MotoGP Q2
Sprint race points scorers:
J Martin 12
B Binder 9
P Bagnaia 7
L. Marini 6
M. Marquez 5
J. Zarco 4
M. Bezzecchi 3
A. Espargaro 2
M. Vinales 1
Race results:
Jorge Martin ran away with the Sprint race on Saturday. The main event on Sunday was taken by Bezzecchi, who went through on Jack Miller on Lap 11 and wasn’t challenged thereafter, increasingly looking like the man to beat in 2023. Earlier, Maverick Vinales and Pecco Bagnaia took each other out on Lap 5 and went to Fist City in the gravel trap, but kissed and made up later on. Shortly thereafter, Luca Marini and Alex Marquez went down together. Joan Mir had his usual crash on Lap 14 today, followed by Alex Rins on Lap 15, as the Honda can only be ridden by Marquez. #93 was in contention for a podium all day until he folded under pressure from Jorge Martin on Lap 26, right after Jack Miller lost the front of his KTM on Lap 25. 21 riders started the race and 13 finished, meaning Jonas Folger now has more points for the season than Mir, who, it says right here, will be spoken of in the past tense at HRC come season’s end.
It sounds like Gresini is planning to replace FDG with Tony Arbolino for next season. Frankie Morbidelli is toast. If Ai Ogura ever gets his wrist sorted out, he may very well take Takaa Nakagami’s seat as the Designated Japanese Rider in the premier class. Likewise, Raul Fernandez is unlikely to remain in MotoGP after this season, with all the young guns making noise in Moto2.
I really don’t have time to do a proper job on the French Grand Prix today, as life is once again intruding on my incessant libeling. Demolition derbies as took place today tend to obscure the fact that some pretty sorry riders end up scoring points. So while someone is bound to point out that Nakagami finished in P11 today, it was due to the fact that six or seven riders who would normally leave him in their wake were missing at the finish. And yes, I know that in order to finish first one must first finish blah blah blah. It’s not just Marquez who is riding on the ragged edge all day. I think the technology has gotten ahead of the riders, that no one is in full control of their machine, and that we are likely to see more heavy crashes–paging Pol Espargaro–yet this season. Still, when you have three riders running abreast in a turn at 100 mph there is nothing else quite like it.
Tags: brad binder, Ducati, Honda, johann zarco, jorge martin, le mans, Marc Marquez, marco bezzecchi, motogp
Late-Braking MotoGP 
May 14, 2023 at 9:25 pm |
Short and sweet. I’ve taken a shine to your incessant libeling. Our loss that you didn’t have more time for that today.
Despite the shortness, I didn’t find anything to object to, damn it. I’ll keep trying.
How about that turn out today? Was it Dorna or the track promoters that drew them in?
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May 15, 2023 at 10:06 am |
Incredible packed house in France. The crashes seem way more dangerous these days. Credit the Stay-Puft marshmallow man suits for preventing serious injuries.
All the crashing caused me to get my clock cleaned in Fantasy.
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May 15, 2023 at 10:14 pm |
The crashes do seem to be intensifying. As Bruce said the tech on the bikes is out pacing the riders, but they are taking bigger risks as well. I think they can make the bike stick in situations and on different lines that were not possible in the past. Now they have to get used to each other being on different lines. Also, the engineers are going to have to massage the new tech a bit. Remember when Ducati’s first put wings on the front? They just pushed the front when leaned over in a corner?
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May 15, 2023 at 10:22 am |
Marini and Miller didn’t help my fantasy team much. At least I don’t have Mir, and have a comfortable lead at this point. I’m thinking one of you is going to come on. Bezzechi’s got some alien on him.
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May 15, 2023 at 4:59 pm |
“Jonas Folger now has more points for the season than Mir.”
A-hahaha haha haha!
Interesting point about tech controlling the bike more than the riders and resultant crashes. I think it was BaggyEyes who first floated such an idea. He was trying to explain crashing out of the lead. Said something like maybe the bike is too good. Makes me feel too safe until I’ve crossed the limit.
I wonder if anyone on a Honda besides MM has the Kalex chassis. He lasted longer and challenged for the podium, but in the end he was picking gravel out of his teeth just like the other Honda pilots. Okay, Nakagami stayed up, but he may not be trying. The guy knows he’s out next year, so why should he take big risks now?
Poor Miller. The commentators keep bigging him up, and he keeps falling down.
Speaking of falling down, that incident between BaggyEyes and Cole Trickle was ugly. I don’t like Trickle very much, and I was inclined to blame him, but credit where it’s due, that did seem to be just a racing incident. What I can blame Trickle for, and I hope he gets officially reprimanded, is shoving/striking Baggy while he was still down. That was bullshit!
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May 15, 2023 at 5:13 pm |
Oh, I forgot to mention the BrollyGirl GP.
Wow, much talent on the grid. I think maybe…
1. Alex Marquez
2. Marco Bezz
3. Fabio Quartz
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May 15, 2023 at 6:12 pm |
With all the down force, these bikes just snap, they don’t bend. I think it is too bad, I like watching a rider wrestle a loose bike.
As far as Honda, they are screwed. Who wants to ride for them? They build a bike only Marquez can ride, then they lost their way. Now not even Marquez wants it. Then the kings of the open class ask a Moto2 guru to save them? At least they aren’t Yamaha.
The Yamaha is a great bike… I mean was a great bike 4 years ago. Fabio is going to take Aleix’s seat in 2025. Yamaha still won’t have a satellite.
Turns out to excel in racing you have to have passion. Yamaha and Honda have bean counters. I am happy the bean counters at Aprilia finally gave in.
While I agree that Mav and Pecco had a racing incident, it belongs to Pecco. Not a big deal, everyone screws up, but it was him this time. Mav should have been more interested in Peccos condition then going fisticuffs.
Anyway, long live Binder, good day.
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May 17, 2023 at 6:28 pm |
I’m gonna get a Vespa and ride around in the back. It seems with all the crashing, I could score 1 championship point in each race.
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