Honda, Yamaha, WTF is going on there in WSB and GPs

[Yorick]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

[mangocrazy]

It's definitely a quandary. I remember the Doohan years and both he and the Honda were head and shoulders above the competition and most of us were hoping someone could at least challenge him now and again. Once Rainey had his career-ending accident that didn't really happen. Criville tried (largely unsuccessfully) and Luca Cadalora had the occasional moment of brilliance, but mostly it was one-way traffic.

I'm hopeful that a combination of circumstances conspired to give Marc his fairly easy win yesterday; Pecco's practice and testing problems and Jorge wiping himself out after only a dozen laps of testing were contributory factors, but a fully fit and fired up Marc on the best bike is an ominous combination. I'm pretty sure that Pecco will re-group and come back stronger and at least keep Marc honest. As for the rest of the field, it's hard to see anyone toppling the 2025 Factory Ducati from its perch. The KTM looks to be a busted flush but Aprilia looked promising on a track that is traditionally one of their worst. However we'll need to see a few more races before any pattern is evident.

But MM is a fixture in my Fantasy MotoGP team...

[Yorick]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

Bollox. I forgot JM. He'll be at the front as Ai Agura proved it's quick.


Nothing to see here

[D.A.]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

If I were a betting man, I’d be thinking it might be a li-ittle bit risky to write off a two-time MotoGp Champion who only conceded defeat at the last round of the 2024 season, during which he won eleven GP races. He lost his opportunity to win his third, consecutive Championship by seven points. Let's see what happens...

It's definitely a quandary. I remember the Doohan years and both he and the Honda were head and shoulders above the competition and most of us were hoping someone could at least challenge him now and again. Once Rainey had his career-ending accident that didn't really happen. Criville tried (largely unsuccessfully) and Luca Cadalora had the occasional moment of brilliance, but mostly it was one-way traffic.

I'm hopeful that a combination of circumstances conspired to give Marc his fairly easy win yesterday; Pecco's practice and testing problems and Jorge wiping himself out after only a dozen laps of testing were contributory factors, but a fully fit and fired up Marc on the best bike is an ominous combination. I'm pretty sure that Pecco will re-group and come back stronger and at least keep Marc honest. As for the rest of the field, it's hard to see anyone toppling the 2025 Factory Ducati from its perch. The KTM looks to be a busted flush but Aprilia looked promising on a track that is traditionally one of their worst. However we'll need to see a few more races before any pattern is evident.

But MM is a fixture in my Fantasy MotoGP team...

That pretty-much sums up the situation for me, too, but I can’t imagine any hope for Yamaha, Honda, or any other manufacturer before 2008. I’m sticking my neck out here, but if “data is king”, and Ducati continue to run, unhindered by injuries (not likely, but…), and with the indisputably highly talented and experienced riders that they have at the moment, well - it could be four or five years before we see any change at the top of MotoGP.

As for Jorge and Aprilia: I can’t help praying that he gets through the season without any further injury (again, not likely). It’s a new bike, and it’s already bitten him, even before the racing had begun, so from now on he’ll be playing catch-up. But he’s a racer. His team will need to play their part in persuading him to catch up “slowly”.

MotoGp Rules - 2027

[mangocrazy]

Yeah, I think it's way too early to write Pecco off, just as I think a fully fit Jorge on the Aprilia could be quite tasty. I take it you meant 2028, not 2008? Looking on the gloomy side, when MotoGP last had a capacity reduction it was a certain Bologna-based outfit that got the jump on everyone with a superstar rider and a bullet of a bike. Who's to say the same won't happen again?

[Pirahna]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

I don't think it'll be Acosta. He'll be another Miller: fast but crashy with the very occasional win. He didn't learn how to stay on the bike last year and he's carried it over to this year.

[D.A.]

Yeah, I think it's way too early to write Pecco off, just as I think a fully fit Jorge on the Aprilia could be quite tasty. I take it you meant 2028, not 2008?

Oh-h, shi-i-ittt!!!

...Arrrr.... yes, ummmm.... I did.

Looking on the gloomy side, when MotoGP last had a capacity reduction it was a certain Bologna-based outfit that got the jump on everyone with a superstar rider and a bullet of a bike. Who's to say the same won't happen again?

Yeh, Bayliss got the win at Valencia 2006 (we were there) - totally out of the blue and the word on the street was that it was the new, 800cc prototype bike that he was on! Wouldn't surprise me now, if it was.

Meanwhile, the dummies are absolutely flying out, back in WSBK

[Yorick]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

I don't think it'll be Acosta. He'll be another Miller: fast but crashy with the very occasional win. He didn't learn how to stay on the bike last year and he's carried it over to this year.

He may get frustrated with the KTM and he'll be in demand.

[D.A.]

Fantastic as Bagnaia is, I think he's peaked.
Gonna be a new gun to rival MM.
Acosta? Agura?

Young Marquez?

I don't think it'll be Acosta. He'll be another Miller: fast but crashy with the very occasional win. He didn't learn how to stay on the bike last year and he's carried it over to this year.

He may get frustrated with the KTM and he'll be in demand.

To me, Miller and Acosta come across as completely different personalities.

I see Miller as a carefree, talented Aussie who is in racing for the laughs, as much as for the wins, the glory and the money.
I see Acosta as a serious, thoughtful and fully-committed individual who has a point to prove to himself that he is “the best”.

Miller’s position: he's wiser, now, and he still believes in himself, even though he's nearing the end of his career.
Acosta’s position: he’s only twenty years old and he’s still got a lot to learn

I wouldn’t write either of them off, just yet - after all, we've only had one race!

[mangocrazy]

It will be interesting to see how the wider KTM situation plays out - Acosta could very well be a free agent at the end of 2025. If that happens there will be a serious bidding war for his services...

If you were at Valencia for Bayliss's win, you clearly had the inside scoop. I heard that he only accepted the wild card ride on the basis that he brought his WSBK crew with him, along with the WSBK bike's front end and that he didn't get GP 'Factory' suspension settings forced on him.

[D.A.]

It will be interesting to see how the wider KTM situation plays out - Acosta could very well be a free agent at the end of 2025. If that happens there will be a serious bidding war for his services...

I like Acosta. He seems to have a good attitude and he’s shown a lot of promise. The only thing that’s not in his favour, I think, is his “youthful exuberance” on corner entry. Let’s hope that, in working with Acosta through this season (and, maybe, the next), Pit Beirer can maintain his current levels of patience and understanding, these being the characteristics for which former Motocross racers and Motorsports Directors are well known.

If you were at Valencia for Bayliss's win, you clearly had the inside scoop. I heard that he only accepted the wild card ride on the basis that he brought his WSBK crew with him, along with the WSBK bike's front end and that he didn't get GP 'Factory' suspension settings forced on him.

Heh-heh. “Battler Bayliss”! A smiling assassin in the mould of the Master Himself, Valentino Rossi!

Reports that Bayliss “insisted” on having his own way and compelled his employer to bend to his will sound good to me - but they don’t qu-ite fit in with the long-established Ducati employment philosophy of “Do as we tell you, or fuck off - the choice is yours, mate!”

Who knows the truth of the matter? Only Bayliss and the Ducati Boys!

Valencia 2006

[mangocrazy]

I like Acosta. He seems to have a good attitude and he’s shown a lot of promise. The only thing that’s not in his favour, I think, is his “youthful exuberance” on corner entry. Let’s hope that, in working with Acosta through this season (and, maybe, the next), Pit Beirer can maintain his current levels of patience and understanding, these being the characteristics for which former Motocross racers and Motorsports Directors are well known.

Yeah, I like Acosta as well; he has the right attitude - he'll do whatever it takes but he's no PR robot when asked for his views. He is also clearly the fastest of all the KTM riders, and you can teach a fast rider to crash less, but it's much harder to make a slower rider fast.

Heh-heh. “Battler Bayliss”! A smiling assassin in the mould of the Master Himself, Valentino Rossi!

Reports that Bayliss “insisted” on having his own way and compelled his employer to bend to his will sound good to me - but they don’t qu-ite fit in with the long-established Ducati employment philosophy of “Do as we tell you, or fuck off - the choice is yours, mate!”

Who knows the truth of the matter? Only Bayliss and the Ducati Boys!

Valencia 2006

That's one characteristic that Ducati and Honda have in common. 'Nanny knows best - thou shalt not deviate from factory settings'

[D.A.]

Some interesting comments from the riders on the MotoGP site.

Peco says he "has to improve and learn what Marc is doing" - but will seeing Marquez's data help? I remember Cal Crutchlow saying (when he was with Honda), "I see Marc's data and I understand what he's doing. But looking at data's one thing - and getting on the bike and actually doing what he's doing is something completely different!"

Prickly problems for Pecco, methinks...