2Blueyam

Impressive ride by Rossi.

It is nice to see JLo starting to gel with the Ducati and the Aprilia bring right up there with the front runners for a change. More bikes at the front battling for podiums / wins is a good thing.

Mir docked 6 places for excessive swerving causing a danger to other riders in Moto3. If it really was a danger, that penalty is too small. Six starting spots in Moto3 is nothing because you can go form 6th to 1st or 1st to 6th on one straightaway.

F-C

Maybe, maybe not. Aragon is one of Lorenzo's favorite circuits, so the performance might be more unique. Motegi should suit the Ducatis more, so if he can still maintain the pace next race, then maybe...

SlowLane

Phillip Island was the best race of the season. That was a great battle.

F-C

It was wild. One of the craziest races ever. I wonder how many position changes there were for just the top 4 in the whole race.

SlowLane

There is an article on MotoMatters with passing stats in the 2015 and 2017 Phillip Island races.

The 2015 MotoGP race at Phillip Island was a four-way dust up which saw Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Iannone, and Valentino Rossi pass each other a grand total of 52 times in 27 laps. The 2017 race saw seven riders slug it out over the same distance, passing and repassing each other a total of 73 times. Blink, and you missed a change of the lead. But you had to blink, just to catch your breath. It is a good job the

assiduous Tammy Gorali was willing to go back and tally up the action(link is external)

.

https://motomatters.com/analysis/2017/10/24/2017_phillip_island_motogp_round_up_a.html


Freddie Spencer has some post-race thoughts on YouTube:

F-C

That's crazy. You can probably count on one hand the number of position changes in Formula One for the whole year, especially if you discount changes due to pit stops.

Anyone trying to build a future motorcycle race course should duplicate the Philip Island formula.

SlowLane

Looks like MotoGP announcer Nick Harris is retiring after this season.

MotoGP's Tribute to Nick Harris - Cycle News

F-C

No!!!!! One of the best announcers ever. Thanks, Nick.

F-C

How in the world did Marques stay on after essentially crashing? Is there anything he can't do? Never seen anything like it.

Edward'TLS

^^^^^
This is what makes of a legend in MotoGP. Despite still with much fanfare, Rossi has gone beyond his time, and should move over for this bright, young lad.

SlowLane

I don't know how he kept that bike upright. Great battle between Zarco and Pedrosa. Zarco beat both factory Yamaha riders again.

Marquez won the BMW M award for the 5th year in a row. Now he has an M4 CS to go along with his M6 coupe, M4 coupe, M6 convertible, and M2 coupe.

MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez Wins BMW M4 CS at BMW M Awards - News18

F-C

Zarco should definitely get a factory ride.

I wonder if Dovi will get a pay increase. I'm going to guess that he gets paid much less then his teammate.

SlowLane

Folger is out for next season. I hope his health improves. The first article lists some possible replacements for the 2nd Tech 3 bike. Winter testing starts next week.

https://motomatters.com/news/2018/01...acing_for.html

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/ne...llness-996760/

Legend2TL

https://sports.yahoo.com/motorcyclin...6650--spt.html

Legend2TL

https://sports.yahoo.com/apos-ve-lea...144714883.html

SlowLane

I would like to see Marquez on a Ducati or KTM at some point in the future.

Tech 3 is parting ways with Yamaha after this season. With Zarco beating both factory riders, last season had to be uncomfortable for Tech 3 at times. Tech 3 might become KTM's satellite team in 2019.

https://motomatters.com/news/2018/02...part_ways.html

Legend2TL

I can see Marquez spending his entire career at Repsol Honda, like Doohan.

F-C

I don't see Marques leaving as well. He seems very happy.
I think the wildcard might be with his brother. Could another manufacturer temp him to move if they also signed his brother?

SlowLane

Doohan was with Honda for about 10 years in 500cc? I think Pedrosa has been with Honda longer.

Marquez is only 25. If, like Rossi, he races into his late thirties then he would be with Honda for nearly 20 years. I think that at some point Marquez might be interested in a new challenge and want to be champion on more than one manufacturer's bike.

Legend2TL

At this point I can see Marquez breaking Giacomo Agostini record of 8 top-tier championships and races.

Legend2TL

Good race to start the season with, watched the highlights this morning will watch the rest later this evening

F-C

It was another great race. The Ducatis still have the best top end speed. But what a great finish. It should be another closely fought season.

SlowLane

Honda seems to have done a better job during the most recent off-season. Qatar isn't typically a track that suits them, but both Marquez and Crutchlow were much improved compared to last year. Both of them seem to be crashing less often in practice and testing so far this year.

Will Dani be back with Repsol next year? I am sure other teams are also interested in Zarco for 2019.

Rumours are flying around fast Frenchman Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as the rookie sensation turned MotoGP™ frontrunner looks at options for his future. One of those is centered on Repsol Honda, with Speedweek mooting the Frenchman as a replacement for Dani Pedrosa.

Asked whether he would be scared of sharing a team with now six-time World Champion Marc Marquez, Zarco weighed in.

“Why would I be scared? It would be nice to be Marc’s teammate," Zarco is reported as saying. "Repsol Honda is a kind of dream team. Since I watched MotoGP as a kid on TV, even though I didn’t watch a lot, I remember Mick Doohan, then Rossi…now Marquez. It was always good to watch this team.”...

MotoGP?

F-C

Zarco is definitely gone from Tech 3 next year. A shame that Yamaha is being petty and taking their toy away from Tech 3.

Legend2TL

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport...bon-swing-arm/

Knew Ducati had been using them but didn't know it was 2009 when they started.

SlowLane

Last weekend's race was crazy,

Poor Dani. Looks like his incident with Zarco resulted in a broken wrist. He is going to miss at least one race. Pedrosa undergoes surgery

The Suzuki would probably be a better fit for Lorenzo's riding style. Looks like he might throw in the towel and leave Ducati? Lorenzo-heading-for-suzuki

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

I think Ducati will do everything in their power to keep Lorenzo. They'd better unless they want to promote one of the satellite riders. I can't think of any of the premier riders that would want to ride the seemingly untameable Ducati. I think Lorenzo will get dialed in with the bike this season though.

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

On another note. It hurt to watch Marquez ride so desperately.

Legend2TL

I watched Marquez and Rossi come together, definitely Marquez's fault. He owned up to it and went to the Yamaha pits to apologize.
Overambitious move in the wet for someone of his caliper, but Rossi's hyperbole is typical Rossi drama.

If Lorenzo leaves Ducati, won't be a big thing for either. He won't be the first talented rider to not fit into the Ducati team/bike.
Hayden and Rossi couldn't find success there, I give alot of credit to Stoner for making it work for him.

F-C

I missed the race and forgot to DVR it. Doesn't look like they will have a replay. That's the frustrating thing about beIN, as they never let you access previous races online.

Legend2TL

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/andrea-...155800668.html

Ducati is getting quite a bargain with Dovizioso, his 46 points in three races compared to Lorenzo's 6

SlowLane

Ducati cannot afford to lose Dovi, although I am not sure where else he would go?

Lorenzo is a lost cause. Tito Rabat and Jack Miller look better and this is their first season on the Ducati.

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/ne...-2019-1029476/

Johann Zarco is set to join the KTM MotoGP team from the 2019 season, Motorsport.com has learned.

The Frenchman has been linked to a KTM move since last year, although Honda and Suzuki are both known to have also been interested in securing Zarco's services for next season.It's understood the Tech 3 Yamaha rider reached a verbal agreement during last weekend's Austin round with KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer and Thomas Uberall, who acts as Motorsports Manager for the Austrian marque's title sponsor Red Bull.The deal, when formalised, will commit Zarco to the KTM works team until the end of the 2020 season. Pol Espargaro is expected to be retained, with Bradley Smith losing his seat. Zarco had been the centre of speculation during the season opener in Qatar, where he expressed interest in joining a Honda "dream team" with reigning world champion Marc Marquez, who recently concluded a new contract with the Repsol-backed outfit.However, the prospect of sharing a garage with Marquez is believed to have put Zarco off such a move, with one well-placed source telling Motorsport.com: "Being Marc's teammate is not easy to accept."

F-C

Lorenzo is probably gone from Ducati. Just give his paycheck to Dovi, problem solved.

Zarco would be perfect at Yamaha. Too bad Yamaha resigned Rossi.

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

I totally agree. Rossi's best days have passed. Movistar missed out on their own worthy satellite rider. Makes me wonder if they like Vinales better than Zarco. Either way, this is good news for KTM but probably not the best move for Zarco.

F-C

Yamaha essentially forced Zarco out by withholding their bike Tech 3 next year. Sad

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

I really do hate to see races go like the race did today. Although they bring the drama, as a fan I want to see all of the riders finish the race.

Legend2TL

^ +1, also hate to see a bunch of riders go down as well. Hopefully no injuries, Dani Pedrosa's fall didn't look good.

F-C

Dovi gets two year contract with Ducati. This is good for the sport.

SlowLane

This season is starting to look like 2014 when Marquez ran away with the title.

If you didn't watch the Moto 3 race, then go to Youtube and search for "kornfeil le mans". Jakub Kornfeil ended up using Bastianini's bike as a ramp and managed to land safely. Here is one of the videos.