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Post by truenorth on Nov 19, 2023 10:16:34 GMT -8
Circuit Ricardo Tormo The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana was completed in 1999 and held rounds of the MotoGP and Spanish Motorcycle Championships in the same year. The Cheste track has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. MotoGP events are held on a 4km track comprising of five right handed corners, eight left handers and a 876m straight. Although the track is regarded as quite small, the pit complex contains 48 garages whilst the stadium style grandstands can seat up to 150,000 spectators. The circuit layout which allows all parts of the circuit to be seen from any stand helps to create a unique atmosphere enjoyed by Spanish and international riders alike and as the last race of the season there is always a party feeling to the Grand Prix, which was voted best GP of 2005 by IRTA. Shittiest rack of the year but it's close to Ezpeleta's house
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Post by truenorth on Nov 19, 2023 12:17:03 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:11:18 GMT -8
THE 2023 TITLE WON WITH BRUTISH TACTICS - AND NO REMORSE Newly-crowned 2023 Moto3 champion Jaume Masia emerged from Sunday’s world title winning Qatar Grand Prix not just with top honours in the lightweight class but also facing significant controversy after an aggressive end to the championship battle that he was wholly unrepentant for after the chequered flag. The Leopard Honda rider went into the race with the odds very much in his favour against Japanese rival Ayumu Sasaki, with a 13-point lead that meant that - with only two rounds left in Qatar and next weekend at Valencia - finishing ahead of Sasaki would be enough for Masia to go into his home race with a very comfortable margin. However, with a traditionally chaotic Moto3 race breaking out as soon as the lights went out and with Masia and Sasaki among a pack of other racers (two of whom, David Alonso and Dani Holgado, still had faint championship hopes of their own), it became apparent that neither would be able to take it easy even if it looked quite clear that both Masia and Sasaki had better pace than those around them. Amid plenty of harsh but fair moves in the opening laps of the race, it was two from Masia in particular that raised eyebrows, as he twice went up the inside of Sasaki at Turn 6, both times failing to stop anywhere near the apex and sitting up the Japanese racer. On both occasions, the pair dropped from fighting for the lead to barely inside the top 10 - but with Masia emerging in front both times. It was something noted by the FIM MotoGP race stewards, too, with Masia being sent a conduct warning message to his dashboard but facing no further action from race control. The warning was something Masia dismissed afterwards by saying “I saw some messages from race direction, but honestly I don’t care too much.” Neither of the moves made much of a difference to Sasaki's eventual track position coming into the final laps of the race (and there was, ironically, some objection on Masia's part as to how Suzuki was riding), but when some rivals intervened and got in between Masia and Sasaki on the third-to-last lap, Sasaki fell into the clutches of Masia's Leopard Honda team-mate Adrian Fernandez. A mid-season replacement for Sasaki’s Japanese compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki, the younger Fernandez has an aggressive reputation that precedes him - and he was quick to demonstrate it again at Lusail by coming back at Sasaki twice in a single lap. Glancing on multiple occasions over his shoulder, as if seeking out Sasaki, Fernandez finally uncorked a last-corner divebomb that left Sasaki facing too tall an order to get back with the leading group. And while the aggressive riding from both Masia and Fernandez could potentially have been dismissed as coincidence after the race, Masia doubled down on creating controversy by implicitly hinting that there had been a deliberate strategy - as the series’ frontrunning Honda rider railed against rival manufacturer KTM. "I need to see the race,” he laughed when asked about it by The Race afterwards. “I need to see where Adrian was. I don’t know, I need to see - but I want to take this to… I don’t know the correct word to send to all the KTM group, I don’t know how to say this to them, to thank them for giving them this power. “I am a guy who I believe in the difficult moments I struggle, but in the end I move up and I move on. No one was going to give me the title, no one was going to give me nothing, so I went to take it with my own hands, and I would do whatever. “I did what I needed to do,” he added, switching to Spanish and amid cheers and laughter from his team, “and he [Sasaki] got it.”
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:21:37 GMT -8
Repsol Honda Team It's going to be an emotional weekend to say the least, but the target remains the same 🫡 "Let’s make every lap count." marc marquez93 "The track holds good memories for me" Joan MirOfficial
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:22:22 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:23:18 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:48:05 GMT -8
Never say never, but history is against Jorge Ahead of the final race of the season, Nick Harris recalls other times when the title was still on the line as the curtains came down on a season So, it’s come to the last round showdown as expected but not quite as we hoped. 21 points is a massive advantage for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) would have to make history to be crowned MotoGP™ World Champion at Valencia on Sunday. Never in the 74-year-old history of Grand Prix racing has a rider pulled back such a big deficit at the final round of the premier class to take the title. Of course, the introduction of the Tissot Sprint race this season has changed the situation. Now, there are 37 priceless World Championship points up for grabs instead of 25, but it’s still a massive ask for the Pramac rider. 19 times in that 74-year-old history the premier class world title has been decided at the final round. Only three times has the rider not leading the Championship going into that final round won the title. The biggest deficit pulled back was in 2006 at that never-to-be-forgotten final MotoGP™ race in Valencia. Valentino Rossi, riding the factory Yamaha, had an eight-point advantage over his old Repsol Honda team-mate Nick Hayden. The American had been brought down by his team-mate Dani Pedrosa at the penultimate round in Estoril and we all thought his big chance had gone. We were wrong. Rossi crashed, Hayden finished third behind the Ducatis of Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi to become the last American to win the title. It was a lot more controversial in 2015, when Rossi arrived for the final Valencia showdown with a seven-point advantage over Yamaha team-mate, and not best friend, Jorge Lorenzo. Just two weeks earlier Rossi had been involved in a couple of unforgettable clashes with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at Sepang in Malaysia. As a result, together with an earlier penalty, the Italian had to start the 30 lap race from the back of the grid and Lorenzo knew exactly what to do. He won the race with Rossi fighting his way through the field to fourth, but it was not enough. Lorenzo grabbed his third and last world title by five points. Rossi’s big chance to win his tenth world title had gone for good. The first time a rider not leading the Championship won the title at the final round in 1992 was in very different circumstances. Mick Doohan arrived for the final round at Kyalami in South Africa with a two-point advantage over World Champion Wayne Rainey, but that does not tell the true story. Australian Doohan, riding the Rothmans Honda, held a 65-point advantage when he broke his leg in a qualifying crash in the eighth round at Assen. Severe complications prevented him from returning until the penultimate round at Interlagos in Brazil. Doohan could hardly walk, let alone race, but somehow fought through the pain to finish 12th in the race which was won by Rainey. He held that precious but fragile two-point lead going into 28 laps of the Kyalami circuit two weeks later. Doohan gave it all and more to finish sixth. Rainey’s third place retained the title for the World Champion by four points. I remember as media manager for the Honda team I had to organise the instant destruction of 200 World Championship-winning tee-shirts, press kits and photographs before Mick saw them. Doohan was devastated, but two years later won his first world title for Honda. He captured four more consecutive titles for Honda, and so take heart for the loser this weekend. Look to the future after disappointment and don’t dwell on the past. So, Jorge, history is against you but never say never. Win that Tissot Sprint on Saturday and the pressure is on.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:50:17 GMT -8
"Jorge will have to totally attack" Delve into the biggest Talking Points from a cracker in Qatar! Under the lights of Lusail, it was Fabio Di Giannantonio who shone brightest to secure his maiden win in MotoGP™, and ensure it was back-to-back wins for Gresini Racing in Qatar. Crossing the line second was Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who delivered a hammer blow to title rivals Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) Championship hopes, while Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) bagged himself another MotoGP™ podium. A deluge of on track action kept us glued to our screens across the weekend, and these are some of the biggest Talking Point from the Qatar GP. “Jorge will have to totally attack” The title fight will indeed rumble onto the final round in Valencia, but there is now a 21 point difference between Bagnaia and Martin. The top two experienced very different fortunes on Sunday in Qatar, but will once again go wheel-to-wheel for glory at the season finale. Bagnaia: “I never saw him. I thought he was fourth, but I didn’t see he was behind like this and my team didn’t say anything to me.” “Last year I remember my feeling (going into the final round). Even if it was a 23-point gap, I was very much under pressure but this year is different. I think we can manage the situation better and Jorge will have to totally attack. We are in the best position.” Martin: “You saw the start. I had a big spin and the rear tyre wasn’t working well. I’m really disappointed a Championship is decided by a bad tyre. It’s happened to me and it’s a pity but it is what it is. I struggled a lot, I didn’t have rear grip, I couldn’t turn, I couldn’t open the throttle but with my experience, I at least made some points which wasn’t easy. “Anything can happen in Valencia. Pecco can make a mistake, I can for sure win both races but I can win if I don’t have a tyre like today. It’s not decided yet, but it’s not the same to arrive to Valencia close than in this condition.” “I am speechless” Di Giannantonio took an incredible maiden win in Qatar, in one of the very best feel good stories of the year. Despite taking a Grand Prix win, a Tissot Sprint podium plus an Australian GP podium, the Italian still hasn’t secured a seat for 2024, with just one round remaining. Post-race, the #49 reflected on the situation. “I am speechless about this argument. I think I am doing everything on time. It’s just my second year in MotoGP™. If you look at the other riders, we are in the best Championship in the world, the highest level of motorbikes in the world. The guy who finished last today was a World Champion, so the level is super high! It takes time to make things work out, finally we made it, but I think we’re completely on time.” Diggia also discussed his future after a brilliant Tissot Sprint podium on Saturday, labelling it strange that a rider of his quality has yet to secure a ride. “I think it's quite strange this situation, that a rider like me does not have a seat with one week to the end of the season, and some other riders already have it. In the end, it is what it is, and I just have to be focused and just try to enjoy every moment of my bike. Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti also weighed in with his opinion, believing it to be unforgivable if he doesn’t line up on next year’s grid. “He doesn’t know if he has a ride for next year yet which to me is unacceptable because he has shown, in the last part of the Championship, he is one of the best riders here at the moment. It is what it is, I hope he gets a ride for next year.” “He got mapping eight!? Fantastic!” It’s been a while, but MotoGP™ finally saw the return of mapping eight during a Grand Prix race! The last time it was between Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, signalling the latter to roll off as the former challenged for title honours. We saw the return of the dashboard message on Sunday, but it had a slightly different meaning this time around! Bagnaia: “I didn’t know! He got mapping eight!? Fantastic if it was the same as the last time! In any case, he was faster, I did the maximum with my pace and I did my best lap time the one before going wide. Di Giannantonio: “We just planned to make the pass four to five laps from the end, so that mapping 8 was a ‘Hey, now is the moment!’ And it was a good thing because I couldn’t see my pit board and I couldn’t see how many laps till the end. Then I saw mapping eight and I started to find my pit board with four laps to go and I was like, ‘Oh man! I need to do it now!” “We've seen him over-reacting many, many times” Hitting the headlines for more controversial reasons were Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) after their FP2 clash. The Spaniard lashed out at his Italian counterpart, something which saw him handed a six-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race in addition to a hefty fine. Morbidelli: “I was having my practice and then Alex Marquez crashed in turn 2 and there was a yellow flag. So Martin, in front of me, slowed down. I slowed down as well. But by the time we reached turn 4, Aleix overtook me. And then I overtook him back because I wanted to get back my original position. And then he overtook me like crazy into Turn 6 almost crashing and almost making me crash. “Yes. And then when I was trying to tell him to take it easy because as always, after he banged on me, he got angry! And started to make bad gestures as he always does. When I was telling him to take it easy and to chill out. He did what you all saw. It’s a hugely disrespectful action towards me. “We've seen him over-reacting many, many times in his career. He has much more episodes to be ashamed of, than episodes to be proud of. I guess he's what he is. I wonder what he will say to his kids.”
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 9:59:04 GMT -8
Oliveira to miss Valencia GP while penalty appeal rejected The Portuguese rider will serve a Long Lap in his next race after his role in an incident during the Tissot Sprint in Qatar Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF Aprilia MotoGP™ Team) will not participate in this weekend’s Valencia GP, with injury curtailing his 2023 campaign. The Portuguese rider broke his right scapula after getting caught up in a Lap 1, Turn 6 incident with factory Aprilia stablemate Aleix Esparagro during the Tissot Sprint. Adding insult to injury, the #88 was deemed to be at fault for the incident and has been handed a penalty for his role in the crash, despite protestations. Having had an appeal denied, Oliveira will have a Long Lap penalty awaiting him in the next race he competes in. That will most likely be at the 2024 curtain raiser in Qatar on March 10th, with the Portuguese rider hopeful of finding full fitness before then.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 10:10:37 GMT -8
David Emmett Alex Rins will attempt to race in Valencia, the LCR Honda team has announced.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 10:18:32 GMT -8
Someday we will talk about Takaaki Nakagami. A driver that I really like, but he has been in #MotoGP for 6 seasons and has not even achieved a podium. However, no one ever questions his continuity while the rest of the drivers come and go
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Post by truenorth on Nov 21, 2023 10:30:47 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Nov 22, 2023 8:26:18 GMT -8
tmcblog Reportedly VR46 has a 2 year deal with Yamaha MotoGP starting 2025:
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Post by truenorth on Nov 22, 2023 8:36:33 GMT -8
Bezzecchi "The last race is always special here in Valencia, this year we arrive secure of the third place in the Championship. I'm really happy, for myself and the whole Team; I'll be even happier if we manage to get competitive again this weekend"
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Post by truenorth on Nov 22, 2023 8:39:51 GMT -8
Mat Oxley No official announcement yet, but Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will replace injured RNF rider Miguel Oliveira at Valencia. This means there won't have been a single full grid of full-time riders (ie not replacement riders) in any 2023 GP race. This is insane.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 22, 2023 9:32:35 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Nov 23, 2023 9:48:48 GMT -8
Peter Bom Valencia's racetrack is completly resurfaced for the MotoGP this weekend. Expect lap records to tumble.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 23, 2023 10:24:46 GMT -8
Mat Oxley This may be the main event of the weekend - but MM leaving Honda, rather than leaving Repsol.
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Post by truenorth on Nov 23, 2023 10:39:45 GMT -8
Crash MotoGP Luca Marini confirming that he can't confirm if he is going to ride for Repsol Honda in 2024.
Marini: "I think the news will be released in the next few days, I can't say much now. My dream has always been to develop a Factory bike and make it successful, I felt ready for this challenge"
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Post by truenorth on Nov 23, 2023 10:52:53 GMT -8
Crash MotoGP Sounds like that VR46 seat might have Fabio Di Giannantonio's name on it.
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