RE: MotoGP 2022 - 2

Late coming to this thread, however, although I admire (marvel at) the skill level of the MGP riders, I prefer watching the moto 2 and 3 more. Especially the 3s where any rider in the pack of 10 coming into the final lap can win it. (I didn't mind so much when Doohan and Stoner were winning by 5+ seconds - Aussie bias showing!)

The big news in MotoGP is that Marc Marquez and Honda are to part company at the end of the season. This will leave Honda in deep dudu. Where will Marquez go? Gresini? Whatever happens, I'm sure he will be on a Ducati next year.

If Marquez can adapt to the Ducati, it's going to be a very interesting '24! I'm a diehard Rossi fan, and that era has come and gone, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to see Marc go toe to toe with this new generation of riders. BTW, my favorite rider is Brad Binder

Marquez and Ducati...it almost boggles the mind, after so long at Honda. One of the Honda problems is that while Marc was injured, they really did almost nothing to develop the bike, while the competition forged ahead with aerodynamic enhancements, ride height devices, and frame evolutions. Before technology really took over MotoGP in the last year, Marquez won because of his riding talent. Now the winners are being decided by incremental advantages in their bikes, all done via technological improvements.

If Marquez's skill set is still superior to his rivals, then having a better bike might put him in condition to rule again. The frequent crashes on the Honda have to have been on his mind in every race. Having a bike that isn't going to send him down the road all the time will improve his mentality and combined with his innate talent, it could be enough to alter the MotoGP championship calculus.

I'm not a huge Marquez fan, but I'd love to see him scare the shit out of Bagnia, Bezzechi and, especially, Martin.

Personally I think Marquez has peaked and we won't see him challenging for the title anymore. He actually spent a lot of his early years crashing a lot, but was lucky in that he did it mostly in practice and escaped serious injuries. Now he's older and hopefully a bit less reckless, and has suffered from a serious injury. He'll struggle with a new bike and team that will not simply bend over backwards to suit him alone.

Zitat von Ali-bear im Beitrag #20

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He'll struggle with a new bike and team that will not simply bend over backwards to suit him alone.

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If you follow golf, you'll note similarities to the career trajectories of Marc Marquez and Tiger Woods. If the similarity holds, Marquez will remain a "figure" in the sport, but challenged to make it back to the top. To further that comparison to golf...I think Rossi fulfilled the same kind of role that Arnold Palmer did...a champion who was accessible to his fans, and entertaining to all.

For those who might enjoy it there is TV coverage (UK) of the last meeting of this years MotoGP season, taking place in Valencia.
ITV1 and ITV4 are showing all races live throughout the day
The Moto2 and 3 are all but sorted but the GP class is going down to the wire with 14 points separating the reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia and second place Jorge Martin.
It's been a Ducati walkover this year but the racing has been close and entertaining.

Alan