2020 MotoGP - The Official Thread (Warning!! Spoilers!!!)

[RichDesmond]

On one hand it's great to see such close racing and so many different winners. On the other hand I'd bet big money that if Marquez was racing that he's have a huge lead. On the third hand Marc is the sort of guy that races to win every race and his 9 lives are being used up. At the end of the day, in my opinion, Marc is on a different plane, and there are a good many riders (as evidenced by this year) that are very good but are clearly below. Rossi is hanging in there but I doubt he will ever win again, although he may snag a podium or two before he retires. In my opinion he should retire now, but he's still making a lot of money so what the heck. Milk it for all it's worth.

Agree on Marquez, he'd be running away with it if he was healthy. He's the best I've seen, and I've been watching since '78.

Disagree on Rossi. He's still clearly competitive, if not the dominant talent he once was. And I really disagree on the miking the money cow angle. He's got more, way more, than he'll ever need. And retiring isn't going to reduce his income to zero by a long shot.
He races because he loves it. That obvious joy he has with his job is the reason for his popularity. Think of all the other greats. Doohan, Rainey, Lawson, Spencer, Roberts...some of them started out as happy-go-lucky kids, but in the end the pressure and danger of racing at that level ground them down and turned them into very serious, even dour people. That's never happened to Rossi, and it's an amazing thing to see.

[Nessism]

Okay, maybe milk it is not the right analogy. I do think he's hanging in there to the end though. Sort of like Michael Jordan ending his career in Charlette. Don't take me wrong here, I'd love to see Rossi win again. Lets hope...

[Buffalo Bill]

From what I've gathered watching the post race interviews, on tracks with short straights and more curves, the Yamaha and now Suzuki handle better and conserve rear tire wear.
The Ducati and KTM have more power, less cornering and wear the rear tire out faster.
The tire wear is causing the pace to be slowed or lose traction for the final laps. That's an artificial factor that's frustrating the riders, I wonder when that will be addressed.
Rossi was in the top 5 before his second crash, now he's 11th. If he'd stayed upright his standing would be among the top 6 or better.

[RichDesmond]

...The tire wear is causing the pace to be slowed or lose traction for the final laps. That's an artificial factor that's frustrating the riders, I wonder when that will be addressed...

Tire management has been an integral part of racing for a very long time, I wouldn't call it artificial. It has been more of an issue since Michelin took over, the Bridgestones dropped off less towards the end of a race. But before that, when tires were open, it was a big deal.

[Nessism]

There is nothing "artificial" about tire wear affecting race pace. It's been a part of Motorsport (Car's, bikes, whatever) forever, and will continue to be.

Not only that, tire selection is a huge decision each team/rider need to make for each event, and that decision often heavily affects the results. Vinales for example has botched tire selection a couple of times this season which cost him results.

[Nessism]

A great weekend for Suzuki! Quartararo commented that he thinks the Suzuki is the best bike on the grid.

And how about Marquez, Alex I mean. My hat's off to him. I didn't think he had it in him, and glad I was wrong!

[Buffalo Bill]

It's been amazing watching Yamaha and Ducati fade back to mid level in the last 2 races. I don't get it.
Rossi tested pos, so he's home for 2 races? WOW!

[Kiwi Canuck]

A great weekend for Suzuki! Quartararo commented that he thinks the Suzuki is the best bike on the grid.

And how about Marquez, Alex I mean. My hat's off to him. I didn't think he had it in him, and glad I was wrong!

Really great to see the Rookies and sophomore's doing so well in MotoGP.

Mir and Marquez both Moto3 world champions and both showing so much potential, hopefully Alex Marquez will get a factory equivalent bike next year at LCR.

Some of the best racing this year.

[RichDesmond]

Really great to see the Rookies and sophomore's doing so well in MotoGP.

Mir and Marquez both Moto3 world champions and both showing so much potential, hopefully Alex Marquez will get a factory equivalent bike next year at LCR.

Some of the best racing this year.

I think he has been promised a full factory bike as part of the terms of his move to LCR.

[trevor]

Suzuki takes it's first MotoGp Championship in 20 years since Kenny Jr last won....good on Suzuki...and they can still take 2nd as well.

Five years and a ton of progress!

[Buffalo Bill]

It was an interesting race but only at the front, with an exciting last lap duel between Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli.
Mir and Rins only advanced by attrition, Suzuki chose a safe strategy…boring.
Jack Miller is fast but kinda reckless.
Morbidelli was asked about his admiration of Ayrton Senna, said he brings a poster of him everywhere he travels.

[Nessism]

I'm so happy to see Mir win and Suzuki succeed. It appears that they came into the race with a strategy, which they executed to perfection. My hats off to them.

Next season will be interesting with the elder Marquez back in the fold. Will it be business as usual? It certainly seems that a lot of young guys grew this year so the competitiveness should be improved. It's going to be fun to watch!

[trevor]

[QUOTE=Nessism;2630645]I'm so happy to see Mir win and Suzuki succeed. It appears that they came into the race with a strategy, which they executed to perfection. My hats off to them.

Next season will be interesting with the elder Marquez back in the fold. Will it be business as usual? It certainly seems that a lot of young guys grew this year so the competitiveness should be improved. It's going to be fun to watch![/QUOTE]

Yes, and gained a ton of confidence by winning with Marc on the sidelines....it might be argued that Marc being out actually accelerated the confidence and experience of other riders....a good thing imo.

[trevor]

Cool history

https://www.mcnews.com.au/suzuki-look-back-on-their-history-of-a-success-in-motogp/?fbclid=IwAR1eGjIsEN2kBEQGdsp9NJZWZID0hLhu6zzCoZ9dfREq4MfC37Z-Y-ERD6g

[trevor]