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2014 Valencia Test Times, Day 2

November 12, 2013

by Bruce Allen

11/12/2013            Courtesy of Crash.net

1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 30.536s (Lap 75/77)
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 30.768s (58/60)
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 30.948s (67/72)
4. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 1m 30.990s (57/60)
5. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 1m 31.208s (41/72)
6. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 31.397s (77/78)
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 31.414s (56/57)
8. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 31.661s (55/62)
9. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 31.836s (66/72)
10. Andrea Iannone ITA Energy T.I. Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 31.844s (61/68)
11. Cal Crutchlow GBR Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 32.114s (53/53)
12. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Team (GP13) 1m 32.473s (47/65)
13. Nicky Hayden USA Power Electronics Aspar (RCV1000R) 1m 32.576s (76/76)
14. Yonny Hernandez COL Ignite Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 32.800s (26/27)
15. Aleix Espargaro ESP NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Yamaha M1) 1m 32.847s (17/18)
16. Colin Edwards USA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Yamaha M1) 1m 33.149s (21/34)
17. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM-ART) 1m 33.672s (32/43)
18. Randy de Puniet FRA Paul Bird Motorsport (ART) 1m 33.833s (22/37)
19. Scott Redding GBR Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RCV1000R) 1m 34.541s (22/23)
20. Mike di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing (FTR-Kawasaki) 1m 34.618s (29/42)

Interesting notes–

Marquez, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Bradl all lap under 1:31, starting up where they left off on Sunday.

Dovi testing at ValenciaAfter a full year on the GP13, Andrea Dovizioso is half a second faster than Cal Crutchlow is after one full day.  Nicky Hayden slipped a mere 8/10ths from his qualifying time on the GP13 during his first day on the new Honda lite RCV1000R.  Little Brother Pol Espargaro, riding the Tech 3 satellite Yamaha, beat Big Brother Aleix on the FTR Yamaha  by a full second.  Randy de Puniet shows up out of nowhere and Paul Byrd puts him on the full ART, throwing Michael Laverty back on the so-called PBM-ART, from which Laverty thought he had graduated late last season; the Welshman can’t be too happy about that.  And Hector Barbera, fresh off signing a new two year deal with Avintia Blusens, is too drunk to get on the bike either day, but sober enough to give a gushing interview to the Italian media as to how excited he is by the prospect of finishing 16th most days for the next two years.  Jeesh.

Scott Redding is too banged up to give his new Honda lite a proper whipping.  Valentino Rossi, who unceremoniously threw his faithful and longstanding crew chief Jerry Burgess under the bus last weekend, still finds himself running behind the likes of Bradl, Bautista and satellite Yamaha rider Bradley Smith.  Vale, you’re on the same bike Lorenzo nearly won a third world championship on.  The problem is NOT the crew chief!

Yonny Hernandez, on a factory spec GP13, finds himself running in 14th position.  Wait until he gets the dumbed-down version with the second rate software.  At least he’ll still have the pleasure of getting to burn out a dozen engines during the season, while Crazy Joe Iannone will have to settle for five engines and a fighting chance to run in Q2s and finish in the top ten at some tracks.

 

Captain America - 1969

This picture of Peter Fonda doing his Captain America bit from Easy Rider  is appropos of nothing, but there’s no editors at Motorcycle.com to take it down.  Gotta love that!  Pretty sure the crack about Barbera being drunk wouldn’t have made it through, either.

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Posted in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, MotoGP, MotoGP Valencia, Motorcycle Racing | 3 Comments »

Lorenzo Wins at Motegi; Title Up for Grabs in Spain

October 27, 2013

Read all about it on Motorcycle.com.  Too tired tonight to do all the cutting and pasting.

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Posted in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, MotoGP, MotoGP Motegi, Motorcycle Racing | 4 Comments »

Pedrosa wins at Sepang; Marquez extends lead

October 13, 2013

by Bruce Allen.  An edited version of this story, complete with non-bootlegged images, will appear on Motorcycle.com tonight or tomorrow. Until then, please enjoy the raw copy.

Repsol Hondas finish one-two in the Malaysian heat 

pedrosa_marquez

For factory Yamaha double world champion Jorge Lorenzo and the Repsol Honda duo of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix was going to be a statement race.  Lorenzo’s intent, clear from the outset, was to beat rookie Marquez at any cost.  Pedrosa, the victim of plain bad luck at Aragon, looked determined to prove that he was still a force at the top of the MotoGP food chain.  And Marc Marquez, on his way to the 2013 title, wanted the world to know that his brain is bigger than his balls. 

How, you’re wondering, do I know these things to be true?  Pure deduction, based upon things that were said during the week, and the actions of the riders during the race.  At the Thursday press conference, Jorge Lorenzo went OFF, delivering a scathing critique of Marquez’ relentless risk taking and Race Direction’s lame season-long response thereto.  To paraphrase Lorenzo’s tongue-in-cheek outburst, he claimed that Marquez approaches MotoGP as if it were NASCAR, bumping and grinding his competitors every time out, with but three “penalty points” to show for his behavior.  Actually, three penalty points and a World Championship.  Lorenzo, it seems, is put out over how Race Direction has rewarded bad behavior on Marquez’ part with a trophy and a bit of toothless punishment.  Thankfully, he didn’t play the Marco Simoncelli card as an example of what can happen to the fast and the reckless.

Dani Pedrosa gave us one of his trademarked “slingshot” starts today, moving from fifth position on the grid to sitting on Lorenzo’s pipes in the middle of Lap 1.  He and Marquez had been fast all weekend in practice, but Pedrosa looked determined not simply to podium today, but to win.  On Lap 5, having just received a mapping change from his pit crew, he bumped Lorenzo out of his way—just racing!—and took over first place for the duration.  Never looking back, he won by almost three seconds, for the first time since Le Mans.  Two years ago, when he had this kind of pace, Pedrosa would win by 12 seconds, and would have felt great afterwards.

Two years ago he had no Marc Marquez to deal with.

Marquez, for his part, looked mainly interested in staying out of trouble today.  He seemed surprised at Lorenzo’s Thursday outburst, and tried to make light of it, before figuring out that Jorge was seriously furious with him.  Settling into third position at the start, he joined Pedrosa in slipping past Lorenzo on Lap 5.  The Yamaha icon was simply not having it today.  He came right back at the rookie and gave him a good bump on Lap 6, briefly moving back into second place.  The two went at each other tooth and fang through Lap 7, when Marquez went through for good, pushing Lorenzo out onto the candystripes exiting a late corner, and essentially sealing the 2013 championship in the process.

Having put Lorenzo away, you expected Marquez to go after Pedrosa in the hunt for another gratuitous win.  Instead, he appeared to lay back, content to simply manage the gap between himself and Lorenzo.  In addition to being his teammate, Dani Pedrosa is absolutely no threat to his title aspirations.  The mountain of criticism piled upon Marquez after Aragon, most of it undeserved, clearly had an effect on the young Spaniard.  Thus, he was able to emerge from today’s race with no further damage to his reputation, and with a bigger lead in the championship race than he had at the start of the day.  All in all, a good day’s work.

Elsewhere on the Grid

Valentino Rossi on Saturday enjoyed his best QP since 2010, starting from the second spot on the grid.  On Sunday, this advantage lasted all of 10 seconds, as both Lorenzo and Pedrosa blew by him on the way to the first turn.  Rossi spent the entire day—all 20 laps—in fourth place, and appeared to be hanging around, waiting for one of the leaders to fall, or run wide, something, anything, in the hope of securing yet another hollow podium.  I get it that Rossi is a marketing machine who makes cash registers ring for Yamaha, but his diminishing presence on the team means Lorenzo is getting double-teamed every week.  And as the standings show, the result is going to be another world championship for Honda.

With the bulk of the field strung out in a ghastly premier class procession, the only real contest of the day involved Tech 3 Yamaha Brit Cal Crutchlow and GO&FUN pilot Alvaro Bautista, who spent the day jousting over fifth place.  Crutchlow, with the slower bike and zero motivation, eventually succumbed to Bautista, losing out by a couple of tenths.  While LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl missed today’s race due to a broken ankle suffered in FP4 on Saturday, Bautista moved past Bradl into sixth place for the season.

With two of the four Ducatis on the grid retiring with mechanical problems—Iannone with exhaust issues, Hayden with a blown engine—Yonny Hernandez made a respectable showing on his Pramac Ducati, finishing 10th after starting 16th.  Hector Barbera, riding for the Avintia Blusens team, weathered a ride-through penalty for jumping the start and still managed 14th place for the day.  Fellow jumpers Colin Edwards and Michael Laverty fared slightly worse, with Edwards coming home in 15th place and Laverty crashing out on Lap 13.

The Big Picture, Heading to Australia

The season has developed what feels like a grinding inevitability, as Valenciana draws closer and Marquez’ lead in the standings grows larger.  The rookie demonstrated today that he is not, in fact, compelled to try to win every single round, that he appreciates where he sits in the standings and what he must to do stay on top.  He showed a little respect (or was it pity?) for his teammate by laying off and not trying to out-race him yet again today, when there was nothing to be gained from such showboating but a few more haters.

Stoner testing

With Phillip Island looming, the Magic Numbers are now clearly in focus.  Lorenzo trails Marquez by 43 points; Pedrosa trails by 54.  Unless Pedrosa wins in Australia, he will be eliminated next week.  If Marquez wins and Lorenzo finishes third or worse, the fat lady will be singing “Advance Australia Fair” next Sunday afternoon.  The moment it was announced that Bradl would miss Round 16, rumors started circulating that Casey Stoner would return to try for a seventh (!) consecutive win at his home track, a rumor both Honda and Stoner currently deny.  But the alignment of the MotoGP stars and planets is such that Stoner’s appearance on the LCR Honda next weekend wouldn’t surprise, or disappoint, too many fans.  With three rounds left, there is precious little else to cheer for.

TOP TEN YTD AFTER SEPANG.

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Posted in MotoGP, MotoGP Sepang, Motorcycle Racing, Racing News | 3 Comments »

Marquez tags Pedrosa, wins again at Aragon

September 29, 2013

by Bruce Allen. This story, along with hi-rez images, can be found on Motorcycle.com.

Marquez at AragonYears from now, when racing historians ask, “Was there an identifiable moment when Marc Marquez made it clear he would become one of the all-time greats in MotoGP?” many people will answer, “Lap six of the 2013 Aragon GP.”  Determined to go through on Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa at Turn 12, he grazed the back of Pedrosa’s rear tire, stood his bike up, and watched as Pedrosa lost control in a violent highside.  With Pedrosa done for the day, Marquez went on to track down Yamaha #1 Jorge Lorenzo for the sixth win of his rookie year. 

With four rounds left in the 2013 season, it appears Marquez can coast to the first of what promises to be a healthy number of premier class world titles.  Lorenzo, his nearest rival, now trails him by 39 points while Pedrosa, battered, bruised and broken, stands another 20 points in arrears, the victim of Marquez’s lack of experience and utter fearlessness.  No one will suggest that Marquez’s move in Turn 12 was malicious; he came within a whisker of crashing out himself, saved once again only by his cat-like balance and reflexes.  If he can be accused of anything, it is a certain ruthlessness hidden behind his apparent baby-faced innocence.  But make no mistake about it:  Marquez is ambitious and driven, and you had better stand out of his way.

The other riders on the grid have already figured this out.  Jorge Lorenzo, who led from the first turn, found himself on Lap 14 with Marquezcropped-jorge-lorenzo-20131.jpg on his pipes.  Rather than be attacked by the rookie, Lorenzo, as competitive as they come, let Marquez through, admitting so in the post-race press conference.  On a windy day, with braking problems, Lorenzo decided he would be better off slipstreaming the Honda rider, attacking rather than getting attacked.  His strategy failed, as Marquez, once through, never looked back on his way to winning by 1.5 seconds.

Last week I talked about the eyes of Pedrosa and Lorenzo, how Pedrosa appeared resigned while Lorenzo seemed determined.  The images from today’s race will show Pedrosa wearing what’s known as the thousand mile stare, and a look of resignation—not to be confused with acceptance—now written on Jorge Lorenzo’s face.  Nothing Lorenzo could have done today or this season (other than paying heed to cold tires at Assen and the Sachsenring) was going to prevent Marquez from winning his first premier class title.  It has been a matter of too much bike, too much ability, and too much good fortune to end any other way.

One wonders about the atmosphere going forward in the Repsol Honda garage.  On the Marquez side, at age 20, his career path is now leaving contrails on the way to fame, fortune and glory.  On the Pedrosa side, there must exist a disturbing sense that part of the reason for his now certain ruin lays at Marquez’s doorstep.

On his 28th birthday, Pedrosa must understand that his future in MotoGP is likely to consist of a few competitive seasons, followed, perhaps, by a few non-competitive seasons, after which he will need to find something to do with the rest of his life.  Like Roman candles, the best MotoGP careers burn spectacularly for a short time, inspiring plenty of oohs and aahs, before leaving behind, in most cases, a charred, hollow, quickly-forgotten casing.  Winning a championship changes the end of the story and establishes a legacy; failing to do so reduces one to a Wikipedia entry.  In the opinion of many, Dani Pedrosa deserves better.

Dani-dani-pedrosa-9702356-435-380

Elsewhere on the Grid

Yamaha #2 and Alien Emeritus Valentino Rossi took advantage of Pedrosa’s misfortune by out-riding GO&FUN Honda pilot Alvaro Bautista on the way to his fifth podium of the year.  Rossi, Bautista, LCR Honda German Stefan Bradl and Monster Tech 3 defector Cal Crutchlow formed the second group of the day and jockeyed for third place from Lap 6 on, with Rossi taking advantage of his experience to beat the two Hondas to the flag.  The same could be said for most of the grid from Row 5 up; for the non-Aliens, the 2013 Aragon GP pretty much ended up where it started.

Crutchlow’s teammate and fellow Brit Bradley Smith finished in his customary seventh place, while Ducati #1 Andrea Dovizioso topped teammate Nicky Hayden in their weekly tussle for eighth.  For the season, Hayden has finished seventh, eighth or ninth a total of 10 times and Dovizioso nine.  Dovizioso leads Hayden in the standings 112 to 102.  After 14 rounds last year, Dovi had accumulated 179 points.  The difference—67 points, or 5 points per round—is The Ducati Effect.  Crutchlow, leaving Tech 3 Yamaha at the end of the year for the Italian manufacturer, currently holds 156 points.  Expect him to be under 100 at this time next year, but living in a bigger house.

The Big Picture

The only conceivable factor clouding the picture as the 2013 season winds down is the fact that Marc Marquez suffered the single most injurious crash of his career at the next stop on the tour in Malaysia.  That was in 2011, and it was overlooked in the chaos and heartbreak surrounding the death that same weekend of Marco Simoncelli.  During one of the practice sessions following a rainstorm, with the track drying, Marquez failed to notice a puddle of water in one of the turns, hydroplaned at speed, going airborne and landing on his head.  His vision was impaired through the beginning of the 2012 season.  He will undoubtedly be more cautious this year, as he can clinch the title by finishing third for the next four races.

Jorge Lorenzo, of course, will not quit in his pursuit of his budding nemesis.  He will be at a disadvantage at Sepang due to the heat and Motegi due to the layout.  He will have a puncher’s chance at Phillip Island and Valenciana.  But unless Marquez crashes out at least once, Lorenzo will have to be satisfied as the runner-up in 2013.  And, as we’ve discussed above at length, probably for some years to come.

Otherwise, there is very little at stake in the remaining rounds.  Crutchlow is leaving his team at the end of the year and has nothing to prove.  Bradl would prefer to finish ahead of Bautista in the satellite Honda scrum, but each is under contract for 2014.  Nicky Hayden may be the most highly motivated rider on the grid for the duration, as he would dearly love to stick one in the eye of Ducati management and outpoint teammate Dovizioso before his ejection from the team.  If, as rumored, he hooks up with the Aspar Power Electronics team on what would be pretty much a 2014 factory Aprilia, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him beating the Ducati riders next season.  That would be something to cheer about.

Top Ten after Aragon

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MotoGP Aragon Preview

September 24, 2013

by Bruce Allen.  

See the edited version of this article, complete with hi-rez images, on Motorcycle.com.

Lorenzo needs to keep his streak going 

The 2013 MotoGP championship chase has now come down to the annual Pacific Swing, sandwiched between Aragon and Valenciana.  A mere five rounds left for all the marbles in the premier motorcycle series on Earth.  Seven weeks for Honda little big man Dani Pedrosa or defending Yamaha champion Jorge Lorenzo to erase the 34 point gap Repsol rookie Marc Marquez has built over the past six months.  Good luck with that.

Dani-dani-pedrosa-9702356-435-380Many followers of the sport, myself included, feel it is actually a two man race, that Dani Pedrosa has been spiritually broken over the last six rounds.  He had ruled at the top of the heap after Round 7 at Assen, with two golds and three silvers, and led challengers Lorenzo and Marquez by nine and 23 points, respectively.   Having re-broken his left collarbone in practice at the Sachsenring, he has given up 57 points to his rookie teammate since mid-July.  His body language these days gives the impression of a beaten man.  His are the brooding eyes of a contender who has, once again, fallen short of the prize.

Two time and defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo, on the other hand, Jorge-Lorenzo-Smile-HDseems to have found a second wind since Brno.  By winning at Silverstone and again at Misano, he has clawed back 10 of the 44 point deficit he faced in late August.  Although it will take a minor miracle, and some rookie mistakes by the relaxed Marquez, to put Lorenzo within reach—say 10 points—of the title by the time Valenciana rolls around, he will concede nothing.  He is probably not going to make it.  From Lorenzo’s vantage point, he may run out of time, but he will not have lost.  His are the eyes of a champion.

Here’s the thing.  Marquez has proven, among a host of other things this season, that he is a rapid learner.  As good as he has become since April, he is only going to get better, and faster, over the rest of this decade.  What he has accomplished this season—six poles, five wins, and 12 podiums in 13 rounds—he has done almost purely on instinct.  Add experience and maturity to the mix, and he appears likely to emerge in a class by himself.

Marquez the ManHRC management is going to keep a death grip on Marquez’ services and provide him with the finest equipment on the griduntil he quits the game.  2013 could be the last realistic opportunity for Jorge Lorenzo to secure his third world championship.  No wonder he’s pressing; if we can see the writing on the wall, surely he can, too.  One mistake, though, and it’s over.

A Brief History of MotoGP at MotorLand 

A last-minute substitution for the failed Balatonring circuit in Hungary in 2010, MotorLand Aragon is an anomaly:  a Yamaha-friendly circuit at which Jorge Lorenzo has never won.  Casey Stoner won easily that year on the Ducati, joined on the podium by Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden, who punked Lorenzo on the penultimate turn of the race for his annual post-2006 rostrum.  The race in 2010 was memorable for having had two Ducatis on the podium, the last time that is likely to happen in my lifetime.

Stoner won again in 2011 for Repsol Honda, followed at some distance by teammate Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Marco Simoncelli.  Valentino Rossi, befouled by the new six engine rule that year, became the first rider ever forced to start from pit lane for going over budget on his engines on his way to a 10th place finish.

Last year, Dani Pedrosa, in the midst of his white-hot finish to the 2012 season, blistered the field and fended off all four Yamahas, with Lorenzo and Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso joining him on the podium.  Stoner sat out with the injury suffered at Indianapolis three rounds earlier, and his sub, journeyman Johnny Rea, acquitted himself nicely with a gratifying 7th place finish onboard the Repsol Honda.

Let’s review.  Since 2010, Dani Pedrosa has a gold and two silvers.  Jorge Lorenzo has, in order, a 4th, a 3rd and a 2nd, an encouraging trend if ever there was.  Young Marquez crashed out of the 125 race in 2010, won handily in Moto2 in 2011, and finished second to Pol Espargaro last season in a Moto2 classic, with the top four riders crossing the line within 2 seconds of the winner.  MM ♥ Aragon.

I’m not going out on a limb predicting that these three will end up on the podium on Sunday afternoon.  After all, they’ve hogged the top three spots seven times this year, including the last four rounds.  Alien Emeritus Rossi, meanwhile, has four consecutive 4th place finishes going for him.  His frustration has reached such a high level that he announced this week he’s forming a Moto3 team for 2014, perhaps giving some thought to what life will be like after his racing days are over.  His winning days are largely behind him already.  MotoGP is a young man’s game; there are no Peyton Mannings in MotoGP.

Musical Chairs in the Lower Tranches

Expect the announcement this weekend that Nicky Hayden will be joining the Aspar Power Electronics team for 2014 with enhanced involvement/investment from the Aprilia factory.  Don’t expect his teammate to be Randy de Puniet, who appears likely to take 2014 off to test for Suzuki prior to returning to the grid in 2015.

Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, is reportedly torn between remaining with Aspar or taking his act to the NGM Forward Racing team to join the ancient Colin Edwards on Yamaha-powered FTRs.  With Scott Redding having signed with the GO&FUN Gresini team and slated for one of the new Honda “production” bikes, there appears to be a seat available for someone at either Aspar or Forward Racing.  I’d like to hear some ideas as to who might end up where.  Laverty’s brother Eugene has expressed interest in the Aprilia MotoGP program, apparently anxious to whip up on brother Michael.  Not to mention quadrupling his salary.

At the bottom of the food chain, Michael Laverty is getting a bit of a promotion on the PBM team, moving from the PBM ART to the ART ART in a dazzling display of acronyms.  Yonny Hernandez, as we mentioned last time, is taking over for Ben Spies on the Pramac Ducati, with Spies insisting his contract is in no jeopardy for 2014; we’ll see about that.  Australian Damien Cudlin, last seen subbing in MotoGP in 2011, will apparently replace Hernandez on the PBM team for the last five rounds of 2013.

Karel Abraham has cashed out for the year, with his Cardion AB seat being taken, at least this week, by Former Ferracci MV Rider Luca Scassa.  Scassa, onboard a Kawasaki, is sixth this season in World Supersport, not exactly a threat to crash the top ten at Aragon.

Honda Weather for Round 14

Temps are expected to rise into the 80’s and 90’s this weekend at Motorland, such conditions favoring Pedrosa and Marquez.  But Lorenzo is overdue for a win here, having tasted victory at the three other Spanish venues.  Has Pedrosa thrown in the towel?  Can Lorenzo keep his streak, and his championship dreams, alive?  Will Marquez provide another last lap thriller?  Tune into Fox Sports 1 at 8 am EDT for live coverage of the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon.   We’ll have results right here on Sunday morning.

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MotoGP Misano Results

September 15, 2013

by Bruce Allen.  An edited version of this article will appear later today on Motorcycle.com, complete with hi-rez images.  Until then, enjoy the raw copy.

Lorenzo wins easily; Marquez extends series lead 

On a cloudy day in the hills above the Adriatic Riviera, factory Yamaha #1 Jorge Lorenzo demonstrated why he is a double premier class world champion.  In the second of seven consecutive “must win” races, he never trailed the Repsol Honda duo of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in a decisive Yamaha vs. Honda beatdown.  Now, all he must do to maintain a faint chance for his third world championship is run the table for the rest of the season. 

Lorenzo at work

Lorenzo has had a number of days like this in his six premier class seasons.  Starting from the middle of the first row, he was able to jump out to the early lead, put the hammer down, establish a working margin over the next three bikes, and lay down 28 throbbing, piston-like laps that left his chasers gasping for air.  He clearly has the sense of urgency which should accompany a 34 point deficit to rookie series leader Marc Marquez with five races left in the season.  In the post-race press conference, he acknowledged that today’s win has little to do with the 2013 title, other than to boost his confidence and provide a few warm fuzzies.  With six wins in his last six races in Italy, he should get a “JL ♥ Italia” bumper sticker for his M1.

The trio of Pedrosa, Marquez and Alien Emeritus Valentino Rossi, respectively, trailed Lorenzo at the start, with Rossi looking perky and capable of impacting the podium one way or another.  On Lap 5, Marquez had to stand his bike up to avoid running up Pedrosa’s back wheel, allowing Rossi through into 3rd place and giving the 50,000 Italian fans something to cheer insanely about for roughly 12 minutes.  Marquez went back through Rossi on Lap 12, relegating the local hero to fourth place for the fourth consecutive race, leading to the inescapable conclusion that Rossi is now the fourth fastest rider on the grid.  The insane cheering continued unabated, regardless.

What transpired next was an instructive intra-team battle between yesterday and tomorrow, as Pedrosa and Marquez threw down, bared their teeth, and went at it.  Pedrosa, desperately trying to hold on to second place and some relevance in the 2013 title hunt, kept the rookie at bay until Lap 18, when Marquez aggressively passed him.  Pedrosa, who had been staring at the rookie’s back tire all weekend, was not going down without a fight.  He finally managed to go back through on his teammate on Lap 22, only to cede the lead some three turns later, and that was that. Gathering another 20 points today, Marquez extended his series lead, now over Lorenzo and Pedrosa, to 34 points, with Lorenzo holding the tiebreaker.

cropped-lorenzo-and-marquez.jpgFor those of you anxious to criticize me for conceding the 2013 title to Marc Marquez this early in the season, I will argue that a thoroughly broken Dani Pedrosa is out of the equation, and that what fight is left will be between Marquez and Lorenzo.  Over Lorenzo’s five premier class seasons at the remaining 5 venues, he has two wins—Motegi in 2009 and Valencia in 2010—to show for his efforts.  (Marquez, in his final 125 season and two Moto2 years, has 6 wins out of 13 possibles.)

As today’s tilt showed, even when Lorenzo wins, he can’t count on grabbing back a lot of points on the unflappable, smooth-faced rookie.  Someone kindly calculate the odds of Lorenzo beating Marquez five rounds in a row at circuits where his victories over the past five seasons have come in at around 10% (with three DNFs) vs. 42% for Marquez.  Never mind.  Relying on an advanced degree in economics, I’ve computed that number myself, which comes in at “just north of zero.”

To further kick this dead horse, even if Lorenzo does win the next five rounds— a dubious proposition, although the new Yamaha seamless gearbox will help him—Marquez now has a magic number of, at most, 92.  The heat of Sepang and the slow, stop-and-go pace of Motegi will work in his favor.  With Stoner out of the picture, Phillip Island is now up for grabs, and should favor Lorenzo.  I’m a big fan of Jorge Lorenzo, who handles himself professionally at all times, but I fear he is now in the “moral victory” business, as the war appears to have been lost.  Just sayin’.

Elsewhere on the Grid

Yamaha Tech 3 Brit Cal Crutchlow and LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl squared off for a day-long battle over 5th place, with Crutchlow getting worked by the young German late on the final lap to cap a nauseating weekend.  He managed exactly one fast lap in practice to start in the middle of the second row after having had to go through Q1.  Bradl, whose season seems to have peaked at Laguna Seca, managed a small victory today but appears to be underachieving on what should be a very fast ride.

Aspar Power Electronics star Aleix Espargaro took full advantage of the cramped layout of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to qualify in 6th place and appeared to be en route to a great day until the lights went out at the start, as he got away way early and had to take a ride-through penalty, ultimately finishing 13th, four seconds behind top CRT finisher Colin Edwards on his NGM Forward Racing nag.  Espargaro, who expects to advance up the MotoGP food chain next season, is apparently having difficulties negotiating a move within the caste system that comprises the premier class, judging from comments he made to Crash.net earlier in the week.

I’m trying to think of something positive to say about GO&FUN Gresini Honda pilot Alvaro Bautista, who started eighth and finished seventh, courtesy of Espargaro’s flinch, but just can’t find the words.  Mark my words—this guy, assuming he holds on to his contract for 2014, is on his way down the food chain.  He may have the best hair on the grid, but the rest of the package is, as my dad used to say, from hunger.  The irony built into his sponsorship is hilarious, as he is generally Slow Go and No Fun.

The season-long skirmish over eighth place between factory Ducati teammates Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden continued in full force today, with Dovi coming out on top.  Both were within five seconds of losing to factory tester Michele Pirro, again subbing for the so-finished Ben Spies on the Ignite Pramac junior entry, which would have been thoroughly humiliating in front of the suits from the Bologna factory attending today’s race.  Tech 3 Yamaha #2 Bradley Smith, who has benefitted from some of the Dovizioso/Hayden clashes during the season, could only manage 11th place today during a wasted weekend in the idyllic province of Rimini.  He might as well have been laying out on the beach, his fish belly-white skin getting burned to a crisp.

Changes Afoot at the Bottom of the Pool

Crash.net reports some interesting news from the Pramac and Paul Byrd Motorsports teams today, as ridiculous as that may sound.  Pramac, a little slow on the uptake, is apparently finally convinced that Ben Spies’ season is over, and has reportedly poached Yonny Hernandez from the PBM team to finish the season on its junior Desmosedici.  (Yonny, I hope your health insurance premiums are up-to-date.)  Michele Pirro, who seems to have a great deal of potential, will be going back to testing for Ducati.  All of this is apparently good news too for Michael Laverty, who will be promoted from the team’s ART-powered Frankenbike to its full ART package, with an unfortunate Rider To Be Named Later taking over Laverty’s bucket.

As for this report’s bearing on the 2013 championship, it should be noted that Hernandez has scored seven points this year and Laverty three.

TOP TEN RIDERS 2013 YEAR TO DATE

2013 Top 11 Riders after 13 Rounds

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MotoGP Misano Preview

September 9, 2013

by Bruce Allen.

Motorcycle.com will publish this article on Wednesday or Thursday, complete with hi-rez images.  Until then, please enjoy the raw copy.

Lorenzo and Pedrosa are running out of time 

Factory Yamaha kingpin Jorge Lorenzo kept his faint 2013 title hopes alive in Britain last time out with a stirring, come-from-behind win over rookie Repsol Honda wunderkind Marc Marquez.  That Marquez was competing with a dislocated shoulder on a track perfectly attuned to the YZR-M1’s characteristics makes his 20 point day almost beyond belief.  Marquez’s teammate, pre-season favorite Dani Pedrosa, was reduced to spectator status on a day that put the 2013 season in sharp focus. 

Round 13, the GP Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini opens the final third of what has been a shocking premier class season.  For Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who had been expected to battle for the title, San Marino will either thrust one of them back into contention or start the countdown to the first of many MotoGP world championships for Marquez, who competes as if he’s from a different planet.  The Alien of all Aliens, if you will.

Silverstone was a race Jorge Lorenzo had been expected to win, having won there in 2010 and again last year.  He had his game face on all weekend, after third place finishes in Indianapolis and Brno the previous two weeks.  He loves the track, and was fast in practice all three days.  When Marquez went over the handlebars on Sunday morning, it looked like the racing gods were finally smiling on the Mallorcan, offering him the opportunity for an easy win, a chance to gain back a big chunk of the 44 point lead his two shoulder surgeries had given Marquez.  Instead, it took everything he had to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on the penultimate turn of the race.  Like a big old yellow dog, Marquez appears more dangerous when hurt.

As for Pedrosa, his racing life has turned into a dirt sandwich, and the only choice left to him is whether he wants it on white or wheat.  Appearing more stoic than usual, he seems reconciled the fact that not only is he not going to win the title this year, but he is now unlikely to EVER win a premier class championship.  As my dad used to say, all that meat and no potatoes.  He has now become the Karl Malone of MotoGP, with trophy cases filled to bursting in his spacious den, and not a premier class title to be seen.  Fame and fortune are his, but I suspect he would gladly trade it all for a single MotoGP title.  After his supersonic finish in 2012, winning six of the last eight, and a successful offseason, 2013 looked to be his year.  Having to stand by and watch his 20 year-old teammate bask in the glory of an historic rookie campaign must be a bitter pill to swallow.

And so it goes in 2013.  One or two more wins and Marc Marquez will be able to coast to the title.  Jorge Lorenzo needs the new “magic Yamaha gearbox” right now; there is no tomorrow.  Dani Pedrosa needs a miracle or some serious misfortune to befall his teammate.  And while he’s certainly allowed to wish for the former, hoping for the latter is out of bounds, even for a sport in which teammates are usually rivals.  At this point, Pedrosa’s only chance is to out-Marquez Marquez, take the fight to him, and let Shuhei Nakamoto worry about the fallout.

Recent History at Misano

2009, The Year of Valentino Rossi’s Last World Championship, saw Rossi win on his Fiat Yamaha, punking hot-blooded teammate Lorenzo on his way to the title, while Pedrosa claimed third and Andrea Dovizioso, also on a factory Honda, took fourth.  That year, Alex de Angelis seemed to aim his Gresini Honda at Colin Edwards’ Tech 3 Yamaha on the first lap, unseating Edwards, whose suddenly rider-less bike proceeded to remove Nicky Hayden from his factory Ducati.  Hayden and Edwards had to be restrained by the marshals in the gravel, each eager to administer a lesson on the finer points of motorcycle riding to de Angelis, with their fists.

The 2010 MotoGP race was a grim affair won eventually by Pedrosa.  Lorenzo and Rossi joined him on the podium for a subdued post-race celebration, followed again by Dovizioso.  Earlier in the day, Moto2 pilot Shoya Tomizawa died following a gruesome crash involving Scott Redding and de Angelis. That day, we also learned that Cal Crutchlow would be making the jump from WSBK to the Tech 3 Yamaha team, replacing Ben Spies, who was tagged to take Rossi’s seat on the factory Yamaha team after Rossi left to join Ducati, in one of the worst career moves ever, by anyone, in any sport, anywhere.  Just sayin’.

cropped-jorge-lorenzo-2013.jpg2011 was Lorenzo’s year, as he easily defeated Pedrosa while Casey Stoner, on his way to the championship, finished an uninspired third.  Marco Simoncelli claimed fourth place that day, one of the better outings in his too-short MotoGP career, at the track that now bears his name.  For the third consecutive year, Nicky Hayden failed to finish, crashing out unassisted early in the race.

Last year, chaos reigned at the start, a long story which resulted in Pedrosa starting from the back of the grid and ended with his getting Barbera’ed on the first lap.  With Lorenzo busy running away from the field, the way was suddenly clear for dark horses Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista to claim spots on the podium.  Pedrosa, who had started the day trailing Lorenzo by a mere 13 points with six rounds to go, ended it trailing by 38, his day and season ruined by a combination of bad luck and Hector Barbera’s persistent lack of spatial awareness.

Rossi winning at Brno. Courtesy of motogp.com

Rossi winning at Brno. Courtesy of motogp.com

Lest I forget, it should be noted that Marc Marquez won here in 2010 in the 125 class, and also claimed the top spot on the podium in 2011 and 2012 in Moto2.  If you think this weekend’s tilt will be a cage match between the defending world champion and putative 2013 world champion, it shows you’ve been paying attention.  Naturally, most of the fans in attendance will miss the action up front, pulling for Rossi, who figures to battle Pedrosa for third, and Andrea Dovizioso, primed for another grudge match with factory Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden over 8th place.  Jeesh.  Are there any bigger homers anywhere than Italian racing fans?

Your Weekend Forecast

Just kidding.  Herve Poncharal, the big cheese at Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, was speculating on Crash.net this week that the MotoGP calendar may be expanding to 20 rounds next season, with Brazil and Argentina joining the mix and no current venues falling off the schedule.  This, to me, sounds rather unlikely, as most of the riders seem to have a hard time completing an 18 round schedule without several visits to intensive care.  But God knows Poncharal is closer to the action than I am.

OK, OK, the weather forecast for the weekend is sunny and lovely, temps in the 70’s and clear skies, etc., etc.  Great conditions for everyone but the mudders on the factory Ducati team.  If I had to make a prediction, I’d make it Lorenzo, Marquez and Rossi.  Fortunately, I don’t.

Fox Sports 1 will carry the race live on Sunday, with coverage, and the race, starting at 8 am Eastern time.  We’ll have results right here on Sunday afternoon.

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MotoGP Silverstone 2013 Preview

August 27, 2013

by Bruce Allen

An edited version of this story, complete with hi-rez images, will post on Motorcycle.com on, like, Thursday.  Until then, enjoy the raw copy.

Can anyone, other than Marquez, stop Marquez? 

As Round 12 of the 2013 MotoGP season looms, it becomes easier and  easier to imagine the unimaginable—a rookie winning the premier class  title.  Repsol Honda phenom Marc Marquez continues to defy expectations  with the composure and confidence of a seasoned veteran.  Back in 1971,  French humanist Rene Dubos observed, “Trend is not destiny,” but this  Spanish rider may be the exception to the rule. 

Captain America - 2013Sportswriters and bloggers love to engage in hypotheticals—if this hadn’t  happened, if so-and-so were thus and such—and the conversation  surrounding Marquez is full of this gibberish.  If Lorenzo hadn’t crashed twice  in two weeks…If Pedrosa hadn’t fallen in Germany…If Marquez hadn’t crashed at Mugello… (this last one is my own work, sorry to say.)  But here we are, in the midst of a minor miracle.  Let’s take a short look back at how we’ve arrived at this point. 

The 2013 season had been running per expectations through Round 6 at Catalunya.  Repsol Honda star Dani Pedrosa and factory Yamaha #1 Jorge Lorenzo were slugging it out at the top, while Marquez was serving his apprenticeship, sitting in third place, with 5 podiums, a win, and a rookie crash out of the lead in Italy.  At that time he trailed Pedrosa by 23 and Lorenzo by 14.  Pretty much as expected.  However, at Assen, things changed.

Lorenzo crashed on Friday, had surgery, returned, and ran a gutty 5th on a day he probably should have been in the hospital.  Marquez finished second to Rossi, who gave us a fleeting glimpse of his classic form.  Pedrosa struggled to a 4th place finish.  Marquez picked up seven points on Pedrosa and nine on Lorenzo.

At the Sachsenring, the wheels came off, so to speak, for the two favorites, as both Pedrosa and Lorenzo crashed heavily in practice.  Both would miss the race, which Marquez won, the beginning of his current four race win streak.  That day, Marquez went from 23 down to Pedrosa to two up.  As MotoGP’s summer break approached, Lorenzo and Pedrosa entered rehab, and Marquez entered the ionosphere.

Winning at Laguna took his margin over Pedrosa to 16.  A third consecutive win at Indianapolis ran the lead to 22.  Sunday’s victory at Brno stretched it to 26.  As any rider who has won a championship will tell you, having a margin of more than 25 points over your closest challenger relieves a great deal of pressure.  It means that even in a perfect storm, one in which you go ragdoll and your rival wins, you will still be in the frame.  It provides a margin for error, a psychological pressure-relief valve.

Assume Marquez crashes out this week at Silverstone.  So what?  He will still be leading a series few expected him to win at the beginning of the season.  He will still have at least three very friendly tracks in his future—Sepang, Motegi and Valenciana.  Unless he gets hurt in a significant way he will still be in the mix.  His confidence is off the charts.  His rivals are spooked.  He will retain the inside track to the title.  And if he wins, or podiums, at Silverstone, well…

Marquez now enjoys not only the lead, but the freedom to relax and focus on the process of becoming a premier class champion, rather than individual outcomes.  At this point, the specific result of each round is less important than continuing up the learning curve, as he was doing early in the season.  He doesn’t need to run the table.  He can’t allow Pedrosa to finish 2013 the way he did 2012, with six wins in eight rounds.  But Pedrosa is still not 100% physically, and his spirit is wounded, too.  He is in an inferior position compared to this time last year.

With 8 rounds left in 2012, Pedrosa trailed Lorenzo by 23 points.  Even winning six of the last eight, he ultimately lost to the Mallorcan by 18.  At this point in 2013, both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are pressing, while Marquez is chilling.  It seems unlikely there will be a great deal of change at the top of the standings for the remainder of the season.  But a word of caution is in order.  At this point in 2011, it looked like Marco Simoncelli was going to be the next great MotoGP rider.  Trend, after all, is not destiny.

Recent History at Silverstone

The British Grand Prix moved from dowdy Donington Park to sleek Silverstone in 2010, with major renovations at the Northampton circuit continuing into 2011.  The 2010 race featured a master class victory by Jorge Lorenzo on the way to his first world championship that fall.

Repsol Honda pilot Andrea Dovizioso, who had won his first and only premier class race at the 2009 event, finished a gratifying second on his Repsol Honda, with then rookie Monster Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Ben Spies “pipping” compatriot Nicky Hayden at the flag for his first premier class podium.  2010 was the year Ducati flagbearer Casey Stoner qualified sixth and went through the first turn of Lap One in, like, last place, only to fight his way back to a 5th place finish at the flag, his teeth by then having been ground down to the gum line.

2011 was a head-scratcher, as Casey Stoner drove his Repsol Honda to a convincing rain-soaked win on his way to his second title that fall.  Once again, Dovizioso claimed second place for Honda and established himself as a “mudder.”  The surprise of the day involved American Colin Edwards, who had fractured his collarbone the previous week at Le Mans.  Riding the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha on a day he should have been resting in bed, the Texan managed his only podium of the year, likely the last of his career.

It should be noted that Edwards’ remarkable day took place with Pedrosa and homeboy Cal Crutchlow out with injuries, while Lorenzo, Spies and Simoncelli crashed out.  Another way of characterizing Edwards’ 2011 British GP would be to say he finished in front of nine riders.  (This year, that would put him somewhere around 15th place.)  The Texas Tornado would rightly insist that a podium finish is a podium finish.

The British Invasion

No, it’s not The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Kinks.  It’s Cal Crutchlow, Bradley Smith and Scott Redding, all furiously playing the “home race” card.  Crutchlow and Smith crashed out of the points last week at Brno, putting a bit of a damper on their prospects heading home for the weekend.  Redding, leading the Moto2 series and ticketed for MotoGP next year, struggled in the Czech Republic too, finishing eighth while teammate Mika Kallio won for the first time in his Moto2 career.  The stands are likely to be packed this weekend, and the weather forecast is surprisingly nice, with cool clear conditions forecast for all three days. 

All this homecoming stuff is, of course, a sideshow.  The main event will be amongst the heavyweights at the front.  For Jorge Lorenzo, as the Brits say, it’s win or bin.  On the Repsol Honda team, it will be High Anxiety vs. The Boy Wonder and his sidekick, Mo Mentum.  If you’re a betting person, you gotta go with the double-team.

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MotoGP Brno 2013 Preview

August 22, 2013

Marc Marquez looking for four in a row 

Fresh off his fantasy weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, rookie Marc Marquez leads Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and the rest of the grid to eastern Europe for the bwin Grand Prix České republiky.  Between 2007 and 2011 the winner here went on to win the premier class championship.  Pedrosa put an end to all that last year, edging eventual factory Yamaha champion Jorge Lorenzo by 2/10ths of a second.  Will the race revert to its historical pattern in 2013? Captain America - 2013

Now that Marquez has established himself as a legitimate title threat in his first premier class season—how crazy is that?—let’s take a moment to review his year-to-date performance.  Other than Assen, where he lost by two seconds to a resurrected Valentino Rossi, he has won at the tracks where the Honda RC213V thrives—Austin, the Sachsenring, Laguna Seca and Indianapolis.  At Jerez, he lost to Pedrosa by 2+ seconds, back when he was still deferential to his veteran garagemate.  He took thirds at Losail, Le Mans and Catalunya, all of which are Yamaha-friendly layouts.

Brno is generally considered to favor the Yamaha, with few first-gear turns.  But Honda has taken the last two Czech rounds, and Marquez has thrived here, too, with a win and a razor-thin second place in two Moto2 tries.  Were it not for Honda’s “magic box” transmission, Brno this year would appear to be a toss-up.  (This is like speculating how a bullfrog might fare if he had wings.)  One thing is certain—both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are going to push to the max to keep the rookie behind them this weekend.  Otherwise, we’ll soon be talking about the magic number for Marquez to clinch the title.

Recent History at Brno 

Back in 2009, Lorenzo crashed out of the lead, leaving the win to Rossi, followed at some distance by Pedrosa, with Toni Elias—remember him?—a distant 3rd on the Gresini Honda.  Lorenzo had 4 DNFs that year and still managed second place.  Rossi, who crashed only once—at Indianapolis—won the 2009 title by 45 points.  A 16 year-old Marquez drove his 125cc KTM scooter to a run-of-the-mill 8th place finish at Brno that year.  At age 16, many of us were just earning our licenses; Marquez already had corporate sponsors.

Recall 2010.  Lorenzo’s first championship season featured an easy win at Brno over Pedrosa, with Stoner in 3rd on the Ducati, having put Ben Spies away late in the day.  Rossi, still recovering from leg and shoulder injuries suffered in a cold tire wreck at Mugello early in the season, finished 5th.  The 148,000 fans held their breath when Andrea Dovizioso, piloting the factory Honda, went lowside, leaving him standing on the tarmac facing riders coming directly at him in 5th gear.  Although he avoided getting creamed, his second off a few laps later ended his day.  17 year-old Marquez, on a 125cc Derbi, had one of his worst outings of the season, finishing 7th, but went on to win the title anyway.

In 2011Casey Stoner won easily for Honda, demolishing the field after Pedrosa left the premises.  Dovizioso came in 2nd, followed by Marco Simoncelli, Lorenzo, and Ben Spies, back when Spies had a bright future.  Pedrosa crashed out of the lead early, after qualifying on the pole, with the fastest bike in the joint (cue the music, from Pink Floyd’s Momentary Lapse of Reason.)  Stoner would win the title that year.  Marquez, having moved up to Moto2, lost by 16/100ths of a second to Italian Andrea Iannone in a vintage Moto2 race to the flag.

2012 saw Pedrosa “pip” Lorenzo by 18/100ths, one of Pedrosa’s finest races ever.  Yamaha qualified four bikes in the top five, but Pedrosa out-dueled the series leader in a fantastic last lap to remain in the conversation for the 2012 title. (It would prove to be a short stay, as he crashed out the following round at Misano.)  At Brno, however, he wrecked my theme for this week, that whoever wins at Brno wins the championship.  Lorenzo would repeat in 2012, despite Pedrosa taking six of the last eight rounds.  Marquez, still a teenager, won a thriller in Moto2, barely edging Thomas Luthi who, in turn, nosed out Pol Espargaro, who punked Iannone, the top four riders finishing barely half a second apart.  (If the premier class could conjure up that kind of action at the front, attendance across the globe would double.)

A Season on the Brink

Watching young Marquez seize the attention of the motorcycle racing world has got to be a hard thing for Jorge Lorenzo.  A double world champion, at age 26, Lorenzo should be sitting on top of the heap, in his prime, the top dog for the iconic Yamaha racing brand.  Yet here he is, his body injured and his pride wounded, perhaps wondering if he’s won his last title.  He came out in the media this week sounding impatient, stating for maybe the first time his opinion that Yamaha needs to expedite the move to their own magic transmission, that they can’t really compete with the Hondas at this point.  A true company man and Yamaha loyalist, he must really be feeling the pressure to level even veiled criticism at his Japanese masters.

And as hard as it may be for Lorenzo, imagine what it’s like being Dani Pedrosa in the summer of 2013.  Early in the season, it appeared this would be his year; time, finally, for his first premier class title after years of distinguished service and too many surgeries to count.  Though he will only turn 28 next month, he’s an old 28, with the scars to prove it.  When you see him, unaware that the cameras are on him, he looks dejected, scowling, downcast.  In a scant four months he has gone from being the alpha male at the top factory team in the game to simply Marc Marquez’ teammate.  In the garage area at Indianapolis at noon on Sunday, the crowd assembled outside the Repsol garage vanished as soon as Marquez came out, jumped on his scooter, and headed off for lunch, with Pedrosa still inside.

You can’t really blame Pedrosa for feeling cursed.  As good as he is, he’s had to deal with Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo his whole career, and now Marquez.  Scott Redding is coming up next year, and looks to be a load with 1000ccs under him.  And teenagers Alex Marquez, Marc’s little brother, and his buddy Alex Rins are getting it together in Moto3, heading for Moto2 and MotoGP in a few years.

There’s simply no relief in sight for Dani Pedrosa.  The guy can’t catch a break.

Brazil to Join Argentina in 2014

Carmelo Ezpeleta, the Big Cheese at Dorna, left Indianapolis on Sunday evening and flew to Brazil, where he held a press conference to announce that there will be not one, but two, rounds in South America beginning next season.  The Brazilian GP will have to await FIM homologation—if you don’t know, don’t ask—before it’s official, but it sounds like a done deal, which is great.  The announcement does raise the question as to which venues will get booted off the schedule, now that Indianapolis is certain for next year.  Certainly, one of the Spanish rounds is likely to go away.  If I had to guess, I’d suspect the German Grand Prix might go on hiatus, as the Sachsenring is out in the middle of nowhere and most of the riders dislike both the circuit and the food.

The Czech Grand Prix lifts off at 7 am Eastern time in the United States on Sunday.  Fox Sports 1 is the new home of MotoGP on TV, but has not yet released their broadcast schedule for that day.  We will have race results here later on Sunday.

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Indianapolis MotoGP 2013 Results

August 18, 2013

An edited version of this story will appear later on Motorcycle.com. Until then, enjoy the raw copy.

Hat tricks abound for Marc Marquez at Indy 

Let’s be clear.  Repsol Honda rookie Marc Marquez is the new king of MotoGP.  His decisive win at Indianapolis in Sunday over teammate Dani Pedrosa marked his third consecutive win for the 2013 season.  It marked his third consecutive win in Indianapolis, having topped the last two Moto2 tilts here.  And, lest we forget, it marked three wins in a row in the U.S., following Austin and Laguna Seca.  Sunday’s win made it a veritable hat trick of hat tricks for the precocious Spanish youngster. 

Captain America - 1969

Captain America circa 1969

Marquez is a man in need of a nickname.  In that his triple triple coincided with the announcement that MotoGP will continue at Indianapolis for at least the next year—a hat trick, if you will, of American rounds—I’m going to suggest Captain America.  Marc Marquez likes racing in the United States, therefore we will pay homage to him with three American rounds.  Easy Rider’s Peter Fonda has been deposed.

You could see this one coming a mile away.  Marquez topped the timesheets in all four practice sessions and qualified on the pole, blowing away the previous track record set by Pedrosa last year.  His only lapse all weekend was at the start of the race, when he allowed both Pedrosa and defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo’s Yamaha to beat him to the first turn, Lorenzo in front.  Things stayed this way until Lap 9, when Marquez went through smoothly on Pedrosa, in deference to his teammate’s injured collarbone.  Marquez immediately set his sights on Lorenzo, himself healing from his own twice-broken collarbone.

Captain America - 2013

Captain America circa 2013

On Lap 13, Marquez had Lorenzo lined up, and went through easily into the lead, from which he never looked back.  Lorenzo and Pedrosa managed to keep it close for the next dozen laps, but neither was going to chase down the rookie.  With two laps left and both riders tiring, Pedrosa managed to go through on Lorenzo into second place, which is how it ended.

At narrow circuits like Indianapolis (which would be a much more interesting track if they reversed the flow and ran clockwise, the way it was designed for F-1 back in the day) there usually isn’t much overtaking, which was the case today.  Sure, there was some jockeying going on in the back half of the grid, but most of us don’t give a rip about who edges whom for 18th place in these things.  But, as they say, all’s well that ends well, and this one certainly did.

Fireworks Late in the Day

Yamaha icon Valentino Rossi, who struggled all weekend after having recorded a win and two podium finishes in his last three races, spent most of the day loitering by himself in seventh place, trailing the likes of GO&FUN Honda hazard Alvaro Bautista, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha defector Cal Crutchlow and LCR Honda strongman Stefan Bradl.  Suddenly, with perhaps 12 laps left, Rossi regained consciousness and began laying down a series of quick laps.  He chased down Bradl on Lap 22, taking over 6th place, and punked Bautista the next time around, moving into 5th.

Next up was Cal Crutchlow, who had announced during summer vacation that he was sick of podiums and was taking his game to the factory Ducati team for two years of well-paid perdition, beginning next year.  Rossi and Crutchlow spent the last two laps trading paint and positions, back and forth, teeth bared, until Rossi finally crossed the line 6/100ths of a second in front of the Brit.  This is good training for Crutchlow, as he is unlikely to engage in any further champagne spraying during what’s left of the Obama administration.  Gut-wrenching losses could become his middle name.

The 60,000+ fans in attendance on Sunday continued roaring during the last lap as factory Ducati teammates Andrea Dovizioso and homeboy Nicky Hayden REALLY got into it heading for the finish.  Hayden, calling upon his dirt track heritage, went low on Dovizioso in Turn 16, causing both riders to jump the curb separating the bike track from the frigging IMS main straight.

Dovi and Hayden AirbornFor one shining moment, the two red Ducatis were airborne, side by side, the teammates snapping and snarling at one another as they tried to regain control.  Surprisingly, they both remained upright for a final dash to the flag, won by Hayden by a full 12/100ths of a second.  Unfortunately for them, while this drama was unfolding, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha second Bradley Smith calmly passed both of them to take eighth place, “pipping” Hayden by 1/100th.  Ta-ta for now, old boy.

 

The Big Picture

Marquez’ win puts him 21 points in front of Pedrosa and 35 ahead of Lorenzo with eight rounds left; the 2013 title is now officially his to lose.  Rossi sits in fourth place, just three points in front of Crutchlow.  Bradl, in sixth place, leads Dovizioso by six points, with Bautista, Hayden and Smith completing the top ten.  Dani Pedrosa’s pronouncement last week that the 2013 title would be decided in the next three rounds—Indianapolis, Brno and Silverstone—may have been off by two.  It very well may be that the 2013 title has already been decided, and we just don’t realize it.

A Little Rumor and Innuendo

Once Crutchlow decided to join Ducati next season, a number of other chips fell into place, as we now know that Bradl will stay with LCR, and Bautista with the Gresini team for 2014.  Still, there’s plenty we don’t know about next year.  Nicky Hayden is rumored to be in the running for a “production” Honda as the #2 rider for LCR next year.

NGM Forward racing, with Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti lugging FTR Kawasaki machines this year, is strongly suggesting they will lease a pair of Yamaha M-1s for next season, mentioning parenthetically that they are discussing their plans with Aleix Espargaro, Hayden and Jonathan Rea.  Owner Giovanni Cuzari insisted, “I will respect my two riders now – Colin (Edwards) and Claudio (Corti) – but of course I need to follow some requests from Yamaha.”  Meaning, in my opinion, that Edwards and Corti are screwed.

On the Other Side of the Tracks

Three riders whose fortunes took a turn for the worse this weekend, if such a thing is possible, were Ben Spies, Karel Abraham and Blake Young.  Spies, attempting a return after missing seven (7) rounds recovering from injury, crashed at Turn 4 in FP3 and dislocated his GOOD shoulder, putting him out of today’s race.  Abraham, too, crashed on Friday, suffering torn muscles in his shoulder that kept him out today and make him questionable for next week at his dad’s Czech Grand Prix.  And Young, the optimistic wildcard this weekend, ended the WUP with smoke pouring out of his Attack Performance frankenbike.  Though he was able to post for the start, he failed to finish a single lap.

On to Brno

The 2013 crash course in pain and glory starts up again a few days from now in eastern Europe, with the Czech Republic hosting the bwin Grand Prix České republiky at Brno, The Circuit That Needs to Buy a Vowel.  Mercifully, this is one of the tracks where the Yamahas can be expected to be competitive.  Whether Lorenzo or Rossi stands atop the podium on Sunday will be determined, in part, along the way—by Captain America.

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