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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 18:13:12 GMT -8
Motegi will be the first time a carbon chassis will be used by a regular KTM racer in 2023
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 19:02:08 GMT -8
Peter McLaren The lower latest factory Ducati holeshot device available for Bagnaia (and Martin) vs. the older version used by Bezzecchi.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 19:15:42 GMT -8
MotoGP Free Practice1 1 89 Jorge MARTIN SPA Prima Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'45.192 13 16 311.2 2 37 Augusto FERNANDEZ SPA GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM 1'45.330 18 19 0.138 0.138 306.8 3 72 Marco BEZZECCHI ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team DUCATI 1'45.510 17 17 0.318 0.180 313.0 4 1 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA Ducati Lenovo Team DUCATI 1'45.631 5 18 0.439 0.121 313.0 5 36 Joan MIR SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'45.685 15 15 0.493 0.054 310.3 6 33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1'45.747 16 17 0.555 0.062 313.0 7 12 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Aprilia Racing APRILIA 1'45.819 5 18 0.627 0.072 313.0 8 43 Jack MILLER AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1'45.902 17 18 0.710 0.083 311.2 9 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YAMAHA 1'45.952 5 20 0.760 0.050 309.4 10 25 Raul FERNANDEZ SPA CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team APRILIA 1'45.966 11 19 0.774 0.014 310.3 11 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Prima Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'46.018 9 15 0.826 0.052 312.1 12 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YAMAHA 1'46.027 16 20 0.835 0.009 310.3 13 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'46.033 14 19 0.841 0.006 313.0 14 49 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA Gresini Racing MotoGP DUCATI 1'46.160 19 19 0.968 0.127 308.5 15 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM 1'46.181 13 15 0.989 0.021 313.9 16 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team APRILIA 1'46.198 16 18 1.006 0.017 312.1 17 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing APRILIA 1'46.229 6 16 1.037 0.031 312.1 18 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Yamalube RS4GP Racing Team YAMAHA 1'46.302 16 16 1.110 0.073 312.1 19 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU HONDA 1'46.334 7 16 1.142 0.032 308.5 20 51 Michele PIRRO ITA Ducati Lenovo Team DUCATI 1'47.132 15 16 1.940 0.798 307.6 21 42 Alex RINS SPA LCR Honda CASTROL HONDA 1'47.587 7 16 2.395 0.455 311.2
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 21:04:10 GMT -8
Iván Ortolá and Joel Kelso have been disqualified from the ENTIRE CATALUNYA GP because the engine oil they used in qualifying did not meet the specifications.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 21:08:43 GMT -8
Moto2 Practice2 5 Jaume MASIA SPA Leopard Racing HONDA 1'57.068 16 16 222.2 2 48 Ivan ORTOLÁ SPA Angeluss MTA Team KTM 1'57.176 11 13 0.108 0.108 217.7 3 71 Ayumu SASAKI JPN Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP HUSQVARNA 1'57.191 11 11 0.123 0.015 216.4 4 96 Daniel HOLGADO SPA Red Bull KTM Tech3 KTM 1'57.226 13 15 0.158 0.035 219.0 5 53 Deniz ÖNCÜ TUR Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 1'57.277 12 14 0.209 0.051 216.0 6 82 Stefano NEPA ITA Angeluss MTA Team KTM 1'57.311 12 14 0.243 0.034 219.5 7 27 Kaito TOBA JPN SIC58 Squadra Corse HONDA 1'57.384 12 14 0.316 0.073 218.1 8 99 José Antonio RUEDA SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 1'57.473 13 13 0.405 0.089 218.6 9 6 Ryusei YAMANAKA JPN Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team GASGAS 1'57.524 15 15 0.456 0.051 213.0 10 72 Taiyo FURUSATO JPN Honda Team Asia HONDA 1'57.591 10 11 0.523 0.067 217.3 11 80 David ALONSO COL Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team GASGAS 1'57.672 14 14 0.604 0.081 216.0 12 24 Tatsuki SUZUKI JPN Leopard Racing HONDA 1'57.676 11 12 0.608 0.004 219.5 13 54 Riccardo ROSSI ITA SIC58 Squadra Corse HONDA 1'57.742 11 12 0.674 0.066 220.8 14 95 Collin VEIJER NED Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP HUSQVARNA 1'57.747 7 15 0.679 0.005 218.6 15 44 David MUÑOZ SPA BOE Motorsports KTM 1'57.775 11 13 0.707 0.028 219.0 16 92 David ALMANSA SPA Rivacold Snipers Team HONDA 1'57.812 13 15 0.744 0.037 218.1 17 66 Joel KELSO AUS CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP CFMOTO 1'58.065 13 13 0.997 0.253 217.3 18 63 Syarifuddin AZMAN MAL MT Helmets - MSI KTM 1'58.094 11 13 1.026 0.029 218.6 19 19 Scott OGDEN GBR VisionTrack Racing Team HONDA 1'58.169 11 12 1.101 0.075 216.4 20 43 Xavier ARTIGAS SPA CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP CFMOTO 1'58.470 11 14 1.402 0.301 215.5 21 7 Filippo FARIOLI ITA Red Bull KTM Tech3 KTM 1'58.499 11 13 1.431 0.029 217.7 22 18 Matteo BERTELLE ITA Rivacold Snipers Team HONDA 1'58.503 8 9 1.435 0.004 216.4 23 10 Diogo MOREIRA BRA MT Helmets - MSI KTM 1'58.722 14 16 1.654 0.219 214.7 24 64 Mario AJI INA Honda Team Asia HONDA 1'59.131 10 11 2.063 0.409 209.7 25 70 Joshua WHATLEY GBR VisionTrack Racing Team HONDA 1'59.171 8 10 2.103 0.040 215.5 26 22 Ana CARRASCO SPA BOE Motorsports KTM 1'59.267 3 13 2.199 0.096 214.7 27 20 Lorenzo FELLON FRA CIP Green Power KTM 1'59.659 13 13 2.591 0.392 215.5
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 23:11:04 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Sept 28, 2023 23:22:35 GMT -8
MotoGP Practice 1 33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1'43.489 20 22 315.7 2 1 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA Ducati Lenovo Team DUCATI 1'43.518 21 22 0.029 0.029 314.8 3 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing APRILIA 1'43.784 18 20 0.295 0.266 309.4 4 89 Jorge MARTIN SPA Prima Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'43.843 22 24 0.354 0.059 313.0 5 72 Marco BEZZECCHI ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team DUCATI 1'43.945 24 25 0.456 0.102 315.7 6 49 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA Gresini Racing MotoGP DUCATI 1'43.947 17 21 0.458 0.002 305.9 7 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Prima Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'44.062 19 21 0.573 0.115 314.8 8 12 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Aprilia Racing APRILIA 1'44.117 22 24 0.628 0.055 314.8 9 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM 1'44.219 18 19 0.730 0.102 313.0 10 43 Jack MILLER AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1'44.261 22 23 0.772 0.042 312.1 11 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team APRILIA 1'44.317 21 24 0.828 0.056 313.0 12 36 Joan MIR SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'44.428 19 21 0.939 0.111 311.2 13 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YAMAHA 1'44.520 13 21 1.031 0.092 309.4 14 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'44.574 16 23 1.085 0.054 310.3 15 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YAMAHA 1'44.657 20 20 1.168 0.083 311.2 16 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Yamalube RS4GP Racing Team YAMAHA 1'44.709 21 22 1.220 0.052 311.2 17 25 Raul FERNANDEZ SPA CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team APRILIA 1'44.811 15 17 1.322 0.102 309.4 18 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU HONDA 1'44.928 23 23 1.439 0.117 309.4 19 37 Augusto FERNANDEZ SPA GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 KTM 1'45.231 20 24 1.742 0.303 306.8 20 51 Michele PIRRO ITA Ducati Lenovo Team DUCATI 1'45.866 17 22 2.377 0.635 308.5 21 42 Alex RINS SPA LCR Honda CASTROL HONDA 1'47.236 4 6 3.747 1.370 311.2
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 6:29:49 GMT -8
TMCBLOG – It is expected that there will be many meetings with the top ranks of HRC officials with their riders including Marc Marquez at the 2023 Japanese GP. Hearing this, there was a lot of speculation that there was a possibility that Marc talked about his separation plan with HRC before the contract expired to be able to race for another team in 2024. Kirain said, but it turned out that until Thursday before the race weekend, Marc admitted that he had not even talked about plans to exit his contract before 2024 with HRC.
Asked by Sky journalist Antonio Boselli if Honda would allow him out, Marc responded: "It's not just my decision and I don't force this situation to the limit. I have given a lot to Honda, but Honda has also given a lot to me. We have a very respectful relationship, very good, and I'm not a pushy rider. This (whatever the decision) has to be good for both sides."
When Marc was again asked if Honda would allow him to quit before his current contract expires at the end of 2024, he replied: "Until now I haven't discussed this directly with them. We've had a few meetings yes, but everything is constructive to try to improve and take steps for the Honda HRC project going forward, considering it's not at this stage yet. the level at which it should be now."
When askedif Marc expected HRC to do the same, Marc replied. "I don't know. They also have to see what my priorities are, honestly I still haven't told them what I think and what I don't. Everything is still at stake. It's a strange, difficult, and unpleasant situation. But we have to look for the best for everyone." – @ tmcblog
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 6:33:41 GMT -8
HRC has been knocking on some Aprilia doors. A riders door, and a Team Managers door. Apparently Vinales and Rivola have both been approached.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 6:50:18 GMT -8
Peter McLaren After completing his first MotoGP laps since fracturing his right leg at Mugello in May, Alex Rins has been declared unfit for the remainder of the Japanese MotoGP weekend. Replaced by Bradl.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 6:55:38 GMT -8
Mat Oxley One sensible change to MotoGP concessions (in general, not to help Honda & Yamaha) would be to allow test riders to race with new engine/aero specs. A bit daft forcing them to race existing stuff, since that rather defeats the point of what they're trying to do: try new ideas
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 11:00:07 GMT -8
Adrian Puig owns 30% of the “team” (hospitality/truck drivers/logistics etc etc etc. So hard to get rid of (the same as the old Gresini side of the Aprilia-Gresini partnership). Rivila/Gigi etc could come alongside and Puig’s job would be exactly the same. Think of the Nakamoto/Suppo. Maybe the segregated duties can help focus.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 11:25:06 GMT -8
Binder smashes Motegi lap record as title chasing trio secure Q2 The South African delivered a sensational effort to beat Jorge Lorenzo’s longstanding record, while the Championship leaders will face off in qualifying An absolute showstopper from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) saw Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 Motegi lap record fall by over three-tenths thanks to the South African’s 1:43.489 at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. It proved an electric session to end the opening day’s runs in Round 14, with the lead trio in the Championship chase all securing safe passage through to Q2.
Binder, who debuted a new carbon fibre chassis on the RC16, will lead the grid into super Saturday, but he has some elite company. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) spent the majority of the session outside the top 10, but the reigning World Champion delivered when it mattered most in the closing stages to jump up to P2 on the timesheets. Three different manufacturers are in the top three, as Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro put in the third quickest lap of the day having found some good pace in the afternoon. It is very much game on at Motegi with Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi also comfortably claiming top 10 finishes on Friday. In the case of the former, the Prima Pramac rider was top of the timesheets in the morning, and was once again the pacesetter in the afternoon before riders threw on a soft tyre and sought a hot lap amid the late scramble for Q2 places. On the other hand, Bezzecchi hovered around the danger zone for much of the session, but the rider sitting third in the title race managed his best time of the day on his penultimate lap.
There was an impressive showing too from Gresini Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio. The #49 was the first rider to break into the 1:43s in Japan. Sitting sixth on the timesheets, the Italian secured just his second Q2 appearance of the campaign. Elsewhere, Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) will appear in Q2 for the first time this year, having put in the ninth fastest time of the day behind Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). Rounding out the top 10 for the day is Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who crashed at Turn 11. The Australian squeezed into Q2 courtesy of his last ditch effort, while some late yellow flags played their part too, due to Raul Fernandez’ (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) second crash of the day. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was among the late fallers at Motegi as well, with the eight-time World Champion going down at Turn 1 while in pursuit of a flying lap that would place him at the business end of proceedings. Instead, he is facing down the barrel of Q1, along with 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who went down at Turn 6 earlier in the session. Despite showing his fighting spirit to get back to the box after a rough looking tumble, he will join Marquez in the Q1 fight.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 11:32:32 GMT -8
Chantra stakes early claim in Japan with Friday double The Thai rider ended the day atop both Moto2™ sessions, and looks a strong contender for glory at Motegi Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) cemented himself as an early frontrunner in Moto2™ at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with a comprehensive display on his Triumph powered machine in Practice 2 on Friday. The Thai rider had already established his dominance at Mobility Resort Motegi, having been quickest on the grid in the previous practice session. His work wasn’t finished however, and the 24-year-old went on to record a 1:50.396. It was exactly the response he needed after failing to finish the first lap last weekend at the IndianOil Grand Prix of India. Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) was close behind with a time of 1:50.433, salvaging his day with a late charge. Meanwhile, Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) also recovered well after going down in Practice 1. With the prospect of rain looming on the horizon for tomorrow morning’s third and final practice session, Practice 2 took on additional importance and could well prove critical for qualifying. The current Moto2™ Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was unable to break into the top three, finding himself fourth and a tenth of a second behind Sam Lowes after the chequered flag. His title rival Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) finds his qualifying position in peril, finishing 18th on the combined timing sheets after only managing a 1:51.414.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 11:38:36 GMT -8
Masia leads title contenders charge towards Q2 It was a good outing for the leading Championship contenders, with all of them inside the top 14 as rain looms on Saturday Jaume Masia, much like he has been in recent weeks, finds himself P1 on the Moto3™ timesheets after an excellent showing during Friday's Practice 2. A 1:57.068 sees the Leopard Racing rider lead the lightweight class charge into Saturday’s action at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. The session took on an added importance at Motegi, with the threat of rain looming large over Saturday’s action, so it was absolutely pivotal that riders recorded a banker lap before then, something which the leading lights in the class managed to do. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) sits in P2, just 0.108s off the lead, while Ayumu Sasaki’s (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), P3 in the Championship, late efforts sees the home hero occupy third. Crucially for Daniel Holgado, who leads the title race tied on points with Masia, he is among the provisional Q2 places having missed out in India amid a checkered run of form. The Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rider is P4, ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and fellow Championship challenger Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Indeed, all the main protagonists involved in the title race can rest easy tonight knowing they have all but secured a Q2 spot should rain arrive in the morning, with David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) sneaking into P13 late on. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) all sit safely inside the top 10, while three Japanese riders, Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) join Alonso in the danger zone, should the skies remain clear on Saturday morning. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) is one of the bigger names who will be hoping the sun shines through as the young Dutch rider missed out, with a near highside not helping his case.
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 11:43:19 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 12:05:10 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 12:14:40 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 14:01:08 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Sept 29, 2023 14:15:22 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Vinales tried the full Aprilia downforce set today, including rear wing, but didn't like it, so has gone back to his usual aero combo, without rear wing.
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