2024 MotoGP season

[chrisb]

so here we are in Sepang for a hot and sweaty start to the season, all are there testing all kinds of things - mainly aero and electronics, does this feel familiar to you F1 fans? 

I am thinking as mentioned elsewhere MotoGP needs to be renamed F1 on 2 wheels, all aerodynamic and electronic aids, from lowering bikes for cornering and starts to re-positioned exhausts so the riders can't breath as it is too hot, and then there are the aerodynamics, as enthusiastic as I once was, this is completely nonsense. can't follow the guy in front, mess up lines and 'dirty air' is something we hear far too much of.


The big news is of course around rider changes, Marc Marquez on a Ducati. Is this a Casey Stoner moment? when he went the opposite way and of course blitzed everyone. No doubt we shall hear very little else from the commentators as to how he is doing. Alex Rins on a Yamaha should be interesting with his smooth but assertive style and of course Rossi's little brother is now on a Honda and seems to be going quite well but Joan is going ever better. Aprilla seem to be working on race pace and the three of them are seen circulating together as Raul Fernandez had a bad one and is resting and recovering, to see if they have cured this rider overheating problem. KTM are up there and Acosta is doing an impressive job at least a second faster than his team mate but of course it is Brad who is the quickest. But the quickest as usual are of course the Ducati's and they really are squabbling to be the fastest, 

 think the first race is about a months time and it should be interesting as it is felt a few to say the least are - gosh do you remember this in F1 'sandbagging'

 thing I seriously miss in F1 is the morning warm-up, it was always so exciting to see the cars coming out and the adrenalin would start pumping and would really set you up for the main event, it is one of the few things that MotoF1GP have not copied, and that is a mercy. 

[René]

Chris, I moved your post to the new 2024 Board.

Yep, Márquez on a Ducati will be interesting for sure! 

[chrisb]

thanks Rene, 

Marc seems to be giving this new adventure a more methodical approach - irony the Honda's are at least a second a lap quicker than last year and much to Ducati's disgust are being granted concessions - 

meanwhile in WSB the temperature is really hotting up and this year has the looks of a classic year, what with Johnny Rea moving to Yamaha and Toprak moving to BMW and plenty of British interest. 

[René]

Qatar Grand Prix - Losail International



The MotoGP season starts this weekend in Qatar. Ducati seemed very strong again during the test days and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia has signed a new contract for two years.

Many eyes will also be on Marc Márquez and how he will do on the Ducati. Let's hope that it will not be a Ducati-only party and that Aprilla or KTM can offer some resistance.

[chrisb]

yet another middle-eastern circuit, money shouts, 

a bit like F1 there seems to be one team who has the distinct advantage over the others, in this case Ducati, and like F1 we are hopeful that one of the other teams can break the cycle - but I doubt it, Ducati really have got it buttoned - Marc has kept quite a relative low profile and it will be interesting if he has been sandbagging 

the money is on Pecca and Martinez to continue their battle 

now Ferrari fans, a new Ferrari has been launched - the Ferrari Barracuda - and it is without doubt the best looking motorbike at the moment, the colour is gorgeous, the shape is just perfection - sadly I cannot download the picture and don't know much about the technical details other than it is simply gorgeous 

[Carl]

Chris,

          I narrowed it down to two possibilities, both gorgeous and wonderful to experience

                                                                 

                                                                                                 

[René]

Mar 7, 2024 16:36:09 GMT Carl said:

Chris,

          I narrowed it down to two possibilities, both gorgeous and wonderful to experience

                                                               View Attachment  

                                                                                                  View Attachment

… and full-blooded Italian.

[chrisb]

personally Sophia always did it for moi 

[chrisb]

well that's the sprint race done and very dusted, I don't know about F1 having a sense of deja vu - we certainly have in MotoGP, Martin wins - the KTM's really launch off the line, Brad finishes a good 2nd whilst Jack fades and the Aprilla's with Aleix a fine 3rd - the main deja vu sense? Marc bleep bleep Marquez, rode a good race, 1st race on the Ducati and was good but the commentators treated it as the second coming or something, on and on they droned, Marquez this Marquez that - in F1 people turn off the commentary - this has now spread to MotoGP, arghhhh


It wasn't the most exciting race- but for us Brits the weekend is not going well - obviously none in MotoGP, and our now sole representative in Moto2 - Jake Dixon- had a real nasty in practice and was ruled out for the weekend, so we have yet another Spanish superstar, and this guy really is - and yup the commentators do mention his name a bit.


Worse still - in Moto3 we have two representatives, who are puzzling the life out of me, this is their 3rd season and it's not exactly going well,


So today beckons the main event, will Pecco win again, will the commentators shut up about Marc bleep bleep Marquez and mention a few other riders - like Zarco who rode the wings off the Honda and will Maverick actually live up to his ability?  

in answer to my own questions- Yes Pecco will win, no the commentators won't shut up about MM and no and no - oh well at least it is raining........and there isn't any F1 

[chrisb]

the MotoGP was better than I hoped for, Pecco was just the class of the field as was Brad - Jorge finished a good 3rd, Marc's name wasn't mentioned as much as I feared but the new Marc, Pedro Acosta was - 

looking forward to Portugal 

Moto2 - was a shambles, with the new Pirelli's going orf after 5 laps and the mediums worse than the softs, for those who don't follow Pirelli have taken over the tyre supply in Moto2 and 3 from Dunlop. 

[chrisb]

our first European MotoGP and yup so far dominated by Ducati, but with Aprilla and KTM snapping at their heels, could be a really good race. And it's on a proper circuit, makes such a difference

Of course it's a feast instead of a famine as we get the first European WSB at Catalunya, and that thus far has been scintillating except for John's namesake who is decidedly struggling 

[René]

Portuguese Grand Prix - Algarve International



Yes Chris, the Portuguese Grand Prix is on! Pole position for Enea Bastianini but the gap to Maverick Viñales was only 0.082!



1 Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) 1'37.706s
2 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) +0.082s
3 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP24) +0.106s
4 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) +0.216s
5 Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.326s
6 Marco Bezzecchi ITA VR46 Ducati (GP23) +0.366s

[chrisb]

and the fantastic news? Maverick won the sprint race! so so pleased for him and Aprilla. roll on tomorrow. But of course the announcers spoke of Marc Marquez's ride to second from 11th , whilst pretty impressive I seem to recollect a certain Italian legend winning 1st time out when he swopped from Honda to Yamaha.

43 years ago a legend was tragically killed by a truck driver whilst going out for some fish and chips on a wet and miserable Friday night, Mike Hailwood to many of us will always remain the greatest of all time was killed along with his daughter by a sheer tragedy.

In WSB - Toprak has done it, he won a race on the BMW - whilst poor Scott now riding for a satellite team finished 17th - 

[René]

Americas Grand Prix - COTA



Maverick Viñales fastest in FP1 and Jorge Martin smashes the COTA lap record in FP2!

[chrisb]

My word what a race! it really was one of the very best races I have ever watched - it was brilliant, the sprint race was pretty good on the Saturday but it really did seem a bit well anti-climaxed but the main event - wow - so much so I have now watched it twice - it really was that good,


Maverick Vinales - has always been a mercurial if brilliant at times racer who when all things point in the right direction is just about unbeatable, against the new wonder kid on the block Pedro Acosta whose initial start to the year has been nothing short of exceptional and the shall we say returning Marc Marquez on a Ducati, oh and the other brilliant Ducati's who are not in the slightest bit intimidated by Marquez and let him know he can't get away with his previous tactics - especially Martine and Pecca who are extremely good. 

Starting on pole Maverick was pushed back to 11th by some very aggressive riding but by the end with some brilliant overtaking won in record style, should this form continue then his first world championship beckons and wouldn't that be something. 

If I was to recommend to anyone a race to watch it would have been this one, it really had so much and was just brilliant. 

There is a new name for Maverick, Batmav and he wears the cloak of victory.

Whilst Aprilla, KTM and Ducati dominate the other two manufacturers really are in a mess- the biggest news before the race was Fabio re-signing with Yamaha for another two years and just had a dreadful race but at least he finished. Honda are just in a dreadful place and at times occupy the last 4 places on the grid, More often than that they seem to be the most constant crashers, poor Joan is having a complete nightmare - how things change -