2017 MOTOGP Season ****SPOILER ALERT*** *****WARNING - SPOILER *******

[The Black Knight]

I thought it was great race. Vinales on the Yamaha is a good match which seemed apparent throughout testing. He is learning racecraft which he stated in the post race interviews he was being cautious in the first stages of the race. SMART!

Dovi was there but he is consistently good in Qatar. So no surprise but he did better than I expected.

I'm with you on Rossi. He had to be sandbagging. He didn't have winning pace but if the front two would have made a mistake of any kind he would have finished even better. He is the GOAT so I don't know why we are surprised.

JLo will be inconsistent and pretty much a non-factor this year I expect and that makes me smile a little as well. I think Marquez may struggle a little this year as well. He just doesn't look happy with the bike or the direction at this point.

I'm glad it was a good race and I'm glad racing is back!

Cause he's old!!

The guy just blows me away with how fast he is at his age...

[Okrapp]

Good opening race and happy it happened after the delay concerns. Some good back and forth at the front.

[Gramps]

Cause he's old!!

The guy just blows me away with how fast he is at his age...

Maybe we should move all Rossi discussions to the FOG section

[The Black Knight]

Maybe we should move all Rossi discussions to the FOG section

Not quite yet, I'd say wait til he's 40 or once AARP kicks in. He's still young enough to not be taking Metamucil so I think he's o.k.

[madvlad]

[madvlad]

Rossi putting duct tape on people's mouths dude, loving this shit. Team bluuuuuuuue!

[The Black Knight]

Rossi putting duct tape on people's mouths dude, loving this shit. Team bluuuuuuuue!

Would like to see him bag a few wins in the next coming races to really prove the point he's still relevant to MotoGP. It's kind of out of his hands at the moment. The 2017 M1 and Rossi just aren't meshing well. He's doing well to compensate for the lack on front end feeling he's getting. Can't help but wonder if he had last years chassis, I dare say he'd be fighting with Vinales for the win, maybe even streaking away into the distance.

This was a good race and very interesting in the points now. Lots of wrecks in the race, can't believe only 16 riders completed the race. And my personal opinion on the Iannone jump start is not cool. Granted the rules say if you flinch it is considered a jump. But his bike never moved from what I could tell and I watched it three times. Yeah he flinched a bit but didn't move. I also think that due to his contact with Lorenzo was penalty enough for him, that the ride through was just salt in a wound.

Poor Dovi, that guy runs wide in order to not collect Petrucci due to running in hot, and then A. Espargaro lays him low a split second later. That dude just gets all the wrong mojo. At least Espargaro was very cool and kind about it.

What's with Team Repsol?? Two riders down in the same corner, just on different laps. The new Honda looks twitchy. Still couldn't figure out why Marquez was doing a Stoner type start. I think he was worried about Vinales pace in the latter stages of the race. He may even have been concerned about Rossi clawing back time on him(i.e. 2015). That was rather odd from Marquez to squirt off into the lead so fast. Seemed rushed and nervous.

Felt bad for Dovi, didn't fell bad at all for Lorenzo. Talk about a bang up way to start the season. I think his smooth way of riding is not doing any justice on the Ducati. I watched that reply as well and he just rode right into Iannone. Iannone did cut back a little but he was in front. Lorenzo looks desperate to perform as well on the Ducati. It's going to be a long season for him.

Big congrats to the Tech 3 squad. Tech 3 needed some new blood and these guys are just the ticket. Both had a good showing and had good pace, especially Zarco.

Let's see what happens, need to get Austin out of the way. It's a genuine bogey track for the Yamaha's(though I don't think they will struggle as much this year). Then we hit the traditional Euro tracks and hopefully Rossi gets it under control by then. I personally believe that Championships are won and lost in the first half of the season. If Rossi would have been stronger in the first half of 2015 and secured more wins, then he could have played it close to the vest in the second half, just bag points and let everyone try and catch you. If he's not careful and can't snag some wins then it's all over. Vinales will be on cruise control for the championship come the second half of the year.

Look how it's shaping up already after two races..

http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/

[Gramps]

It was a weird race to watch for me. It was different at the beginning because of MM trying to outride the tires. I think he was lucky last year to keep everything together and get the championship points before Honda started changing things. He started wrecking and having trouble late last year. I have a theory about Honda's problems and I thought it would come sooner than last year.

Vinales is riding the wheels off right now but if history tells us anything he too will have a bad race or make mistakes somewhere. If that happens I would say Rossi is in the perfect spot at the moment. Remember 2015.

JLo can wreck every race and I wouldn't care as long as he doesn't get hurt. I love Ducati but 99 is just a douche. Dovi on the other hand deserves to win some and be up front but between the Ducati handling woes and his terrible luck who knows about that team.

Iannone got a raw deal I agree.

Austin should be fun to watch. MM may continue his streak but it's doubtful.

[The Black Knight]

It was a weird race to watch for me. It was different at the beginning because of MM trying to outride the tires. I think he was lucky last year to keep everything together and get the championship points before Honda started changing things. He started wrecking and having trouble late last year. I have a theory about Honda's problems and I thought it would come sooner than last year.

Vinales is riding the wheels off right now but if history tells us anything he too will have a bad race or make mistakes somewhere. If that happens I would say Rossi is in the perfect spot at the moment. Remember 2015.

JLo can wreck every race and I wouldn't care as long as he doesn't get hurt. I love Ducati but 99 is just a douche. Dovi on the other hand deserves to win some and be up front but between the Ducati handling woes and his terrible luck who knows about that team.

Iannone got a raw deal I agree.

Austin should be fun to watch. MM may continue his streak but it's doubtful.

What's your theory on Honda's problems??

My take, is they design a very point and shoot bike. A bike that has to dive into corners hard and then punch it on the way out. Not a whole lot of finesse in their machine. Plus they have a very powerful engine, which makes the point and shoot worse in my eyes. It chews up the tires which is why Marquez prefers the Hard option tire most of the time. Rossi likes the Hard front but that is due to his preference in braking stability. Marquez almost has to run the Hard just to finish races. And when I say Hard option, I don't mean Hard only. He(Marquez) usually has to run the "harder" compound at just about every race compared to everyone else.

On the flip side you look at Pedrosa someone who isn't heavy and has a hard time generating heat in his tires. Which is a paradox between the two riders. One is super aggressive, while the other is more finesse and flow. So it's odd that a bike gives issues in different ways to two different riders. Me personally, I've always felt Pedrosa does well on the Honda. His problem right now is the Michelin, same as last year. For him and his size, it's just a junk tire.

I will say, that I believe when concerning the Honda, their success was more due to their superior factory software than anything else. Once MotoGP went to the compulsory software, Honda started having these problems that weren't even considered back during the "Factory" software days. So that's where I think a good portion of the problem stems from, is the software.

In regards to Lorenzo, I'm with you. I never want to see anyone hurt/injured. But it does put a very big smile on my face when I see him out of the race or have a bad race. I like to think it knocks him down a rung or two with each race. And I'll never feel bad for him considering the rumored "$17 million per year" he's getting to ride that pile. He's got 17 million reasons to do better next time.

I think Lorenzo will in time start to do well on the Ducati and go on to win races with the bike. I think he'll finish his career at Ducati as well. With Vinales at Yamaha, I think Rossi's seat will go to either Zarco or Folger, or possibly Morbidelli when he graduates up a class. Don't see Lorenzo coming back to Yamaha.

[Gramps]

My HONDA theory is simple. I think Marquez for all his great wins and sliding/loose style can't help develop the bike. Honda has done pretty well especially when Marquez came on scene because of all the R&D that had been done in the past. He was on the best bike because of the electronics and other things. That work now has been diluted over the years and now the changes and updates to the bike don't fit the old R&D.

How in the hell is Honda supposed to collect any data with all the sliding and spinning and crazy stuff that Marquez does. Plus Honda is so arrogant they just thought they were so good that no one could catch up.

So that's my theory. Honda has no data to R&D anything. They just throw shit at the wall so to speak. Now they are heading down the road that Ducati went down in the Stoner era. They have a bike that maybe one guy has a chance to win on. When that guy leaves they are back at square one with R&D and they will be looking at years of rebuilding a race winning machine.

On a side note there was an article I read about AStars was trying to collect some data from MM's knee slider and had a sensor in there to record info. They couldn't collect much info because as they reported he doesn't use a lot of knee pressure because he is so balanced on the bike. Crazy to think with all the sliding and extreme lean angles. That guy is crazy talented.

As far as JLo I'm not sure I agree that he will get better. In the past he hasn't handled frustration very well. He is trying to change the bike to suit him and he may not be the correct guy for the bike. I bet Stoner is faster on the bike if they did a time trial today just because Stoner could ride around the problems. I'm not a Stoner the moaner fan but damn the guy was fast on a terrible bike.

Anyway it's fun to see if my predictions come true. I'm really interested to see how the Honda's perform at COTA.

[Mr2GQ]

As far as JLo I'm not sure I agree that he will get better. In the past he hasn't handled frustration very well. He is trying to change the bike to suit him and he may not be the correct guy for the bike. I bet Stoner is faster on the bike if they did a time trial today just because Stoner could ride around the problems. I'm not a Stoner the moaner fan but damn the guy was fast on a terrible bike.

This is spot on. Lorenzo is exactly what Ducatti was in need of. A pretty face that can help get their bikes sold. Thats something they lost with Stoner, and with Iannoni' being all over the place, they need the PR.

What they didn't expect is, while JLoz can sell cologne, working with a doucherocket is tough. I'm curious to see how long it lasts before he starts blaming the crew, leadership, etc... Lorenzo has never been able take responsibility.

His loser face is tied with Cam Newton in my book. SO MUCH JOY.

[Gramps]

This is spot on. Lorenzo is exactly what Ducatti was in need of. A pretty face that can help get their bikes sold. Thats something they lost with Stoner, and with Iannoni' being all over the place, they need the PR.

What they didn't expect is, while JLoz can sell cologne, working with a doucherocket is tough. I'm curious to see how long it lasts before he starts blaming the crew, leadership, etc... Lorenzo has never been able take responsibility.

His loser face is tied with Cam Newton in my book. SO MUCH JOY.

Not long for the blame game I'm afraid. He is blaming Iannone for his latest episode and to date I haven't seen him apologize to anyone who was behind his fiasco. Baz made the statement that dodging JLo took him out of contention for any good result. Where is the apology from JLo?

I like the Cam Newton comparison. They both have the same amount of class/sportsmanship to me. Blow hard show offs don't usually handle adversity very well.

[longrider]

Anybody see this video of Lorenzo after the crash???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcBPS6SIiYM

[The Black Knight]

Anybody see this video of Lorenzo after the crash???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcBPS6SIiYM

Right as the Marshalls come over to help move the bike he just throws it over.

Classic D-bag of the Year stuff right there...

[madvlad]

That dude makes it very difficult to be liked man, douche of the year award already.

[The Black Knight]

That dude makes it very difficult to be liked man, douche of the year award already.

I agree, Lorenzo is past being able to like the guy. He's so douchy it's not even funny anymore.

But at least here is someone who knows how to treat their bike:

[The Black Knight]

My HONDA theory is simple. I think Marquez for all his great wins and sliding/loose style can't help develop the bike. Honda has done pretty well especially when Marquez came on scene because of all the R&D that had been done in the past. He was on the best bike because of the electronics and other things. That work now has been diluted over the years and now the changes and updates to the bike don't fit the old R&D.

How in the hell is Honda supposed to collect any data with all the sliding and spinning and crazy stuff that Marquez does. Plus Honda is so arrogant they just thought they were so good that no one could catch up.

So that's my theory. Honda has no data to R&D anything. They just throw shit at the wall so to speak. Now they are heading down the road that Ducati went down in the Stoner era. They have a bike that maybe one guy has a chance to win on. When that guy leaves they are back at square one with R&D and they will be looking at years of rebuilding a race winning machine.

On a side note there was an article I read about AStars was trying to collect some data from MM's knee slider and had a sensor in there to record info. They couldn't collect much info because as they reported he doesn't use a lot of knee pressure because he is so balanced on the bike. Crazy to think with all the sliding and extreme lean angles. That guy is crazy talented.

As far as JLo I'm not sure I agree that he will get better. In the past he hasn't handled frustration very well. He is trying to change the bike to suit him and he may not be the correct guy for the bike. I bet Stoner is faster on the bike if they did a time trial today just because Stoner could ride around the problems. I'm not a Stoner the moaner fan but damn the guy was fast on a terrible bike.

Anyway it's fun to see if my predictions come true. I'm really interested to see how the Honda's perform at COTA.

Meant to reply to this the other day and just spaced it out.

Yeah I think with Marquez he is so wild and loose that it is hard for him and Honda to tame issues with the bike. The Astar thing is interesting. I would say, they should have put a sensor in his elbow slider. He seems to be on the elbow more than the knee(Pol Espargaro is the same). I've seen all of his crazy saves from him being at 68 degrees of lean angle and what seems to save him is his elbow on the ground. I would think they could have gained some good data from his elbow slider verse the knee slider.

Concerning JLo, I think you could be right also. He may not improve. I think he will just based on his past, when he does get it right he'll be fast. Problem will be as you say, handling the frustration of not being fast and getting right for a long time to come. Could diminish his mindset and I think it's safe to say, he's not the strongest of minds on the grid. Prone to temper tantrums and fits of anger with zero accountability.

I agree also, Stoner I believe is faster than Lorenzo. Always will be on the Ducati. I never disliked Stoner based on his on track performances. It was his off track problems and lack of personality that made him hard to deal with. As far as riders with pure raw speed, I still think Stoner is the fastest guy I've ever seen. Right out of the box he's fast. He just rides around problems on bikes and just goes fast. Whereas other riders have to work on set up and work their way to his level and speed. It can be done, I remember Rossi saying that Stoner is just fast from the beginning. He's beatable but work has to be done to get to that level.

The thing with Stoner is he never really got faster over a race weekend. Sure he improved as they all do. But he was always kind of on the limit from the first practice. The other riders would catch up during all the FP's and Qualifying rounds. Regardless of how fast Stoner was, it wasn't enough for the Ducati in later years after his title win. It was only magnified when Rossi jumped on the bike. Stoner was willing to ride around the problems of the Ducati and Rossi wanted to change it to make it work. We all saw that never happened.

Even with all the leaps and bounds Ducati have made in terms of development with the GP17. I still don't think it's on par with Yamaha or Honda. I honestly don't think it's on par with the Suzuki. I think compared to the three, the Ducati is closest to the Suzuki. Sure they blow everyone away with their straight line speed and powerhouse engine. Yet, the Suzuki has the sweetest handling package. I'd much rather have a bike that move around a track, than have one that just rockets around but can't turn.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, I think Lorenzo would be more competitive on the Suzuki but that's just my take on it. However, that's not happening anytime soon. He wouldn't lower himself to throw a leg over a Suzuki.

But I think going off Vinales win last year at Silverstone of all places(a place that is big and fast) and how Iannone is doing on the bike, the Suzuki is faster than what people think it is. Problem so far is that Suzuki needs some breaks to go their way. Iannone to stay on the bike and get some solid results and for Rins to heal up and stop being a turd on the bike. They'll come around eventually...

[Gramps]

What's everyone's COTA prediction?

Will MM win it again?

[RandomTask]

MM is strong there. But I'm gonna go with MV, if he can keep the rubber side down...

[blaircsf]

So far MV25 is looking strong, although MM93 isn't far off.

I thought this was interesting:
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...-the-americas/

[blaircsf]

End of FP2 had some interesting shuffling.

[Gramps]

End of FP2 had some interesting shuffling.

It did.

[The Black Knight]

I swear, I'm getting so irritated with MotoGP.com's sh*t website. They continually have problems. Can't watch morning practice at the moment. Just getting a black screen. This is getting real old with them having streaming issues. Pay these people $100+ a year to have access and this is the lame service they provide.

What's worse is if I watch the races on my desktop computer, about half way through it locks up my computer and my monitor will show "no input" even though I can hear the audio, but just get a black screen.

Now on my laptop, I just get the black screen and no streaming. MotoGP's subscription is straight garbage....


p.s.
my flash player is up to date as well....

[madvlad]

The funny part is that you'd think that this issue would be fixed with them bumping the fees up to nearly $150 from $120, that's ridiculous.