Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but paid users have great benefits. Paid member benefits:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2024 SX, MX, and SMX series (regularly $30).
Which means the Yamaha satellite bikes aren’t dead after all.
The silly season of all silly seasons wont die.
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/motogp-results-catalunya-fp2-2018/
Let's review the timeline....
2017 - Jorge is getting paid 12.5m euro a year, riding for Ducati which has a known pressure cooker of a garage, and he completely shits the bed all year
2018 races 1 thru 4 - Same as before, pressure mounting, and his results are even WORSE despite Ducati completely changing the development curve of the bike to suit Jorge. Indirectly affecting both the performance of Dovi and Petrux.
2018 the Friday during Mugello - Lorenzo signs a deal with HRC (for less money than Suzuki offered him, a offer they later rescinded due to his poor attitude during negotiations)
2018 the Sunday of Mugello - Lorenzo turns back into the Lorenzo of old and dominates
Seems to me that Lorenzo couldnt handle the pressure of his high dollar contract and the moment he was out from under it, he went back to his normal self.
The Shop
Thank god Gigi finally did a interview after the race and said it's NOT THE BIKE, JORGE'S MENTALITY HAS CHANGED
Ya think????
Everyone trying to say that it was the gas tank. IM CALLING MAJOR BULLSHIT on that one.
Let's list the excuses Lorenzo has used...
1. It was the seat
2. It was Dovi undermining him in the press
3. It was that Ducati didnt "love him enough"
4. It was the gas tank
Yet despite all that, and the fact that Ducati was changing the development of the bike specially for him (something they have NEVER done for a rider) all his problems went away AFTER he went and signed with HRC.
And now everyone has the nerve to claim he was "fired" by Ducati too soon. And that they "gave up on him too early".
WAIT. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK.
Last I checked, Petrucci was in major limbo until the HRC deal was announced. Petrucci was looking at being OUT of a Ducati seat. Nobody forced Lorenzo out. The door was technically open until HE WENT TO PUIG and asked for a deal.
Lorenzo was in such a bad way during this silly season that Suzuki thought he'd be too big of a headache and pulled their contract offer from Lorenzo. But Ducati is the problem???
To me it is very simple, he signed a contract with HRC, the pressure was off, he relaxed, and found his rhythm. He signed a huge money deal with a Italian brand that is known for being a very pressure filled atmosphere due to expectations. Ducati is a small company whose entire heart and soul go into their racing program. It's no different than Ferrari. Or other Italian brands I've worked for. During team introductions I remember they brought in every last factory worker to shake the hands of the factory riders one year. To signify that their performance on the race track was going to directly impact sales and in turn the livelihoods of all these worker's families. It was a incredibly passionate and heavy moment. I could see in some of the rider's eyes the weight of it all was a little much. But it was beautiful at the same time.
But it's not for everyone. And clearly not for Jorge.
The funny thing is he went to the one Japanese mfg that operates just the same. Honda isnt going to put up with his bullshit excuses. And they are no less a pressure filled environment.
Most intense garages to work in (in no particular order):
Ferrari
Ducati
Aprilia
BMW
Honda
Kawasaki
Most rider friendly cultures in a garage (in no particular order):
KTM
Yamaha
Suzuki
McGrath wanted more freedom. He was busy spending all of his time partying and Honda wasn’t blind to it. Despite all the cocaine use, he was still incredibly talented and capable of championships. But I cannot blame Honda for wanting to move on. Don’t forget, only Suzuki signed him. McGrath’s extra activities were no secret.
A little known secret is how Suzuki lost that championship with McGrath. His mechanic didn’t realize the difference in the clutches between Hondas & Suzukis. Suzuki spent a fortune trying to develop a worx clutch but it ended up being mechanic error the whole season.
All this while MC was in a coked out haze all year.
Honda let Rossi go in his prime as well. For nearly identical reasons.
I think the fact that they built 2 very different bikes is what hurt the Ducati program as a whole. Splitting development slowed progress imo.
Next year they will be back to their traditional focused approach as it appears Dovi, Petrucci, and Jack Miller are all on the same page.
That said, I can only imagine all the drama is a distraction in the Ducati garages. Lorenzo winning while shitting on the company every time a mic is in his face. And meanwhile Dovi is trying to stay in the championship hunt. Dysfunctional if you ask me.
And I know how the Italians are. The techs probably all dread working w/ Lorenzo and management is likely checking the small print in his contract to see if they can cut him loose early.
We’d be fools to bet against it happening again at HRC next year. It seems to follow Jorge.
Below from Autosport.com
Sidelined MotoGP rider Jonas Folger has made his first outing on grand prix machinery since he stopped racing last year in a test with the Kalex Moto2 team.
Folger's rookie season in the premier class in 2017 included a second-place finish in Germany at the Sachsenring, but was cut short when the 24-year-old was diagnosed with Gilbert's Syndrome.
He missed the final four races of the year and made a last-minute decision to sit out the entirety of the 2018 campaign, with Moto2 rider Hafizh Syahrin replacing him alongside Johann Zarco at the Tech3 Yamaha squad.
Although team boss Herve Poncharal initially expressed a desire to bring back Folger for 2019 if he was fit enough and willing to return, Tech3 ended up signing Miguel Oliveira and retaining Syahrin for its first season as a KTM satellite team.
In his first outing on a grand prix bike since last year's Aragon round in late September, Folger completed more than 50 laps on a Honda powered-Kalex chassis at the same track on Wednesday before sampling the Moto2 chassis with the 2019 Triumph engine on Thursday.
Jesko Raffin and Alex Marquez also took part in the test, riding on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Kalex co-founder Alex Baumgartel told Autosport: "Jonas and I wanted to see if he enjoys motorcycling again.
"[On Wednesday] we gave him a few laps on our private Kalex Honda to roll in.
"Today he's doing test work for us, and I'd say he's got a smile on his face and he's having fun."
Baumgartel stressed that any potential Moto2 ride for Folger had not yet been discussed.
"After the second day we will sit down together and ask how he feels," he added. "I haven't talked about his goals yet.
"He should let it sink in and then we'll see how it develops."
Pit Row
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/motogp-assen-motogp-qualifying-2-results…
it'll be quite a race tomorrow.
Put all 7 up on the podium for a photo.
A classic!!!
Post a reply to: MotoGP 2018