Moto GP 2013

Disgusting crash in moto2, not sure if anyone got seriously hurt yet :\

Luckily all riders seem ok

Oh dear, Redding really needs to turn this around, the title looks to have slipped from his hands on current form.

Axel Pons strikes again..

Rossi has been getting dropped by the 3 aliens all season now, is it time for him to admit that he just can’t catch them?
Personally I think he’s just out there having fun now!
Great race from Pedrosa though, good to see him win again- and I’m sure Marquez didn’t really want to settle for 2nd

Personally I think he’s just out there having fun now!

Does look like he’s enjoying his riding again. Good for Yamaha to have in the team now too as no real threat of upsetting Lorenzo and probably brings in way more sponsor cash too.

Was good to see Pedrosa win again, even if he did look the least pleased to be on the podium. Is he all signed up with Honda for next year then or is there still some doubt?

He is a grumpy dwarf isnt he, Marquez really does look like the joker when he smiles, I think Marquez and Lorenzo have a lot of respect for eachother, not sure they like each other much 😆

Rossi does seem to be enjoying himself 4th is pretty good going in that company.

Amazed at Espargaro if all the CRT bikes could run at that pace then the midfield would be an amazing race.

A great battle between Lorenzo and Marquez for a while, unfortunately the race petered out as a spectacle towards the end.

It’s a shame Lorenzo seems to be only saving the battle for Marquez, while letting Pedrosa get past relatively softly. I wonder if he had fought Lorenzo as hard if it could have stayed as a three way battle.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if Marquez sorted his start out, If he had the lead after a few corners I could imagine him running away with it, ok it wouldn’t be as exciting a race to watch, but we could see just how fast he is unhindered.

Here’s hoping Lorenzo gets a point on his license after all his bleating, fairs fair and all.

Australian GP, they have resurfaced the track.
Marquez already been in for a close inspection of the new surface but fine.
Lorenzo a few tenths from Stoners 2008 qualifying record in Free Practice.

While the Moto2 and Moto3 riders immediately broke their lap records, MotoGP pace setter Jorge Lorenzo was three tenths off lap record pace. But given Casey Stoner’s dominance at the track in recent years it probably says more about the Australian’s speed rather than the new surface and during tomorrow’s running the lap record should fall.

Be interesting to see how they adapt to the new surface & what tyre wear they get.
Hope Scott Redding gets up the pointy end again,he usually goes well around P.I

PI should suit Redding much better than the last couple of tracks. The long straight have really cost him, especially last weekend with them being back to back. Real shame the race got stopped as it looked like he was running third ahead of Pol at the line to end lap 1, doubt he’d have finished ahead by the end of the race, but a top 3 or 4 finish would have been on.

He’s still got a 9 point lead and should have a more level playing field in the next couple of races. I still think he’s going to pip the two Pons riders. Rabat is looking pretty strong right now though, and could be the main threat come the last round if he carries on winning.

Bad day at the office already for the Repsol twins- sure they’ll sort it out. Iv’e still got Marquez down for the win 😉
Looks like a good move for Nicky Hayden, off the Ducati and on to a customer Honda. Interesting to see if he can go well on it next year.

Scott Redding seems to have it all under control- if he can just beat Espargaro and keep Rabat in his sights, i think he can do them both on the last lap 😀

Awful news for Redding 🙁

Compulsory pit stop 😯 oops Bridgestone, compulsory use of hard tyre??? Could be a crazy race.

Moto2 qualifying this morning reminded me of this Australian motorbike safety film from a few years ago

Just read that news about Scott Redding ,thats bad luck in a hard sport

Redding out of Australian GP and set to undergo surgery on fractured left wrist = GUTTED 🙁

i can’t believe it 🙁 i was hoping he could hold on…. is it now unlikely he will win the moto2 championship then ?

Well Japan next week then thankfully a break before the final round, he’s still got a firm chance. You never know whats going to happen to Pol on the new curcuit surface. Lets hope Rabat keeps him away from the top spot!

Scott Redding

Gutted doesn’t even cover it 🙁

Both Moto GP and Moto 2 have tyre problems for raceday- whats that all about? Surely a top tyre manufacturer can provide descent tyres for an event!
Anyhow, Moto GP will require a mandatory bike swap mid race and Moto 2 reduced to 13 laps- tomorrow will be interesting.

Heres hoping Espargaro and Rabat both fail to get a podium 😆

What about Lorenzo’s hitchiker!

Well that was a mad race, great racing for third 😆

Not sure what I have just seen.

How could Marquez and team make such a complete **** up? Unless they did it op purpose to give Lorenzo and Pedrosa some false hope.

Care to elaborate Wolfenstein or are you waiting on your rusks?

Silly mistake, I think he got distracted by that wobble and just automatically got back on the gas instead of slowing to follow Lorenzo into the pits.

😕 I would quite like Pedrosa to win the championship just to put a smile back on his face however I think Marquez deserves it for ability and Lorenzo also deserves it for effort.

So if Marquez wins, will he take the No 1 plate ?

Ridiculous comment Wolfenstein.

Interesting race!

Well that was bonkers (replay)
Wolfy duly grassed up 🙄

Marquez is just young and stupid. That was pretty dumb tho. Even if he can’t count to 10, surely he knew that he had to go in one lap after Pedrosa. Cos even if Pedrosa went too early, with a two lap window the next lap was always going to be right. Although good that hubris catches up with him now rather than some nasty crash.

A disaster for Redding. I would like to see him on a factory MotoGP bike. He’s got what it takes.

A come-uppance for Marquez, but I’d sooner see him learn those lessons on the track rather than from the blazer brigade.

Lorenzo gracious as ever, both about their bump and Marquez’s potential position in the race.

Danny looking worried about something. I thought he would have had an ear to ear grin. Are Honda doctoring his bikes to slow him slightly?

And great to see Rossi on the podium. Wasn’t he a happy chappy? 🙂

I think Marquez was so close behind Lorenzo that when Lorenzo dived off he just couldnt react and turn at the same time, an error but hardly a reason to call him stupid. Just maybe lacking some experience and it is unprecedented in MotoGP. Makes the next 2 races a bit more exciting.

EDIT Seems the team had it all wrong just reading Crash.net, Colin Edwards funny tweet about it.

The Moto2 result just rube salt into Reddings wounds

Woohoo Tom Sykes 😀

I don’t see any “hubris” from Marquez, he is just loving being there, and I don’t see how anyone can mistake his excitement and joy for arrogance, he is more akin to an overexcited puppy for christ sake.

Honda have said they made a pitbored error in calling him in, wonder if that is what happened or if they are just deflecting criticism.

Are Honda doctoring his bikes to slow him slightly?

Seems extremely unlikely, they are still fighting for the manufactures title, and it would still be better for Marquez if Pedrosa took points from Lorenzo.

The bump with Lorenzo was basically caused with the stupid extension of the low speed zone along the pits, not allowing riders to get up to speed before re-joining the track.

Marquez

😆

Marquez showing that he is human after all- not sure i’d have seen a pitboard or been able to count laps while racing round Phillip Island either 😉

Top marks for an artistic dismount in the pits though! Lorenzos was a bit more barmy though- he nearly nutted the bloke holding his replacement bike 😆

Well I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed that. 🙂

(Sorry, playing catch-up).

Certainly makes it more interesting. Lorenzo’s tatic of keeping calm getting good qualifying and start and letting the Hondas frack it up for themselves and each other is serving him well.

What a complete farce. Exciting in a way I suppose but just completely stupid, this weekend and the decision to black flag Marquez have made a compete mockery of the championship/MotoGP. Nearly rained too.

From Marc Marquez’s Facebook page:

Marquez acknowledges costly team error

Marc Marquez admitted he and his team misunderstood the timing of the mandatory bike change required at Phillip Island, which resulted in his costly disqualification from the race.

The Repsol Honda rider started the day knowing that he could secure the 2013 MotoGP™ title by outscoring his rival Jorge Lorenzo by eight points or more in the shortened 19-lap race at the Tissot Australian Grand Prix, but he ended the day having conceded the maximum 25 points to the World Champion.

With tyre durability issues flagged up by Bridgestone after free practice and Warm Up, regulation changes due to the special circumstances at the resurfaced Phillip Island track meant all riders would have to change machines during the race, in order to complete the second half on new tyres.

The temporary new regulations stated that no rider was permitted to make more than 10 laps on any one slick or wet rear tyre and that in normal circumstances this would mean that the rider must change machine only at the end of lap 9 or lap 10.

Marquez’ teammate Pedrosa changed at the end of lap 9 and Lorenzo changed at the end of lap 10, but Marquez stayed out for an extra lap on his first bike.

After the race Marquez explained his team as a whole had believed completing lap 11 was permitted.

He stated, “The plan we had was not correct, we though that we could do that lap. We thought we could go into the pit at the end of lap 11. The problem was not with the pit board, that was fine, when I saw ‘Box’ I came in. Now we need to forget about it and just concentrate in Motegi.”

Asked whether he is still confident of winning the championship in what has been a remarkable rookie season, a smiling Marquez concluded, “I said on Thursday that the championship is very long. Today this happened and maybe in Motegi it’s something else. I know we’re going in the right way, I feel so good on the bike. I could have fought for the podium or the victory today.”

Gotta feel for him and the Repsol team- anyone can make that mistake 😕

And now he has to deal with the ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ jokes 😆

MM’s had setbacks when going for championships before.
When he won the 125 title the penultimate round was in Portugal & something mad happened on the warm up lap,I think he had to start from pitlane or the back of the grid but he still won the title.
Hard to belive the MotoGP boys hadn’t tested at PI when they knew the WSB teams had tyre problems there the other month..

Hard to belive the MotoGP boys hadn’t tested at PI when they knew the WSB teams had tyre problems there the other month..

Bridgestone guy was fairly explicit in saying there was no testing allowed at P.I and they were appealing to be allowed.

this weekend and the decision to black flag Marquez have made a compete mockery of the championship

couldnt agree less. Migh have been a new rule but it was the same rule for everybody and introduced on the grounds of safety. MM’s team screwed up. They seem to have accepted it.

Lorenzo gracious as ever, both about their bump and Marquez’s potential position in the race

totally agree. Whether they are mates or not they seem to enjoy the heat of battle and respect each other and I was impressed with JL’s saying the bump was as much his fault as MM’s as he ran wide towards MM and how quick MM would have been if he’d stayed in the race. Always quite like JL when all the VR fanbois hated him but I’ve liked him even more since MM came on the scene, he’s raised his game but kept humble.

Did no one else think they’d tried to do a Schumacher?

http://epic-formula1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/michael-schumacher-wins-in-pit-lane.html

But the opposite way around, as MM’s pit was before the finish line.