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Dovizioso vs. Marquez: David vs. Goliath 2017
So, 2017 has all come down to this–a technical showdown between Repsol Honda studmuffin Marc Marquez, gripping a 21-point lead, and a determined Andrea Dovizioso, virtually hopeless onboard the Ducati GP17, for all the marbles on Sunday. Even if Dovi wins, Marquez has to finish worse than 11th in order to choke this one away. To clarify, it is a showdown in only the most technical, theoretical sense. It will take a Dovizioso win and direct intervention by the racing gods to keep Marc Marquez from MotoGP title #4 on Sunday.
Decades ago a nominally Catholic friend of mine came up with a premise as to which team eventually wins the NFL Super Bowl each season, The Blessed Quarterback Theory. Each year it’s just the blessed quarterback’s team that wins, regardless of anyone’s skill or resume. Paging Mark Rypien and Trent Dilfer. Works the same way in MotoGP. You look at the saves Marquez has made since coming up. Jorge Lorenzo was blessed in 2015. If Dovi somehow pulls it off on Sunday—millions hope he will—it will be because he, not Marquez, was the blessed rider in 2017. Otherwise, it’s status quo ante.
Recent history at Valencia
The 2014 race was wet-ish and the title had been decided weeks earlier. Lorenzo slid out of the race late in the day. Marquez took the largely decorative win joined on the podium by Rossi and Pedrosa. The day’s procession culminated in the coronation of Marquez for the second time in his first two years, and the MotoGP world appeared to be his oyster.
No one who reads this stuff is likely to forget the 2015 season finale, at which Jorge Lorenzo won from pole while loathed championship rival and “teammate” Valentino Rossi, having been penalized for his antics with Marquez in Sepang the previous round, was forced to start from the back of the grid and could only (only) make his way back to fourth place at the finish. There was additional controversy as to why the Repsol Honda team appeared to ride as wingmen for Lorenzo, never seriously challenging him over the last few laps.
Last year, Lorenzo was anxious for a win in his final race for Yamaha, wanting to go out on top after a difficult season. Marquez wanted to cap off his third premier class title with an exclamation point, as well as to avoid an awkward podium celebration. Jorge ended up winning the race, Marquez secured the title, and the podium celebration was awkward, the Spanish national anthem blaring in the background, Lorenzo over-celebrating and Marquez looking somewhat abashed, as if he were crashing Lorenzo’s party, along with Andrea Iannone, who was, in fact, crashing Lorenzo’s party.
Of the Aliens or former Aliens, Pedrosa has three wins and three podia in 11 starts. Rossi has two wins and six podia to show for 17 starts since 2000, but the most recent of those was in 2004, when Marquez was 11 years old. Jorge Lorenzo, in eight premier class starts, has four wins and a third-place finish in 2009 to go along with several violent DNFs. Vinales has bupkus, but this is a Yamaha track. Or used to be.
Marquez can boast a win, two places and a show in four MotoGP tries, barely breaking a sweat. Just once, I’d like to see him race here in anger with something on the line. Back in 2012, he won the Moto2 race here after starting 33rd. As for the factory Ducati team, you have one rider who desperately needs to win on Sunday and his currently winless teammate who has dominated at Ricardo Tormo in recent years.
This could get interesting. What is that term again? Team orders?
A Word About Valentino Rossi
“You have to believe in what they can do, not what they’re doing.”
—A.J. Hinch, Manager, World Champion Houston Astros
Over long periods of time, we all evaluate what these riders have done. The coach was referring to his leadoff hitter, and I’m talking about the folks who expect #46 to win his 10th, and last, MotoGP title in 2018. With Rossi, an objective assessment of what he’s done since his last title in 2009 suggests he peaked around 2008-2009. But the folks who wear goofy yellow wigs and set off smoke bombs and bombard me with constructive criticism believe in what Rossi can do—they’ve watched him do it for years—not what he’s doing. He is arguably the best MotoGP rider of all time. Just. Not. Now. Now, he is competitive—highly tranched, but not realistically expected to win titles. Unless you’ve got the wig and the smoke bombs and the Kool-Aid…
Final 2017 Tranches
After Round 16 Phillip Island
Tranche 1: Marquez
Tranche 2: Rossi, Vinales, Dovi, Pedrosa, Zarco, A Espargaro, P Espargaro
Tranche 3: Petrucci, Rins, Iannone, Redding, Miller, Crutchlow, Lorenzo
Tranche 4: Baz, Bautista, Smith, Abraham, Rabat
Tranche 5: Lowes, (Folger), Barbera
After Round 17 Sepang
Tranche 1: Marquez, Dovizioso↑
Tranche 2: Rossi, Vinales, Pedrosa, Zarco, A Espargaro*, Lorenzo↑
Tranche 3: Petrucci, Redding, Miller, Crutchlow, (P Espargaro)↓, Bautista↑
Tranche 4: Baz, Smith, Rabat, Iannone↓, Rins↓
Tranche 5: Lowes, (Folger), Barbera, Abraham↓
After Sunday’s race we will compare the above tranching to the actual results, i.e., how many of the riders were in the correct group according to the final points. Folger, a top tenner all year, will get hosed, but that’s the way it goes. He would likely be a 3.
(Wonder how Zarco and Folger feel about moving UP to the 2017 Tech 3 Yamaha M1 next season. Wonder if they’ll ask to stick with the 2016 iteration.) Zarco’s bank account gonna get laced in 2019 fo’ sho’.
Final Thoughts and Weekend Forecast
Perhaps the reason Valencia is awarded the last race each season is the weather. Not that it’s always great, but because when it is great, it’s really great. The long- range forecast for the weekend is sunny, breezy, dry and perfect, with daytime temps reaching 70° F. Enough sun to warm the track and tires for the riders, and paradise for the teams and fans.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I think the best thing that could happen to this race would be for Marquez to blow an engine, slide or go walky out of the points in the first lap or two. This would eliminate any touchy, don’t-be-the-guy-who-cost-Marquez-the-title riding around him, which ain’t nobody need.
What it would do is make for an astonishingly meaningful race if Dovizioso is at or near the front with one or two of the other fast movers. Teammate and homeboy Lorenzo, who desperately wants his first win on the Ducati and has team orders to “help” Dovi. Homeboy Dani Pedrosa, untitled in the premier class, with team orders to beat Dovizioso. Homeboy Maverick Vinales, whose bike historically loves a dry Ricardo Tormo and who needs to fulfill my preseason prediction of four wins. Cal Crutchlow. Andrea Iannone. Sam Lowes. Someone.
So, as the sports seasons—football, basketball, hockey—start getting juicy in the United States, MotoGP is preparing to call it another year. Reason #644 in my book 1000 Reasons MotoGP is Invisible in the United States, subtitled “Yet Another Reason I’m Not Rich and Famous.”
We are looking forward to a memorable race on Sunday, and will have results and analysis right here sometime, um, Sunday. Probably earlier if it is revealed that Andrea Dovizioso is the blessed rider of 2017. “Dog Bites Man” can wait until later in the day.
Tags: Andrea Dovizioso, johann zarco, Marc Marquez, maverick vinales, moto gp, motogp, motorcycle, Racing, Racing News, Sport, Valencia, valentino rossi
Late-Braking MotoGP 
November 8, 2017 at 2:01 am |
Bruce, studmuffin is the feminine form of stud. Unless you’re trying to insult Mark Marquez, which of course you wouldn’t dream of doing, don’t call him a studmuffin.
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November 8, 2017 at 5:40 am |
The term, as used here, is actually from the female point of view. As in the tightly-wrapped, impossibly beautiful young Spanish woman who sees Marc Marquez and thinks about how much she would like to take that delicious-looking studmuffin into her boudoir for a day or two. Perhaps, in this case, it should be stud/muffin or even stud-muffin. I would ask Dennis Chung to rule.
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November 8, 2017 at 10:06 pm |
I recall, when I was in high school in the 80s, the term “stud” being thrown around. It was high praise for a guy to be called a stud. But observers pointed out that the term was sexist because it was limited to the male of the species. In the years of Reagan, the response was to append “muffin” to the term. I don’t need to tell you that muffin is slang for vagina. Young men started praising women by calling them studmuffin. And they (we, I admit it) laughed at ourselves for being doubly sexist.
As for your impossibly beautiful woman, her wanting a studmuffin is a non sequitur. A woman wants a stud. Why would she want a muffin, unless she’s gay?
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November 9, 2017 at 7:18 am |
I am so unhappy having this little conversation. Certainly, when a young woman is referred to as a “muffin,” it carries the suggestion of someone YOU might want to take to your boudoir for a couple of days. Stud and studmuffin, to my way of thinking, apply only to straight men and are pretty much the same, just that a studmuffin doesn’t shave yet. Let’s just say that MM is, in fact, a stud, and there are plenty of beautiful young women out there who would like to eat him up. Enough.
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November 9, 2017 at 5:45 pm |
Let’s talk about something more fun. I’m seeing a battle royale in Moto 2 next year.
We have three current Moto 2 riders who are blossoming into their form: Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, and Brad Binder. All of them are on strong teams.
We also have two Moto GP alumni making a return to Moto 2: Sam Lowes and Hector Barbera. Both of them will have something to prove, and Hector is a wild man, anyway.
We also have two Moto 3 ballers making the jump: Mir and Fenati. These guys could take some time to get up to speed, but they might throw themselves into fray as soon as the lights go out in Losail.
That’s at least seven guys who should be bashing fairings at the front. I’m looking forward to it.
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November 10, 2017 at 7:05 am |
Y’know, it’s just exhausting trying to keep up with you. But I don’t think either Mir or Fenati is going to need much time to find their way to the front group. I’m trying to reach a deal with Sean, but he’s now taken over Kevin’s EiC duties and is covered up, about WSBK, can’t bear to think of trying to compose more stuff on Moto2. But, like you, I look forward to watching the races
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