[Porschefire]

Spanish GP - Race





- Pecco reigns supreme in Jerez as he made a solid start from 7th to go up to second, behind Jorge Martin before he crashed out of the lead. He now becomes the hatrick hero of Jerez.

- After the heartbreak in the sprint, Marc Marquez takes a well deserved second step on the podium. He did challenge Pecco for the win but he had amazing late pace, setting the fastest race lap time in Jerez.

- Marco Bezzecchi brings home the VR46 in third after his last podium success was way back in the Indian GP last year. He completes an all Ducati podium.

- Alex Marquez, Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio complete a top 8 finish for Ducati in fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.

- A not so great Sunday for Prima Pramac Racing as both riders crashed out in the race.

- Aprilias of Miguel Oliveira and Maverick Vinales in eighth and ninth while Pedro Acosta finishes tenth.

- The biggest losers: Jorge Martin - crashed out of the lead, Jack Miller - had an incident with Franco Morbidelli, Daniel Pedrosa - crashed when he lost the front and Aleix Espargaro.

The World Championship standings after round four -

[ads11]

I'd only seen the sprint race highlights but what on earth was that damp patch that kept taking out riders towards the end? I've not seen anything like it before. They were only youtube highlights but I couldn't make out any visual difference as to where that patch was. Terrifying to think about hitting that on 2 wheels.

Pleasantly surprised to see Pecco managed the top step. He's needed a big result this season, not quite had any statement results far as I can tell and got a bad draw with the crash in the sprint race.

Amazing to see how on pace Marc is already on the Ducati. One can't help but wonder how he'd fare on the factory bike (though maybe that's for the best). Pedro Acosta on the Gas-Gas is the other one to watch out for. He's got the brashness of a wunderkind about him. I can't help but feel he'll be a character in some pivotal clashes/controversies this season..

[Fx14]

Originally Posted by ads11

Pleasantly surprised to see Pecco managed the top step. He's needed a big result this season, not quite had any statement results far as I can tell and got a bad draw with the crash in the sprint race.

Pecco had won the first GP race of this season at Qatar.

Amazing race today between him and Marc in the closing stages. They almost repeated the Portimao coming together crash out, though this time around both of them managed to keep their bikes upright.

[Thalla]

That was a great win for pecco.

[ads11]

What I like about Pecco is that he doesn't seem to have that nasty streak that Marc or Valentino had, or even Lorenzo.

Pecco made a stunning dive down the inside on the opening lap and then some brilliant duelling with Marc. My worry with Marc is that he's always been the type where you can't help but feel he's happy to take both of you out if he can't have his way. Glad it didn't come to that today.

[aravind.anand]

Marc is like that Tata Ace driver on our roads. He will jut in where there is no space, and expect you to change your course and make space for him. He will barge his way in, and is ok if he crashes or takes you out too.

So kudos to Pecco for holding firm and fighting it out with Marc and winning. This must have been one of the most satisfying wins of his career. Even Marc was doing crazy moves at the podium celebrations - never seen him celebrate a second place quite like this !

[rajeevsulu]

Pecco dealt with Marc perfect. Marc is like that petulant infant who will not take a no for an answer. Like how a spank would work for the kid, "elbows out" is the way to deal with Marc.
The highest finishing Japanese manufacturer was 12 th, Joan Mir. All Ducatis, KTM s, Aprilia bikes in the top 10.

Cheers

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by ads11

Pecco made a stunning dive down the inside on the opening lap and then some brilliant duelling with Marc. My worry with Marc is that he's always been the type where you can't help but feel he's happy to take both of you out if he can't have his way. Glad it didn't come to that today.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Marc is like that Tata Ace driver on our roads. He will jut in where there is no space, and expect you to change your course and make space for him. He will barge his way in, and is ok if he crashes or takes you out too.

Originally Posted by rajeevsulu

Pecco dealt with Marc perfect. Marc is like that petulant infant who will not take a no for an answer. Like how a spank would work for the kid, "elbows out" is the way to deal with Marc.

"Elbows out" seems to be the norm of riding these days.
If we just take this weekend as an example, there were a lot of incidents due to the riders going for the same piece of tarmac and having near misses or a crash: Bezzecchi - Binder - Bagnaia in the Sprint, Miller - Morbidelli in the Race, Zarco - Espargaro in the Race, Marquez - Mir in the Sprint, Marquez - Bagnaia in the Race, to mention a few.
Marc did mention in the post race press conference that he did close the throttle and straighten the bike to avoid a crash. No doubt, Marc has been perpetrator of many a crashes back in the day, but this overtake on Pecco was clean. It was Pecco who saw the opportunity to dive inside when Marc went wide and stayed there until Marc had to back out. If not, this would be a repeat of Potimao.

Senna's famous words comes to mind - "If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver". The 'existential gap' is the thin line that is the grey between the black and white.

[ds.raikkonen]

What. A. Race. Speechless.

Huge respect to both Marc and Pecco for giving their 100% and toughing it out, giving us a battle to remember! Shame for Martin crashing out, he looked on course to extend his WC lead but could not, shades of 2023 peeking again when everyone thought he had moved on, but still its only his first bad weekend in 2024.

Surely among the Jerez classics which people will remember. Thankfully no drama at Lorenzo corner in the end, though 'rubbing' did happen well before that one

[motor_breathing]

The boss VR46 also was in attendance and post race,ignored MM93 as if he didst exist . Any time that Yamaha aerox ad comes up some one will bin it and i was eager to find who and lo, JM89 is on the scooter returning to pits. So much irritating these ads are. Why Jio why .. troubling us so much

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by motor_breathing

The boss VR46 also was in attendance and post race,ignored MM93 as if he didst exist

As if Marc gives a damn to Rossi's acknowledgement
Rossi is probably still sore about 'rookie' Marc beating his ranch lap record back in 2014, then being a road block for him during the 2015 title fight. He is also wary of the fact that Marc can very well match his record now that he has adapted to the Ducati.

[Fx14]

Originally Posted by motor_breathing

Any time that Yamaha aerox ad comes up some one will bin it and i was eager to find who and lo, JM89 is on the scooter returning to pits. So much irritating these ads are. Why Jio why .. troubling us so much

The most irritating part of the telecast no doubt. The same ad repeated thrice with IPL match of the day, that too in between the short telecast of a sprint as well. They seem to have no clue about the sport whatsoever. Spoilsports.

Martin though seems to be cracking under pressure when leading the overall championship. Last year too he had the championship in his grasp when he crashed out while leading the Indonesian GP.

Pecco on the other hand seems to thrive under pressure and is making a comeback in the main races when his qualifying and / or sprint is not good.

[Porschefire]

Jerez Test - Results





MotoGP teams and riders returned to Jerez for the first official in-season test of 2024.

- Marquez and Bagnaia featured on top in the early hours of testing before Fabio di Giannantonio put his VR46 Ducati quickest from 1pm right until the 6pm finish courtesy of a 1m 36.405s on his 23rd lap (of 70).

- Aprilia's Maverick Vinales, renowned for his post-race testing speed, came within 0.087s of toppling di Giannantonio in the very final minutes.

- Pramac Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli, who missed the entire pre-season due to a superbike training accident, made up for lost time with over 80 laps. He climbed to an impressive second in the final hour, which became third after Vinales improved.

- Honda had a ‘new concept’ RC213V for its riders to try, which Repsol's Joan Mir said provided a much-needed improvement in turning and a future direction for development. Meanwhile, the Stefan Bradl ‘lab’ bikes from the race weekend - which Mir and Luca Marini were apparently unimpressed by at a recent private Catalunya test - appeared at LCR.

- Yamaha prioritised some extreme new aero (triple-element front wing and KTM/Ducati-style side fairing) plus a new chassis from a long list of potential developments. Alex Rins was the top M1 in 14th with team-mate Fabio Quartararo in 18th. While both riders saw improvements with the bike, Quartararo was in favour of the new chassis while Rins wasn't.

Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/results...-spain-results

[Porschefire]

News Feed

1) Grand Prix of Kazakhstan postponed

The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports announce that the Grand Prix of Kazakhstan has been postponed until later in 2024 due to unprecedented weather conditions that have led to flooding across Central Asia, causing a national emergency in Kazakhstan and displacing much of the population.


Source: https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2024/...in-2024/497181

2) Assen secures ‘long-term future’ on MotoGP calendar

As Assen gears up for its centenary celebrations in 2025, the famous Dutch circuit has secured its continued place on the MotoGP calendar until at least 2031.

The circuit's WorldSBK contract has also been extended to the same year.

Assen has been a permanent fixture on the motorcycle grand prix calendar since the inaugural 1949 season, its perfect run only broken by the Covid-cancelled 2020 Dutch MotoGP.

Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...otogp-calendar

3) Rider contracts

At least three rider contract discussions for 2025 and beyond are currently underway.

Marquez, who narrowly missed out on a first win with the Italian brand at Jerez, seems to have a good relationship with Gigi Dall’Igna, which could play into his favour when a decision on who partners Francesco Bagnaia is made.

Speaking about this future, Marquez said: “The faster you go on track, the more options… The important thing is that the plan is going well. It depends on everything, in general. But the important thing is that I am clear. I don't just have one option."

With Ducati expecting to finalise its factory team line-up by the Italian GP, Marquez has suggested that Ducati isn’t his only option for a factory ride in 2025.


https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...ival-factories

With Aleix Espargaro’s future up in the air, Aprilia would do well to lock up Vinales given his current form and age. Vinales seems intent on staying with the Italian manufacturer, although he did admit that there are nice options out there.

Vinales said: “I think there are options. There are nice projects. Right now, my mind is in this year, with Aprilia. Every race I do like Austin or Portimao, I am stronger in the negotiation with the bosses. I am not worried about the future. I want to look for performance.”


Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...e-rider-market

Pedro Acosta presumably has sat down with the KTM'ss big bosses to discuss a brand new contract, as per reports.

“They are not rushing because both parties know that they both want to reach an agreement and nothing around them distracts them", report says.

Other manufacturers have reportedly been interested in acquiring Acosta but KTM want to finalise a new deal by this summer, to “slam the door” on their rivals.


Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10...r-new-contract

[Porschefire]

GP5: 10 May - 12 May

Michelin Grand Prix de France

Le Mans

Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties but a serious accident to Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995 saw it struck off the calendar until 2000 whilst stringent safety improvements were carried out.

Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that place the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit also plays host to the 24 hour truck race, the FIA GP2 Championship, French Touring Car and GT races.







Previous Winners


2023


2022