2024 MotoGP Discussion Thread (No Links - May Contain Spoilers

[Winales_2017]

Mixed feelings after this interview, but if they fix and lower the cost of videopass and most importantly stop the boomer BS that Carmelo has done to vilify it's fan base on sharing stuff related to MotoGP (viral marketing) then I will call a truce after so many years of going to war with these idiots.

Hopefully we get something like Movistar+ had with documentaries/series but with the BT/TnT type format for Anglophone audience at a reasonable F1 pass price, which in my opinion is entirely possible; hell, I would even consider throwing my hat in the ring and applying for a job to do so if it happens.

By the way VPN + Servus = Best bang for the buck Videopass alternative: and it's entirely legal.

 

[Winales_2017]

Interesting take w/ LCRs Cecchinello what Liberty will offer satellite teams in terms of sponsorship, and target audiences of Motogp vs F1 also LCR to renew with Honda:

https://www.gpone.com/en/2024/04/04/motogp/cecchinello-i-hope-liberty-media-will-attract-extra-sector-sponsors.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Priller]

Not sure how I missed this thread (and the return of @Winales_2017 !)....

Looks like RevTV has all (or almost all? Their website is garbage) the MotoGP races this year, along with WSBK, TT and Supercross. Plus having things like WRC, Aussie Supercars, and budget wrenching shows like Motorhead Garage, it's all giving me flashbacks to the Speedvision/Speed TV days before Fox ruined it by making it the NASCAR channel. Pretty decent if your provider carries it and you haven't already cut the cable.

As for the season, I'm just ****** they cancelled Argentina as an Aprilia fan. Have a feeling that the sprint will be a much bigger deal this year if Bagnaia can't get faster sooner in the weekend, as Martin is looking faster on Sunday. And I'm more curious about where Martin signs next year than just about any other rider, as I think Aprilia has a shot at him if Ducati can't move him onto the red team, particularly with his relationship with Aleix and the increasing likelihood that AE retires at the end of this season to become a test rider like his brother.

The Liberty Media thing is interesting, could be great for the sport, but may also upset some diehards if they ditch some of the classic tracks to go race in whatever dictatorship/monarchy signs the biggest cheque. Could mean the end of Philip Island and Mugello, as neither is a big revenue generator, Australia is a small market, and Italy is a saturated one....

 

[DaveTheSave]

It has already begun. I subbed with TSN streaming for their boxing day special back in December. $50 for 4 months and includes TSN+. While scrolling through the TSN+ streaming schedule today looking for F1 and Indycar stuff I was pleasantly suprised by these 2 listings;

4/13/2024 MotoGP: Americas Grand Prix Sprint Race 15:35
4/14/2024 MotoGP: Americas Grand Prix 14:15

TSN+ Streaming Schedule | TSN

TSN+ Streaming Schedule

www.tsn.ca

I don't think TSN has broadcast anything to do with FIM world championship motorcycle racing since before the tobacco advertising bans (90's?). I'll let you know how this goes, it will be interesting to see what else comes down the pipe.

 

[Winales_2017]

Not sure how I missed this thread (and the return of @Winales_2017 !)....

'Sup

The Liberty Media thing is interesting, could be great for the sport, but may also upset some diehards if they ditch some of the classic tracks to go race in whatever dictatorship/monarchy signs the biggest cheque. Could mean the end of Philip Island and Mugello, as neither is a big revenue generator, Australia is a small market, and Italy is a saturated one....

Could be, but FIM homologation is actually quite stringent, remember they made Silverstone re-pave before allowit it to renew--otherwise I'm sure they would go all in in trying to get Laguna Seca back on the Calendar knowing what a cash cow it was. I'm cautiously optimistic, mainly because other than India (which quite frankly was a disaster but providing good racing) we already had a bunch of corrupt countries trying to get on the calendar--there just are not enough slots available. And with even a bad track experience like PT from a fan's perspective, but always delivers on track, it still draws in 100k+ attendants over the weekend!

Street tracks seem to be F1's MO even during the Bernie days, but that simply won't work with MotoGP, you need the run off space: imagine how bad Marc's crash at Jerez would have been if it were on just asphalt with cement barriers, or the nasty high-side in Thailand, or the one's in Sachsenring etc... seriously, he can't be willing to throw 4.3 billion at this and only throw it all away with taking off proper tracks from the calendar and killing the golden goose.

Argentina was unfortunate, but the hyperinflation there is insane and makes total sense from a fiscal standpoint.

 

[Winales_2017]

So, Fabio stays at Yamaha despite all the bitching and moaning after all.

He has time/age on his side, I suppose, but just like Mir I fear that the longer he stays in the back of the pack the less likely they will be able to really get on a competitive bike--if HRC does get better you know they will just push Mir aside to get Marc back. Which is a shame because Mir is perhaps in the top 5 most talented riders on the grid in my opinion.

His last year at Suzuki was a write off, and his time at HRC is just not paying off so his cache is the dumps; I just hope he either adapts to the Honda (how can anyone right now?) or jumps ship before that bike starts destroying his body and forces him into retirement just as it has everyone else.

Personally, they should just get rid of Morbido already and free that seat up for Mir since Fabio was too foolish to leave Yamaha.

Boring? Why Quartararo rejected a Marquez-style gamble

Marc Marquez gave up a lucrative Honda deal to ride a year-old Ducati, but Fabio Quartararo has shunned any similar opportunities at other MotoGP teams to stay at Yamaha. Why has he made that choice?

www.the-race.com

 

[Priller]

Could be, but FIM homologation is actually quite stringent, remember they made Silverstone re-pave before allowit it to renew--otherwise I'm sure they would go all in in trying to get Laguna Seca back on the Calendar knowing what a cash cow it was. I'm cautiously optimistic, mainly because other than India (which quite frankly was a disaster but providing good racing) we already had a bunch of corrupt countries trying to get on the calendar--there just are not enough slots available. And with even a bad track experience like PT from a fan's perspective, but always delivers on track, it still draws in 100k+ attendants over the weekend!

Street tracks seem to be F1's MO even during the Bernie days, but that simply won't work with MotoGP, you need the run off space: imagine how bad Marc's crash at Jerez would have been if it were on just asphalt with cement barriers, or the nasty high-side in Thailand, or the one's in Sachsenring etc... seriously, he can't be willing to throw 4.3 billion at this and only throw it all away with taking off proper tracks from the calendar and killing the golden goose.

Laguna Seca is dead, never to return. It's a victim of NIMBY residents who bought cheap next to a loud track and lobbied to kill it. Still hosts e-racing, I think, but the noise restrictions are so ridiculous that even were they able to get an exemption for MotoGP, it would go largely unused for the rest of the year.

I could see PI, Mugello, and one of the Spanish rounds (even Jerez) on the chopping block to make room for races that are either subsidised by your friendly neighbourhood dictator or in markets where they want to grow the sport. I wouldn't complain about a Brazilian round, or one in the northeast of the US if a suitable venue could be found, though.

Street races are obviously off the table, but there are other spots like Yas Marina that might be made workable with some modifications that I could see them pushing for.

So, Fabio stays at Yamaha despite all the bitching and moaning after all.

Never underestimate the allure of a factory ride. I suspect he's banking on a return to form by Yamaha, either now or when the next round of tech regs comes into effect. The reality is that there's not much choice unless he is willing to be a satellite Ducati rider. He's also a bit of a unique rider, with a different body shape (long torso lets him get more weight over the front than most) and likes to ride the front wheel with corner speed. Nobody else is going to build a bike with that as the focus, and I think he would look pretty average on the Ducati drag bikes that are long and low and all about squaring off the corner to get a better launch.

It's obvious that Acosta will be leading KTM for the foreseeable future, Mir is Honda's guy for better or worse (though I could see a Marc return if it's looking like they could be competitive), Ducati is comfortable with Bagnaia and the half-dozen other competitive riders they've got. Only Aprilia has an uncertain future, as Aleix will have to retire sooner or later, and Maverick is just not consistent enough to be the guy. I think if they find the budget to lure someone like Martin over, that would be a big statement of intent.

 

[BigEvilDoer]

By the way VPN + Servus = Best bang for the buck Videopass alternative: and it's entirely legal.

Precisely what I do to watch. Luckily enough, I’m fluent in German, so I can watch the GP replays and understand it all. I believe the Moto2/3 replays are still in English as well (don’t hold me to this… I could very likely be wrong).

 

[Winales_2017]

Marc is destroying all the non-Pecco VR46 chumps, and his brother, despite only having 3 rounds and testing so far, and this is ahead of COTA that, wild speculation aside, makes him the favorite. I think he won't dominate like he did in '19 ever again, but this track and Sachsenring are where I think he will shine and get up to the top 3 in the standings and probably go for the trifecta: pole, sprint, GP.

Your thoughts?

Marquez destroying rivals on the same bike - what's happened to them?

Of the 69 laps completed in MotoGP so far, Marc Marquez has been the top GP23 bike rider for 66 of them. What has happened to his Ducati rivals on the same machinery?

www.the-race.com

 

[fmp]

Might have to book a ticket for next year's COTA round. Moto 3 and GP were great.

 

[BigEvilDoer]

Marc is destroying all the non-Pecco VR46 chumps, and his brother, despite only having 3 rounds and testing so far, and this is ahead of COTA that, wild speculation aside, makes him the favorite. I think he won't dominate like he did in '19 ever again, but this track and Sachsenring are where I think he will shine and get up to the top 3 in the standings and probably go for the trifecta: pole, sprint, GP.

Your thoughts?

Unfortunately his own inner demons surfaced again. You can put MM93 on the best bike but he still over-rides it.

 

[DaveTheSave]

It has already begun. I subbed with TSN streaming for their boxing day special back in December. $50 for 4 months and includes TSN+. While scrolling through the TSN+ streaming schedule today looking for F1 and Indycar stuff I was pleasantly suprised by these 2 listings;

4/13/2024 MotoGP: Americas Grand Prix Sprint Race 15:35
4/14/2024 MotoGP: Americas Grand Prix 14:15

TSN+ Streaming Schedule | TSN

TSN+ Streaming Schedule

www.tsn.ca

I don't think TSN has broadcast anything to do with FIM world championship motorcycle racing since before the tobacco advertising bans (90's?). I'll let you know how this goes, it will be interesting to see what else comes down the pipe.

Well that was cool, but also kinda weird.

The streams started on queue, the video quality was excellent as was the audio. Ah yes, the stoic theme music (including the quaint Texas swing version), the howl of the bikes on track, the roar of the crowd whenever MM executed one of his "manouvres" (and the "clunk" when he rode into the back of one of his fellow competitors) all came through spectacularly in DD.

But... NO commentary of any sort, in any language. Maybe someone forgot to flip a switch but more likely some machination of Bell Media's contract with Liberty. AV stream yes, commentary no.

I would speculate that this will change in the future, but for now that is all.

 

[Ash]

You probably didn't miss much from the commentary, except for a dozen or more references to "the horsepower rodeo". The official MotoGP app lets you turn the commentary audio off, so TSN probably just grabbed the wrong stream. It's kind of nice to shut the commentators off when they get too excited or start alliterating too much.

The ambient audio for the MotoE races is pretty cool. The bikes are so quiet that you can hear the balls of tire rubber pinging off the fairings, and hear the track's PA system in the background.

 

[Lightcycle]

You probably didn't miss much from the commentary [..] It's kind of nice to shut the commentators off when they get too excited or start alliterating too much.

One of the commentators had a line that had me rolling around on the floor yesterday:

"Bagnaia is P-Nowhere."

Dying.

 

[Ash]

One of the commentators had a line that had me rolling around on the floor yesterday:

"Bagnaia is P-Nowhere."

Dying.

I snort-laughed at the commentary in Sunday's warmup session. They were talking about the Saturday sprint results:

"There were two big losers, you'd have to say, yesterday."
<camera pans over>
"Here's one of them: Pecco Bagnaia"

 

[TK4]

https://www.rideapart.com/features/716505/brembo-moto-gp-brake-rotor-options/

 

[Ash]

https://www.rideapart.com/features/716505/brembo-moto-gp-brake-rotor-options/

Maverick Vinales had a spectacular crash due to brake failure a few years ago after the team decided to run something other than the recommended rotors at the Red Bull Ring: Yamaha’s Red Bull Ring braking disaster explained

 

[Winales_2017]

Unfortunately his own inner demons surfaced again. You can put MM93 on the best bike but he still over-rides it.

Hmm, he thing is he was riding around the brake issue all race, and the bike was not setup correctly on Saturday's sprint. If his 'inner demons' were making up for all those issues I think it's clear he needs those--especially considering where HRC are right now.

He took on Pedro (in a way I think we all want to see) and had the bike held up I'm sure he would have been on the podium on Sunday too, and Gigi wants him on the works bike too after COTA:

MotoGP - Scoops from Spies - Oxley Bom MotoGP podcast

Question: what do the CIA, MI5, the KGB and the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast have in common? Answer: they all have their own highly paid spies. This week, we're tuning into the secret radio stations and decoding the scrambled messages in order t...

oxleybom.buzzsprout.com

Honestly, this is the Marc we all want see healthy and fighting in the front, the crash was unfortunate, but his ability fight his way back and into the lead was amazing and worth the cost of admission.