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Thank you very much! Great comment. I have been hanging around on the adv sites like advrider for long years. But this forum has just blowed my mind off. Such a great community with a lot of enthusiasm and in depth info about this specific platform. I feel a lot more confident now. Btw, this forum is also addicted. Admins must warn before signing up I can not stop reading how to section. I am lost and found!

When Marquez overtook Bagnaia, the crowd's howling was so loud that people at the next corner heard it! reported by those who were at the track.

first, i will agree with you, that i would think the vibe within in the team may very well be toxic, for Pecco. he won't like having Marc in the team with him, that is a clear threat to his superiority, which he clearly had with the #1 plate. however, he did not earn that up against a healthy Marc on a competitive motorbike. he and the entire grid knows that, which is why they all want to rough him up so badly now. and yes, you are right on another point. if Marc wins the title this year the credit will all go to him. and it will be rightly deserved. Martin has been on the Desmosedici for 4 years now, Bagnaia for 6. Marc for 5 race weekends, on the year old machine, on the third tier support team. and here is where i differ with you on the opinion of Martin being faster. Marc has three times, in two separate weekends, now caught the top two boys on Factory bikes coming from way back. and has passed each to beat both. and only not won by 3/10ths of a second from each rider. that makes Marc the faster rider. 3. it may seem that Martin has the exact same situation as Pecco, but it is not. the bike is not as up to date, and the amount of technicians is significantly less. that is why Martin wants to be on the Factory team. Pramac leases their bikes from Ducati, at a cost of around $2 million per machine. their team budget is significantly less, and the updates don't come as quick. even slower for VR46 and Gresini...

Personally I hope Ducati sign Marc Marquez to race alongside Pecco. Not because I think that is the best choice but because I think the fireworks will be epic. It could rival when Rossi and JLo were teammates at Yamaha. Plus it would likely mean Martin leaves Ducati, and I would hope he would end up at either KTM or Aprilia. And he is the fastest guy out there on average. I would love to see someone that fast on the Aprilia, or even on a KTM. I would not mind seeing Marc on an Aprilia or KTM, but I don't think Marc wants to be on either of those. He seems very focused on getting the factory Ducati ride. Anyway, right now Ducati has too many of the fastest guys, it would be nice to see some of them end up at KTM or Aprilia. Sure, KTM has Acosta. And Aprilia has Mav, who on his day can be really fast. But Acosta has a lot to learn still, he is the future, and Mav is not on often enough. Mav has always been hot or cold. With cold being more common then hot it seems. But if I were Ducati I could not imagine not signing Martin to the factory seat alongside Pecco, and moving Bastianini to the Pramac team. I would try to sign Marc, perhaps, to the other Pramac seat. Sadly Morbidelli seems like he is in danger of loosing his ride. A shame, I like him.

I really doubt that. Marquez admitted that Ducati was the bike to have if you wanted to win. Ducati comes out of two consecutive world titles. Ducati introduced the aerodynamics appendixes, hole shots and ride height devices, front and back. Ducati is constantly at the front. There will be no confusion even if Marquez win the world championship. From what we know, he does not even get a salary from Gresini. He only gets whatever money from his sponsors. He said that in 2025, he will be on a factory bike, he also admitted that it could be any, but I don't believe it. Back to Ducati's decision, this is a no-brainer. A Marquez win on a Ducati his a success that is going to generate millions. I am even wondering if Repsol is not going to try to get in on the deal.

Rest in Peace David Sanborn

Again, I do hope Ducati sign Marc to be Bagnia's team mate, mainly because it will probably blow up. From a "We want to win the championship" perspective it is not the best idea. The friction between Marc and Pecco will be toxic. From a marketing perspective it is also not the best idea. If Marc wins the title on a Ducati it will be Marc that gets the credit, not Ducati. Also, while Marc is incredibly popular he is also incredibly unpopular. He tends to be very polarizing, people root for him or against him. Ducati are better off with Marc on a different brand and having the riders to beat him. That would make them look better. Marc winning on a Ducati doesn't make Ducati look good at all. People would give all the credit to Marc, not Ducati. Also, Marc doesn't have many years left, where as Martin does. And honestly, Martin is faster. Marc has more race craft perhaps, but in outright speed Martin is faster. We have the luxury of waiting to see how the season plays out. Ducati don't have that luxury. They have to make a decision long before the season plays out. I truly don't get Martins obsession with being on the factory team. As far as I can tell there is no disadvantage to being on the Pramac team. You get the same factory bike and the same factory support it seems. But Martin seems to feel that it is the factory team or he leaves to go to another manufacturer. That is a bit biting off your nose to spite your face. But whatever. As long as Martin doesn't go to Yamaha or Honda, it will be good for the fans. But it would be weird if Ducati wins the title with Martin and he takes the number one plate to another team / bike.

Aprilia is unreliable, and even if he goes there, there is no guaranty. They never have the consistency Ducati has shown. KTM would be a better choice, but Jack Miller's seat is normally going to go to Pedro Acosta. Unless they keep Acosta on GasGas, and take Jorge Martin to team up with BB.

You are almost certainly correct. There is no way Ducati is not going to choose Marquez over Martin. Before anything else, those racing in MotoGP are doing it for Marketing presence. Signing Marc Marquez at a bargain is a given. In fact, I was following the French report about the race today, and when Ducati signed Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez was also an option which ultimately did not work because he was extremely expensive. From what I understand, he is no longer requesting a star'salary, but a motorcycle to win one more championship. So Martin is almost certainly going to be sacrificed for Marquez, even if Martin wins the world championship this year.

I know Binder hasn't been fantastic as of late, as KTM hasn't. However qualifying last and finishing so far up the grid was amazing. The announcers hardly mentioned it, so much action at the front. Fun race to watch.

Rode the 25 miles into work this morning. Whew hoo, it handles amazing, so fun! Rode the entire way waiting for the newly paved round-about exit. I timed it perfect and threw it into the turn; tracked so well. What a joy!

I am tempted to say that Enea Bastianini is most likely no longer an option for the second Ducati seat in 2025. Even as strong a racer he is, he is being outclassed by the other two hopefuls. As for Marquez, I have to admit that a repeat of the coming back from a long way down twice in a row is certainly something exceptional. In a clean way too! he did not send anyone down unlike previous attempts. Chapeau! Bagnaia was unlucky for the sprint, but admitted that he was outclassed during the race. That certainly speaks volume. All being said, this season is so far turning out to be almost a Ducati show. Sometimes there is an exception, but it really looks like you need a Ducati to be a player. Acosta did his first mistake in a race on Sunday. Too bad, but inevitable. Excepted for him though, the KTM are being a bit opaque this season.

Big welcome and excitement to share the V11 passion @Ali Fra! Here is a link to the Shift Improvement.

Welcome @Ali Fra. Having just acquired mine V11 a few short years ago, I'll mention how I've really fallen for this bike. I hadn't intended to buy this bike, nor was I familiar with it. Having already owned a V7, I was open to the V11 when it was made known to me. Since then, the 1100cc have won me over and is now my default distance bike. I spent time with basic maintenance and then dialing in the suspension, handling, etc. This has been documented on this site should you be interested. My effort has been rewarded with a bike I'm always interested in riding, with confidence. This forum is my daily go to, great community, and so much assistance. Welcome!

Locally? Dystopian Downunder substack and Aussie17 #1 by a country mile? Ex- Pfizer VP Mike Yeadon