MotoGP: News and Discussion Thread
Magma
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Supposedly, Bastianini will leave Ducati for a spot on the Gas Gas KTM satellite team. I am assuming Ducati are trying to resolve MM93's sponsorship issues and finalize a contract with him for the factory team. Red Bull would probably be super happy if MM93 took the 2nd seat on the Gas Gas KTM team, or if KTM replace Binder with MM93 on the KTM factory team. Staying with Ducati, especially a spot on the factory team, makes more sense given his age. MM93 has a better chance winning another championship with Ducati in the near term. He mentioned a third option during this weekend's press conference, with most assuming that option is a ride with KTM.
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The process of elimination basically has Marquez at Ducati even without an announcement. Will be bizarro if Martin wins the championship at the end of this year! But Ducati made the right decision.
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https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2024/...il-2026/500849
It's official now.
Ducati Corse have announced that an agreement with Marc Marquez has been reached for the eight-time World Champion to race in Ducati Lenovo Team colours for the next two years.
Magma
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I am not sure Ducati made the decision to choose MM93. Late last week, the press rumors were that Ducati would move Martin to the factory team. The press asked MM93 about moving to Pramac next season, because Pramac indicated they were staying with Ducati and would have the other two latest spec bikes. MM93 said Pramac wasn't one of his 3 options, as he saw no value in moving from one satellite team to another. I think his refusal to move to Pramac caught Ducati off guard.
Maybe Pramac will decide to switch to Yamaha now, with no option for Martin or MM93 next season.
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Yup. Marquez forced the dominos to fall in his favor by forcing Ducati for choose him for the factory team. Ducati could have still chosen Martin, but then risk losing Marquez. So in the end, they still made the right decision.
Magma
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Martin winning the championship might be a little embarrassing, but Ducati will be happy a Ducati wins. At this point, it looks like at least the top 3 will be Ducs.
Securing MM93 in the factory team is a big win in terms of marketing and promotion, besides the potential for championships. I like Martin but don't see many 89 hats in the stands.
Alex Rins continues to limp as a result of that nasty broken leg from last season. There is some early speculation that he could retire due to the injury. That could open up the 2nd Yamaha factory seat for a rider like Mir or Oliveira. Unless Davide Brivio is able to reunite with Mir at Trackhouse.
American Moto 2 rider Joe Roberts won this past weekend's shortened race.
Securing MM93 in the factory team is a big win in terms of marketing and promotion, besides the potential for championships. I like Martin but don't see many 89 hats in the stands.
Alex Rins continues to limp as a result of that nasty broken leg from last season. There is some early speculation that he could retire due to the injury. That could open up the 2nd Yamaha factory seat for a rider like Mir or Oliveira. Unless Davide Brivio is able to reunite with Mir at Trackhouse.
American Moto 2 rider Joe Roberts won this past weekend's shortened race.
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^ Not MototGP but in F1, Williams had FOUR driver's (Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Hill) leave the team after winning the WDC. According to Patrick Head, didn't bother him or co-founder Frank Williams.
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Speculation that Mir might retire as well due to too many falls on the Honda.
Some more speculative & factual fallouts on the Ducati saga:
Winners:
Marc Marquez - Gets the top bike he wanted. Big payday. (Apparently, he isn't getting paid much this year on the third-string satellite team. Apart from his sponsors.)
Ducati - Big commercial win potential with more bikes sold.
MotoGP/Liberty Media - Much more fan interest anticipated next year.
Losers:
Bagnaia - Apparently, he really didn't want Marquez as his teammate. He's concerned that the team would gravitate around Marquez.
Martin - Off to a potentially slower bike.
Pramac - Could be moving to Yamaha.
Some more speculative & factual fallouts on the Ducati saga:
Winners:
Marc Marquez - Gets the top bike he wanted. Big payday. (Apparently, he isn't getting paid much this year on the third-string satellite team. Apart from his sponsors.)
Ducati - Big commercial win potential with more bikes sold.
MotoGP/Liberty Media - Much more fan interest anticipated next year.
Losers:
Bagnaia - Apparently, he really didn't want Marquez as his teammate. He's concerned that the team would gravitate around Marquez.
Martin - Off to a potentially slower bike.
Pramac - Could be moving to Yamaha.
Magma
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Sunday's race was better than I expected. Too bad MM 93 had such a bad start to the weekend. The high side crash he suffered during the Practice session was brutal. He likely could have fought with Bagnaia for the win if he qualified better.
In addition to being on the inferior GP 23, MM 93 keeps having technical issues that hold him back. Unless those issues stop hindering him, the championship will continue to be Martin versus Bagnaia.
I feel bad for Martin
. There were a lot of crashes over the weekend during practice, so I figured there would be more during the race.
In addition to being on the inferior GP 23, MM 93 keeps having technical issues that hold him back. Unless those issues stop hindering him, the championship will continue to be Martin versus Bagnaia.
I feel bad for Martin
. There were a lot of crashes over the weekend during practice, so I figured there would be more during the race.Last edited by SlowLane; Jul 8, 2024 at 08:14 PM.
Magma
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The teams will be using classic liveries during this weekend's race. The following link has a pic of Yamaha's livery.
Alex Rins pulls out of the remainder of British MotoGP | MotoGP | Crash
Alex Rins pulls out of the remainder of British MotoGP | MotoGP | Crash
Magma
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Ducati made a significant step forward with the GP24. Not sure MM93 will win a race this season. A while back, he said that the GP24 was probably 0.2 seconds per lap faster than the GP23. Gresini and MM93 seem to struggle with finding the best setup on Fridays during Free Practice 1 and Practice.
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Yamaha V4 MotoGP engine
Not sure it's been discussed here yet but Yamaha have started prior this year on a V4 MotoGP engine project in a effort to get competitive again.
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...-theyre-hungry
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...-theyre-hungry
Magma
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Not sure it's been discussed here yet but Yamaha have started prior this year on a V4 MotoGP engine project in a effort to get competitive again.
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...-theyre-hungry
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...-theyre-hungry
Magma
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I agree with MM93. Today's race was boring.
Honda are also trying to turn things around quicker. Aprilia's technical director, Romano Albesiano, will be leaving for HRC next season. He should have a much larger budget at HRC.
MotoGP tech deals: Romano Albesiano to Honda, Fabiano Sterlacchini to Aprilia! | MotoGP | Crash
Honda are also trying to turn things around quicker. Aprilia's technical director, Romano Albesiano, will be leaving for HRC next season. He should have a much larger budget at HRC.
MotoGP tech deals: Romano Albesiano to Honda, Fabiano Sterlacchini to Aprilia! | MotoGP | Crash
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KTM on brink of collapse?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
Magma
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KTM on brink of collapse?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
I am still hoping that BMW enters Moto GP in 2027. Their recent success in World SBK proved the can compete with Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. At least with a great rider.
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KTM in my mind was always the Dakar rally raid. I think they over extended themselves with MotoGP. I'm guessing that all the racing teams will shutdown. Survival at this point is more important than extracurriculars.
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KTM on brink of collapse?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/11/26/...eivership.html
What will happen to the racing team?
Magma
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Looks like Castrol will replace Repsol as a sponsor for the Honda factory team in Moto GP.
Honda set for Castrol MotoGP partnership after Repsol split
Alpine will help sponsor the Pramac Yamaha team.
Alpine to sponsor Pramac MotoGP team from 2025
Alpine will become one of the main sponsors of Pramac when it becomes Yamaha’s new satellite team in 2025, Autosport has learned. Pramac had already announced last month that Italian insurance company Prima will remain its title sponsor until the end of the 2027 season. Now, Autosport can report that Prima will share the spotlight with Renault’s sportscar division Alpine, the brand which also competes in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship. This isn’t the first time that Pramac has had a tie-up with F1. In 2021, Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco sported the series’ official logo on the rear of their Pramac-entered Ducati bikes. The initiative was a result of shared interest and friendship between Pramac boss Paolo Campinoti and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who saw it as an opportunity to do a crossover between the two championships. Even in this case, the sponsorship agreement between Alpine and Pramac is borne out of Campinoti’s strong relationship with Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
Honda set for Castrol MotoGP partnership after Repsol split
Alpine will help sponsor the Pramac Yamaha team.
Alpine to sponsor Pramac MotoGP team from 2025
Alpine will become one of the main sponsors of Pramac when it becomes Yamaha’s new satellite team in 2025, Autosport has learned. Pramac had already announced last month that Italian insurance company Prima will remain its title sponsor until the end of the 2027 season. Now, Autosport can report that Prima will share the spotlight with Renault’s sportscar division Alpine, the brand which also competes in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship. This isn’t the first time that Pramac has had a tie-up with F1. In 2021, Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco sported the series’ official logo on the rear of their Pramac-entered Ducati bikes. The initiative was a result of shared interest and friendship between Pramac boss Paolo Campinoti and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who saw it as an opportunity to do a crossover between the two championships. Even in this case, the sponsorship agreement between Alpine and Pramac is borne out of Campinoti’s strong relationship with Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
Magma
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Di Giannantonio landed a wheelie wrong at the end of day 1 testing after doing his practice start and broke his collarbone.
MotoGP, A wheelie gone wrong: Di Giannantonio fractures collarbone | GPone.com
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https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/ne...2027/10700793/
Pirelli will become MotoGP’s official tyre manufacturer from 2027 to 2031, after Michelin’s current deal ends.
This is a logical step for the Italian brand, which has been supplying its rubber to the Moto2 and Moto3 series since last year, as well as the World Superbike championship in a long-standing partnership that began in 2004.
Having provided tyres to the Formula 1 world championship since 2011 but decided not to further its involvement in the World Rally Championship beyond 2024, Pirelli now adds another major competition to its portfolio, as well as the MotoE series.
The announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Michelin – which has been the sole provider of MotoGP tyres since 2016 – had started work on novel compounds ahead of the new-for-2027 technical rules.Nevertheless, the last decade has been fraught with criticism from riders and teams targeting the manufacturer from Clermont-Ferrand.
This has been a regular theme, particularly in the last few years, with Michelin at odds with Honda and Aprilia over its responsibility for, respectively, Marc Marquez’s highside at the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix and Jorge Martin’s crash just last month in pre-season testing at Sepang, which has left the reigning champion unable to take part in the first two rounds of the campaign. Martin also partly blamed its 2023 title defeat on tyres he deemed not to work properly.
This is the second major series Michelin has left in recent years, having been replaced by Hankook for Formula E’s Gen3 that commenced at the end of 2022. However, the French brand still supplies its rubber to all competitors in the IMSA SportsCar Championship as well as the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class.
This is a logical step for the Italian brand, which has been supplying its rubber to the Moto2 and Moto3 series since last year, as well as the World Superbike championship in a long-standing partnership that began in 2004.
Having provided tyres to the Formula 1 world championship since 2011 but decided not to further its involvement in the World Rally Championship beyond 2024, Pirelli now adds another major competition to its portfolio, as well as the MotoE series.
The announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Michelin – which has been the sole provider of MotoGP tyres since 2016 – had started work on novel compounds ahead of the new-for-2027 technical rules.Nevertheless, the last decade has been fraught with criticism from riders and teams targeting the manufacturer from Clermont-Ferrand.
This has been a regular theme, particularly in the last few years, with Michelin at odds with Honda and Aprilia over its responsibility for, respectively, Marc Marquez’s highside at the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix and Jorge Martin’s crash just last month in pre-season testing at Sepang, which has left the reigning champion unable to take part in the first two rounds of the campaign. Martin also partly blamed its 2023 title defeat on tyres he deemed not to work properly.
This is the second major series Michelin has left in recent years, having been replaced by Hankook for Formula E’s Gen3 that commenced at the end of 2022. However, the French brand still supplies its rubber to all competitors in the IMSA SportsCar Championship as well as the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class.
Magma
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The other rookie on the Gresini Ducati team, Fermin Aldeguer, was everyone's pick to win the Moto 2 championship instead of Ogura last year, but Aldeguer was inconsistent.
Magma
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@SlowLane So who will win this year? Marquez or Bagnaia?
You hear the press and podcasts saying that "best rider in modern history + best bike on the grid = another MM93 championship"
Two to three of Bagnaia's crashes last year weren't his fault, and he could have won the championship without them. Anything can happen, especially when the season is so long and with the Sprint races added in. Bagnaia struggled a little in testing this pre-season and I expect he and Ducati will fix any lingering issues soon, so he can be more competitive.
Getting back to Ogura. He could be in for a major increase in $,$$$,$$$ if he keeps riding like last weekend. Honda will want him back in the future once they improve their bike.
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Unless MM gets hurt, I'm picking him for another championship. His performance in the second half of last season shows that he's still the top rider on the grid.
If MM wins the championship this year, he'll tie Rossi with 7 MotoGP championships, 1 250cc championship, 1 125cc championship.
If MM wins the championship this year, he'll tie Rossi with 7 MotoGP championships, 1 250cc championship, 1 125cc championship.
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^ IIRC, for most of MM career his RC213V was anything but underpowered. Recently it's become underpowered, but the majority of those years it was the power leader. Handling? that's another story....
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I can't pinpoint the exact timeline right now, but it feels like for around the last 10 years Ducati has been the power leader. I remember Dovi would always extend leads on the straights, but Marquez would catch him in the turns. That started to change slowly as the Ducati began to handle better.
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^ I'd say the last five years Ducati has had a power advantage over the rest prior it was Honda. Honda has had a handling issue for quite a while, for whatever reason HRC ignored the issue while MM was winning MotoGP championships.
Magma
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I can't pinpoint the exact timeline right now, but it feels like for around the last 10 years Ducati has been the power leader. I remember Dovi would always extend leads on the straights, but Marquez would catch him in the turns. That started to change slowly as the Ducati began to handle better.
Magma
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