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Post by truenorth on Feb 13, 2022 10:40:56 GMT -8
Bagnaia on the stones on the Mandalika asphalt: "In the middle of the group it would be dangerous Mandalika Test: ‘Turn one needs resurfacing, it’s a total disaster,’ - Quartararo Fabio Quartararo says his MotoGP future is "still open", having not been impressed by the progress Yamaha made over the winter.
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Post by truenorth on Feb 13, 2022 11:14:03 GMT -8
David Emmett: It is rather incredible that Pol Espargaro is fastest at this test. When was the last time a manufacturer built a completely new bike from the ground up and then went fastest in testing? A reminder of the mighty resources and brainpower on tap at HRC.
"Oliveira:" we have improved in all aspects, I think we can also do better in qualifying, our Achilles heel last season ". Binder:" I feel improved...
Pol Espargaró ends up leading the preseason: "It's not just a question of fast lap but of pace"
Marc Márquez, tired: "Today I felt pain in my shoulder and that's why I didn't do a time attack"
Luca Marini: "He knows what it takes to win. I'm fine on the flying lap, we need to improve the electronics." Bezzecchi: "Ready for Qatar? I don't know, but I have to be"
Dovisioso: "I'm not satisfied with my race pace, but it was very important to do the long run. It was really nice to compare my long run with Fabio Quartararo's on the same tires"
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Post by truenorth on Feb 13, 2022 12:07:49 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 13, 2022 12:30:55 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 14, 2022 8:10:26 GMT -8
Thomas Baujard: re the surface at Madalika- According to Simon Patterson (the Race), it is a problem with the asphalt binder which explains why small pebbles come off the track as the motorcycles pass, injuring their pursuers (!) will have to find a solution because the GP theoretically takes place in 5 weeks.
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Post by truenorth on Feb 15, 2022 7:52:39 GMT -8
Mandalika Circuit To Be Partially Resurfaced Ahead Of MotoGP Race Submitted by David Emmett on Tue, 2022-02-15 12:49
The MotoGP paddock were extremely enthusiastic about their return to Indonesia. The series had long wanted to return to a country which is at the heart of the MotoGP fanbase in Southeast Asia. Once at Mandalika, the teams and riders loved the setting and the scenery, and were very positive about the layout of the track. It was fast, and it was fun.
They were less happy about the surface of the track. It was filthy on arrival, with mud and dust all over the track, and the riders were forced to make laps on the first day of the test to clean it up, creating a single racing line. Once clean, the track had plenty of grip.
However, that exposed a different problem. The surface was wearing very rapidly, especially in high acceleration and braking areas like the first and last corner. The aggregate was breaking up, pulling stones and stone chips out of the surface, and throwing them up into the faces and bodies of following riders. Pecco Bagnaia showed off a large welt on his arm where he had been struck by a loose stone, Alex Marquez showed us a similar mark in his throat during his zoom debrief, and many riders, among them Fabio Quartararo, complained of having stones thrown up into their necks, especially.
The problem, according to specialists involved in track design, is the aggregate used in construction contained stones which are too soft. These stones were already crushed in the process of laying the surface, and the forces generated by MotoGP bikes were pulling these stones out of the surface and throwing them up into the path of the riders behind.
The issue wasn't unique to MotoGP. Now retired Ducati WorldSBK rider Chaz Davies noted on Twitter that they had suffered similar problems when the production series visited the track back in November last year.
In the Safety Commission held at Mandalika, the riders demanded action. Initially, they had asked for the race to be moved to July, giving the track enough time to be resurfaced, but that request was rejected. However, conditions were so severe, that something had to be done.
Today, the FIM announced that the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation, who are running the Mandalika project, have agreed to resurface part of the track from Turn 17 (the final corner) through to Turn 5. This is the area where the problems with stones were the worst. The resurfacing work is to be carried out before the Indonesian MotoGP due to be held on March 20th. In addition, the ITDC will oversee preparation of the entire surface, ensuring it is clean and in good enough shape to host a grand prix.
Four weeks is very short notice to resurface a track. A significant amount of effort will be needed to make it happen, but there is a lot of construction still happening at the site, as building on infrastructure in the region continues. That is also leading to disputes with local landowners, as farmers are being bought out of their properties, but the Indonesian system of 'Konsinyasi' means that disputes over purchase amounts leave them without land and without the money they are owed for significant periods of time. For farmers living close to subsistence levels, this has made life very difficult, with cases being highlighted in Indonesian media.
The lack of infrastructure is a problem in other ways too. Accommodation in the area is very limited, and the roads in the surrounding area are also still under construction. MotoGP needs to go to Indonesia, because of the outsized importance of the market for the sport. But there is still a lot of work to do before the area around the track can cope with the massive influx of people, including fans and team staff, that hosting a race involves.
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Post by truenorth on Feb 17, 2022 8:20:02 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 18, 2022 7:54:09 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 20, 2022 9:24:54 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 21, 2022 13:04:58 GMT -8
Acosta smashes lap record in a show of intent on the Algarve The rookie sensation heads both the timesheets and a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as testing concludes in Portugal If anyone had doubts about the hype surrounding Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the time to surrender them is now. It's a new year, new class, new number but the same sensation as the Moto2™ rookie smashed the lap record in testing at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, putting in a 1:41.552 to start the Jaws music early for the rest of the field. In some further 2021 deja vu, Augusto Fernandez made sure it was a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as he ended Monday 0.154 off his teammate, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top three. Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) put the Boscocuro in fourth, 0.563 off the top, with Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team) for close company. There were a couple more tenths back to Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), with Joe Roberts just 0.011 back as his second season with Italtrans Racing Team gets off to a solid start. Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) were next up, with Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top ten. There were a number of crashes including one for Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) that saw the Dutch rider break his collarbone and another for Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) that led the German to leave early for a medical check on his hand. The first session is when Schrötter crashed, as did teammate Jeremy Alcoba, Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW Racing GP) and Arenas. Canet crashed twice. In the second session, Canet, Alcoba and van den Goorbergh crashed again, and Bendsneyder suffered his tumble. Dixon also fell, as did Alessandro Zaccone (Gresini Racing Moto2), Gabriel Rodrigo (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Aldeguer. Filip Salač (Gresini Racing Moto2) took two tumbles. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) also remained sidelined as he aims to recover from tendonitis in his wrist ahead of the Qatar GP.
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Post by truenorth on Feb 21, 2022 13:28:00 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 21, 2022 14:03:29 GMT -8
Portimão Moto3 Test Overall Times: Foggia Leaves Test As Fastest
Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Prev 1 7 Dennis Foggia Honda 1:46.990 2 16 Andrea Migno Honda 1:47.042 0.052 0.052 3 28 Izan Guevara GasGas 1:47.324 0.334 0.282 4 24 Tatsuki Suzuki Honda 1:47.390 0.400 0.066 5 71 Ayumu Sasaki Husqvarna 1:47.553 0.563 0.163 6 44 David Muñoz KTM 1:47.618 0.628 0.065 7 5 Jaume Masia KTM 1:47.654 0.664 0.036 8 53 Deniz Öncü KTM 1:47.659 0.669 0.005 9 11 Sergio Garcia GasGas 1:47.696 0.706 0.037 10 27 Kaito Toba KTM 1:47.699 0.709 0.003 11 99 Carlos Tatay CFMOTO 1:47.734 0.744 0.035 12 54 Riccardo Rossi Honda 1:47.759 0.769 0.025 13 17 John Mcphee Husqvarna 1:47.794 0.804 0.035 14 67 Alberto Surra Honda 1:47.837 0.847 0.043 15 20 Lorenzo Fellon Honda 1:47.851 0.861 0.014 16 6 Ryusei Yamanaka KTM 1:47.943 0.953 0.092 17 96 Daniel Holgado KTM 1:47.984 0.994 0.041 18 19 Scott Ogden Honda 1:47.988 0.998 0.004 19 31 Adrian Fernandez KTM 1:48.074 1.084 0.086 20 82 Stefano Nepa KTM 1:48.173 1.183 0.099 21 43 Xavier Artigas CFMOTO 1:48.174 1.184 0.001 22 48 Ivan Ortolá KTM 1:48.377 1.387 0.203 23 23 Elia Bartolini KTM 1:48.382 1.392 0.005 24 18 Matteo Bertelle KTM 1:48.577 1.587 0.195 25 66 Joel Kelso KTM 1:48.607 1.617 0.030 26 64 Mario Aji Honda 1:48.692 1.702 0.085 27 10 Diogo Moreira KTM 1:48.780 1.790 0.088 28 70 Joshua Whatley Honda 1:49.041 2.051 0.261 29 22 Ana Carrasco KTM 1:49.293 2.303 0.252
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Post by truenorth on Feb 22, 2022 8:17:35 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 22, 2022 8:46:06 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Feb 23, 2022 6:54:06 GMT -8
Livio Suppo To Be New Team Manager Of Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP Squad Submitted by David Emmett on Wed, 2022-02-23 04:37
Suzuki's quest for a team manager is at an end. After a year of searching for a replacement for Davide Brivio, who left MotoGP to join the Alpine F1 team at the end of 2020, Suzuki have finally announced the hiring of Livio Suppo to run the MotoGP team. Suppo is a very experienced team manager, having set up Ducati's MotoGP team when they first entered the class back in 2003, and having run the Repsol Honda squad after leaving Ducati at the end of 2009.
Suppo's hiring came after Suzuki had talked to a range of candidates. They had talks with Wilco Zeelenberg, but Zeelenberg was committed to the RNF project with Razlan Razali, and having worked with Yamaha in once capacity or another since he retired from racing at the end of the 2000 season, preferred to stay within the Yamaha family. There had also been rumors of Johan Stigefelt joining Suzuki, after the Swedish ex-racer's ousting when Petronas Yamaha disbanded to become RNF, but that never went much beyond rumor.
Suppo had expressed an interest in joining Suzuki at the start of the 2021 season, but Suzuki had decided it was better to wait until the off season to make a decision. Talks have been going on since the start of the year, and have only just finalized now.
Suppo's first job will be to oversee the re-signing of current riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins. Keeping Mir on board had looked a tricky proposition prior to the Sepang test, the 2020 world champion expressing dissatisfaction with the progress Suzuki made. Mir's public opinion changed drastically after Sepang, the 2022 GSX-RR being the step forward he had hoped for.
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Post by truenorth on Feb 23, 2022 7:21:41 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Mar 1, 2022 6:08:48 GMT -8
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