MotoGP 2013: Round 2 GP Americas

[Schummy]

Remarks before the races.

Wow. Marquez is awesome. In a new track, where he has the same experience as the rest, he has beaten them pretty clearly. He is one of the riders that has impressed me more along his formative years; in fact I don't remember anybody who has impressed more than him. Now, we have to sit and wait if he consolides as one of the greatest ever or not. IMO he has the potential to eat the rest of current aliens.

Can he win this race? It is another different thing, but I think he *could* win this race. He lacks experience, though, and in races experience is a big factor. I expect a great race by Rossi, but his practice sessions disappoint me. The safest bet goes with Lorenzo but I am not to put much money on it (I never forget Pedrosa, neither).

Redding has done a powerful pole time. He looked very good in Qatar, so I expect a strong race by him. I think he is my main favorite, with Espargaro and Nakagami as contenders. I have still to see the true pace of Naka during a whole race.

Moto3 is a blessed chaos, as always. Four mad spaniards fighting every meter and Folger trying to put a bit of sense in it (ironically in the team of Aspar, the main spanish team manager). I have not idea about who is going to win this race. What I know, though, is my favorite rider is Viñales; I think he has an edge with an equal bike.

[Dani Filth]

well .. i think Marquez will win it, he and Honda appear to have an advantage and i'm fairly sure it will go into the race as well.
can't see Rossi on the podium and it will be hard to get to 4th

[gomick]

2 rounds in & i havent seen either race - on at bad time down under & i dont know how to record on these new digital tv's

Marquez wins - shock result, probably not...

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by gomick

2 rounds in & i havent seen either race - on at bad time down under & i dont know how to record on these new digital tv's

Phew! I don't feel so bad now.

[formerf1champ]

So anyway, how did the Aussies go? No other reason to follow bike racing

[gomick]

Moto GP - Staring 20th
Moto 2 - West 7th
Moto 3 - Miller 6th, Sissis 12th

[chunder]

Boring races really, bikes don't work on this track for me

Too long and too F1

[cg7aa]

Originally Posted by chunder

Boring races really, bikes don't work on this track for me

Too long and too F1

I love the track so I guess I'm happy to watch anything go around it. I didn't mind the races, some of the slow motion shots of the bikes coming over the crest was spectacular, heat haze and all. Simple things please simple minds I know.

I don't think I've ever watched a qualifying lap in bike racing where my jaw dropped and I was just left speechless, some of Tom Sykes' pole laps last year in Superbikes were very impressive to see but Marquez's over the weekend was something else. He's beyond alien (on that track and on the bike at least), he built the mothership!

Moto3 - I was so glad to hear Iwema was alright. For a brief nasty moment, I thought he was being resuscitated track side. Folger faded again, are Aspar having issues getting the Kalex to work? Maybe they'll find the sweet-spot on the European tracks. Nice to see a new winner in Rins. FTR Honda's appeared to struggle a little, ok, Miller and Masbou made the top ten but still... No score for Fenati. I don't think we got to see what happened to him at the restart. Mahindra's turnaround has been very solid and impressive too.

Also, I think Ana Carrasco is doing a pretty solid job.

Moto2 - Another new winner in Terol, glad for him. Julian Simon must be wondering how he is going to win his first. I had a hunch Scott was going to struggle with grip - at least that's how it looked to me. Still very close in the standings though. Why did Danny Kent go with Tech3 considering Bradley's struggles last year?

Luthi should have stayed at home and continued his recovery instead of flying thousands of miles to find out what he must have known deep down.

MotoGP - The works Honda show. Still, Dani held his own for a while after Marc went pass, until his error he was keeping up. Maybe Marc's pace is going to help him find some more speed within himself. He'll have to.

[Schummy]

I think the Moto3 race is difficult to be labeled as boring. Vinales, Rins and Salom looks a very strong and fighting riders.

IMO Moto2 was interesting too. Redding disappointed me. With Espargaro in a rare out of form weekend (he fought with the bike everyday) and finally crashing, Redding should have reaped 25 or 20 points against him... if he wants to be a title contender. Espargaro is going to be strong in almost every track, this was an opportunity. The way thing happened, Redding only got a half win advantage over PE, an amount of point that the Spaniard can erase winning a race and Redding being 4th. One of the hardest things to achieve if you want to be a top riders is being fast in almost every GP.

Marquez is here already, what a rider. Rossi said something funny: they have to beat Marquez now because they don't be able to do it later. I don't know if he is going to win this title, what I know is he is one of the main favorites for it. The track apparently is going to be one of his best tracks, and is a "new" track for everybody. Jerez is going to be an important test for the season.

Rossi disappointed me. I hoped/expected a stronger race, fighting with Crutchlow (great season for him so far) and no that far from Lorenzo; races always were his strong point. But he was relatively weak, trading overtakes with "lesser" riders. Ok, Yamaha was not comfortable in Austin, but still... Anyway, Jerez is one of his favorites tracks, if he doesn't go well there it will be a hard season for Vale.

I like the track a lot. IMO is one of the best modern tracks in the world, a long track with many elevation changes is a great thing to see. Probably it lacks (yet?) the magic of Elkhart Lake, but is not a lot worse than it. It's a pity the giant run off zones, but it is the trade off for safety in bike racing (I think it could be done smaller for car racing, though).

[chunder]

Redders had a duff tyre, it went off straight away and he couldnt keep up.

My reason for disappointment is I just get fed up with watching a Spanish championship with a few interlopers from the rest of the world thrown in.

They are not the best bike racing nation in the world, far from it, but the series is designed around getting them there on the best bikes, and I just find that very boring right now I am afraid.

This includes Marquez and goes right back to pedrosa, Elias, and a whole host of Spaniards who are there becaise of their passport nothing more.

Some of them are world class riders I agree, but a lot of them are simply taking advantage of the policiues employed by Dorna many years ago.

If Elias was British or French he would have been gone years ago, as Cluzel, Neukirchner, Rea, Mackenzie did, but if you are Spanish you get multiple chances to be utter garbage it seems.

[Schummy]

Oh, I see now where some opinions of you come from. You are in a delusion state.

[Dani Filth]

i actually thought Lorenzo did a good job in the race .. wasn't expecting him to be that close

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by chunder

If Elias was British or French he would have been gone years ago, as Cluzel, Neukirchner, Rea, Mackenzie did, but if you are Spanish you get multiple chances to be utter garbage it seems.

Really? I watch all the MotoGP stuff and don't know enough to say so for certain, but I would've thought it was actually more like that if De Puniet (for example) was Spanish, he'd have been kicked out a while ago.

Re: Marquez, what can you say? Pedrosa finally gets the team to himself and then.. no. Marquez is light (like Pedrosa) but faster (already). Shades of Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 in how quickly he found the pace (like in Moto2).

Rossi was average (for his reputed talent) but Crutchlow conversely was marvellous (considering his lack of preparation).

Lorenzo metronomic as ever. Surprising to think how long it's been since he finished and it wasn't first or second.

[Schummy]

Just a detail. Marquez is not a particularly light rider, although some people has this idea, perhaps because he began at a very early age, when he was still a boy.

Pedrosa 51 Kg
Marquez 59 Kg
Stoner 58 Kg
(Official data)

[chunder]

Lol Schummy

Do you actually KNOW anything about MotoGP?

Do you not know it is owned, run, sponsored and populated largely by Spaniards!

If you want to watch a sort of global Spanish championship then you can continue to be deluded as you think I am.

For me I will watch from a distance until it becomes a world championship again, for now it is about as interesting as watching sportscar racing for me, not so much Moto2 and 3, coz the kids are fun even though most of them are Spanish!

MotoGP is and has been dull for quite some time, yes its great to see a new kid come in, but really is anyone that amazed? He's on one of the best bikes, has looked a class apart in all his series so far, its no surprise is it. No different to Lorenzo, Rossi, Pedrosa, Capirossi, Cadalora, Biaggi.

If he was on a 500 he would be a God, but he isn't, he is on a bike he can open the throttle on before he would on any other bike, it controls wheelies, traction, fuel economy and helps him brake, steer and not crash. He is still a talent yes, but these days you need to be fast a percentage of your skill not all of it like years ago.

Put him on an 89 NSR500 and lets see eh

[gomick]

Elias would be good to watch on an 89 NSR - but you are right, he is a waste of a good ride this year & he was last year too!

[Schummy]

Ok, let's see the terrible spanish invasion in FIM GP.

Data from last season.

MotoGP:
Makers: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati, Aprilia
Ummm, not much spanish bias here. I would say zero.

Main Teams: Repsol, Yamaha, Tech3, Ducati, San Carlo, Aspar. Two spanish, two italian, one french and one japanese teams. I don't see any invasion.

Oh, let's look at the two spanish teams. Repsol: Stoner and Pedrosa; Aspar: De Puniet and Espargaro. Those pesky spaniards are not even able to invade their own teams.

Moto2:
Makers: Suter(SWI), Kalex(GER), Speed-up(ITA), FTR(GBR), Tech3(FRA), Motobi(GER)
Spain needs more makers! Or at very least one!

Teams: I counted something like 7 out of 30 teams. Invasion?

Moto3:
Makers are boringly non spanish again.
Teams: I count 5 out of 30 teams. No steamrolling here.

Well, chunder, I am waiting your next argument. Where are the money/business bias that push spanish riders ahead?