New Season!

So, a new season has begun.

Dovi put in a good race, as did Marquez and Crutchlow. Viñales...pffft... He can put in some good qualifying runs, but WTF on race day?

And Zarko at KTM? not sure that's going to work so well.

Lorenzo...

What are your thoughts?

eso

First of all, I was very happy to see the Suzukis doing so well. Rins was outstanding, and the bike looks like it is far ahead of the others when it comes to cornering. Dovi did what he had to to push Rins to use his front tire a bit too much so he just didn't have the grip to brake hard enough in the end. If not for that....

Quartaroro made a rookie mistake on the grid by stalling, and had to start from the pit lane. But then, wow!!! I was sure he was put on a big bike too soon, but once in the race he proved me wrong. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done without the stall, and I have no doubt it would have shaken things up a bit more. Hopefully he will keep this pace for the next races.

Dovi and Marquez going at it is now becoming a classic, and Dovi is getting better each time. He looks committed like never before, and I really think he could win the title this time. That said, Marquez will still always be there, and he most certainly could retain his title.

Rossi at 40 years old is just incredible. He may have been off the podium, but he was so close that he certainly could still get there. Given the track, and the lack of power of the Yamaha, I think this tells us that he will remain a contender for victories yet again. Viñales on the other hand was really disappointing in the race.

I feel sorry for Zarco, and he may be kicking himself right now for passing on another bike. That said, I am sure KTM will get there, only not this year...

Oh, and Lorenzo, well he's out of luck for now. I don't doubt he will get to grips with the Honda at some point, but he is not making it easy for himself!

Then there are the others. Mir impressed the hell out of me, Petrucci needs to learn a bit more how to conserve his tires, and Miller should have been black flagged for throwing his seat in the middle of the pack.

Hell of an exiting race over all!!!

Marquez just walked away in Argentina. Did not expect that.

Is Viñales just done? What happened to his racecraft?

Has anyone seen the race control footage showing Crutchlow's jump start? The penalty sure ruined his race.

Good to see Rossi fighting it with Dovi. Best Yamaha result for a while.

Well, Marquez running away with it was to be expected, and he will likely do the same in Austin. He just seems to be way ahead of everybody else in Argentina and Austin. We did get a good fight between Rossi and Dovi, which clearly shows that at 40 the old man can still do it! Good fun!!

Now I just don't know what is up with Viñales. He obviously has speed judging by the practice and qualifying, I just don't understand why he is so lost when the race starts. I hope he will figure it out though...

Happy to see Quartararo not messing up at the start again, and he was able to show that he really can do it. Sure, he is still a real rookie, but he is fast!

Zarco on the other hand is down in the dumps. Nothing is working for him on the KTM, and from the interview I read he is basically lost. It must really be messing with his mind.

I've been working too hard and not keeping up on the correspondence...

Marquez really seems to have matured this season and he's just untouchable.

Quateraro shows promise, and Rins is very close to putting it all together from the looks of it.

Dovisioso seems to have stagnated while Petrucci is showing he earned his seat.

WTF happened to Movistar Yamaha? When did the Monster sponsorship start? The team seems like it's become the B team. Viñales keeps having the occasional moment, but really needs to up his game.

Is Rossi done? or is the bike that bad? It kind of seems like he may be done. I hate to say that, but he doesn't seem to be digging up that last little bit of special on Sundays this season.

What happened to Lorenzo? I know he injured himself, I guessing pretty badly. I wonder if his best MotoGP days are behind him now... it looks like it.

Well, as you can imagine, I have quite a bit to say about all this.

For starters, Marquez is just on a different planet. The only reason the early parts of a race may seem a bit interesting out front is because he tends to conserve his tires a bit. However, at the latest when there are 10 laps left, it is game over. Then he pulls stunts like he did in the qualifying on Saturday when, already having pole, he throws on slicks in the last drying minutes, and improves his time by 2.5 seconds. Totally unnecessary, but undoubtedly effective in demoralizing the competition.

It is clear that the factory Yamahas are in a bad situation. They just don't seem to be able to get the bike working, and clearly have now been passed also by the Suzuki. Viñales should be better, and he has shown again this year that he can be good, and Rossi is doing what he can. The reality is that Rossi is still a very good rider, and on Sunday he was clearly the fastest Yamaha on track, but his time really is up. The way he struggled to pass Espargaro on the KTM just shows that his best really is behind him. To be honest, I hope he calls it quits at the end of this season, but I am afraid he will honour his contract until the end of 2020 at least.

Lorenzo is really struggling. The Honda is a really difficult bike to ride, and it has been built for Marquez. Their riding styles are completely different, with Lorenzo needing a smooth bike. Yes, he is injured right now, but I think that it is not only physical. Let's be clear, Bradl steps in to replace him, and scores a better position than what Lorenzo has managed all season. Rumors are circulating that Lorenzo may actually quit for the end of the season and retire. He can then go on to become an excellent test rider for some lucky team.

Rins is getting there, but he is still making some mistakes and really struggles to qualify well. Quartararo has proven to be amazingly fast, and I would not be surprised to see him on a factory bike very soon. I just hope it is not a KTM to replace Zarco...