Oh come on now. Whose style are they really emulating?

2021


2022


HUGE “Aprilia” branding across the side of the bike. Where have I seen something similar?

Oh that’s right...

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I really like the looks of Aprilia’s new bike.

I am not a fan of the looks of the Ape. Too much gap behind the front wheel. Looks goofy as shit. All of the manufacturers are trying to do their best Ducati impression with their changes. Not sure they’re all moving in the right direction myself but straight line speed is the end game it seems. I think they’ll end up too fast for most of the circuits they have now. We’ll see.

I did watch some videos of the testing that showed the riders using their hole shot devices. I will say that the Honda was exceptionally flat off the line. Kept both wheels on the ground so they seem to have the electronics dialed in.

Ducati has a a full on hole shot device at the front forks now as well to match the rear.

I wonder if it hurts handling? It is a clever way to keep improving both top speed and starts but at what cost to handling I wonder. Ducati has had time to perfect their device so maybe it does it on its own somehow.

Having all that data could hurt Ducati if they are not able to tailor the bikes to the riders specific strengths. The Ducati is a contender and having that many dogs in the fight will REALLY make Ducati look bad if they lose.

This year is Ducati’s championship to lose. HRC has issues and even with a new bike their goldenboy is a question mark. Yamaha needs a big step forward to contend with that many Ducati bikes.

Ducati enjoys both a new bike and last years bike, which came DAMN close to winning it all. I like their chances. I’d be surprised if they lose the championship.

I’ll be rooting for Aprilia or Suzuki to take down the big manufacturers, it’s not likely to happen but I love it when an underdog kicks in Goliath’s teeth.

Damn. I hope Raul Fernandez is alright. I don’t like seeing a rider crash but I REALLY don’t like seeing them go out and crash again then say something to the effect of “I lost my perception of speed”. Judging from the bruises on his head that was one hell of a hit to the head.

Raul Fernandez suffers 200kph crash,

Rookies often crash and sometimes get hurt as they adjust to the speed of the MotoGP bike and find the limits but a head injury is one of the areas where you really have to be careful about cumulative injuries ending a career permanently and prematurely.

Suzuki Ecstar has a new team manager.


By Team Suzuki Ecstar

Link to article

Suzuki Ecstar announce Livio Suppo as new Team Manager
The former Ducati and HRC leader will step into the Hamamatsu factory box for 2022
Tags MotoGP, 2022
Suzuki Motor Corporation and Team Suzuki Ecstar join forces in the announcement that Livio Suppo will take up the position of Team Manager for Team Suzuki Ecstar with immediate effect.

It’s no secret that the Project Leader, Shinichi Sahara, has been looking for a Team Manager to step into the squad for 2022. After a transitional 2021 season in which the team were forced to create a management committee, with Sahara assuming the role of interim Team Manager, a solution has been found and an agreement has been reached ahead of season opener in Qatar on March 6th.


Livio Suppo is a well-known manager in the MotoGP™ paddock. He began his career 28 years ago with Benetton Honda Team in the 125cc and 250cc classes. Since then he has enjoyed 11 years with Ducati as a Project Leader, which included the crowning of Casey Stoner as Champion. He then moved to HRC where he was the Team Principal for seven years, and a further five titles were achieved. Since his departure from MotoGP™, Suppo has set up a successful e-bike company, but he feels now is the perfect time to step back into the paddock.

For Team Suzuki Ecstar, Suppo’s arrival gives a further boost of confidence ahead of a season where an increase in performance compared with last year is necessary. Following the winter tests both Joan Mir and Alex Rins felt positive about their possibilities for the season ahead, and the addition of an experienced and successful manager who has a strong belief in teamwork and enjoys working in an upbeat atmosphere will no doubt lift the Suzuki squad’s spirits further.

Shinichi Sahara - Team Suzuki Ecstar Project Leader: “I'm very happy to announce the news of Livio Suppo as our new Team Manager before the new season starts. I'm confident that Livio is very well suited for the position, because he has a lot of experience and a big passion for winning. He understands how teams work and that team atmospheres are important when it comes to being competitive consistently during a season.

“Some of our crew members already have experience of working with him, and I’ve known him for a long time because he’s been in the paddock for many years. We’ve already seen promising signs and improvements in our performance during winter testing, and I believe Livio joining us will bolster our team further and we will become even stronger.”

Livio Suppo - Team Suzuki Ecstar Manager: “I am very proud to become Suzuki Ecstar’s Team Manager and happy to re-join the MotoGP Championship after four years. I’m also very honoured to be involved in this great project with Suzuki; for sure it will be a challenging task to be part of a historic manufacturer in MotoGP, who recently achieved the crown in 2020 in the year of their 100th anniversary. I also feel it will be a great experience to start working with two talented riders like Joan Mir and Alex Rins, both capable of fighting for the top in MotoGP.

“Sahara-san’s proposal came at the perfect time for me, I had been busy setting up my e-bike company but I was certainly missing the paddock and ready to come back. Racing has been my life for almost all my career and I will do my best to bring my experience to Team Suzuki Ecstar. I know they are a great team, but also a great group of humans, so this could help a lot to achieve our goals sooner. MotoGP nowadays is more and more exciting, with many very fast riders and competitive motorcycles from all manufacturers. It’s a difficult challenge for everybody involved, where all the small details can make the difference, I am ready to be part of the game again and give my all to be on top with Suzuki.”

Less THAN A WEEK to go!!!!

Media day didn’t disappoint.

Aleix Espargaró had a hilarious interview. When asked about the level of competition he must have forgotten where he was and said something like “yes, the level here is fucking insane”.
Simon at the end of the interview immediately apologized for Aleix’s language. Hhahahahha

It’s pretty damn hard not to love the humor and raw emotion this dude brings to the sport.

Enea! So great to hear the Italian national anthem now that the Goat is gone. Enea rode a solid race, preserving his tires and fuel until it was time to rip. Binder was also phenomenal as well as they looked way behind in preseason testing. Suzuki also killed it in the HP department. Ducatis could not pull away from them down Qatar’s straight. So that leaves fucking Yamaha that didn’t do shit, again. I highly doubt a repeat for the Frenchman.

Will have to check my DVR & make sure its recorded/ing
Didn't realize the season started today.

F1 is 2 weeks out.

Good race, probably not the podium expected by most.
Nearly a brother podium.

Laughing a bit this afternoon.
Part of my job is related to new hire onboarding at work.
We briefly had a Michael Schumacher on the payroll.
Just got an onboard ticket for Mark Marquez.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Laughing a bit this afternoon.
Part of my job is related to new hire onboarding at work.
We briefly had a Michael Schumacher on the payroll.
Just got an onboard ticket for Mark Marquez.

I’d find an excuse and fire him

Indonesia makes up about 27% of MotoGP’s global fan base. If Covid restrictions are not hellacious they shouldn’t have any trouble filling up the event to its 150,000 spectator capacity!

They have done some work to the track since the testing session.

It was a tough season opener for Factory Ducati and Suzuki though Suzuki’s top speed and horsepower is up big time. It’ll be interesting to see how tire management is handled with the GSX-RR’s boost in power. Aprilia look good in the hands of Aleix, I was rooting for him to get on the podium!!!

I was just happy to see Pecco do his thing!

It’s a long season Rainman, especially this year. It sucked to see him take out Jorge but at least they both appear to be ok. Hopefully we won’t see nearly as many cancellations so this could be a damn interesting season with so many races scheduled.

I still like Ducati’s chances of winning a championship this year. Their satellite bike in Enea Bastianini‘s hands and in that awful peculiar blue is FAST .

I had high hopes for the Suzuki boys but I’m starting to think that boost in straight line speed is going to hurt the corner speed and tire life at the end of the races. It’s just one race so I’m not going to draw any conclusions just yet.

Every manufacturer except for Yamaha is looking like a contender. Yamaha appears to be pulling a move similar to Suzuki circa 2021….

I am LOVING that MotoGP is back. I’ve even gotten into media day and I am someone who typically loathes “the media”.


The aerial shots of the track in Indonesia are amazing. I had a professor (cultural geography) who had traveled all over the world, she even pretended to be a Muslim and went on the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) just for the experience. Her stories of traveling through Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia and many other countries were incredible.

Her class was hands down the hardest Gen Ed requirement I experienced and was easily as difficult as my higher level history classes. It might have been the most difficult class I ever took. One thing that has stuck with me over the years and why I typed all this into the thread was the absolute love she professed for the country of Indonesia.

She was obviously asked what is her favorite country given the class she teaches. Her stories of the time she lived there and passion for Indonesia sparked an interest in me to one day travel there. I’ll never forget her saying not only is it a beautiful land but the people there have a special kindness that she hadn’t experienced anywhere else. Now that there is a picturesque beachside MotoGP track there I want to go even more.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

It is a race week my friends. This is awesome. I just wish Suzuki had elected to put Mir & Rins on something other than a 250cc race replica. Pecco was doing rolling burnouts on that Panigale and Honda had their riders on GP bikes.

Press release from Suzuki:

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s riders were honoured and excited to take part in a very special event ahead of the inaugural Grand Prix at the Pertamina Mandalika circuit. Joan Mir and Alex Rins were invited to meet the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo – known locally as Jokowi.

The meeting took place following a never-before-seen parade through central Jakarta, which was headed by the President himself. A spectacular gathering of 20 riders from the three main GP classes and the Asia Talent Cup rode the 5km route, with Suzuki’s duo hopping onboard GSX-R250s with race replica colours.

After passing by some great landmarks, including the impressive national monument known as ‘Monas’ - a 132m tall obelisk - the parade ended in style at the Merdeka Palace. The splendid building, which dates back to 1873, is the official residence of the President and its name means ‘freedom’.

Upon their arrival, the MotoGP riders were able to greet Jokowi and have photos taken with him, and a team member had the pleasure of handing over a special gift of an official team shirt signed by Mir and Rins.

Yeah, that's a bit of a headscratcher/facepalm.
Put your GP starts on 250cc slugs while the others are on supersports & GP bikes...

I watched the whole season of MotoGP Unlimited on Amazon Prime after it dropped Monday night.

It was enjoyable.