I'm Obsessed with MotoGP

[sand_man]

But there's this moment in the race when Lorenzo had already made the stop and was on heated tires going flat out! Marquez is leaving the pits on warm/coldish tires and enters the track using the same race line as Jorge!!! Jorge just bumps Marc out of the way...grazes right past him with contact!!!!! Almost as if Marc didn't even exist!!!! EPIC!

[Don Ro]

Good article - Thanks for that.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

pit stop was because they brought the wrong tires, right? wouldn't last the distance?

Essentially, yes. Bridgestone doesn't bring every tire they make to each grand prix. They choose a selection from their current lineup and bring the ones they think will be needed, based on past experience. After the race in 2012, the PI track was resurfaced. Bridgestone had some idea of what the new surface was like but guessed wrong on the tire selections they brought. The track was highly abrasive and the tires weren't safe for a race distance. They set a window of a couple laps where riders had to come in and change bikes, that guaranteed that neither the first set of tires nor the second set would go too far. Marquez missed his pit board for several laps and came in one lap late and was black-flagged out of the race.

The other problem Bridgestone often faces is one of temperature. They know what the expected temperatures will be at a specific track and that is another factor in their tire choices. If a race weekend has warmer or colder temperatures than normal, problems can ensue. Laguna Seca has often been a problem track, in that mornings there are cold and foggy, while afternoons are sunny and hot. They can bring tires suitable for the afternoon sessions that simply don't work in first practice, which is generally around 9:00 in the morning, local time.

In the case of PI, the demanding corners are all to the left, so the right side of the tire runs too cool. in 2014, Bridgestone brought a dual compound front that had a softer compound on the right edge of the tire, and a harder one in the middle and on the left side. That gave better grip in the right hand corners, but another problem cropped up. Temperatures dropped in the race, to the point that the center of the tire wasn't giving the usual amount of grip, so a bunch of riders crashed while braking for a corner, notably Cal Crutchlow. To solve that, they changed the design this year to include the softer compound in the center and on the right side, while only the left side had the harder compound. Most riders opted to use it and it worked fine. It helped that Sunday was relatively warm and the wind wasn't as bad as it can be at that track. A rare nice day at Phillip Island...

JR

[javadog]

Quotes from Rossi today...

After the Malaysian GP Pre-Event Press Conference Rossi spoke to the Italian media about his comments on Marquez helping out Lorenzo.

Do you think that Marquez helped out Lorenzo at Phillip Island?
“It is indeed true that Marquez did not play with both of us: he only played with me! It is important that he knows that I know! Now let's see what happens, but I am quite concerned because to have to fight with Lorenzo is one thing, but if you have to beat Marquez as well, everything becomes much more difficult, to be honest - the case is that he isn’t playing fair (something that a professional rider has to do in these situations). Especially because Marquez could be very competitive in the last two races.”

“For me it was a big disappointment, I was upset, it was from a few races ago that I knew, but I did not expect him to do something so obvious. I feel disappointment, regret and worry, because surely he will try to do it here and also in Valencia.”

So why did he eventually also overtake Lorenzo?
“In the race I noticed it, but I did not understand; Marquez was a step above everyone, but instead of trying to try to battle Lorenzo, he stayed with me to fight with Iannone and others. He knew that I was losing out to the Ducati on the straight. And so every time I tried to pass him, he re-overtook me (super-aggressive, but thats the way it is). But then he slowed to create a gap to Jorge. His bad luck was that on Sunday Jorge was not so strong, because otherwise it would have been over already. Instead, he always kept Jorge in check, knowing that he could catch him within 3 laps, and then tried to slow me and Iannone, perhaps trying to put other riders between me and Lorenzo. And in the end, that's what he did. It is clearly quite worrying, but it doesn't worry me too much”

Why do you think he did this?
“Because he would prefer Lorenzo to win. He is angry at me for a personal matter. Although he never said it, he thinks that in Argentina I made him crash; and then at Assen he is still thinking about the last chicane, in his head he feels he should have won that race. Since then he has been angry and thinking like a child: I do not win, but you do not win either. At this point, the lesser evil is for him is for Lorenzo to win.”

Is it something that motivates you or makes you angry?
"Let's see. Because if he's faster yet slows down to get involved in the battles further back, it could become difficult. Because he has nothing to lose, but I do. I have to be wary. I'm sorry and I'm quite angry. I did not expect that Marquez was an obstacle for this Championship, I thought I was only fighting against Jorge, as it should be.”

Because he used to idolise you, did you think this wouldn't happen?
"Watch out, here we must make a clarification: did he really idolise me? Did he really have my poster at home? I'm not so sure. I'd like to go back in time and see. It will also be a question of character, he is competing with me: I want to win as many World Championships as I can. If I win another title, then he knows that he will have to win one more to overtake me. If instead Jorge wins, then they have more or less the same.”

Was it better with Biaggi, because he at least made his feelings clear?
"It's true you are right. In the long run, I prefer more his behaviour. We were obnoxious to each other, but at least it was clear and honest. But I do not have his phone number.”

Did this all begin in Laguna Seca?
“There have been lots of moments, at Laguna Seca he wanted to do what I had done to Stoner five years before, when he could easily have passed three corners later. It was the first signal. And I said so, but I did not want to believe it. To think evil, it takes forever.”

Wanting to make a literary comparison, since we are in Malaysia, do you feel like Sandokan fighting Yanez?
"I would not know. I do not think that there is this difference between me and Lorenzo. I think we're both brave, each in his own way, and also a bit cunning."

[sand_man]

Yeah, JR, I saw that! SHEEEESH!

[sand_man]

I wonder if only having one week between (each race) Japan, Australia, and Malaysia starts to take a toll on these guys, particularly, the "older" ones? As JR pointed out in an earlier post, it takes tremendous strength to "flick" these bikes around at speed! Not to mention the mental game!!!! Of course that's what they're paid to do...

[javadog]

I think it does, to some extent. Three days on a bike, then four days off... the traveling adds to the misery. Even if you stay roughly in the same time zones, it takes it out of you.

These guys are really fit, though...

Probably harder on the mechanics, as they start a day earlier and finish a day later.

JR

[flatbutt]

These guys are in fact well trained athletes. JL stated in the opening press conference (in response to a question) that last year his fitness was an issue. Add the heat and humidity of Sepang to the event and fitness becomes critical.

[sand_man]

Not that I'm an athlete, but then there's that theory that things can go awry with too much time off. Getting out of the groove (if you're in one), losing some focus, hot Euro-trash babe hook-ups (probably always an issue), parties (not that these guys are graduates from the James Hunt school of racing)...

EDIT: losing your edge as it were.

[motion]

For sure, I can see why Jorge was letting his fitness slide

[cheeze]

Originally Posted by motion

For sure, I can see why Jorge was letting his fitness slide

Don't know what you're talking about. He was training his kegel muscles.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

super sic - it was 4 years ago today.

I had to google that! Sad:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Simoncelli

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by motion

For sure, I can see why Jorge was letting his fitness slide

Good for Jorge! That's quite a place.

[sand_man]

And Lorenzo is on FIRE for FP3!

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by sand_man

I had to google that! Sad:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Simoncelli

I saw that live. I've never seen a sport venue get so quiet that quickly. The helo got an overhead shot of Marco lying on that track and you just knew that it was really bad. So sad.

I've often wondered if that wild mane of his contributed to his head trauma.

[sand_man]

Another intense qualifying!!! I love how dark-horse Pedrosa has been entering the fold, seemingly adding another flavor to the championship battle between Jorge and Vale!!! And Rossi did well to bump Jorge off the front row! Great stuff!

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I saw that live. I've never seen a sport venue get so quiet that quickly. The helo got an overhead shot of Marco lying on that track and you just knew that it was really bad. So sad.

I've often wondered if that wild mane of his contributed to his head trauma.

I found a tribute video, which included footage of the crash, and when I saw how it was unfolding, I looked away and closed it. I don't really dig the "blood sport" aspects of racing. I know that potential for danger is what adds to the overall excitement, but I prefer to see them trade paint without incident. That just seemed horrific.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by sand_man

I found a tribute video, which included footage of the crash, and when I saw how it was unfolding, I looked away and closed it. I don't really dig the "blood sport" aspects of racing. I know that potential for danger is what adds to the overall excitement, but I prefer to see them trade paint without incident. That just seemed horrific.

Agree whole heartedlly, indeed it was. Particularly heart breaking was watching Rossi as he realized that he had hit his friend. His demeanor was such that it seemed he immediately knew how badly Simoncelli was hurt.

[sand_man]

I really love the Moto2 bikes! What glorious "noise" they make!!!

[javadog]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I've often wondered if that wild mane of his contributed to his head trauma.

I'm convinced that it did. There's absolutely no way his helmet fit him correctly and if you consider what happened when he was hit, I'd almost guarantee he'd still be here had he been better protected. I think Vale and Colin will never be the same. I know I would hate to go back to that track every year. Certain tracks remain in my mind for all the wrong reasons, even decades later.

It will be interesting to see if Jorge can get past Rossi on the start. It's one thing staring on the same row, another starting a row back. Rossi has had some good battles at this track, if he does better than Jorge this weekend, he might have one hand on the trophy. I may be out ten bucks in a couple weeks.

JR