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

[The Black Knight]

KTM confirms there is a HRC offer on the table for Pol Espargaro for 2021. My question is why even sign Alex Marquez then and not even give him a chance on the bike before making a move?

https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2020/...a-offer/331803

I think it's rather odd as well, sign the younger brother to a one year deal. COVID-19 strikes, no one has turned a wheel in anger, yet HRC are ready to dump him and move onto another rider. As always with Honda/HRC everything they do stinks, and this is no different. I'm not even a fan of the Alex Marquez, but I think the move to sign him to a one year deal was to appease the Marquez clan. Once they had Marc Marquez signed for a 4 year deal!! They knew they had achieved what they needed. Having the elder 6 time champion sign on for another four years, basically guarantees HRC that they will be fighting for the title and potentially still win the title all four years.

HRC does what HRC always has and always will, line their pockets, stack the deck in their favor and try to backdoor everyone else in the process.

Now that MM signed, the carrot that was having his brother in the team is done with. No need for him to stick around and cause problems for them. So adding in Pol Espargaro a well known rival of MM while in Moto2, is just icing on the cake for HRC. It will force MM to rider harder, faster and more reckless in order to achieve for HRC.

Regardless if Valentino Rossi is still fast enough or not. I applauded him back in 2004 when he jumped to Yamaha to prove that it was the rider and not the bike. What Rossi did in 2004, was the biggest public dick in a manufactures mouth that anyone could have done. HRC has never forgotten that humiliation, and are now doing anything they can to blot that from the history books. Look at the move to retain Marquez for four more years. The potential is there for him to surpass Rossi in titles and many other records. So for HRC that's the best thing they can do, wipe Rossi off the map in terms of relevance in the sport, when they have their hired gun surpass his records.

HRC have always been dicks and this proves it.

As for Rossi, no one will ever fill his shoes and no one should even try. He's irreplaceable in terms of MotoGP. He is too long in the tooth now to race and should retire. I agree with Stoner's comments, it is disappointing seeing him demoted to a satellite team. Time for the old king to retire, live it up with all the hot italian babes and become a happy tyrant.

[madvlad]

Woooaaaahhhh... this is big news. Is HRC getting between brothers? I remember taking the air out of by brothers' tires... a sibling rivalry might make MotoGP interesting.

You know, I am honestly at a loss as of why they'd scrap him so soon honestly, unless Alex himself felt perhaps pressured into taking the seat with the sudden Lorenzo retirement and all and it regret the decision? I honestly don't know but sucks for him cause all seats in Moto2 are taken and although there's other seats in GP right now but most of them are nearly guaranteed just awaiting signatures. Only option I see for him is taking Nakagamis seat at LCR and Nakagami becoming the main LCR rider to replace Cal given he's been talking about retirement pretty heavily this past season, that's the only thing that comes to mind honestly is that maybe HRC want to make him a satellite rider to bring him up to speed and then perhaps later bring him back into the Repsol garage with more experience on the bike. Again just my assumption but who knows, HRC does shit weird...

I think it's rather odd as well, sign the younger brother to a one year deal. COVID-19 strikes, no one has turned a wheel in anger, yet HRC are ready to dump him and move onto another rider. As always with Honda/HRC everything they do stinks, and this is no different. I'm not even a fan of the Alex Marquez, but I think the move to sign him to a one year deal was to appease the Marquez clan. Once they had Marc Marquez signed for a 4 year deal!! They knew they had achieved what they needed. Having the elder 6 time champion sign on for another four years, basically guarantees HRC that they will be fighting for the title and potentially still win the title all four years.

HRC does what HRC always has and always will, line their pockets, stack the deck in their favor and try to backdoor everyone else in the process.

Now that MM signed, the carrot that was having his brother in the team is done with. No need for him to stick around and cause problems for them. So adding in Pol Espargaro a well known rival of MM while in Moto2, is just icing on the cake for HRC. It will force MM to rider harder, faster and more reckless in order to achieve for HRC.

Regardless if Valentino Rossi is still fast enough or not. I applauded him back in 2004 when he jumped to Yamaha to prove that it was the rider and not the bike. What Rossi did in 2004, was the biggest public dick in a manufactures mouth that anyone could have done. HRC has never forgotten that humiliation, and are now doing anything they can to blot that from the history books. Look at the move to retain Marquez for four more years. The potential is there for him to surpass Rossi in titles and many other records. So for HRC that's the best thing they can do, wipe Rossi off the map in terms of relevance in the sport, when they have their hired gun surpass his records.

HRC have always been dicks and this proves it.

As for Rossi, no one will ever fill his shoes and no one should even try. He's irreplaceable in terms of MotoGP. He is too long in the tooth now to race and should retire. I agree with Stoner's comments, it is disappointing seeing him demoted to a satellite team. Time for the old king to retire, live it up with all the hot italian babes and become a happy tyrant.

Well didn't MM sign the deal way before Alex even agreed or was even approached about the seat since Lorenzo hadn't even mentioned anything about retirement to even HRC till last minute really (or well what they tell us at least) but this shows that maybe they knew it was coming or whatever.

Yeah that win at South Africa against Honda was one of the best and also beating Biaggi after he had said he needed the Honda to win lmao... Rossi I don't care what people say, he's at his own level just like MM is for his era. Honestly typical HRC move playing the politics that best fits them. While I am glad for Pol since he works just as hard as his brother and they're good dudes BUT doing Alex that dirty is just messed up, unless like I stated above he decided to part ways mutually and work his way up, maybe it is too much pressure for him or whatever since he's gotta live up to his brothers expectation being a Marquez and he'll be in his shadow.

[The Black Knight]

You know, I am honestly at a loss as of why they'd scrap him so soon honestly, unless Alex himself felt perhaps pressured into taking the seat with the sudden Lorenzo retirement and all and it regret the decision? I honestly don't know but sucks for him cause all seats in Moto2 are taken and although there's other seats in GP right now but most of them are nearly guaranteed just awaiting signatures. Only option I see for him is taking Nakagamis seat at LCR and Nakagami becoming the main LCR rider to replace Cal given he's been talking about retirement pretty heavily this past season, that's the only thing that comes to mind honestly is that maybe HRC want to make him a satellite rider to bring him up to speed and then perhaps later bring him back into the Repsol garage with more experience on the bike. Again just my assumption but who knows, HRC does shit weird...



Well didn't MM sign the deal way before Alex even agreed or was even approached about the seat since Lorenzo hadn't even mentioned anything about retirement to even HRC till last minute really (or well what they tell us at least) but this shows that maybe they knew it was coming or whatever.

Yeah that win at South Africa against Honda was one of the best and also beating Biaggi after he had said he needed the Honda to win lmao... Rossi I don't care what people say, he's at his own level just like MM is for his era. Honestly typical HRC move playing the politics that best fits them. While I am glad for Pol since he works just as hard as his brother and they're good dudes BUT doing Alex that dirty is just messed up, unless like I stated above he decided to part ways mutually and work his way up, maybe it is too much pressure for him or whatever since he's gotta live up to his brothers expectation being a Marquez and he'll be in his shadow.

As far as I remember, MM just signed his 4 year deal not that long ago(February time frame?). And his brother was already signed way before that to ride for this season(2020). They picked up his brother rather quick after Lorenzo retired. So, not sure when Alex Marquez signed but it was back at the end of last season 2019 time frame. MM signing his four year deal, happened just this year.

So that being said, yes I still think it was a carrot to dangle in front of Marc to have him sign a four year deal. All but ensuring he will live out the rest of his (dominant)days as a Repsol rider.

[madvlad]

As far as I remember, MM just signed his 4 year deal not that long ago(February time frame?). And his brother was already signed way before that to ride for this season(2020). They picked up his brother rather quick after Lorenzo retired. So, not sure when Alex Marquez signed but it was back at the end of last season 2019 time frame. MM signing his four year deal, happened just this year.

So that being said, yes I still think it was a carrot to dangle in front of Marc to have him sign a four year deal. All but ensuring he will live out the rest of his (dominant)days as a Repsol rider.

Nevermind, you are correct. I had my timeline all jacked up yeah I wonder what this is going to do to the Marquez/HRC relations