MotoGP

[docc]

1 hour ago, LowRyter said:

@docc & @audiomick

the folks on my Ducati board got a kick from that joke too.

Frankly. if I had to ride one, I'd just keep my Super Sport.  It's much more comfy.

Reminds me of the motojournalist that wrote,

                        "No one gets a fast car [motorcycle] to get to work early ."

[GuzziMoto]

18 hours ago, LowRyter said:

that's not what I read.  

The four riders I listed were being allocated '24 bikes.  

Ducati allocates its bikes based first on the team. Clearly the factory team gets the current year factory bikes. Pramac also gets current year factory bikes. It is in their contract with the factory. The other two teams, Gresini and VR46,  have contracts that give them last years factory bikes. As mentioned, VR46 tried to upgrade their deal to get a current year factory bike, but failed. Ducati said they don't have the capacity to produce a fifth pair of bikes, they can only build four pairs of factory bikes a year. Each rider needs two bikes, so to give a rider a current year bike requires them to build two bikes and the spares required to run two bikes.

As mentioned, the four factory 2024 bikes (four pairs of bikes) will go to the factory team and the Pramac team. The contract Pramac has guarantees them two current factory bikes. This past years two factory team bikes and two Pramac bikes will go to the Gresini team and the VR46 team. As I understand it, they are specifically giving Marc Marquez Zarco's bikes from this past year. Zarco rode for Pramac, and as such was on a 2023 factory bike for that team. I do think it is interesting that they are specific as to which rider gets which set of bikes, with Zarco's set of bikes being given to Marc Marquez.

https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1042742/1/ducati-confirm-marquez-will-ride-zarco-s-gp23-not-bagnaia-s-or-martin-s

[p6x]

@GuzziMoto

All the information agree to MM93 inheriting Zarco's GP23; I was aware of the Pramac contract when Bezzecchi started to hint that he should get the factory specs, given his performance at the time.

Ducati said at the time, they could only supply four factory spec.ed bikes, by contract. Now, we all know there are plenty of loopholes that can be exploited in contracts; Ducati has shown they can find ways around the regulations without breaking them. My point is that if MM93 becomes a 2024 Championship contender, he will certainly plead getting improvements even if not "factory" bike. Not to forget that Zarco did not get the latest GP23 modifications, which only were attributed to Bagnaia and Martin. Such as the improved holeshot device.

[LowRyter]

Today, I've received three articles on my phone telling me how wrong I was and how far Marc was down in Ducati pecking order.  @GuzziMoto

[p6x]

The 2025 "find your next riders" has already started, even before the 2024 season debut; while Ducati has been playing it low-key, having Marc Marquez in the factory team would obviously work wonders for fame. They already have the best bike, putting the most notorious man on it would be a marketing coup.

KTM is also on the war path. After all, Marquez was reportedly testing the waters, since he and KTM are Red-Bull people.

Marc Marquez is, at least before the season starts, the hot potato everyone is trying to grab.

We had a disputed 2023, at least on the pilot side, and 2024 is looking to be an even bigger challenged one; at least on paper.

Time will tell.

[Tomchri]

Hot potato for a reason 

Cheers Tom.

[audiomick]

8 hours ago, p6x said:

... the hot potato everyone is trying to grab....

Just for the record, a "hot potato" is something that no-one wants to be left holding. See here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_potato

makes sense, as potatoes hold the heat really well, and a hot potato is therefore very unpleasant to hold.

 

Still, the expression is perhaps appropriate for Marquez...

[PJPR01]

I would love to see Marquez win another title on the Ducati...that would be truly sensational!  The bike and the outfit look absolutely fantastic and seeing his grin coming off the hot laps was priceless.  Then again, let's hope he doesn't screw it up by the usual antics...here's to hoping that drafting, bumping and causing accidents (sorry...racing incidents!) are now over that he's on a great bike.

No longer can we say what they used to years ago...Ducati, Ducati....Soldi Buttati!

 

[p6x]

We just had the Gresini presentation of their motorcycles for the 2024 season; staring the Marquez brothers...

You can find the show on YouTube.

Needless to say, that bookmakers are already putting MM93 as their favorite to win the 2024 world championship. Marc is trying to temper the exuberant expectation, however I believe he will be the most motivated to win the season.

With only a one-year deal, and with the necessity to equal Rossi's number of world titles, he will absolutely make everything in his power to come on top.

It is all speculations, and he said that all the existing Ducati riders have a lot more experience with the GP than he does, but I would not be surprised to see him win the first outing, either the sprint, the race, or both.

The oncoming tests will probably give some hints of where he stands, the first one being in Sepang starting on February 1st.

The answer will come on the 8-10 March in Qatar for the first GP of the season.

[GuzziMoto]

While he is certainly in it with a chance, I would not put him as the favorite. There are a few riders with a higher chance of winning the title then him in my opinion.

Either way, it will be fun to watch. Whether he wins the title or not I doubt he will dominate the way he has in the past on the Honda.

[p6x]

2 hours ago, GuzziMoto said:

While he is certainly in it with a chance, I would not put him as the favorite. There are a few riders with a higher chance of winning the title then him in my opinion.

Either way, it will be fun to watch. Whether he wins the title or not I doubt he will dominate the way he has in the past on the Honda.

My only wish, is that he stops his antics such as taking the slip stream of other riders, even after they clearly show they do not want him to do it;

[GuzziMoto]

On 1/22/2024 at 5:27 PM, p6x said:

My only wish, is that he stops his antics such as taking the slip stream of other riders, even after they clearly show they do not want him to do it;

Yeah, it has gotten out of hand. It is not just him doing it, but he is one of the worst offenders. It actually makes me want them switch to a different qualifying format, like one at a time single lap runs. Send them out a half lap apart one at a time. To me someone needing a carrot in front of them to get their best lap time was always a sign of a novice. Makes it funny that one of the highest regarded motorcycle racers in the world falls into that category, funny that he needs someone in front of him to use as a reference. It isn't just the draft aspect of it, at least with Marc it is about having that reference in front of him. Sad.

[Tomchri]

Comments here better left alone. But absolutely agree, each rider set their best time, period  .

Cheers Tom.

[LowRyter]

I'm not fan of MM93 but following another rider doesn't bother me.  Interfering during qualifying and in the race, dangerous moves and taking rides out, another issue.   It's is racing.   Drafting and sizing up another rider, following lines, well that's racing 

[p6x]

1 hour ago, LowRyter said:

I'm not fan of MM93 but following another rider doesn't bother me.  Interfering during qualifying and in the race, dangerous moves and taking rides out, another issue.   It's is racing.   Drafting and sizing up another rider, following lines, well that's racing 

One may argue that purposely waiting in the pits until the rider you are targeting exits could be considered "interfering". You know what Jorge Martin was doing to Francesco Bagnaia and of course, MM93 with Franco Morbidelli, who actually sacrificed his Q1 because Marc was trying to get a free ride on his tail. There maybe a safety aspect to it too. If you decide to abort your lap for any reason, you may induce the pilot following you to hit you; this has also happened before.

In certain occasions, using the slip stream of a pilot may result in you beating his lap time.

I think I like @GuzziMoto suggestion to have the pilots setting their quali. time on a single lap, and alone. One sighting lap, and go. This format would also eliminate the yellow flag issue, when someone crashes in front of you while you are making an attempt. We have seen many aborts last season because of it.

However, I believe this would be less spectacular than the current prequalification, then Q1 to get into Q2.