2022 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)

[Hardwrkr13]

My hot-take: Aleix to test rider, Mav takes Marini's bike and both Mir and Rins on an Aprillia would be the best of all possible solutions.
That works Ducati seat is already between Enea or Jorge, so who knows... I doubt Taka is getting resigned next year so an LCR seat for Miller if they don't move Ai up for that Japanese Honda money?

It's crazy limited in GP and the talent pool is deep, Pedro Acosta will likely get a chance at several works bikes so I forsee lots of 1 year contracts for anyone renewing.

Well, it took a while but it finally has been conformed, Suzuki is in discussion with DORNA to exit MotoGP at the end of 2022:

SUZUKI ANNOUNCEMENT

Suzuki Motor Corporation is in discussions with Dorna regarding the possibility of ending its participation in MotoGP at the end of 2022.

www.suzuki-racing.com

I honestly thought Suzuki's automotive segment was even worse off than their bikes sales. They pulled out of NA years ago and I thought their sales in the rest of the world were mediocre at best. Saying they're focusing on their automotive efforts was not the excuse I was expecting.

 

[Robbo]

My hot-take: Aleix to test rider

I can’t see that happening. He’s the one having the most success on the Aprilia.


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[BigEvilDoer]

I can’t see that happening. He’s the one having the most success on the Aprilia.

Agree with you 100%. Moreso if possible.
He’s the only rider to do anything at all with the new bike. No chance they are letting him go, especially now that he is whooshing proper potential and is currently ranked #2 in the championships.

I can see Mir or Rins going to a Ducati, the other to Aprilia. The possibilities are mind boggling… hehehe..

 

[Priller]

Agreed on Aleix staying, assuming he wants to. There was talk of him retiring at the end of this season, but after his win in Argentina, he said he wanted to keep racing for one or two more years. Assuming his form doesn't drop off massively, I can't imagine Aprilia not keeping him where he is.

Maverick is much more vulnerable, as his results haven't improved much and he has a nasty habit of giving quotes that make everyone look bad (granted, they're often presented without context, and aren't as bad as some snippets sound, but he needs to shut up for a bit). With the overabundance of availabile talent, all the burnt bridges, and Aleix's success contrasted with Vinales' struggles, he could easily be without a ride for next year if he's not careful. Or, if Aprilia finally gets a satellite team, he could get parked there...

Mir to Repsol Honda is a rumour that won't go away, and considering how much Pol has struggled with the bike after the first round, I assume Honda wants someone new there. Last year was kind of a free pass because that bike was the Marquez Special, but this year the bike was designed with his input, so it's harder to make excuses. Mia's style is hard braking, so it may suit the Honda.

The assumption is Rins will try to get on a Yamaha, as his style is silky smooth, a better fit for the corner speed inline machines. Lin Jarvis has said that Frankie is staying with the factory team for next year as per his contract, so for that to happen (and assuming Jarvis isn't obfuscating), Rins would be forced to ride with whatever satellite team Yamaha fields, whether it's RNF or someone new.

Otherwise, Miller is likely off the factory Ducati next year, and is rumoured to maybe take Alex M's ride at LCR. Martin probably gets the other red bike, while Bestia moves to Pramac on a works 2023 bike. It'll be interesting to see if they keep Zarco around, too...

Which all leaves struggling KTM and Oliviera, who is also linked with Yamaha. What they do with Gardner, Fernandez and Acosta will be an interesting challenge, as that Tech3 team has been a career graveyard, so they may struggle to maintain harmony with that many ambitious young riders all wanting to escape that sentence.

 

[Winales_2017]

I can’t see that happening. He’s the one having the most success on the Aprilia.


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What part of hot-take wasn't made clear?

I'm not sure I'd pass on a World Champ for a single race winner, epsecially if you keep him on as a test rider/development role sonicedering that is all he was most of his career, and... this is just my opinion here, perhaps Rins wins the World championship this year. He is tied for 3rd and Ducati is inconsistent as ever. I don't think Aprillia really has the chance to win this year, Aleix will probably finish top 5 and that will prbably be the highlight of his career with 1-2 more wins tossed in this season.

Rins on a Yamaha would be awesome, as Franco is just taking up space there and not performing at all since his injury: I'm not sure if it's a career ending but he may not ever be on Fabio's level on that team and that should be a concern. Honestly, he is just as bad as Mav was on the bike, which means they are probably developing it for Fabio's riding style. Even Dovi who rode for Tech3 can't seem to much with it, either.

Today's FP was interesting, but it'll be raining on Sunday so it'll be another situation where anything can happen. Should be a good race, Jerez was boring and the weather in LeMAns always spices things up. Lets see if Mav can turn things around and actually deliver a podium this weekend since this is favorite track and the Aprillia is looking good.

I honestly thought Suzuki's automotive segment was even worse off than their bikes sales. They pulled out of NA years ago and I thought their sales in the rest of the world were mediocre at best. Saying they're focusing on their automotive efforts was not the excuse I was expecting.

It is, I can't recall anything remarkable from them in the auto department, like... ever. But they make diesel turbo engines, which just like VW has gotten them in trouble with the emissions thing in Europe; which is actually pretty difficult since EU standards are not really enforced the same way they are in the US.

It's a mess, and the World economic situation isn't really compatible with a ICE super-bike business model; though, the GSXR was never as high a seller as the R1 or Fireblade, which was only really possible because of thier sales of smaller displacement bikes in Asia. Still,it's sad to see them in this situation. Who knows if they will ever recover from this.

 

[Lightcycle]

Disappointing last couple of weeks for Suzuki, and France was just the cherry on top of its sh!t cake.

Also, looks like Dorna is trying to hold Suzuki to its deal to stay in the series till 2026, as per the contract they signed.

MotoGP: “Suzuki Can’t Decide to Quit MotoGP On Its Own” - webBikeWorld

Suzuki's intentions to retire from MotoGP have been heard by Dorna, who is as surprised as us that Suzuki is cutting their contract short.

www.webbikeworld.com

As for Le Mans, seems like Quatararo caved under the weight of expectations and pressure from the French fans. A proper botched start meant he was doomed to stay behind the big horsepower bikes the entire race. Also bummed that Pecco's title charge has been set back. Was rooting for him this year.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Disappointing last couple of weeks for Suzuki, and France was just the cherry on top of its sh!t cake.

Also, looks like Dorna is trying to hold Suzuki to its deal to stay in the series till 2026, as per the contract they signed.

MotoGP: “Suzuki Can’t Decide to Quit MotoGP On Its Own” - webBikeWorld

Suzuki's intentions to retire from MotoGP have been heard by Dorna, who is as surprised as us that Suzuki is cutting their contract short.

www.webbikeworld.com

As for Le Mans, seems like Quatararo caved under the weight of expectations and pressure from the French fans. A proper botched start meant he was doomed to stay behind the big horsepower bikes the entire race. Also bummed that Pecco's title charge has been set back. Was rooting for him this year.

Is it really better for the series if they just leave the bike alone and hire the cheapest riders they can find.

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[Lightcycle]

Is it really better for the series if they just leave the bike alone and hire the cheapest riders they can find.

Perhaps. Looks like Mir isn't looking for anything less than the $6-8MM USD he's getting right now, and is slagging off KTM and Ducati's lowball offers:

Joan Mir's manager admits gap year and reveals: 'KTM and Ducati are offering bad contracts'

An unexpected impasse is the one Joan Mir is experiencing, going...

www.motorcyclesports.net

 

[Winales_2017]

Disappointing last couple of weeks for Suzuki, and France was just the cherry on top of its sh!t cake.

Yeah, not great, I was really hoping for Rins to at least get a podium; he's had 2 DNFs and a 17th place in the last races. Mir was looking solid, too.

Jorge Martin continues his horrible record at this track and Enea might have just proven why he deserves to be the head of the Ducati Team. You can't be on a works bike and get forced into an error like that by a guy on last year's bike and leading the championship if you want to remain team leader. I think Enea just secured his ride and if he keeps this up he will likely be who Ducati will develop the bike for next season.

Martin will probably be on a work's bike like Zarco but will stay at Pramac, he needs to work on his consistency because as it stands Pecco is still a safer bet. Miller is rumored to be linked to KTM for next year according to Italian media.

Mav is back to his old ways with his horrible starts and then finishing out of the points, even on a track that suits his riding style! I get the V4 takes time to learn, but I'm not sure how much longer Aprillia will tolerate him under-performing on a bike that has won and finished on the podium so often this year. Is he on a 2 year contract? Otherwise I doubt he will be in GP next year if he keeps this up .

Marc's overtake in the opening was brilliant, but it just shows how bad the HRC development has gone since he was off the bike, it cannot compete and the front end is just not there for Marc to ride as he is used to, the saves this weekend show that he is getting back to old ways.

 

[Robbo]

What…no mention of the shoulder cam ??? I thought that was pretty cool.

Great job by Aleix to finish on the podium after having a difficult start to his race. The guy’s a championship contender.

Full credit to Miller for choosing the soft front because he couldn’t get a good feeling for the limit on the medium…and then not over-riding the bike. You can see he’s enjoying his racing in the factory team and stayed on track the longest to celebrate with the crowd. I can’t see him going to KTM unless he has absolutely no other option. Ducati would be crazy to lose him.

Moto3 had some great battling in the front group right to the finish .


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[Lightcycle]

What…no mention of the shoulder cam ??? I thought that was pretty cool.

The technology is pretty cool. We couldn't figure out where the cam was until we saw that small black dot on his left collarbone. That's incredibly small for such high quality/fidelity.

The actual viewpoint was less interesting than the gyro cam on the front of the bike though. Too much helmet in the picture.

Full credit to Miller for choosing the soft front because he couldn’t get a good feeling for the limit on the medium…and then not over-riding the bike. You can see he’s enjoying his racing in the factory team and stayed on track the longest to celebrate with the crowd. I can’t see him going to KTM unless he has absolutely no other option. Ducati would be crazy to lose him.

I also think Ducati should keep Miller. He's a solid #2 rider and has proven time and again he won't trip up Pecco's championship race. He's always thinking about the team first and personal glory second. Better to have someone like him in the paddock than hire two divas, like a Lorenzo and Rossi, and then watch them bash fairings every race, spew out a war of words in every pre and post-race interview, and then have to build a wall in the middle of the garage...

 

[Jayv]

Full credit to Miller for choosing the soft front because he couldn’t get a good feeling for the limit on the medium…and then not over-riding the bike. You can see he’s enjoying his racing in the factory team and stayed on track the longest to celebrate with the crowd. I can’t see him going to KTM unless he has absolutely no other option. Ducati would be crazy to lose him.

I agree, he's the only rider on the grid with a personality. Not really a Miller fan, but I enjoyed the after race antics for the marshalls and then on the podium.

I think the 21 bike is still a better bike than the 22, maybe that will slowly change as the season progresses. Pecco is still the guy i am picking to be WC this year.

 

[Winales_2017]

I also think Ducati should keep Miller. He's a solid #2 rider and has proven time and again he won't trip up Pecco's championship race. He's always thinking about the team first and personal glory second. Better to have someone like him in the paddock than hire two divas, like a Lorenzo and Rossi, and then watch them bash fairings every race, spew out a war of words in every pre and post-race interview, and then have to build a wall in the middle of the garage...

See, here is the issue with that: it's exactly that which sells tickets and boosts viewership amongst the wider audience.

I don't necessarily like that it occurs and it's better when they race hard on track but get along in the end but even I have to admit that it is slightly more enteratianing when it does occur: the Rossi v Lorenzo thing was why many tuned in to watch even if you weren't into bike racing, it became a tabloid sensation in both countries. The UK, Italian and Spanish media gained a lot from those days, as they did with the fall out from Rossi and Marc which his why they are constantly trying to hype up things that aren't necessarily that big of deal: Mir vs Marc for example.

Motosrsports is just one big commercial at the end of the day, no one in the new bike market is buying a Ducati over a Yamaha, Honda because they won the championship in MotoGP in any significant numbers. It's a false equivalence because most bike sales aren't even being bought in the West, it's all the sales from low displacement bikes in developing nations in Asia that keep this circus going. hence thier push into Indonesia.

And as things stand Ducati will never enter that Market for very good reason(s), and ultimately they have VAG money to keep things going as they continue to win the constructors championship and get DORNA's money.

I think what is worth mentioning is that Miller has had more time on a Ducati than any of the current 8 riders and mostly had Ducati works backing, he has had his chance after 4-5 seasons, and it never happened. Ducati need to boost sales and bring in sponsorship/ad money in their target markets: Italy. So a young Italian like Enea can bring in sponsorship money and plaster the ads everywhere in Italy which is why I think Miller is getting the boot at the end of this season.

Jack is an entertainer, for sure, but he was never going to win anything more than a few races in the GP class--he was always too much of a hot-head and inconsistent to be a real contender. The best that can happen for him is he goes back to a works Pramac on his old status, but their is talk he is going to KTM since so many are trying to bail out.

There was talk this weekend that Raul Fernandez is trying to get out of his contract to move to a satellite Yamaha, which may not even be there next season.

 

[tat2]

Grand Prix of Finland postponed to 2023

Homologation works, together with the risks caused by the ongoing geopolitical situation in the region, means the Finnish GP is postponed

www.motogp.com

And from the sounds of it even 2023 may not happen. Apparently the police are involved

Glad I didn't pull the trigger on that trip, we were close to it. Thankfully able to cancel what we did book.