MotoGP 2023

Henrik, are you still following MotoGP? Many strange turns and the second race of the season hasn't even been run yet.

eso

Nice to see you on these pages again Eso, I hope you are well.

Hey eso!! Good to see you here!!

For sure I am still following MotoGP (and WorldSBK). I think this season is shaping up nicely, and the added sprint race on Saturday is sure one hell of a spectacle. Some riders say it is dangerous, and I get their point, but if the WorldSBK guys can run two full races plus a sprint race over a weekend, I think the MotoGP guys can get used to the added sprint race.

Ducati obviously has the better bike, and they are out in numbers too. Pecco is confirming his talent, and Yamaha are still suffering.

Marquez seems to continue to prove he is a dick now that he is back to racing (although he will miss the next race due to his own fault). I think he knows his career is ending and he is desperate to try and make it again this season.

Very happy to see Miller on the KTM. With him and Binder KTM have two very good racers that will help spice up the races.

Aprilia are doing well, and Vinales is getting on with it. However, being Vinales I am sure his head will soon get the better of him... Who knows though, he does have the talent to actually do something.

Oh, and I do miss Suzuki on the grid.

I'm not so crazy about the sprints at every event. For that matter I'm not so sure about them at all. I worry that there will be too many injuries resulting from them. We're at the second race weekend of the season and we've got 3 people out already. Not a good sign.

Marquez... he's a hazard now. Really, Quatararo finished him in Maylaysia. Was that '20 or '21 when Marquez was trying to psyche Fabio out and ended up with a bad highside? That day Quatararo broke Marquez and he hasn't been the same since. And now he's hurting other people. Really, Fabio hasn't been the same since Marquez took him out late last season and now Olivera is paying for Marquez carelessness.

Funny comment about Viñales. It is good to see his form coming to him. For the sake of this season I hope his mental state is good and he can mix it up with the Ducatis. It's could be a monotonous year if no one can give them some competition.

Yes, Jack Miller looks to be settling in well at KTM and the bike development seems good.

WTF is with Yamaha?

eso

PS, I posted on the FB Shamu page and tagged you Henrik. My older son is turning into a computer whiz and is lead programmer for his high school robotics team. We were just at a tournament and there was a team from Switzerland there. I took a video of them singing the Swiss national anthem! They looked like a great bunch.

Thanks for the feedback! Regarding Marquez, personally I think he has always been a hazard, it is just that they were letting him get away with stuff for way too long. Already in the lower categories he was barging his way through, and he hasn't changed. The only thing that has changed I think is that his long absences over the last few years has made him be more mid-pack, thus getting more criticism.

For the sprint races, I agree that they may be dangerous, but they do need to get used to them. Already in yesterday's one it was better, and I think particularly Pecco's race there showed intelligence. In the first one they were all a bit too hyped up about it I think. We shall see.

Binder was just amazing yesterday!! I am really happy that the KTMs seem to be better this year, as we need bikes to fight the Ducati armada. Given that both Honda and Yamaha seem to really be struggling, although Morbidelli had a great race yesterday, it is up to KTM and Aprilia to try and do something. However now that Yamaha really only have two bikes racing, I am afraid that they might end up going the way of Suzuki.

I really doubt it will be a monotonous year though. Sure there are loads of Ducatis, and they do seem set on getting another title, but there are so many of them that can win races! Pretty much all the Ducati riders stand a chance at winning, making the championship all the more open. Hell it used to be down to three or four guys with a chance, and now I can think if easily ten riders with a chance of winning at each race. The age of two top riders going head to head throughout the season seems to really have come to an end, and we as spectators are the winners!!

I will check on FB your tag. I don't check there too often and must have missed that one.

With the circus at COTA this weekend I think the sprints every weekend is going to get tiresome and ultimately very costly in equipment and injuries.

I really not a fan of the sprints in F1 either, so maybe I'm just a traditionalist curmudgeon...

eso

I agree with you Eso, I don't follow motor cycling but have absolutely no time for the sprints in F1, in fact I do not even watch them (sprints).

What a race today. Awesome for Alex Rins, and a lifeline to Quateraro. I feel bad for Miller and Alex Espargaro.

I'm surprised and not surprised by Bagnaia. I had thought he'd put the choking from the lead behind him, but maybe not. Having said that, Rins really kept the pressure on him so I won't call this one an unforced error.

And Maverick... If he hadn't choled the start he could have been fighting at the front.

So much attrition in this one.

Yes, it was a great race but with a bit too much attrition. Very happy for Rins, a rider I have always rated very highly. It was a bit of a surprise for me that Mir took the title for Suzuki and not Rins, but that year he made too many mistakes. He is fast and smooth, and good to see he has mastered the Honda.

I am not entirely sure Pecco made a mistake due to pressure. It seemed more to me that it was a mistake of confidence if anything, and on the COTA track it is very easy to be caught out (as we saw!!!). In any case, he is making it more and more difficult to retain his title even if the season is still long. I really like the fact that we get different winners all the time, and again I think it is a sign that things have changed a bit in MotoGP. No more total dominance from 2 or 3 riders, but rather at least 10 that can win at any given time.

I can't wait for Jerez now, and look forward to seeing Pedrosa back with a wild card. I don't expect anything from him, but it is nice to see all his hard work at KTM paying off with the other riders, and it is fitting to let him have a go in a race. No doubt he will provide further precious feedback to help improve the bike.

Well Pedrosa has performed well beyond my expectation!! He really is a legend, and I am so happy to see him doing well. I mean starting the weekend in P1 for FP1, was just amazing. His pace has continued, and I thought he was great in the sprint race. Seriously, at this point I am really hoping for him to get on the podium for the main race.

Also, his testing effort shines through the other two KTMs on the podium with Binder being his usual self. Miller could have won, but made a small mistake near the end, and Pecco was right there to benefit from it.

As for the rest, well Yamaha sucks....

Marquez just needs to go away. He's really being pathetic and his time has passed.

Attempting to continue is just jeopardizing other riders.

eso

Agreed eso. His riding has always been dangerous, and he was lucky for many years to avoid serious injury (although I think his eye injury while in Moto2 had a permanent impact on him). I always suspected his luck would run out and he would end up with a serious injury, which is what happened obviously.

Now he is struggling, and yes he really should call it quits.

I was never a Lorenzo fan, but he was great when he could get pole and the lead: no one could touch him for a while. But pretty graciously saw the writing on the wall and hung it up when it stopped working. I can respect that.

I do not want to see serious injuries, or any injuries for that matter. I could see the current path Marquez is following leading to something really bad.

eso