2023 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)

[250R-ICE]

Did anyone else see the scar line from all the stiches on MM93 's arm? They showed it briefly before the race.
Its just unimagineable what these guys go through and then to come and compete at that level. All I kept hearing during the race was who had an injury and are are still riding in the top 10. Whether they are recovering or just got injured the day prior.
This is one sport where I truely believe they earned their money.

 

[Charles13]

Did anyone else see the scare line from all the stiches on MM93 's arm? They showed it briefly before the race.
Its just unimagineable what these guys go through and then to come and compete at that level. All I kept hearing during the race was who had an injury and are are still riding in the top 10. Whether they are recovering or just got injured the day prior.
This is one sport where I truely believe they earned their money.

This and Supercross riders, Ken Roczen has had some nasty arm injuries

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Going to be interesting to see what MM does near the end of his contract. Honda has had a couple years to make the bike better and haven't. MM will no doubt weigh riding more years at Honda potentially still at the edge risking further injury or play it safer on another bike but maybe for less money.

 

[Lightcycle]

Going to be interesting to see what MM does near the end of his contract. Honda has had a couple years to make the bike better and haven't. MM will no doubt weigh riding more years at Honda potentially still at the edge risking further injury or play it safer on another bike but maybe for less money.

They definitely need a ninth Ducati on the grid.

Most definitely.

Heck, just make it a spec series!

 

[Winales_2017]

Did anyone else see the scar line from all the stiches on MM93 's arm? They showed it briefly before the race.
Its just unimagineable what these guys go through and then to come and compete at that level. All I kept hearing during the race was who had an injury and are are still riding in the top 10. Whether they are recovering or just got injured the day prior.
This is one sport where I truely believe they earned their money.

Those 4 surgeries have taken a toll and his arm is the long raw and visceral story of his career thus far, and the thing is his shoulders, and more importantly his vision is what he is willing to risk every GP weekend to be competitive.

I take it you haven't seen 'All in' the Amazon prime docu-series? It's a focal poin tof hos position with HRC, pay close attention to 35 seconds onward, all those stitches and look like staples are the graphic but very raw and visceral image of what sheer determination and ambition look like.

I'll skip all the details, but yeah... it's insanity. I can't think of anyone but Doohan that has gone under the knife for more serious injury in order to just ride at the top again. Many have died or been paralyzed, but the resolve to put yourself under constant suffering just to be able to ride tyhe way he does says it all.

People forget his vision is always at stake here, and even a slow low-side could trigger his (permanent) double vision.

I think Zarco will be replaced by Arbolino for 2024.

Possible, but Paolo Ciabatti was on BT sports singing his praise after the race, noting that he and Martin are likely to stay next season; I know better than to put much weight in Ducati management (it's real Achilles' heel) but to be honest I see Digi getting the boot first. then A. Marquez and then Zarco--he is consitently in the top 5 nearly every GP, if he could qualifty better he would be a potential threat for regular wins because of how good he is at preserving the tires.

I still think Marini is only on a Ducati for this long because of Rossi, he is likely protected and secured due to VR46, but even I must admit his recent performance has given breath into his otherwise lackluster career in GP so far. I still think Marco is the better rider among the two, but I have no problem admitting that he is becoming a rider that can, and argubly should, stand on his own merit.

 

[adri]

I still think Marini is only on a Ducati for this long because of Rossi, he is likely protected and secured due to VR46, but even I must admit his recent performance has given breath into his otherwise lackluster career in GP so far. I still think Marco is the better rider among the two, but I have no problem admitting that he is becoming a rider that can, and argubly should, stand on his own merit.

Are we talking about the same Marini? The one who's currently in 6th place in the standings?
The one who's ahead of 3 former MotoGP world champions?
The one ahead of every single Yamaha, Aprilia, and Honda rider?
The one who has more than the next two Ducati racers behind him combined?
The one who is only 4 points shy of having as many points as the next three Ducati racers behind him?

That Marini, is the guy who only has a Ducati because of his brother?

...you're joking right?

What's the next joke? Gonna tell me Vinales is a level headed and very consistent motorcycle racer?

 

[250R-ICE]

I believe Luca is also on a 2022 bike and some of the Ducati riders behind him are on 2023 models?
Also goes to show how things are with the 2023 Honda and Yamaha bikes when they may be less compettive than last years Ducati bikes.

 

[Charles13]

MM93 is going to kill somebody, Zarco is lucky he didn’t lose a leg today in Germany! I loved Marc watching him from a young rider all the way through his 6 world championships but he is getting so desperate that it is sad, what he did today was a complete lack of respect for the other riders on track, he should have just passed up on that qualifying lap and tried again next lap.

 

[bastak]

Zarco is one of my favourite riders and when I saw that, I was praying that he would be up on his feet. He seemed shook up but fine thankfully and lives to ride another day...

On the incident itself, I don't blame Marc completely. It is a racing incident in that Marc lost control of the bike while pushing to get into Q2 and it was unfortunate that Zarco was where he was, exiting pit lane, at that moment. Marc didn't want to crash, and Zarco didn't want to interfere with riders on hot laps when exiting pit lane.

But, having said that, we're getting used to seeing Marc exceeding the limits of the Honda, and occasionally, at the expense of others. That's what I'm sick of seeing. He is not competitive on the Honda, the whole world knows that, but he will take other riders down with him in his quest to be back back on top.

And the reaction afterwards sums it up. A sportsman that has respect for a fellow competitor would acknowledge some responsibility for that incident. Because it was Marc's mistake in crashing that could have seriously injured a fellow competitor - no crash, no incident. Instead, he blames Zarco for exiting the pit lane at that time. Did Zarco break any rules? No. So why not just apologize to the man and acknowledge that your riding error could have seriously injured him? He is too arrogant, proud and selfish to do that. A poor sportsman that only cares about himself, his glory, his legacy, his titles, his records.

Honestly, my worst fear for this weekend is that he is not competitive enough to challenge for a win, because we all know how much that will frustrate him at his beloved Sachsenring... Then the chances of another incident and someone getting seriously hurt (including himself) are a lot higher.

 

[Charles13]

Zarco is one of my favourite riders and when I saw that, I was praying that he would be up on his feet. He seemed shook up but fine thankfully and lives to ride another day...

On the incident itself, I don't blame Marc completely. It is a racing incident in that Marc lost control of the bike while pushing to get into Q2 and it was unfortunate that Zarco was where he was, exiting pit lane, at that moment. Marc didn't want to crash, and Zarco didn't want to interfere with riders on hot laps when exiting pit lane.

But, having said that, we're getting used to seeing Marc exceeding the limits of the Honda, and occasionally, at the expense of others. That's what I'm sick of seeing. He is not competitive on the Honda, the whole world knows that, but he will take other riders down with him in his quest to be back back on top.

And the reaction afterwards sums it up. A sportsman that has respect for a fellow competitor would acknowledge some responsibility for that incident. Because it was Marc's mistake in crashing that could have seriously injured a fellow competitor - no crash, no incident. Instead, he blames Zarco for exiting the pit lane at that time. Did Zarco break any rules? No. So why not just apologize to the man and acknowledge that your riding error could have seriously injured him? He is too arrogant, proud and selfish to do that. A poor sportsman that only cares about himself, his glory, his legacy, his titles, his records.

Honestly, my worst fear for this weekend is that he is not competitive enough to challenge for a win, because we all know how much that will frustrate him at his beloved Sachsenring... Then the chances of another incident and someone getting seriously hurt (including himself) are a lot higher.

How could he blame Zarco? Didn’t Marc come off pit lane and go right into Pecco’s racing line last week? Zarco was way off to the left; off the racing line, what a hypocrite. He didn’t even go over to check on him!

 

[adri]

Zarco is one of my favourite riders and when I saw that, I was praying that he would be up on his feet. He seemed shook up but fine thankfully and lives to ride another day...

On the incident itself, I don't blame Marc completely. It is a racing incident in that Marc lost control of the bike while pushing to get into Q2 and it was unfortunate that Zarco was where he was, exiting pit lane, at that moment. Marc didn't want to crash, and Zarco didn't want to interfere with riders on hot laps when exiting pit lane.

But, having said that, we're getting used to seeing Marc exceeding the limits of the Honda, and occasionally, at the expense of others. That's what I'm sick of seeing. He is not competitive on the Honda, the whole world knows that, but he will take other riders down with him in his quest to be back back on top.

And the reaction afterwards sums it up. A sportsman that has respect for a fellow competitor would acknowledge some responsibility for that incident. Because it was Marc's mistake in crashing that could have seriously injured a fellow competitor - no crash, no incident. Instead, he blames Zarco for exiting the pit lane at that time. Did Zarco break any rules? No. So why not just apologize to the man and acknowledge that your riding error could have seriously injured him? He is too arrogant, proud and selfish to do that. A poor sportsman that only cares about himself, his glory, his legacy, his titles, his records.

Honestly, my worst fear for this weekend is that he is not competitive enough to challenge for a win, because we all know how much that will frustrate him at his beloved Sachsenring... Then the chances of another incident and someone getting seriously hurt (including himself) are a lot higher.

TLDR for the kids who can't read:

Marc = small dick energy

 

[adri]

Just got a DM from Marc. Apparently he read my post.

 

[250R-ICE]

I was surprised Marc didnt walk over to Zarco 's garage to appologize. You know its part of his dayly routine. Go on the track, cause an accident that takes an innocent rider out, then go to their to garage and appologize . Just so that the public perception doesnt view him as a the person he reallly is.

Thats why I still vividly recall the incident with Rossi a few years ago. When Marc took Rossi out and Uccio kicked Marc out of the garage area and wouldnt let him or his posse in.

They understood the real Marc and made sure everyone else knew also.

 

[Chaos]

I just read Marquez's quotes:

“I'm angry because if somebody can avoid the situation it was Johann,” Marquez said.

“I mean, the guy that is coming out of the pit lane is the guy that needs to watch behind and if somebody is coming, especially in the last minute [of a session], you need to stop in the pit exit.

“We were super lucky that we escape, both of us, from that crash. But yeah, I already heard that some people [said] ‘Marc is dangerous’. I mean, if somebody can avoid that situation it was Johann, not me.”

I mean, i sort of understand the fact that a guy coming out of the pits should not come out while someone is hot lapping, but even still, Zarco was not on the line, and it was Marquez that low sided. So I really don't agree with him.


Maybe it's recency bias, but between some of the comments and the constant crashing, Marquez is a bit unhinged.

 

[Chaos]

Is anyone thinking that Martin could win the championship this year? He's been having increasingly dominant pace in the sprints, and now he's starting to find his pace in the races.

 

[Charles13]

Is anyone thinking that Martin could win the championship this year? He's been having increasingly dominant pace in the sprints, and now he's starting to find his pace in the races.

He’s always been very fast even in his Moto3 days but Pecco is really putting on a master class. Did you all notice the log jam behind MM? It’s like everyone is really scared to engage him for the pass now?

 

[adri]

He’s always been very fast even in his Moto3 days but Pecco is really putting on a master class. Did you all notice the log jam behind MM? It’s like everyone is really scared to engage him for the pass now?

That's by design.

Blatant disregard for the well-being of others
+ facing no consequences for your actions

=

 

[Lightcycle]

Woo! Great battle for the win!

 

[Lightcycle]

Lol!

 

[Winales_2017]

Are we talking about the same Marini? The one who's currently in 6th place in the standings?
The one who's ahead of 3 former MotoGP world champions?
The one ahead of every single Yamaha, Aprilia, and Honda rider?
The one who has more than the next two Ducati racers behind him combined?
The one who is only 4 points shy of having as many points as the next three Ducati racers behind him?

That Marini, is the guy who only has a Ducati because of his brother?

...you're joking right?

What's the next joke? Gonna tell me Vinales is a level headed and very consistent motorcycle racer?

After how many seasons in GP of utter mediocrity? And whose team does he rider for again? So, yes... it is because of his brother that he has a ride.

I'll remind you that many riders, some who actually one the lower class championships, are not always given more than a test ride whereas he and Franco have been able to reap the benefits of this relationship with little to nothing to show for it. This isn't a place where trainign wheels are kept for very long and the talent in the lower classes runs deep.

Again, some of you guys are oblivious to the fact that Ducati have a bike that so long as you can stay on and aren't badly injured you can be in the top 10 (as today proved), it's not as much of a feat as it was when Stoner was riding the Ducati to get it into the points these days. And good on Ducati for entering it's golden era after so much time in irrelevance, but I think it's clear that no one (maybe Enea?) are anything close to being/becoming aliens. The bike flatters the rider in such a way that I really can't think of a single time since I have been watching that it was like this where a single manufacturer fields so many bikes and has these many point scorers.

And I agree Marini is starting to show some promise, but if one can be some what objective one wonders how many other riders could have done the same sooner? Petrux didn't do much, but he has been out of GP for some time so it isn't much of a data point unfortunately.

Are you really comparing the Yamaha let alone the Honda to any of the iEuro bikes this season and think it's a fair comparison? Are we talking about the same sport?
I grant you the Aprillia(s) should be way better than it currently is, but sadly we won't know if its the riders or just another season of what could have been with them.

This weekend was brutal as a Marc fan, but also a reminder that the HRC has a long history of breaking bodies (and ending careers) 3 of 4 Honda riders were out due to injuries and it's really a gut punch to Honda's top brass that they have what is arguably the most talent under one brand (Nakagami not withstanding) on the grid but still cannot do much due to the bike.

Martin is getting punchy, and if he can stay on the bike and healthy he may have a chance to fight Pecco/Marco but I'm honestly hoping he and Enea will be the ones we talk about the most after the break; with that said, regardless of how things go this will be a Ducati championship, the only question is which one?

I really think KTM will be having discussions with him over the break, he seems beyond dejected given how things have gone at 'his' track, and if anyone can bankroll him leaving HRC it'll be them. The way the KTM starts remids me of how he was in 2019, where it didn't really matter where he qualified and just stormed off the line into the lead. He shoul djust take the pay cut, and part ways while he is still somewhat healthy and can get a chance at a few more championships.