[NothingClever]

I’ll do my best to provide a “soup starter” below.

So, Silverstone 2019, featuring a brand new surface, just ended with Alex Rins (SUZ) beating Marc Marquez (HON) by .013 of a second, the fourth closest victory in MotoGP’s 70 year history.

Andrea Dovizioso (DUC), currently in second in the overall standing and favored to be somewhere on the podium, was unable to avoid a low-side by young, up-and-coming Fabio Quartararo (YAM) who over-corrected for a bit of a slide from Alex Rins in the first corner of the first lap. It was an ugly crash that could have been, but thankfully wasn’t, much worse.

Maverick Viñales (YAM) closed the gap with Rins and Marquez but still finished .620 behind Rins, a huge time difference in MotoGP racing.

Valentino Rossi (YAM), who had promising stats in the free practices and was anticipated to do well, was disappointed in his fourth place finish 11 seconds behind the race winner. MotoGP commentators (FWIW) yammered on about something must have gone wrong with VR’s bike.

Danilo Petrucci (DUC) finished in 7th place, the magic of Mugello seeming to have been a one-off performance and evaporating in the 2019 season as quickly as it arose.

Jack Miller (DUC), resting assured with his 2020 contract extension, finished in eighth, not surprising given the technical nature of the Silverstone track and Ducati’s fame for being a bit slack in the steering head angle.

Jorge Lorenzo (HON), finally back from his broken vertebra recuperation and the bombshell news of his flirtatious contact with Ducati, finished in 14th place but was happy with his performance. It seems he has recanted the prospective return to Ducati and will stick out 2020 with HON. Probably a good idea since the majority of riders called him out for not performing commensurately with his smack talk.

Johannn Zarco (KTM), having recently announced his early separation from KTM and feeling relieved about it, wasn’t able to translate that into on track performance as he wiped out his teammate, Miguel Oliveira, in lap nine.

 

[NothingClever]

That 0.013 seconds looked like this

Yeah! It was a compelling win by Alex and I enjoyed every millisecond of it.

Somewhere around .013 seconds later was MM’s reaction shaking his head back and forth in anger that he’d been clearly outfoxed and squarely beaten.

 

[NothingClever]

I think your judgement on Petrux is largely unfair. He is the only one to make points in every race this season. He is upholding the constructors points for Ducati.

I looked at the standings again and I think you’re right about Petrucci.

He’s in fourth place, after all, with 145 points ahead of Viñales and Rossi at 118 and 116 respectively.

I think my comment above (about the Mugello magic having evaporated) also unfairly slighted Petrucci.

 

[NothingClever]

Seems to me like 93 has to use his space alien bike handling skills to get the honda to perform with the Ducati, so he uses up his tires that much faster.

I think you're right but it seems this season the Honda is keeping up with the Ducatis in the straights so I think HRC engineers were successful in getting more power over last year’s model.

I’m curious about Ducati’s stubbornness (reportedly) to quicken the steering which could even things up with the Japanese bikes on the more technical tracks.

Shouldn’t it be as simple as cutting a .5 degree off the steering head angle?

Or is it overall wheelbase that forces the Ducati to yield to the Japanese bikes in the tight turns?

 

[NothingClever]

I like Miller. I like his innocent honesty. I don't think he's a big mouth, he just answers the questions given by the media with an opinion.

Totally concur. I think Jackass is a great young rider and I’ve never heard him talk smack in an interview. He’s always been collegial with the other riders on the way to the podium, too.

What I don't enjoy is how CC35 belittles and ridicules. He does it all the time, just as much as he falls off.

I haven’t seen that but I admit I don’t have the reps in watching MotoGP that you do. I’ve always thought Cal responded with refreshing candor in the interviews since he doesn’t pussyfoot around the question. I used to root for him as the underdog but sorta stopped since he does crash...a lot.

Haha, Matt Birt, the Dorna commentator, almost let it slip out of his mouth, naming him Cal Crashlow, but he reeled his tongue back in.

Matt Birt and Simon Crafar = great

Amy Dargan = daffy bird, she should stick to studio interviews and lay off the pre-race commentary and trackside interviews

Matt Day = find another job, dork. I’m tired of hearing “block pass”, “masterclass”, “He’s asking a lot...” and “Oh, my word, Marc Marquez just....” every single lap. Let Matt Birt be the lead commentator and interact more with Simon.

I miss Nick Harris...that guy was such an integral part of MotoGP racing. I never got tired of his phrases and what a depth of knowledge to share with listeners. I think Matt Birt should be groomed to be Nick Harris’ replacement but that won’t happen until they ditch dork-boy Matt Day.

 

[NothingClever]

@NothingClever Sadly the commentary on the Dorna Motogp feed is limited and repetitive in terms of their vocabulary and technical understanding..

If you can find an IPTV provider then BT Sports UK is the best way to go, it's English and all the commentators are ex racers and some are past world champions. I enjoy their humour and technical synopsis, it's quite educating.

The Italians have a 24hr motogp channel, man they are crazy passionate about motorcycle racing. I can't understand everything being said but it always has me excited and full of laughter, they really amp me up. They provide my soul some therapy.

Right on. I’ll have to see what I can access at my current work location. Headed home to Florida in a couple of months - should have better options then.

 

[NothingClever]

Not to jump the gun, but the 2020 schedule has been published for those that might want to plan a vacation around a race.

 

[NothingClever]

We still have a lot of season left for 2019.

Up next will be the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Dates are 12/13/14/15 SEP

Close to the city of Rimini, the Misano Adriático circuit was constructed in 1972 and has since undergone an array of modifications. A regular scene for Italian Grands Prix throughout the 80s and early 90s, Misano returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2007. With updated facilities, track and grandstands, the Misano Adriatico holds a maximum capacity of 60,000 spectators. In accordance with MotoGP safety regulations, the 4,200m track runs clockwise for the World Championship races.

LENGTH - 4.2 km

CORNERS - 6 left, 10 right

WIDTH - 14 m.

LONGEST STRAIGHT - 530 m.

Grand Prix results from 2018:

1st Place - Andrea Dovizioso (DUC)
2nd Place - Marc Marquez (HON)
3rd Place - Cal Crutchlow (HON)

Circuit Records

All Time Lap Record 2018
Jorge LORENZO (HON) - 1'31.629 / Speed 166.0 km/h

Best Race Lap 2018
Andrea DOVIZIOSO (DUC) - 1'32.678 / Speed 164.1 km/h

Best Pole 2018
Jorge LORENZO (HON) - 1'31.629 / Speed 166.0 km/h

Top Speed 2015
Andrea DOVIZIOSO (DUC) - Speed 299.5 km/h

 

[NothingClever]

 

[NothingClever]

Great race for Fabio - fourth podium in his rookie season. With the number of laps he led and his acceleration away from Marquez, his confidence will build and I bet he starts winning races next year.

Interesting how much this win meant to Marquez. I wonder if the last two second place finishes put his self-confidence in check a bit.

Too bad about Alex Rins...I always root for him.

Rossi gets the award for dorkiest helmet in all of MotoGP history. Pizza, watermelon and his pet cat holding a flag. Drudi should be ashamed of himself.

Where was Ducati? Sheesh....

Cal...time to move on and sell real estate or something, bro.

 

[NothingClever]

If he had plenty in reserve, he would’ve made his move earlier and pulled away to create a buffer, rather than risk it all in the final lap. Unlike most races this season, Marquez made all his gains in the breaking, he had nothing to give in acceleration which so I think he really had to fight for it. He wanted to win badly though, so he did take his chances on a last lap move.

Yeah, seeing the interaction in parc fermé and listening to the interview, it’s clear Fabio was making Marc work a lot harder than Marc would have liked.

 

[NothingClever]

Ducati need to sort out their cornering so they can lead again. That ducati engine is no longer an advantage over the other manufacturers, handling must be where they throw their resources now.

I concur wholeheartedly. Remember last year when the Ducs would just walk away on the straights? Man, those days are CLEARLY gone with MM tracking closely behind Dovi in the straights.

To liven up the Ducati’s steering, wouldn’t it be as easy as dropping a half degree from the steering head angle? I gotta believe the race department could fab a new jig and frame in a day based on existing race jigs.

Maybe a correspondingly small chop on the swingarm length?

 

[NothingClever]

If I understand correctly, the bike is usually developed and optimized for the lead pilot (in this case, MM). The others, well, they have to live with it. And that often means it does not fit their riding needs, making them less performant...

I think you’re right to some degree because they have to pass scrutineering and that would be difficult for the engineers if they’re being asked to produce wildly different bikes but I also think each rider gets a LOT of technical help setting up their bike. The manufacturer’s want to win so they’re not going to discount the requests of the riders they spent a lot of money to recruit.

 

[NothingClever]

Totally enjoyed MM’s post-race interview with Matt Birt.

 

[NothingClever]

Johann Zarco out.

Mika Kallio in.

Not really surprised at Stefan Pierer’s decision. KTM knows how to win and although they’re still in a build phase, they know how to make calculated decisions for the best possible outcomes. Johann Zarco’s decision made him a “lame duck” rider.

 

[NothingClever]

Up next will be the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon at MotorLand in Aragon, Spain

Dates are 19/20/21/22 SEP

An ultra-modern facility, MotorLand Aragón had its roots firmly established thanks to a solid history of street racing in Alcañiz, which hosted events between 1963 and 2003. Safety advice warning against the continuation of this led to the proposal and construction of a sporting complex dedicated to motorsport.

With support from local institutions, renowned German architect Hermann Tilke was commissioned to design the facility. The circuit, which is 5.077km long and has 17 turns, was roundly praised by riders after its first Grand Prix in 2010, and it was rewarded with the IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year award, the first time a circuit had received the prize in its debut year.

LENGTH - 5.7 km

CORNERS - 10 left, 7 right

WIDTH - 15 m.

LONGEST STRAIGHT - 968 m.

Grand Prix results from 2018:

1st Place - Marc Marquez (HON)
2nd Place - Andrea Dovizioso (DUC)
3rd Place - Andrea Iannone (SUZ)

Circuit Records

All Time Lap Record 2015
Marc MARQUEZ (HON) - 1'46.635 / Speed 171.4 km/h

Best Race Lap 2015
Jorge LORENZO (HON) - 1'48.120 / Speed 169.0 km/h

Best Pole 2015
Marc MARQUEZ (HON) - 1'46.635 / Speed 171.4 km/h

Top Speed 2015
Andrea IANNONE (DUC) - Speed 345.8 km/h

 

[NothingClever]

Aragon has almost twice the straightaway distance as the last race in Italy.

It will be interesting to see how the race turns out for Ducati. In the past, they’d be the favored bike because of Ducati’s power. Don’t think that’s the case anymore.

If the Duc riders get thoroughly trounced by MM (HON), Fabio Quartararo (YAM) and Alex Rins (SUZ), that might be the wake up call for Gigi to tell the engineers that the new winglets and aerodynamic fairing over the rotors aren’t cutting it. Might be time to tighten the steering for the technical sections.

 

[NothingClever]

Tough time for Alex Rins (SUZ) in Q1.

 

[NothingClever]

There are going to some battles between the 20 and the 93 in the future, just imagine if he had the top end of the honda or duc. He lost .4 in sector four on that fast last lap. His qualifying shows he can bring it when he needs to.

Four podium positions in his rookie season.

The heat is coming and I think next season will be scorching.

MM recognized this in the last post-race interview.