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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:13:36 GMT -8
With more than 60 years of history Silverstone has become one of the most prestigious venues dedicated to motorsport. Completely revamped in recent years, a multimillion pound investment saw the completion in 2010 of a first phase of works to greatly improve the venue, making it one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar and earning high praise from the World Championship riders who enjoyed the new layout. The ‘Silverstone Wing’, a state-of-the-art, multi-million pound complex, became a new landmark at the circuit from 2011, thus adding to already breathtaking facilities at Silverstone.
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:18:58 GMT -8
MotoGP Championship Standings
Rider Points Leader Previous QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED
1 QUARTARARO Fabio FRA 172 7 20 8 9 25 20 13 20 25 25 - 2 21 21 ESPARGARO Aleix SPA 151 13 7 25 5 16 16 16 16 11 13 13 3 58 37 ZARCO Johann FRA 114 8 16 - 7 20 - 11 13 16 20 3 4 66 8 BAGNAIA Francesco ITA 106 - 1 11 11 8 25 - 25 - - 25 5 67 1 BASTIANINI Enea ITA 105 25 5 6 25 - 8 25 - - 6 5 6 79 12 BINDER Brad RSA 93 20 8 10 4 - 6 8 9 8 9 11 7 81 2 MILLER Jack AUS 91 - 13 2 16 - 11 20 1 2 16 10 8 95 14 MIR Joan SPA 77 10 10 13 13 - 10 - - 13 - 8 9 97 2 RINS Alex SPA 75 9 11 16 20 13 0 - - - - 6 10 101 4 OLIVEIRA Miguel POR 71 - 25 3 0 11 4 - 7 7 7 7 11 102 1 MARTIN Jorge SPA 70 - - 20 8 - 0 - 3 20 10 9 12 110 8 VIÑALES Maverick SPA 62 4 0 9 6 6 2 6 4 9 - 16 13 112 2 MARQUEZ Marc SPA 60 11 - - 10 10 13 10 6 - - - 14 117 5 BEZZECCHI Marco ITA 55 - 0 7 - 1 7 4 11 - 5 20 15 120 3 MARINI Luca ITA 52 3 2 5 0 4 0 7 10 10 11 0 16 130 10 NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN 42 60 4 2 0 9 9 8 - - 4 17 132 2 ESPARGARO Pol SPA 40 16 4 - 3 7 5 5 - 0 - - 18 145 13 MARQUEZ Alex SPA 27 -3 1 - 9 3 2 2 6 - 1 19 147 2 MORBIDELLI Franco ITA 25 59 - 0 3 1 1 0 3 3 - 20 154 7 DI GIANNANTONIO Fabio ITA 18 00 - 0 - 0 3 5 - 8 2 21 162 8 BINDER Darryn RSA 10 06 0 0 0 - 0 0 4 - - 22 162 0 DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA 10 2- 0 1 5 0 0 0 - 2 0
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:21:30 GMT -8
Moto 2 Championship Standings
Rider Points Leader Previous QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED
1 VIETTI Celestino ITA 146 25 20 25 - 20 10 8 - 25 - 13 2 00 FERNANDEZ Augusto SPA 146 13 11 - 7 - 13 25 11 16 25 25 3 11 OGURA Ai JPN 145 10 10 16 20 - 25 11 16 9 8 20 4 30 29 CANET Aron SPA 116 20 16 13 - - 20 20 - 20 7 - 5 42 12 ARBOLINO Tony ITA 104 11 8 10 25 - 16 - 13 6 6 9 6 49 7 ROBERTS Joe USA 97 8 5 3 8 25 8 9 20 - 3 8 7 58 9 SCHROTTER Marcel GER 88 6 0 4 13 13 11 10 7 11 13 - 8 70 12 DIXON Jake GBR 76 5 - 11 16 - - 0 10 13 5 16 9 71 1 ACOSTA Pedro SPA 75 4 7 9 - - 0 - 25 10 20 - 10 77 6 CHANTRA Somkiat THA 69 - 25 20 - - - 16 - 4 1 3 11 84 7 NAVARRO Jorge SPA 62 9 3 - 11 16 6 7 4 2 - 4 12 91 7 BENDSNEYDER Bo NED 55 0 1 7 9 8 9 2 5 3 0 11 13 95 4 LOWES Sam GBR 51 16 13 6 - - - - - - 16 - 14 101 6 ARENAS Albert SPA 45 3 6 8 5 - 7 0 6 - 10 - 15 106 5 BEAUBIER Cameron USA 40 7 4 5 - - - 13 9 - 2 - 16 107 1 GONZALEZ Manuel SPA 39 0 0 2 3 11 0 5 0 7 4 7 17 109 2 ALDEGUER Fermín SPA 37 0 9 - - 9 - - 2 1 11 5 18 111 2 LOPEZ Alonso SPA 35 - - - - - - - 8 8 9 10 19 113 2 ALCOBA Jeremy SPA 33 2 2 0 10 10 4 3 0 0 0 2 20 130 17 BALTUS Barry BEL 16 -- - 6 7 2 - 0 0 - 1 21 132 2 SALAC Filip CZE 14 -0 - 2 2 0 1 3 - - 6 22 136 4 DALLA PORTA Lorenzo ITA 10 -0 - 0 - 1 4 - 5 - 0
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:23:34 GMT -8
Moto 3 Championship Standings
Rider Points Leader Previous QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED
1 GARCIA Sergio SPA 182 20 13 25 - 25 20 9 25 13 16 16 2 33 GUEVARA Izan SPA 179 8 20 - 9 11 25 16 20 25 25 20 3 67 64 FOGGIA Dennis ITA 115 9 25 20 20 8 0 13 - - 20 - 4 69 2 SASAKI Ayumu JPN 113 - - 16 13 16 10 20 - - 13 25 5 75 6 MASIA Jaume SPA 107 - 9 - 25 20 16 25 0 8 4 - 6 84 9 ÖNCÜ Deniz TUR 98 13 11 2 11 13 13 7 1 11 9 7 7 88 4 SUZUKI Tatsuki JPN 94 - 6 11 6 4 - 11 16 16 11 13 8 105 17 MIGNO Andrea ITA 77 25 - - 16 9 2 6 13 - 5 1 9 118 13 TATAY Carlos SPA 64 - 16 8 8 10 - 10 0 10 - 2 10 125 7 ARTIGAS Xavier SPA 57 6 10 - 10 0 11 - 0 6 3 11 11 130 5 ROSSI Riccardo ITA 52 4 0 13 7 5 - 3 10 5 - 5 12 131 1 YAMANAKA Ryusei JPN 51 7 5 4 0 0 8 8 11 0 - 8 13 134 3 HOLGADO Daniel SPA 48 0 7 9 - - 7 5 - - 10 10 14 138 4 TOBA Kaito JPN 44 16 4 7 - 0 9 1 0 1 0 6 15 148 10 MOREIRA Diogo BRA 34 10 - 10 - 6 6 2 - - 0 0 16 149 1 ORTOLÁ Ivan SPA 33 5- 1 5 - 3 0 9 0 6 4 17 150 1 MUÑOZ David SPA 32 - - - - - - - 5 20 7 - 18 154 4 FERNANDEZ Adrian SPA 28 2- 3 2 - - 0 6 7 8 - 19 158 4 MCPHEE John GBR 24 11 - - - - - 4 - 9 0 - 20 159 1 BARTOLINI Elia ITA 23 08 5 0 0 0 0 8 0 2 - 21 160 1 KELSO Joel AUS 22 10 6 0 7 - - 4 4 - - 22 164 4 NEPA Stefano ITA 18 3- 0 3 1 1 0 - 0 1 9
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:29:22 GMT -8
MotoGP™ rookie watch: how is the 2022 battle shaping up? Three of the five rookies have claimed top 10s in the first 11 races as we take a look at how each of them are getting on so far A quintet of fast rookies were welcomed to the premier class at the start of 2022 in what is, arguably, the most competitive era we’ve ever seen in MotoGP™. It couldn’t be much tougher being a rookie in this day and age, and as we’ve now surpassed the halfway stage of the season, we take a brief look at how each of them is getting on. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team – 55 points): Bezzecchi has been the rookie sensation in 2022. No one can argue that. The Ducati GP21 the Italian has adopted is Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) multiple race-winning machine from last season, and as we know, the Ducati GP21 is a very, very good bike. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) has shown this year that it’s more than capable of winning against the 2022 thoroughbreds. But Bezzecchi has not only done a decent job on the Ducati so far – he’s been outstanding, especially in the European leg of the campaign. The Argentina GP was the number 72’s first top 10 but the front row at Mugello, followed by him leading the race and eventually finishing P5, was a real eye-opener for everyone. A rookie, on a track as challenging as Mugello, battling for the podium? It was a display of pure class. /photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541442521796157441%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motogp.com%2Fen%2Fnews%2F2022%2F06%2F30%2Fmotogp-rookie-watch-how-is-the-2022-battle-shaping-up%2F428855More points came in Germany with a P11, before the Dutch TT rolled around. After only one fully dry session at The Cathedral of Speed, Bezzecchi bagged P5 in qualifying – his third top six Saturday result of the season. A dream maiden MotoGP™ podium then followed as Bezzecchi produced a flawless display, finishing less than half a second away from close friend and race winner Pecco. Will that podium tally rise before the end of 2022? A tough ask, but you wouldn’t be surprised. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™ - 18 points) Like Bezzecchi, Di Giannantonio is at the controls of a Ducati GP21 alongside Bastianini in the Gresini Racing ranks. Diggia’s season has been solid, and his contract confirmation to remain in MotoGP™ with Gresini in 2023 is richly deserved. The stunning pole position at his home race in Italy is the current highlight for the 23-year-old, while his P8 at the German GP was quietly one of the rides of the day. Di Giannantonio finished less than half a second away from seventh place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and was just shy of six seconds ahead of teammate Bastianini at the Sachsenring. He was also by far the best rookie in Germany too. The Italian has had four points-scoring rides to date in 2022 and we’ve seen glimpses of the potential Diggia possesses. The Rookie of the Year crown looks like it’s going to be a difficult task with Bezzecchi’s form, but Di Giannantonio is the latter’s closest rival heading into the post-summer leg. Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team – 10 points) Having made the gigantic leap from Moto3™ to MotoGP™, Binder has acquitted himself well against the world’s best. The South African has talent in abundance and that was displayed heavily during a rain-soaked Indonesian GP. Binder’s ride from 23rd to 10th in the wet conditions, in what was only his second race on a MotoGP™ bike, was unbelievable. He was less than a second away from older brother Brad, ninth-placed Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and finished ahead of the likes of Bastianini, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Pecco and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). 12th place at the Catalan GP has been Binder’s other points-scoring ride, while the Italian GP was also a notable performance. 16th is generally nothing to shout home about, but finishing just 20 seconds off the win, under two seconds from Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and beating Yamaha stablemate Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was a job well done. Binder had the toughest task of all the rookies in 2022, and so far, he’s been quietly impressive. Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing – 9 points): It’s fair to say the reigning Moto2™ World Champion has endured a difficult season. Likewise to Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teammate Raul Fernandez. KTM’s RC16 hasn’t been an easy bike to get along with in 2022, hence why Gardner has only managed to notch up nine points heading into the summer break. Gardner’s first points came in Qatar with a P15, then a P14 finish was achieved in Portugal where he was the fastest rookie by six seconds. The best result of the season has been a P12 in Barcelona, and since the Official Test on Monday following the Catalan GP, Gardner has felt more comfortable on the KTM. The Australian will be hoping the second half of the season will bring a maiden top 10 finish in the premier class, as KTM continue to search for improvements. Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing – 5 points): On the other side of the Tech3 box, it’s a similar story to that of Gardner. Fernandez created history in Moto2™ last year as a rookie, but the Spanish star’s rookie MotoGP™ campaign has been tricky. A 15th place at the Catalan GP was Fernandez’s first point in the class, and he followed that up with a very solid P12 at the German GP. An arm pump issue forced Fernandez to retire from the Dutch TT before the summer, adding to his hand injury troubles earlier on in the season after a crash in Q1 in Portimao saw him miss the Portuguese and Spanish GPs. A fully fit Fernandez will be aiming to show more of the stellar potential that saw him rise to stardom in 2021 in the latter half of 2022. Bezzecchi leads the Rookie of the Year race by 37 points with nine races left to play in 2022. Can he be caught? It’s an uphill task, especially given the Italian’s current form.
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 7:42:23 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 9:38:37 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 9:47:15 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jul 5, 2022 10:11:43 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jul 7, 2022 8:10:28 GMT -8
MotoGP mid-season report: ‘Shock news’ impacting Suzuki season Picture: GeeBee Images 2022 has not been the season Suzuki Ecstar was expecting when it signed Livio Suppo to take over as Team Manager back in February. Despite leading the Team and Rider standings - with Alex Rins level on points to Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Joan Mir sitting fourth - as the paddock returned to Europe after the opening four flyaway’s, the season all but imploded for the Hamamatsu squad. A shock announcement from Japan that the factory was pulling out of MotoGP at the close of the year stalled the progress of both teams and riders, with four DNF’s each and an additional non-point score for Rins since Portimao - the latter having sustained a broken wrist at Barcelona after the first corner incident involving Takaaki Nakagami. “I was super pleased, very happy to be back in the paddock after four years, and the team welcomed me very well,” Suppo said on his initial return to MotoGP. “It’s a fantastic group of people that are very professional, very friendly. “Basically, in Portimao, we were leading the Teams’ Championship and Alex was on the same points as Fabio, and that was the time when I knew we should have retired,” he laughed. “It has been a very good start, Alex showed he was in good shape, a different rider compared to last year. Joan was struggling a little bit more but it’s also true that he has kind of a way to approach the championship. He wants to start calm, and be stronger when he arrives in Europe. Then what happened probably had some influence. “First of all, I need to really thank all the guys in the team because, despite the news, they didn’t give up, they kept a good mood,” he said of the bombshell dropped at the Jerez test with seemingly no prior warning. “If you stay in the paddock, you see in the evening that the atmosphere in our hospitality remains very friendly and happy. Of course, I’m trying to help them to find a solution for next year. But, the important thing is, apart from the impact and the shock of the first hours, they had a very strong reaction. “Suzuki confirmed officially that they will not race next year. Then what is going is the negotiation with Dorna, that is something out of my job so I cannot say anything about it. For sure nothing has changed. There’s no chance to have Suzuki here next year. “For the riders, it’s very difficult to say,” he continued on the overall effect of the news. “For Alex, he has zero points from the last two races, but basically not from his fault, because of the Barcelona crash. He has been fast anyway, so I think it’s difficult to say if the news has had an influence on their performance, but also I think Joan after especially the Barcelona test found something better in the set-up of the new machine, and I’m really confident that we can try to finish this season with good results, because of course, this will help us to be more happy.”
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Post by truenorth on Jul 8, 2022 6:27:55 GMT -8
MotoGP mid-season report: Honda ‘clearly not competitive’ - Puig After a difficult couple of years for Repsol Honda, the first half of 2022 has not proved brighter for Alberto Puig. A revised RC213V looked to be making strides across pre-season and the opening race, with a podium for Pol Espargaro at Qatar, but that was where the positives stopped for the Japanese firm. Marc Marquez’ injury woes continued to impede the eight-time world champion, with the Spaniard admitting a fourth surgery was required after round eight at Mugello. While Espargaro’s form headed south as he struggled with the revolutionised machine, in a similar vein to that of LCR riders Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami. “It’s not a good season for us and there’s nothing to go more deep in the situation,” Puig reflected succinctly as the summer break approached. “We are clearly not competitive, and we have to improve, and this is what we are trying to do. “You can say many different ways of giving a long explanation, but the truth is that we must improve and we must change our procedures, and this is what we are trying to do. I mean, in the history of Honda, we’ve had more good moments than bad moments, results-wise, but now we are in a bad one. So, we have to fix it.” “The history of Honda is that they never give up,” Puig continued. “We can take this time but we know we will get there. But, we have to try to probably change a little bit our way of thinking, and the key point is to not give up in the chase, in the will to find the better solutions.” Marquez’ recovery remains paramount for the HRC project with the best-case scenario a return to test the bike at the close of the year. “Yes, if possible, it would be good that he could try the bike by, let’s say, after summer, end of the year,” Puig confirmed. “This would be the best, especially for our engineers, so that they understand which direction. “But, the priority is the total recovery of his arm, so this is something that is no question, and this is how we will proceed.” With Suzuki’s dramatic decision to quit MotoGP at the end of the season, 2020 Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins are two hotly coveted riders. Both have been rumoured to be heading HRC’s way with Mir in talks for Espargaro’s seat alongside Marquez senior while Rins is expected to be announced as the younger brother’s replacement at LCR as Alex moves to Gresini for 2023. “Well, when Suzuki’s story appeared, we were all shocked and obviously I think the Suzuki riders went to talk to all the [teams] it’s normal. There are options, there are different options, and we are considering them,” Puig said evasively. “We said since the beginning that it will take more time this year for Honda to decide, and this is where we are now. We have possibilities, and regarding the satellite team, of course, the satellite team is run by Lucio [Cecchinello]. It’s his team, and we will support him with whatever decision he decides. “All these guys are professional riders and they get paid for this job and this goes inside the package of being a rider, a MotoGP rider,” he said of the wait to confirm who’s going where. “In our case this year, we already inform our riders that this year probably will take the decisions later than we did in the past. So from that point on, all riders can decide if they want to wait, what they want to do but they have to handle this pressure because this is part of the game of motorsport racing, not only here but also in car racing. “Regarding Moto2 riders, this is something that’s still not on the table, because still the championship is ongoing, and in case [Ai] Ogura can make a good result, it’s something that should be discussed probably in Japan.” With Honda’s ‘all eggs in the Marquez basket’ strategy stalling in recent years, is it time for a fresh approach from Japan? “I think that it’s all human, when we do something and it’s not working, we have to change the way of thinking to try to improve it,” Puig acknowledged. “That’s all I’m saying. What this includes, at the moment probably I cannot answer you. But what is sure is that because we are not performing as we were performing in the past, we maybe probably should make a deep analyse internalised to try to change how we are approaching to this environment of racing. Maybe more influenced from European or more support in Japan or more many, many things, but just probably modified the current operation. “I think we were doing correctly,” he continued on the past success story. “We had the best rider and we were winning titles because he accepted that bike. “Everything went well till Marc crashed. Then, since that moment on, we’ve been struggling. “So you can modify the strategy from that time but since that time, we were doing fine. I mean for him the bike was okay, for other guys maybe no but he could win with that bike. So okay, now we are not in this situation. That’s why, probably, we have to change or to think a little bit to change the way we thought because maybe that situation is not happening. We don’t have a rider that is consistently on top. Then we probably will have to make analyse of how we can approach, this is my understanding.”
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Post by truenorth on Jul 12, 2022 8:25:22 GMT -8
Seen Marc lately?
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Post by truenorth on Jul 13, 2022 7:08:05 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jul 13, 2022 7:39:37 GMT -8
Franco Morbidelli taking drastic measures to try and save some weight on his Yamaha this year!
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Post by truenorth on Jul 13, 2022 8:42:02 GMT -8
A few more Grands Prix and Dovi will no longer be in MotoGP after 21 years. He has paid a heavy price for his decision to get on the M1, but he had the courage to do so and can walk away with his head held high
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Post by truenorth on Jul 13, 2022 9:33:10 GMT -8
Aprilia could be interested in Raúl Fernández: "We want a young rider who already has some success in MotoGP"
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Post by truenorth on Jul 15, 2022 6:54:42 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Marc Marquez given the all-clear to start physio - his 6-week post-op check shows good bone consolidation in his right humerus (which was cut through & rotated 30 degrees). Still way too soon to know if he'll be able to test in November or have to wait until next February.
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Post by truenorth on Jul 15, 2022 6:56:47 GMT -8
Mat Oxley MotoGP needs MM. Although the main reasons for reduced overtaking are technical (and MM was the first rider to really talk about this last year), the fact that he's not on track is another reason there's less overtaking, because no one else will always have a go quite like MM
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Post by truenorth on Jul 22, 2022 9:02:23 GMT -8
Alex Rins, LCR Honda Castrol Team and HRC sign new contract The 26-year-old rider signs a two-year contract with the Japanese factory
The LCR Honda CASTROL Team are pleased to announce the signing of Álex Rins on a two-year contract with Honda Racing Corporation.
The 26-year-old from Barcelona has established himself as a consistent front-runner in all Grand Prix classes and finished 3rd overall in the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. Making his debut in 2012 with Honda in the Moto3 World Championship, Rins battled for the lightweight and intermediate titles each year before stepping up to the premier class in 2017. Having claimed 15 wins, including three premier class victories, and a total of 55 podiums, 15 in MotoGP, Rins brings a wealth of experience to HRC and the LCR Honda CASTROL Team.
Alex Rins: “I am very happy to be joining the LCR Honda Team. Changing team and bike is a challenge but I am ready to give my 100% and to put into practice everything that I’ve learnt during my years in the MotoGP class. Lucio and Honda’s trust have been crucial for me in deciding to take on this challenge with this factory. I would like to thank them for this opportunity.”
Lucio Cecchinello (LCR Honda Team Manager): “I am delighted to announce that Álex Rins will be the LCR Honda CASTROL rider in 2023. We’ve just finished signing the contract, all 3 parties, so we are finally able to announce it. Rins is an experienced rider, a fast rider and a podium finisher. This wealth of experience, coupled with Rins’ ability to give the precise suggestions to his technicians, as I’ve heard, will surely help us to improve our our bike package, aiming to fight for more podiums.”
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Post by truenorth on Jul 22, 2022 11:09:04 GMT -8
The MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix undergoes changes due to logistics The organizers of the MotoGP World Championship decide to make changes to the schedules for Friday. The FIM , IRTA and Dorna Sports have announced through the official website of motogp.com the cancellation of the first free practices on Friday of the Japanese GP , with the intention of ensuring the arrival of the material from the different teams. The decision has been made to avoid problems, as happened in the Argentine GP , at the beginning of the season. In that case the races were not consecutive, but they had a week off to move the material and even so there were problems. We remember that Friday practice for the Argentine GP was canceled due to the consequences of the war in Ukraine and air problems as a result of a breakdown. In this case, the Japanese GP is consecutive to the Aragon GP , the weekend of September 18 and 25 , respectively, and the organization has wanted to take care of health and give more time to the teams to be able to guarantee the arrival of the material to the circuit and the preparation of the boxes and the motorcycles.
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