Late-Braking MotoGP

Pecco opens the door for Martin and Bezzecchi

As expected, this weekend’s Grand Prix of India was hotter than a freshly f**ked fox in a forest fire. Rather than thinking of it as the hottest race weekend ever, it might make more sense to view it as the coolest Indian Grand Prix of the next ten years. How hot was it? Prima Pramac Ducati pilot Jorge Martin, with the conditioning of a triathlete, was unable to drive his Desmo to Parc Ferme, having to get off at his garage. His team poured ice water into his leathers, on his neck, removed his helmet, and tended to him as he sank to his knees. There is some confusion as to whether he actually lost consciousness. Suffice it to say that, with 7 races (plus 7 sprints) in the next 9 weeks, this is a scene we are going to see again and again. Carmelo Ezpeleta and his minions at Dorna want to squeeze every last dollar out of this series. Their efforts may yet result in a rider losing his life. With Kazakhstan and Aragon getting added to the 2024 calendar, the squeeze will continue.

The Tissot Sprint on Saturday was a bit of a cluster, as Luca Marini barged into teammate Marco Bezzecchi in Turn 1 of Lap 1, with Pol Espargaro, Stefan Bradl and Augusto Fernandez getting caught up in the ensuing fire drill. Bezzecchi and Fernandez would continue, but Marini broke his collarbone, causing my fantasy team to take a hit. Bezzecchi laid down a vapor trail from the back of the pack and ended the day in P5, foreshadowing what would occur in Sunday’s main event. Pecco and Marc Marquez–remember him?–claimed the second and third steps of the podium behind race winner Jorge Martin.

In Sunday’s race, Bezzecchi once again was in a league of his own, taking the lead in Turn 4 of Lap 1 and riding off into the smog. He was pursued by Bagnaia, Martin and Marquez. On Lap 6 Marquez slid out, dropping from P4 to P16 before climbing back up to P9 at the flag. Pecco did the world a favor by hitting the deck on Lap 14 while running second, causing his team and Ducati management another epic case of heartburn.

Once Bagnaia left the building, Martin and Fabio Quartararo–remember him?– took up the chase. Fabio, aboard the woeful Yamaha M1, did not appear to present any kind of threat to Martin until late in the last lap, when Martin inexplicably went walkabout, doubtless due to his fighting heat stroke inside his leathers and helmet. Suddenly, #20 and #89 were in a fight for P2, with Martin desperate for the four extra points that would come his way if he held on against the Frenchman and literally passing out. He was able to lunge inside #20 late and stand him up, hold on to P2 and avoid mayhem, but this episode is a harbinger of things yet to come in Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar and Malaysia.

Assuming Martin will not get penalized for unzipping his leathers during Sunday’s race, the championship heads to Japan next week with Bagnaia holding a 13 point lead over Martin and clear of Bezzecchi by 56 points.

Elsewhere, my boy Jaume Masia dominated the Moto3 race, pulling into a tie for the series lead with Daniel Holgado, with Ayumu Sasaki a single point behind the pair. (The 2023 standings are as close as most of the races in this, the most exciting division in MotoGP racing.) Pedro Acosta continued his domination of Moto2 winning easily today, on his way to MotoGP next season. The paddock was abuzz all weekend with the rumor, expected to be confirmed next week, of Marc Marquez’s defection to Gresini Ducati commencing next year, with the Marquez brothers riding together on the Italian Ducati satellite operation. Morbidelli to Pramac Ducati next year is now firm. Zarco to LCR Honda is now firm. Rins to the factory Yamaha team next year is now firm. Nakagami remaining with LCR Honda next year is now firm. The question left to be answered for 2024: Who will take Marquez’s seat on the factory Honda team alongside Joan Mir?

Footnote: Things in the cosmos have settled down now, as I have assumed my rightful place in our fantasy league, seizing the lead for the year with today’s result, despite the sorry performances turned in by Aleix Espargaro and Luca Marini. Don’t call it a comeback, bitches.

Tags: Bruce Allen, Buddh, Ducati, Honda, jorge martin, Marc Marquez, marco bezzecchi, motogp

This entry was posted on September 24, 2023 at 7:56 am and is filed under Ducati, Fantasy MotoGP, Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, Marc Marquez, Moto, Moto2, Moto3, MotoGP, Motorcycle Racing, Racing News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.