22' MotoGP/WSBK/MotoAmerica discussion thread **SPOILER ALERT**

[madvlad]

https://www.motogp.com/en/test-resul...IN1/MotoGP/FP1

First day of testing at Mandalika, nobody had ever been there before and definitely an interesting mix of riders now at the front haha. This season really will be about damage limitation and exploiting strengths at certain race tracks for sure. We'll see with better track conditions for day 2 how things fair out.

[madvlad]

https://www.motogp.com/en/test-resul...IN1/MotoGP/FP3

19 riders less than a second apart on the 3rd day of testing, man that 2nd round in Mandalika is going to be amazing! That's it for testing and now we anxiously wait for March to come around and get this party started!


Watching the interviews with FQ and Meregalli, just their tone, FQ's subtle jabs at Yamaha and body language from those two overall, just doesn't seem like that relationship will carry onto 23' onwards. Yamaha is failing to deliver big time, been pretty much the same exact bike for years now with minimal updates and Meregalli really didn't have much insight in response to this and what Yamaha are doing to attempt to keep him, it's always the same answer "we have to make the current package work" Well dude that will only get you so far when other manufacturers are taking you to gapplebees and ONE rider is doing all the donkey work and riding beyond the limit to stay at the front when it shouldn't be like that just to play catch up. They're at the mercy of Fabio's decision and I'm sure other manufacturers are lining up with offers. Definitely will be interesting to see which way he will go and who will end up taking his seat if he does part ways. Hopefully Morbidelli does well enough this year to stay factory but man just don't know what needs to happen to light a fire under Yamaha's engineers asses and the bosses. Hell even Honda is looking sharp yet again with their new bike and Aprilia are closing the gap as well. Ducati is just plain stacked with great bikes and talent, if they don't win this year man I honestly don't know what it'll take honestly.

[The Black Knight]

https://www.motogp.com/en/test-resul...IN1/MotoGP/FP3

19 riders less than a second apart on the 3rd day of testing, man that 2nd round in Mandalika is going to be amazing! That's it for testing and now we anxiously wait for March to come around and get this party started!


Watching the interviews with FQ and Meregalli, just their tone, FQ's subtle jabs at Yamaha and body language from those two overall, just doesn't seem like that relationship will carry onto 23' onwards. Yamaha is failing to deliver big time, been pretty much the same exact bike for years now with minimal updates and Meregalli really didn't have much insight in response to this and what Yamaha are doing to attempt to keep him, it's always the same answer "we have to make the current package work" Well dude that will only get you so far when other manufacturers are taking you to gapplebees and ONE rider is doing all the donkey work and riding beyond the limit to stay at the front when it shouldn't be like that just to play catch up. They're at the mercy of Fabio's decision and I'm sure other manufacturers are lining up with offers. Definitely will be interesting to see which way he will go and who will end up taking his seat if he does part ways. Hopefully Morbidelli does well enough this year to stay factory but man just don't know what needs to happen to light a fire under Yamaha's engineers asses and the bosses. Hell even Honda is looking sharp yet again with their new bike and Aprilia are closing the gap as well. Ducati is just plain stacked with great bikes and talent, if they don't win this year man I honestly don't know what it'll take honestly.

I agree, like I say, I think Yamaha are quickly becoming irrelevant by their own hand. They can't seem to get more power out of their engine, nor do they seem to want to try to get more. Hell even just another 5hp might give them some more top speed the riders are looking for. But you're right, FQ is doing all the work, Morbidelli will be there at times, but doesn't seem to be putting in the pace that FQ is doing. The other two, are just turds to fill spots on the grid.

Let's see how the first few races go. That will be the telling factor for FQ. If he can capitalize like he did last year and win from the beginning. He might be able to manage the rest of the season as the other bikes start getting stronger and pulling away in updates and new parts.

[madvlad]

I agree, like I say, I think Yamaha are quickly becoming irrelevant by their own hand. They can't seem to get more power out of their engine, nor do they seem to want to try to get more. Hell even just another 5hp might give them some more top speed the riders are looking for. But you're right, FQ is doing all the work, Morbidelli will be there at times, but doesn't seem to be putting in the pace that FQ is doing. The other two, are just turds to fill spots on the grid.

Let's see how the first few races go. That will be the telling factor for FQ. If he can capitalize like he did last year and win from the beginning. He might be able to manage the rest of the season as the other bikes start getting stronger and pulling away in updates and new parts.

Yeah that M1 engine is literally at top peak of what it can do and has been there for years, Yamaha used the engine freeze excuse to blow it off and not invest into R&R for a V4 engine or a complete re-design to be able to squeeze the power they need to stay with the pack but yeah they're definitely getting left behind on both power and developmental end. Franco is also still not 100% from that knee surgery but I'm sure he will come around, now as strong as FQ? Who knows honestly, he made that Spec A bike work wonderfully but the factory bike is a completely different bike. Even Dovi on a so called factory bike can find it and you can see he's frustrated as all hell so who knows if we will see him contend at all. The only card that FQ has to play is that of last year with as much damage limitation as possible, win as many as he can and pray that Ducati riders don't find consistency as well like last year, IF Ducati riders do find their pace, there's no way in hell Yamaha is winning again.

Definitely curious to see how the redesigned Honda does once race time comes, they looked sharp in testing but well it's testing after all and come race weekend everything is different. There was this article I read and as much as I disliked MM for ruining Rossi's title chance in 2015 BUT all in all he's had a very rough going and glad he did not hang it up and is back in the paddock, true champions get tested and overcome and he's proving so. https://www.motogp.com/en/in+the+med...in-2021/407011.

Another thing too I'm very curious about is Aprilia and see if they've finally found what they needed to get at the front of the pack finally and stay up there. MV as usual is the testing/practice one lap wonder so hard to judge yet again but Aleix also was very consistent throughout the test and man it'd be great to see them win one or two this year finally. KTM is still searching for answers, doesn't seem like their program went all that well and decision to randomly redesign the bike for this year. Once again, March can't come soon enough man, can't wait for the lights to go out and although without Rossi for the first time ever which will be weird BUT times move on and the future of MotoGP is in very good hands.

[The Black Knight]

Yeah that M1 engine is literally at top peak of what it can do and has been there for years, Yamaha used the engine freeze excuse to blow it off and not invest into R&R for a V4 engine or a complete re-design to be able to squeeze the power they need to stay with the pack but yeah they're definitely getting left behind on both power and developmental end. Franco is also still not 100% from that knee surgery but I'm sure he will come around, now as strong as FQ? Who knows honestly, he made that Spec A bike work wonderfully but the factory bike is a completely different bike. Even Dovi on a so called factory bike can find it and you can see he's frustrated as all hell so who knows if we will see him contend at all. The only card that FQ has to play is that of last year with as much damage limitation as possible, win as many as he can and pray that Ducati riders don't find consistency as well like last year, IF Ducati riders do find their pace, there's no way in hell Yamaha is winning again.

Definitely curious to see how the redesigned Honda does once race time comes, they looked sharp in testing but well it's testing after all and come race weekend everything is different. There was this article I read and as much as I disliked MM for ruining Rossi's title chance in 2015 BUT all in all he's had a very rough going and glad he did not hang it up and is back in the paddock, true champions get tested and overcome and he's proving so. https://www.motogp.com/en/in+the+med...in-2021/407011.

Another thing too I'm very curious about is Aprilia and see if they've finally found what they needed to get at the front of the pack finally and stay up there. MV as usual is the testing/practice one lap wonder so hard to judge yet again but Aleix also was very consistent throughout the test and man it'd be great to see them win one or two this year finally. KTM is still searching for answers, doesn't seem like their program went all that well and decision to randomly redesign the bike for this year. Once again, March can't come soon enough man, can't wait for the lights to go out and although without Rossi for the first time ever which will be weird BUT times move on and the future of MotoGP is in very good hands.

I read that as well with Marquez on motogp's site. Was an interesting read and lays out just how every one of us are human when it comes time to recover from an injury. Also, that we are all in the same boat when it becomes a life altering injury. So there certainly is that element of a human side to things with Marquez and having to overcome his injuries.

Having said that, I'm not in the least feeling sorry for the guy. He's won 8 championships and at times has shown that he can be a very dirty rider. Sure, he is fast and has an amazing talent but hasn't always done the right thing. And I think some of this that he is dealing with, is just him finally having to reap what he has sown. It catches up with everyone at some point and if you sow a storm, you will reap the whirlwinds. So he'll live and he will do well and come back to win races and podiums. May even get another championship at some point.

I do agree, I want to see just what Aprilia finally has unlocked. Could be interesting to have another manufacture up there and in contention.

I think we will see Ducati and Honda with Yamaha playing catch up. Suzuki will be there I think to overhaul Yamaha and we will have Aprilia possibly showing up big. I think KTM will do well at their tracks like usual. 2022 is shaping up to be quite the dog fight if everyone have their stuff in order.

Let's go 2022 already!!

[~Barn~]

Just checkin' in here. Everything good?

Good.

[madvlad]

Just checkin' in here. Everything good?

Good.

only us talking to ourselves as usual, keeping this place alive somehow

[madvlad]

Bagnaia renews contract with Ducati for 2 more years

https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/...il-2024/407332

[The Black Knight]

Just checkin' in here. Everything good?

Good.

only us talking to ourselves as usual, keeping this place alive somehow

As good as can be, just keeping this place on life support for the most part. Someone has got to burn the midnight oil and keep the lights on. Like to keep things going until at least 2024. That way I can log in 20 years here. I think you become fully vested at 20 and get at least 3/4 retirement.

Just some old relics of a by gone era hanging around here...

Plus I need to at least make it to 5000 posts. I remember Mel was always going to reset my post count every time I would mention a milestone lol!!

[madvlad]

For those of you who don't want to spend money on the pass, looks like races will be televised but not live

https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/...chedule/407807

[madvlad]

You know at first I was not a fan of Simon Crafar after getting used to Dylan Gray for so long but man after a couple of years, I truly enjoy his perspective and informative talks as a former rider to the public on tech talk and such and he puts everything in a way for everyone to understand while still being technical. He's been a great addition to the media team on the paddock honestly.

[madvlad]

Man after watching those MotoGP qualifier sessions, Yamaha are in some deep and serious trouble if they don't get off their old mentality/comfort zone and get with the developmental program, they're going backwards by the minute. After watching the interview with FQ and FM, there is no way Fabio signs with Yamaha moving forward and other manufacturers are licking their chops at what's happening because Yamaha are about to lose their talent over their idiocy. Fabio says that he can't explain what's wrong at all because there is nothing wrong, which only says one thing, that Yamaha package has been maxed out and there is nothing else they can squeeze out of it in any shape or form. I just don't understand how Yamaha expects their riders to ride way above their limit every race just to keep up, that's just beyond absurd and it's tragedy waiting to happen. They need to design a new engine already, that M1 engine design is severely outdated and it really showed Yamaha that they've been wrong for years to stay behind the excuse of "oh we think the package we offer is good for our riders" yeah not anymore Jarvis/Meregalli, you guys got smoked in qualifiers this morning by every other manufacturer and not by a short margin either. Again, yikes man... but oh yeah Rossi was wrong all the time nope just proves that Yamaha never listened. If they don't have the funding either find it or pull out before it gets embarrassing which it already is and we've barely begun

[madvlad]

I absolutely love the unpredictability of this championship, goddamn what a race and start to the season. Where did KTM come from bro? What a ride by Binder, that was insane. For Enea to win it to honor Fausto Gresini after his passing a year ago, just unreal. I love this sport! Bring on Mandalika!

[Okrapp]

So happy it's back! Look forward to more unpredictable races and 'murica top 10s.

[madvlad]

So happy it's back! Look forward to more unpredictable races and 'murica top 10s.

Yeah definitely nice seeing Cameron and Joe in the mix there for a bit, I'm sure they'll keep finding pace through the season and hope Sean Kelley also does as well and he continues to get experience. Nice seeing US riders with potential in the mix again, hopefully they'll get a shot at a MotoGP ride in the upcoming years (Aprilia almost signed Roberts). Cameron acclimated quickly too, hell of a performance for only being a year in Moto2 which is super competitive and I'm sure having ridden a SBK here in MA helped him a lot making the transition.

[The Black Knight]

I absolutely love the unpredictability of this championship, goddamn what a race and start to the season. Where did KTM come from bro? What a ride by Binder, that was insane. For Enea to win it to honor Fausto Gresini after his passing a year ago, just unreal. I love this sport! Bring on Mandalika!

I'm telling ya, watch for the new aliens that are emerging. Binder is fast, he's won a couple races and same with Olivera. They are both fast, they just need some consistency and ability to dial the bike in better. I figured Aprilia would be there as well, but expected both of the riders to be in the mix, not just one. Vinales better get it together and fast.

The surprise has been P. Espargaro. I think being partnered with Marquez, has pushed him into digging deep and wanting to show he's fast as well. Never seen him lead and be in control that much before. Was honestly rooting for either him or Enea to win. Nice to see some new faces up there.

Also, as I thought this new breed have upped the pace. Look at Marquez now, he's starting to struggle. Sure he's got that blinding speed during FP's and the Q's but the race is something different. I get it, he's not 100% yet but I think once he reaches that, the rest of the pack will also be where they are at as well. The more times he gets beat, means the more the rest of the field start getting pumped up. They will start to push him around and he's not going to like it.

Not saying it has happened or will. But given his injuries and his way of riding. I think he's starting to decline much like Rossi did. He knows he can't ride like a maniac because he doesn't trust himself the way he used too. Also, he just got his vision back to where it should be, he knows one bad blast to the head and it could re-injure it all over again.

Looks like Marquez might be getting to that "Cougar lost it, turned in his wings", "just holding on too tight, lost the edge" stage of his career. He's going to fight it, and that could change him forever.

What can I say about good ole' Yamaha? Except this ---------->

[madvlad]

Good wet race in Indonesia, this season is very unpredictable but I like it. KTM seemed to have nothing at hand in preseason and here are both their riders contending already and lead the constructors at the moment, what a masterpiece by Oliviera, it was like clockwork and didn't put a foot wrong. Gotta give insane credit to Daryn Binder man, what a ride by this dude coming from moto3 and in these conditions, glad he kept it upright, showed maturity and battled it out like he's been around for a minute with the GP guys. Honda went from a promising start to just nightmare, how in the hell Marquez walked away from that high side is beyond me, that bike would have landed a few feet over that could have been either his life or career ending for sure, the sheer force that bike came down after that first flip and not that far from him had us all cringing... Bagnaia is having a shocker of a start here and also Martin, dudes can't catch a break at the moment. We'll see how things roll in Argentina, once again super hard to pin point on anything right now unlike years past, anyone could turn up and change the outcome of it all. Love this shit haha... Another strong performance by Roberts and Beaubier in Moto2, Sean Kelley unfortunately had to call it due to a broken shifter early in the race but he is also showing superb signs of improvement. Cool to see Chantra win it in which is pretty much his home grand prix in a sense, first ever rider from Thailand to step in the podium and also win a race.

[madvlad]

That crazy T7 high side had some effects on MM, with the way things are going we may see this dude call it early unfortunately but we'll see how this develops over the next few weeks. Speedy recovery to him

https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/...iplopia/411768

[The Black Knight]

That crazy T7 high side had some effects on MM, with the way things are going we may see this dude call it early unfortunately but we'll see how this develops over the next few weeks. Speedy recovery to him

https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/...iplopia/411768

Yep, he got smacked hard against the pavement. For some reason, when I saw how he landed and then looked like he was out cold. Something told me, he's going to have vision problems from this one. And it was confirmed, which I think also points to that he may not have been 100% with his vision in the first place. This might have been a result of him having vision problems at high speeds. Sure he's fast but something just seemed off about him.

This may push him into calling it a day. Either continue to worry about the next blow to the head or just call it quits. Personally, he's made a ton of cash, has his name solidified as one of the greats. If I were him, I'd rather be able to see normally the rest of my life, versus trying to win again in MotoGP. Oh well, time will tell and we will see how he recovers.

Other than that, it was a good race and was happy for Olivera. Dude was fast in the and same with Fabio. Both on different levels compared to others. To be around 8 seconds off the dry pace in the full on rain was amazing. Looking forward to the next races already

[madvlad]

Yep, he got smacked hard against the pavement. For some reason, when I saw how he landed and then looked like he was out cold. Something told me, he's going to have vision problems from this one. And it was confirmed, which I think also points to that he may not have been 100% with his vision in the first place. This might have been a result of him having vision problems at high speeds. Sure he's fast but something just seemed off about him.

This may push him into calling it a day. Either continue to worry about the next blow to the head or just call it quits. Personally, he's made a ton of cash, has his name solidified as one of the greats. If I were him, I'd rather be able to see normally the rest of my life, versus trying to win again in MotoGP. Oh well, time will tell and we will see how he recovers.

Other than that, it was a good race and was happy for Olivera. Dude was fast in the and same with Fabio. Both on different levels compared to others. To be around 8 seconds off the dry pace in the full on rain was amazing. Looking forward to the next races already

There are a lot of rumors and speculations going around in Spain that MM is playing with the idea of retirement after this season and that an announcement may come soon but we'll see how things develop. Definitely happy to see Aprilia up there man, Aleix and Maverick are off to a scorcher in Argentina, they also had great race pace in FP2 so everything points to a possible first win for them too besides their first pole position in the modern GP era. It should be a great race tomorrow for sure! Yamaha need to wake the fuck up already and I hope they're developing something serious for 2023 or they will be the next flunkie team

[madvlad]

Man about time Aprilia and Aleix got their first win, what a race that was. I'm sure they will keep building on from this and Aprilia seem to finally have found the sweet spot they've been looking to be in for years now. Who would have thought that Aleix would get first pole, first win and leave Argentina leading the championship by 9? Fuckin A! hell even Maverick had a great race considering his short time there which shows the potential of the RSGP22, bet he's loving the fact he left Yamaha. Speaking of Yamaha, the woes just continue and they seem to be going from bad to worse, DNF for Dovi and Morbidelli and Fabio/Binder barely held on. Same old, different day for these guys and you see Fabio getting frustrated more and more with each passing weekend, I honestly don't foresee him staying with Yamaha after this season and even Morbidelli may jump ship too as I'm sure Yamaha don't seem to have anything new to develop or build onto, once again that M1 is outdated as all hell and it has been completely maxed out for years now for its' design, unless Yamaha don't move their asses, they'll be exiting through the backdoor just like Kawasaki did. Ducati is sort of weird this year, it's like they're strong but they're not, they lost that bit of consistency they had found in 20-21 with the new 22 bike, unfortunately I see Miller exiting after this year even if he pulls some miraculous year, Martin is much younger and is showing insane pace so I'm sure he will become Bagnaia's teammate from 23 and on. Suzuki is starting to find a little bit of consistency as well finally, Rins actually managed to stay upright and Mir also managed to hang in there. Binder and KTM always seem to find something on sundays man, what a salvage job by him to hang onto 2nd place in the championship standings, Oliveira on the other hand while had a masterpiece at Thailand but man had a nightmare weekend here. Well, onto COTA and see how this horsepower rodeo goes! , they're saying MM may be back next weekend but highly doubt it.

[The Black Knight]

Looks like Petrucci won on his first time out in COTA today. Honestly, if the guy gets the proper bike under him. He should dominate MotoAmerica this year. Congrats to Danilo

[madvlad]

Yeah he had a hell of a ride yesterday for sure and guess it also helps that he knows the race track but we'll see when it comes to the other tracks around the country and see how he does but very cool seeing many teams from the GP paddock congratulate him. Race 2 should be good today if they can actually manage to get Gagne's bike to work, both Yamahas had engine/electrical issues already. Speaking of Ducati, it's an all lockout at the front, it's going to be hard to beat those guys as maybe just Suzuki may have something for them but Yamaha is nowhere and neither is Honda. Should be a great race nonetheless.

[The Black Knight]

Yeah he had a hell of a ride yesterday for sure and guess it also helps that he knows the race track but we'll see when it comes to the other tracks around the country and see how he does but very cool seeing many teams from the GP paddock congratulate him. Race 2 should be good today if they can actually manage to get Gagne's bike to work, both Yamahas had engine/electrical issues already. Speaking of Ducati, it's an all lockout at the front, it's going to be hard to beat those guys as maybe just Suzuki may have something for them but Yamaha is nowhere and neither is Honda. Should be a great race nonetheless.

Was a very good race. Nice to see Bastianni winning again. He's a smart rider and seems to have been able to tame his wild riding style from the past. He's now smooth and patient, and you can see how it pays off. I'm sure Miller was ticked off for sure, he knows he's being shown up by these new guys. I even think Jorge Martin is faster than Miller, he's show that with poles and some wins. Just seems the Pramac squad have some setup and tire management problems at times.

Factory Ducati need to get their act together, even Bagnaia is really having issues this year. The 2022 bike just isn't as dominant as the 2021. Seems that it is more of a step back in some areas.

Have to had it to Marquez today, he did a mammoth ride and came back. Not sure if he would have gotten the proper start if he would have won. His times were fast but he was also riding very desperate at times. Can't remember the corner but he about collected Vinales and Binder going into it as he ran in way too hot. He was riding a little reckless today. Even his slight nudge on Fabio could have sent them both off the track. He's desperate and knows his time is short. The other guys are faster and have better equipment. He will still wins some races, but now that all of the Ducati's are going fast, Suzuki is there and even Aprilia and KTM at times. Marquez is still going to have his hands full.

That said, Petrucci did win again today. Congrats to him as well. Have to remember that these guys at the elite level really don't have to learn much at new tracks. It's all just pavement to them, and they learn fast. Look at how Elias come in and shook things up in MotoAmerica.

Ducati are looking to lock things out this year. MotoGP, WSBK and probably MotoAmerica. If Petrucci wins some more, I foresee Ducati throwing him some good upgrades as the season wears on. Bautista won twice in WSBK this weekend and I think Ducati are looking to clamp down on motorsports this year.

Look at Ferrari in Formula 1, they are looking like the car to beat. Red Bull are having some serious reliability issues. Honestly, if they get it sorted it will be a Verstappen vs. Leclerc battle this season. He's the only one who can take it to the Ferrari's. Perez will be there as well at times. Even with Red Bulls DNF's, they are looking very fast and can be dominant as well.

I'm just trying to enjoy the moment right now in Formula 1 where I get to see the Mercedes dolphin diving down the track. Puts a big smile on my face seeing a once snobbing ass team, get humbled. Seeing Russel and Hamilton lapping a full second off the pace is just glorious. I can only hope the misery continues to last for Mercedes, they need it and deserve more of it. So more of the same for Mercedes this year please. And huge kudos to Hass,finally nice to see them secure some points. Magnusson has some new life. They sucked this GP but I think they are a much better car than last year. Watching Kevin Magnusson harass Hamilton in Jeddah was a great moment. The best is seeing Toto Wolff's face long and sullen.