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Originally posted by mutedblade:
Dummy “celebrated” with some friends and ended up crashing his car after drinking alcohol. I’m not a fan of DUI’s so i think he needs to lose all sponsorship as well as his seat at Ducati. Bags could easily have hurt or killed someone, all because he’s not smart enough to call an Uber or whatever the European equivalent is. What kind of example will Dorna be setting if they don’t whack his dick?

Rossi is probably ready to kick Pecco’s ass for such a bone headed move


Bags DUI

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Japanese manufacturer Suzuki has finally confirmed the long-known news that the 2020 MotoGP championship-winning team will fold at the end of the current season.

First reported in early May when the team were told to start looking for new jobs, the factory only admitted at that time that they were exploring an exit – but have now agreed on terms with series promoter Dorna to pull out.

Also confirming that they would be shutting down Yoshimura SERT, the reigning Endurance world Championship-winning team as well, Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President, said in a statement that the decision was focused on sustainability.

“Suzuki has decided to end the participation of MotoGP and EWC in the face of the need to re-allocate resources on other initiatives for sustainability. Motorcycle racing has always been a challenging place for technological innovation, including sustainability, and human resource development.

“This decision means that we will take on the challenge to build the new motorcycle business operation by redirecting the technological capabilities and human resources we have cultivated through the motorcycle racing activities to investigate other routes for a sustainable society.”

However, reports continue to slowly emerge from inside the team that suggests the reality is quite different, instead coming about as the result of an internal power struggle within Suzuki’s board in Japan.

The result of that struggle is the pro-racing faction losing out and its complete withdrawal from sport, something that the team have a history of doing in the past.

It’s also believed that the long pause between informing the team and officially announcing their departure on Wednesday is the result of having to negotiate a complicated leaving agreement with Dorna.

Signing a contract only last year to remain in the series until at least 2026, it seems that the championship bosses were in a position to extract a substantial financial penalty from Suzuki for breaching those terms, something that has clearly taken months to negotiate.

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RNF Racing has announced that Andrea Dovizioso will not see out the rest of the 2022 MotoGP season after the San Marino GP, and will be replaced by Cal Crutchlow.
The 15-time MotoGP race winner returned to MotoGP full-time from last year’s San Marino GP as replacement for Franco Morbidelli at Petronas SRT – which became RNF Racing for 2022.

Dovizioso had been serving a sabbatical following his ousting from Ducati at the end of the 2020 season, taking up a brief role as an Aprilia test rider before signing directly with Yamaha to join RNF.

But Dovizioso’s Yamaha return has been underwhelming, the three-time championship runner-up so far only scoring 10 points in a 2022 season in which his best finish is an 11th in Portugal.

Dovizioso has hinted for some time now that his future beyond 2022 does not include a race ride on the grid, as RNF gets set to switch to Aprilia machinery.

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Yamaha has announced that Dovizioso will quit MotoGP following his home round at Misano.

He will be replaced by three-time MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow.

Crutchlow deputised for the injured Morbidelli at Petronas SRT last year at the Styrian and Austrian GPs, before briefly replacing ousted Maverick Vinales at the British and Aragon GPs.

The Briton took a best finish of 16th in his brief appearance last year.

Yamaha's press release confirms the split was made during the summer break by mutual consent, with Dovizioso noting "profound changes" as part of the reason for his struggles on the bike.

"In 2012, the experience with the Iwata manufacturer in MotoGP had been very positive for me and since then I have always thought that, sooner or later, I would have liked to have an official contract with Yamaha," said Dovizioso, who rode a Tech 3 Yamaha in 2012 and scored six podiums.

"This possibility presented itself, actually in a somewhat daring way, during 2021. I decided to give it a try because I strongly believed in this project and in the possibility of doing well.

"Unfortunately, in recent years MotoGP has changed profoundly. The situation is very different since then: I have never felt comfortable with the bike, and I have not been able to make the most of its potential despite the precious and continuous help from the team and the whole of Yamaha.

"The results were negative, but beyond that, I still consider it a very important life experience. When there are so many difficulties, you need to have the ability to manage the situation and your emotions well.

"We did not reach the desired objectives, but the consultations with the Yamaha technicians and with those of my team have always been positive and constructive, both for them and for me.

"The relationship remained loyal and professionally interesting even in the most critical moments: it was not so obvious that that would happen.

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The Italian manufacturer has been MotoGP’s leading technical innovators for a number of years now, as it was the first to really develop aerodynamic wings on its bikes, as well as the ride height devices that have been at the centre of much debate over the past year.

And on Friday at Silverstone in the latter stages of FP2, Ducati sent Gresini’s Enea Bastianini and Pramac’s Jorge Martin out on track with a set of four winglets – two on either side – fitted to the tail unit of both riders’ bikes.

The configuration on both bikes was slightly different, and it is not yet clear exactly what Ducati’s intentions are with this latest development.

First impressions suggested Ducati is looking for more rear load to perhaps help in the corners.

Martin, who was 13th at the end of practice, says he gained on top speed on the new aero but found he lost agility.

“Well, they are not only wings, it is also the front fairing,” Martin said when asked by Motorsport about the latest Ducati aero upgrade.

“But the big thing you saw was the rear. I can’t tell you a lot, I tried in the afternoon and I wasn’t so fast in the afternoon when I tried the fairing.

“So, in general I don’t know. We need to analyse and understand if we should keep them or take them out.

“I felt it was a bit more difficult on the change of direction, but on the straight it was better.

“At the end of the day, it’s a balance and we need to understand which side to go.”

Bastianini’s assessment offered more clues as to what Ducati may be looking for with the new wings, as the Gresini rider noted he gained better stability under braking.

“The feeling is good for the moment,” Bastianini, who was eighth overall on Friday, said of the wings.

“Tomorrow, we have to try to know if it’s better or not, because I had to come back to the normal one and after we try it again because it’s important to understand if it’s better or not.

“But my first impression is that it’s better under braking, it’s more stable, and also for the speed it’s not bad. I think for tomorrow it’s good for the qualifying.

“[Ducati said] in this part [it would help me]. I think the braking is the strongest point of these wings.”

It wasn’t just Ducati who courted interest in its motorcycles on Friday at Silverstone, as KTM introduced a new exhaust design on a race weekend for the first time.

The exhaust, which stretches along the side of the bike and up to the tail unit, was first trialled at the post-race Jerez test.

The new pipe, according to Miguel Oliveira, is more about offering comfort rather than all out performance as it reduces vibration.

“We tried to gain a little bit more performance from the exhaust and try to get a better connection just by having not so much vibration and this is basically what we felt,” the Portuguese rider said.

“The exhaust is really not giving a lot on back-to-back comparisons [with the old one] on speed, on power. But it gives a good feeling. Yeah, it looks like [it’s more about comfort].

“I prefer the new one because it looks smooth, and also the sound is different because it gives a bit more comfort in that way.”

The louder volume delivered by the exhaust was a request made by the riders following the Jerez test as the previous version proved to be too quiet, which made it difficult for them to understand hear exactly what their bike was doing when riding in packs.

“It’s a bit weird because it’s not that loud, It was a lot more quiet and sometimes you’re not quite sure if you’re in the right gear or something because the tone was so low you feel like you’ve done something wrong,” Brad Binder noted.

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On Friday at their home Grand Prix in Austria, it has been announced that GASGAS and Tech3 will team up to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team in MotoGP™ in 2023, with former Tech3 and KTM rider Pol Espargaro confirmed as one of the stars in the line-up. The second rider alongside the Spaniard is yet to be confirmedGASGAS have always been keen to get on the gas for fun but now the throttle grip feels different, the pace faster and the stakes higher. From 2023 Spain’s iconic motorcycle brand will join the rush of MotoGP for the first time in deal that sees the Tech3 Factory Team turn a full crimson red. The renowned race-winning crew will be equipped with GASGAS MotoGP technology and will place the machinery into the hands of Pol Espargaro for the globe-trotting Grand Prix series with a second rider to be confirmed soon.

Competition - and all the thrill and excitement that comes from racing - is part of GASGAS’ soul. The company, formed in the 1980s, celebrated the joy and buzz that motorcycling brings: everything that is daring, capable, vibrant, inviting. Fame in Trials and Enduro quickly transformed into motocross, supercross and rally success in recent years with a comprehensive foundation of offroad production bikes and now - after tasting spoils in both Moto3™ and Moto2™ classes - the brand is ready for the next frontier; the pinnacle of road racing.

GASGAS want to bring their young, fresh and passionate vibe to the highest stage and that meant transforming the objectives of the Tech3 Factory Racing team for 2023. The decorated outfit and Pol Espargaro will become a new and welcome member of the GASGAS family. The popular 31-year-old will also tie-in some of GASGAS’ Iberian heritage for their maiden MotoGP tilt.

The distinctive red and white livery will go faster than it ever has been thanks to the new GASGAS MotoGP trailblazer. The marque will be the sixth brand in MotoGP for 2023 but has already boosted its presence with Grand Prix victories and podium appearances in Moto3 and Moto2 in the last two seasons thanks to the excellence of the GASGAS Aspar team.

Pit Beirer, GASGAS Motorsports Director: “GASGAS is a winning brand. It has reached an incredible level of performance immediately in disciplines like MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally where we have taken Grands Prix, Main Events, world titles and overall winners’ trophies. It’s a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope the fans that follow ‘the red’ will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we have been able to see the GASGAS bikes right at the front of those categories. It would be great to see the same thing eventually in the hardest class of them all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory racing team for keeping an open mind and really supporting this change to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. We think it’s exciting and different.”

Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board, CMO: “Taking the GASGAS name bigger and wider than its roots in Trial has been really successful in a number of ways. After seeing what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2 the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we’re thrilled that we can make this step. It’s a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. Importantly, the team, the riders, the management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re hoping for!”

Herve Poncharal, GASGAS Team Manager: “Let me make a few confidences to you. Since we joined the Pierer Mobility Group, I can tell you that it has been my happiest professional years in my life. Because, when you work with Stefan, when you work with Hubert, and when you work with Pit, of course, the target and the main thing is competition, but I also love to spend evenings with these gentlemen to talk about business, to talk about strategy, to see how our motorcycle industry is evolving. I’m really, really happy to be part of a European manufacturer and the European manufacturers all together are moving on; we can see every single Sunday in the MotoGP™ podium that they are more and more.

“To be a full factory GASGAS team is a big source of pride. There is a lot I touch in the GASGASname, we know where they came from, I’m from the south or Europe, and I feel very honoured, very proud, and I feel there will be more emulation inside the Pierer Mobility Group in the MotoGP class, in between the orange and the red brand. For sure, as Hubert and Pit said, I would like to thank the Jorge Martin Aspar Team and his riders. First, to be here, they’ve been opening the road, they did a great job, they are still doing a great job, and we owe them a lot. We are together and I’m happy to be even closer to them because they deserve full respect. I just feel happy, I just love challenges – this is why I’m here – and racing is about challenges – industry, business challenges – and I’m very happy to be part of this new challenge.

“If you remember well, a few years ago, there was a young man, a Moto2™ World Champion, that joined the MotoGP™ class with Tech3. His name is Pol Espargaro. We had a great few years together when we started, we discovered the MotoGP™ class together, and I have always said that Pol is a real fighter, Pol was a key player in the Pierer Mobility KTM MotoGP™ programme, and I’m delighted to announce he is back in the family. We can’t wait to start working with him, and I think he will be a perfect ambassador for the GASGAS brand. So, this is like a fairytale; welcome back, Pol. This is also to Stefan, Hubert, and Pit to say more than me, but anyway, I’m over the moon and I think this GASGAS MotoGP™ project couldn’t start better than with Pol. So, this is fantastic news and I just can’t wait to be in November.”

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As part of a revamp in race weekends, F1 trialled sprint races at three events – Silverstone, Monza and Brazil – on Saturdays which determined the starting grid for the main grand prix on Sunday.

The trial proved successful among fans and teams alike, and so F1 pencilled in three further sprint weekends for 2022 at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Brazil.

As part of the Global Fan Survey run by Dorna Sports in conjunction with the Motorsport Network, the idea of sprint races was floated.

Now MotoGP plans to push ahead with this idea for 2023 and will discuss this in Friday’s Grand Prix Commission meeting at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Unlike in F1, the idea is to have a sprint race at every single MotoGP event next year and keep it a separate entity to the main grand prix.

The MotoGP sprint race would run to around half distance of the main grand prix and half-points will be awarded.

It is likely the starting grid for the grand prix will continue to be decided by a qualifying session and will not be dictated by the result of the sprint race.

To accommodate this, one free practice session and the warm-up on Sunday would be cut from the schedule.

At present, this idea is only for the MotoGP class, with Moto2 and Moto3 weekend formats likely to remain unchanged for now.

While details are yet to be finalised, most of the constructors’ currently competing in MotoGP are in favour of the format change.

Should this go ahead, it will be the first major change to a MotoGP weekend format since the split qualifying sessions was introduced in 2013.

Since then, there has only been minor changes made to the weekend format for the Moto2 and Moto3 class, when split qualifying was introduced in 2019 for them.

Currently, there are three 45-minute practice sessions each weekend for the MotoGP class – the combined order of which decides who goes straight into Q2 in qualifying and who must go through Q1.

A 30-minute FP4 sessions precedes qualifying, with both Q1 and Q2 running to 15 minutes each.

A 20-minute warm-up takes place on Sunday before the grand prix later that afternoon.