2021 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!) | Page 10 | GTAMotorcycle.com

2021 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)

I'm one of those that was never a MM 93 fan. But I for one am glad to see him back. I agree after watching him race and having much respect for all he has gone through. It was weird. I was hoping to see him finish in the top 3. But finishing where he did is remarkable also. I always wondered how good the other riders were last year if MM would have been racing at 100% health. I seriously doubt anyone would of beat him. Once MM gets back to 100% we will truly see how good the rest are. At best I see 2 or 3 riders that would be able to compete at the beginning. Once MM pulls away it s all over. Going to be an interesting year.
 
Rumor

Tito Rabat replacing Jorge Martin next race:

www.gpone.com

MotoGP, NEWS RELEASE - Tito Rabat to replace Jorge Martìn on Ducati in Jerez

MotoGP: The Spanish rider, who's making his SBK debut this year, has been selected to replace the unfortunate Pramac rider who'll undergo surgery on Wednesday and miss the Andalusian round of the MotoGP.
www.gpone.com www.gpone.com


I am mildly surprised it wouldn't be Bastianini ride at Pramac, and have Rabat sub in at Esponorama
 
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250R-ICE said:
Once MM gets back to 100% we will truly see how good the rest are.
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Im not certain mm93 will be back 100%. Its not yet a given. I hope I am wrong, but I believe the emotion we seen from mm93 may be due to difficulties with his arm during the race. Is it possible he isn't sure about returning to 100% form? I wonder about this - time and more races will tell.
 
Was really annoyed to see Rins wipeout in an otherwise great race. I think it'll be another year like last year where being consistent in the top 5 and finishing every race might garner you the champ.
Tito was mostly a last place runner so I see no reason to put him in over another person unless he's great at giving constructive feedback moving forward.
 
Ducati needed a replacement rider for Martin - it will only be temporary. They tend to target either Michele Pirro (Ducati test rider) or another rider under contract to Ducati (they usually pick one from WSBK) - Rabat was the most logical choice of the WSBK ducati riders.

Edit: Pirro will be testing at the same time as the race, which is why he was not brought in to race.
 
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boyoboy said:
Im not certain mm93 will be back 100%. Its not yet a given. I hope I am wrong, but I believe the emotion we seen from mm93 may be due to difficulties with his arm during the race. Is it possible he isn't sure about returning to 100% form? I wonder about this - time and more races will tell.
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A Marquez at about 95% of his former self would be ideal, just purely from a drama standpoint. He's such a wizard on a motorcycle, though, visibly doing things nobody else can even think of. It would be such a shame to lose that talent from the grid.

According to the guys on the Paddock Pass podcast, he hasn't been able to train too aggressively in the lead-up. Apparently his doctors have been very clear about not over-training or riding too much, as part of the healing process is time, and going too hard will make injuries more likely. Considering the exertion these guys go through over 20+ laps, it wasn't a surprise he was ruined at the end. I think he'll physically recover, but the bigger question will be whether mentally he's willing to cross the line as regularly as he did before...

Hardwrkr13 said:
Was really annoyed to see Rins wipeout in an otherwise great race. I think it'll be another year like last year where being consistent in the top 5 and finishing every race might garner you the champ.
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That was Rins all over. Should have let Quatararo go and gathered the points, but he couldn't resist chasing the win. Everyone talked about the insane pace after the race, with laps getting close to qualifying times. Fabio just did a 'Lorenzo on a Yamaha' and clocked steady high-tempo laps all race, knowing his hard rear would go the distance, and Rins was on the edge just to stay with him...

Hardwrkr13 said:
Tito was mostly a last place runner so I see no reason to put him in over another person unless he's great at giving constructive feedback moving forward.
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He's also not likely to crash trying to prove himself or otherwise make the weekend expensive. Nobody who's going to be fast is available, so better to stick with the experienced hand, keep the sponsors happy with two bikes on the grid, and get out of the next two rounds with minimal damage...
 
HRC's Portimao post-race review:


Jerez will be more favourable, n setup and experience, but in his own words it seems that Sachsenring is when he will start to get serious about how to take on the rest of the year.
 
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Seems VR46 has joined European football and the IOC in the lucrative sportwashing game:

MotoGP, Valentino Rossi: l'asse Tavullia-Borgo Panigale-Arabia Saudita

The upshot is they've signed a deal with a Saudi prince to promote "Saudi Vision 2030" or some such nonsense. Considering motorsport's already cozy relationship with various oil states, I'm not expecting much blowback (unless it's from Qatar). Some of the British journalists in the paddock are quite political, but my impression is the Spanish and Italian press tends to be much more interested in reprinting press releases...

Sketchy ethical choices aside, the article says they haven't settled on a manufacturer, but Ducati seems to be the leading candidate. Aprilia and Suzuki are also pushing hard ("at any cost") to register satellite teams, and Gresini hasn't decided on whether they'll stay in GP's or dial back to just running Moto2, 3 and E squads.
 
Sounds like VR46 will take over Esponorama's slots, and Aprilia will take Gresini's slots. So no new additions to the field next season.

I am dubious over the Aprilia and Suzuki claims for wanting a satellite team each. They may want a customer in the way Yamaha had tech3 (previous year's equipment with no support), but I don't think either want to stomach funding 4 factory spec bikes (like Honda, Ducati and KTM do).

Rossi with Ducati... Factories have long term memories. Rossi was pretty harsh (even if it was justified) to Ducati. I suppose if the sponorship money is plenty, then Ducati will do it anyway, but I don't expect Ducati to be buddy buddy with him or the team.

A reality that I don't think Rossi will be entirely prepared for is that in GP, the factories rule. Independents are at the absolute mercy of the factories. The most I can ever see VR46 team doing is winning a race here and there. I wonder if he has accepted that reality. In Moto2 and Moto3, you have a much better chance of winning titles.

Edit: it'd be a shame to see Gresini leave GP, but I would not be surprised to see that is their fate. I was admittedly surprised when the team announced they were going to come back next year in the first place.
 
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Priller said:
Seems VR46 has joined European football and the IOC in the lucrative sportwashing game:

MotoGP, Valentino Rossi: l'asse Tavullia-Borgo Panigale-Arabia Saudita

The upshot is they've signed a deal with a Saudi prince to promote "Saudi Vision 2030" or some such nonsense. Considering motorsport's already cozy relationship with various oil states, I'm not expecting much blowback (unless it's from Qatar). Some of the British journalists in the paddock are quite political, but my impression is the Spanish and Italian press tends to be much more interested in reprinting press releases...

Sketchy ethical choices aside, the article says they haven't settled on a manufacturer, but Ducati seems to be the leading candidate. Aprilia and Suzuki are also pushing hard ("at any cost") to register satellite teams, and Gresini hasn't decided on whether they'll stay in GP's or dial back to just running Moto2, 3 and E squads.
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Closer to reality. Mildly disappointed in VR46 for doing this, but can't be surprised. Sports is a business first and an ethics class a distant second (steroids notwithstanding, sorry Iannone)

www.gpone.com

MotoGP, LATEST NEWS - Team VR46 joins MotoGP: agreement signed until 2026

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi's team will partner with Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media, the holding company of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud
www.gpone.com www.gpone.com
 
I'm having a difficult time understanding what the moral issue is here. IF VR46 wants to run a team in Motogp and get sponsored from a Saudi Prince how is that any different than say Honda with the Repsol sponsorship? I'm sure if you dig deep enough in all the current team's you will find partners and sponsors that many of us may not want to associate with. Personally I would like to see more team's in Motogp that are competitive. I don't want to see Motogp turn into F1 where a majority of the races are won by one team .... used to like watching F1. Now it's too predictable.
 
250R-ICE said:
I'm having a difficult time understanding what the moral issue is here. IF VR46 wants to run a team in Motogp and get sponsored from a Saudi Prince how is that any different than say Honda with the Repsol sponsorship? I'm sure if you dig deep enough in all the current team's you will find partners and sponsors that many of us may not want to associate with. Personally I would like to see more team's in Motogp that are competitive. I don't want to see Motogp turn into F1 where a majority of the races are won by one team .... used to like watching F1. Now it's too predictable.
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Granted, there's lots of moral ambiguity throughout motorsport sponsorship, up to and including the recent Mission Winnow/Marlboro nonsense. Once upon a time, Rossi tried to take a stand against tobacco sponsorship.

But the Saudi government (and that's really what this is about, by the way, as the prince thing is just making it seem less state-sponsored) hasn't just engaged in moral ambiguity, a la oil and tobacco companies. They have outright murdered a journalist, run a brutal regime that executes people for all sorts of minor crimes, oppress women, and conducted a bloody and brutal war in the Yemen. They have also funded a variety of groups around the world that has directly led to acts of terror, up to and including links to Al Qaeda.

What Rossi's team will be advertising is a program called Saudi Vision 2030, which attempts to cast a positive light on the Saudi state and their efforts to convert their oil wealth into more sustainable wealth, as even they see that oil has a limited lifespan. It directly promotes the Saudi state and their activity.

For me, this is a line too far, or rather, you have to draw a line somewhere. While many corporations do have dirty secrets if you dig, Saudi Arabia's brutality is out there in the open for everyone to see. It was enough for even the English FA/Premier League (who have shown zero compunction about accepting all sorts of morally ambiguous folks into their ownership ranks) to reject Saudi ownership of Newcastle not that long ago.
 
Priller said:
For me, this is a line too far, or rather, you have to draw a line somewhere.
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This is a good statement. It's a hard line too to make precise as well, since almost every sponsor has dirt under their fingernails.

It must be said that MotoGP spends a lot of time in Qatar. This is the same place that has well publicized shady practices when it comes to the World Cup construction. I don't like this, but it hasn't prevented me from watching, which I acknowledge makes me a hypocrite.
 
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Prillar... I agree with what you noted regarding the Saudi connection and what they stand for...
But in essence the potential VR46 connection is no different than Honda .. Repsol... Repsol has a huge connection with Saudi Arabia gas and oil. So using that logic we shouldn't support Honda in Motogp. Most of MM 93 salary can easily be considered dirty money using this logic... See the problem is I'm sure every team in Motogp has a dirty connection if you follow the path long enough. Singling out VR46 doesn't make sense. All teams are equally dirty to me. Unfortunately we either accept this or find a different sport. .
 
Chaos said:
This is a good statement. It's a hard line too to make precise as well, since almost every sponsor has dirt under their fingernails.

It must be said that MotoGP spends a lot of time in Qatar. This is the same place that has well publicized shady practices when it comes to the World Cup construction. I don't like this, but it hasn't prevented me from watching, which I acknowledge makes me a hypocrite.
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Qatar is bad. As is the UAE and Bahrain. I'm personally boycotting watching this World Cup for the reasons you mention, along with FIFA complicity. But in my eyes, Saudi Arabia is notably worse. Their human rights abuses are off the charts, and they are a much more active presence in global politics.
250R-ICE said:
Prillar... I agree with what you noted regarding the Saudi connection and what they stand for...
But in essence the potential VR46 connection is no different than Honda .. Repsol... Repsol has a huge connection with Saudi Arabia gas and oil. So using that logic we shouldn't support Honda in Motogp. Most of MM 93 salary can easily be considered dirty money using this logic... See the problem is I'm sure every team in Motogp has a dirty connection if you follow the path long enough. Singling out VR46 doesn't make sense. All teams are equally dirty to me. Unfortunately we either accept this or find a different sport. .
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I see it as significantly different for one reason: the Rossi advertising is specifically for the state in question. Repsol sells oil produced in Saudi Arabia and has some minor ownership by Saudi Aramco, but ultimately they're advertising a product. It may enrich Saudi Arabia indirectly, but they're not promoting the country itself. Advertising Saudi Vision 2030 is specifically selling the actual House of Saud regime and by extension endorsing their actions. To me, that's a lot worse and definitely across a big line. They are specifically buying Rossi, too. This deal doesn't happen if it's Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki, Aprilia or Honda. It's not just about brand recognition, it's about creating a positive association by piggybacking on Rossi's global popularity. Rossi is free to sell his integrity to the highest bidder, but we're also free to choose not to play along.
 
No real shocks for day one at Jerez, except possibly the Aprilia staying at the pointy end of the action.
motogp.com · GRAN PREMIO RED BULL DE ESPAÑA · MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification 2021

If Bagnaia and Quatararo become the battle for the championship, I'd be very happy with that. Both likeable in their own way, but each with some edge, and Ducati's battle axe vs Yamaha's rapier. They're definitely finding speed at another level to the rest for the moment. Good news for Aleix is his pace was consistently high. Wonder if Dovizioso's recent Jerez test helped at all...

Marc Marquez limited his laps, suggesting his arm is still a long way from 100%. Started strong in FP1, but didn't improve. Similar for KTM, but I suspect they'll improve as they figure out the asymmetric tires. Lots of work for Suzuki to do, but they always seem to find more speed on raceday. Honda a bit up and mostly down, Takagami looking okay but the rest a bit lost.

Speaking of lost, I have a feeling we are seeing the Valentino Rossi farewell tour. Jerez is a track that often separates the pretenders from the contenders, and his pace is shocking. Maybe he'll bring it back a bit, but being a second and a half off the pace suggests there's a big problem.

So far, it's shaping up to be a fun race...
 
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