "remain fixed while the machine is running on track" and only changed "when the machine is stationary in the pit lane, pit box or paddock [update: or if outside of track sessions, such as on the grid]. It is permitted to switch between different fixed sets of parameters while the machine is moving (ie. maps switching), but this can only be done by the rider's manual input."  

rsvmark

And KTM well off the pace. In this class a second a lap is second class....

gubble

MtB said:

I'm not sure about whether it's been Suzuki finding extra ponies or just that the technical rule changes have levelled the playing field. I picked up on one of the commentators comments about that there is less electronic wizardry on the bikes, which brings out more rider skill - hence Mav and the Doctor laying darkies out of a few of the corners.

Certainly this was one that they were considering:
ECU 
As previously reported, all permanent MotoGP manufacturers will now have to agree unanimously on the introduction of future software modifications. Previously only Honda, Yamaha and Ducati had a vote. 

Other amendments to the ECU rules include a new section warning "It is not permitted to override in any way the Official MotoGP ECU software strategies outputs, regardless of whether this may be achieved without altering the ECU outputs to the actuators (eg. overriding tools designed for dyno calibration purposes are not permitted to be used on track)." 

Calibration parameters must also "remain fixed while the machine is running on track" and only changed "when the machine is stationary in the pit lane, pit box or paddock [update: or if outside of track sessions, such as on the grid]. It is permitted to switch between different fixed sets of parameters while the machine is moving (ie. maps switching), but this can only be done by the rider's manual input."  

Spec software has been with us for a couple of years now - and the teams are doing a great job getting the most out of it.

Honda are having to play catch up (again) after changing the characteristic of their engine (again).

What I found interesting was Espagaro on the Aprilia. 3rd fastest lap of the race and apparently the electronics on his bike are turned all the way down.

The KTM lap times aren't as bad as it looks I don't think. Sure they're way down on lap time but are on par with some of the satellite teams. This is their first proper race and whilst smith and Espagaor (P) are clearly exceptionally talented they're no aliens. KTM will work at this and will produce an excellent racing motorcycle - it's not in them to quit.

I'im adamant there's a picture of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on the wall at the KTM factory as a reminder about marketing and not to screw it up again.

quarky

I loved it how Vinales and Dovi were dueling for the lead, and Rossi still obviously has oodles of ability. I have never been a huge Honda fan to be honest, so seeing Marquez down in 4th was quite pleasing. I will overseas for the next race unfortunately so not sure if I will catch any highlights, but I hope Zarco can show that Qatar was no fluke, and that Crutchlow can stay on!

I know it is only one race, but with Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, all looking good, it could be a fantastic year for motogp. if Honda can catch up quickly too, it is going to be epic. I hope Bradley Smith has a good year with KTM too!

sinbaadi

Been a fan of Zarco ever since he had that awesome season with Honda on the 125 against Terol on the Aprilia which, it seemed at the time nobody would acknowledge, had a massive advantage in a straight line against the Honda.

I recall some argie-bargie at Barcelona out of the final corner.

Anyway, was gutted when he dropped it but he will get his chance to prove he's worthy of a seat at Honda or Yamaha now, which he undoubtedly is in my opinion.

gubble

sinbaadi said:

Anyway, was gutted when he dropped it but he will get his chance to prove he's worthy of a seat at Honda or Yamaha now, which he undoubtedly is in my opinion.

MV25 & Zarco on the factory Yam's for 2019........

You heard it here first

rsvmark

So after the wetness of qualifying, my predictions are:

1 Marquez
2 Pedrosa
3 Crutchlow

how wrong can an armchair pundit be?

rsvmark

Very, obviously