Rossi out of both Aragon rounds with a positive Covid test

https://the-race.com/motogp/va...-aragon-motogp-race/

Would love to see Jorge jump in to fill the seat.

Yeah, that's a real bummer.

Jorge would be a good choice.
The dumpster fire of 2020 continues.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark71:
Rossi out of both Aragon rounds with a positive Covid test

https://the-race.com/motogp/va...-aragon-motogp-race/

Would love to see Jorge jump in to fill the seat.

He was slow as piss at the test. 3 seconds slower than Aleix on the Aprilia. He hadn't ridden ANY motorcycle since Sepang.

Prayers for Vale. He is only in the beginning and has symptoms. Fever, bones aching. Not a good sign. Like Trump though, he's got the dough and connections to get the best care available. I lost Simoncelli and couldn't handle it if anything happens to one of the biggest influences of my entire life. VR|46!

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:




He was slow as piss at the test. 3 seconds slower than Aleix on the Aprilia. He hadn't ridden ANY motorcycle since Sepang.

Prayers for Vale. He is only in the beginning and has symptoms. Fever, bones aching. Not a good sign. Like Trump though, he's got the dough and connections to get the best care available. I lost Simoncelli and couldn't handle it if anything happens to one of the biggest influences of my entire life. VR|46!

I am right there with you.
VR46 has been a HUGE influence on me....

No replacement for Rossi this weekend which I think is good. No reason for Yamaha to throw another engine in the scrap heap if the replacement rider bins it badly or overrevs the engine (which is a very big possibility).

JLo wouldn't race even if he was given the chance. There's nothing in it for him. No seats at Yamaha. If you ask me, he was ruined the moment the Honda bucked his ass. Not only did it break his neck, it broke his spirit! Trepidation and an abundance of caution will keep him riding at his top ability....at this point it's all mental for him. I'd wager that the same is true for MM93 when he makes his return.

The race this weekend will be another race of attrition. The weather seems to be cool and those new Michelin's just don't like the cooler track temps (the higher track temps either ). A smart rider with good race craft would either get out front and let the others chase you in dirty air or sit back about 4-6th place, conserve tires, and wait for the leaders to slide off the track. Either way, look for about half the field not to finish..

So, pretty much Suzuki's race to lose?

Cmon now don’t jinx them Suzuki boys . They qualify awful and have a bike that’s main advantage is corner speed so passing and battling is inherently harder and more risky on the Suzuki than on a V4 Ducati or Honda where they can just activate the afterburners on the straits.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
So, pretty much Suzuki's race to lose?

That's what I was thinking and Mir may just end up being the King of 2020.

As long as they keep the rubber side down, they've been lethal in the latter parts of the race.

I don't have a dog in the fight yet, but enjoy the underdog aspect of the Suzukis.

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:


The race this weekend will be another race of attrition. The weather seems to be cool and those new Michelin's just don't like the cooler track temps (the higher track temps either ). A smart rider with good race craft would either get out front and let the others chase you in dirty air or sit back about 4-6th place, conserve tires, and wait for the leaders to slide off the track. Either way, look for about half the field not to finish..

Agreed. They delayed FP1 due to cold conditions, just too cold for the tires. I just watched FP1 on my flight, and a number of crashes. There will be many more as I get through FP2/3/4/QP1/QP2. The race will be another shit show. They should crank it back for the first half, then get on it the 2nd half. That spells Joan Mir to me. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Holy shit! YES!! Amazing race!

Wow
Fantastic race, apart from FQ
Where has all of the sudden AM improvement come from? He was flying today.

The Suzuki boys really ran with it.

Probably the lowest attrition so far this season.

And Dovi sinks lower.....

quote:

Originally posted by rainman64:
And Dovi sinks lower.....

FQ too. He just disappeared.

My take so far. The Suzuki GSX-RR finally found a bit of straight line speed to go along with its lethal corner speed. That was it’s achilles’ heel, for so many years they would fight hard with the Suzuki’s corner speed only to get blown away on the straights. Towards the end of the race I just LOVED seeing the factory Honda RC213V struggle to make up ground on the long straights against Alex’s GSX-RR.

Lots of people have shit on the new Michelin tires but that V4 Alex was riding looked fast as hell in the corner speed department. Shockingly fast. He was absolutely riding the F out of that Honda and came VERY close to getting punted. Sure his tire choice paid dividends but that save was masterful! Maybe he is settling in on that RC213V because it looked lethal in the corners towards the end of the race. Either way I love seeing #42 win races with a Repsol Honda fast on his heels. It never gets old.

The way Yamaha is fading in races I am beginning to wonder if that “engine issue” they had early on in the season wasn’t truly resolved. They have the fast lap attack strategy down to a science but Yamaha cannot seem to get a great full race strategy going with any kind of lasting consistency. Why is this? Am I to truly believe tire pressure/ bike set up is why FQ is fading?

Ducati. WTF guys? Do you even want to win?


It wasn’t as shocking as the Silverstone win against his big brother but this one was more suspenseful. Rins had crashed out of so many great positions this season already this was a nail biter. Alex Márquez welcome to the big leagues. Maybe Honda was stupid to demote you and promote that hot head before you had a chance to prove yourself?

I am kinda crushed with Ducati.

So f them, I am rooting for Suzuki!

I think it’s safe to say that shoulder isn’t bothering Rins so much anymore. I became a big Rins fan when he ran up to Davide Brivio after having just won his first MotoGP race and Davide asked him what it felt like to win and all he wanted to talk about the GSX-RR’s front end being too loose and that it needed work but Brivio cut him off and said something like “but it’s ok when the end result is this!”

Rins has the aggression and fearlessness to push the bike to and (unfortunately) a few times past it’s limits. I don’t think he has a real shot at a championship having crashed out of too many excellent positions but this season is unpredictable so who knows. I want to see Mir win the Championship.

Alex Márquez is looking pretty damn good. Did you guys notice the RC213V was catching up to the GSX-RR on the turns more than the straights? That kid might have figured out how you have to ride that bike. He will be someone to watch in the next race for sure.


Did you guys see how high up Rins & Mir tossed Davide Brivio during their celebration? He got some decent airtime!

With Aragon II this weekend, if weather conditions are similar, could be another Suzuki/Honda weekend.

This is a very good analysis of the GSX-RR and why it’s looking so strong at the end of races.


Suzuki Dynamics
A handling benefit.
By Robert Rae

Known as a poor qualifying bike yet in a race often seen surging through the field to podium finishes, Suzuki have built an unique bike. Riders Mir and Rins share the same pattern of results, so it is not the rider that is causing this predicament, although Rins is often (wrongfully) said to be a 'poor qualifier' with speculation about his single lap pace! Given Mir's similar performances in 2020 many observers are left somewhat bewildered...

Noted - by the distance the clutch basket protrudes outward from the frame spar - is the slim frame in what is claimed to be a good handling bike, but such a factor does not answer what is occurring. A slim frame generally gives better rider control without any obvious speed advantage. What is lesser known is the high center of mass Suzuki utilize. For a given speed, this allows for reduced lean angles when cornering but makes the bike more unstable over bumps and more nervous in general. Yamaha - with a shared configuration of an inline 4 engine - have a lower positioned center of mass, which gives them greater all round stability and higher cornering speeds as their bike is set-up to glide through the turns better, which harkens back to the influence of Lorenzo with his preference for long and low chassis settings extracted from his 250cc days. This is a technique Zarco and now Quartararo copy, where as Rossi's strength is corner entry assisted by his bike's low center of mass. Further, both Suzuki and Yamaha benefit from greater mass centralization with the four cylinders positioned in a row, though wider in the frame, to benefit maneuverability; i.e. better handling and control.

Producing a lot less outright power than the V4s such is only half the story. With all manufacturers deploying contra-rotating crankshafts to aid cornering potential and reduce the potential to wheelie thereby assisting drive the advantage from this is handed to Suzuki and Yamaha due to increased inertia from the greater rotating mass in their crankshafts, although the Suzuki with its higher center of mass should be more wheelie prone of the two. To offset such a tendency they counteract it with the relationship between the chain pull and swinging arm positioning.

Once tires wear and grip levels decrease the Suzuki advantage of having to lean over less in the corners comes to the fore, plus it is of a continued benefit in preserving tire life. On worn tires riders attempt to keep their bikes more upright when cornering. Combine this advantage with a good handling bike that has greater rider control in an era where performance nuances are really showing and the Suzuki becomes the 'best bike' (quoting Quartararo), but only in the latter laps of a race as demonstrated by the late surges seen to date.

In conclusion, the present design of Suzuki will never be a fast qualifier for it lacks the power of the V4s and the high cornering speed of the Yamaha. However, in race conditions, in the early laps from mid-pact they can maintain the same race-pace as the other riders, where, with all the riders bunched up in a group, the time deficit to the leaders is kept to a minimal regardless of the positioning of the Suzuki riders, then to later on be in contention for a win once the tires start to deteriorate and grip levels diminish capitalizing upon their unique advantage. Such a scenario is only provided for if the riders they hire are good at overtaking maneuvers, which both Mir and Rins presently are as witnessed.

I’ve been busy and just got through FP1/2/3/4/QP, the press conferences and finally the race. I was screaming for Alex (Rins) to pull it off! Best race of the year to me so far because it was competitive at the front. Mir could win this whole thing.