[sand_man]

Originally Posted by javadog

If you look at MM's career, he's been a little more conservative on full tanks and didn't really push it hard until mid-race, or slightly later. Jorge is capable of getting very fast starts and he can run a high pace from lap 1, so his rivals sometimes feel pressure to match his pace, as they fear him disappearing into the distance. MM probably pushed a little too hard to stay with him, rather than waiting until the tires were hot, the fuel level was lower, and so forth. He should have had faith, bided his time, and caught him towards the end.

JR

That's a good point about the fuel! He wen't down on a lap 2! Being that I've never ridden a bike, I can only imagine how a full tank would be an important consideration in a bike's overall handling dynamics...especially the way in which these things are thrown around with the extreme lean angles!