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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Apr 28, 2022 10:22:55 GMT
And to think that AM's "demotion" from Repsol to LCR was supposed to be temporary...
Ogura was expected to do better in Moto 2 than he has so far, so I reckon he needs more time.
Chantra wasn't expected to do much but I'm not sure that he has achieved enough either, despite it being much more than expected.
But both of them do look quite promising.
If I had to choose one over the other I think I'd go for Chantra just becasue I think he is suiting the "big bike" style better than Ogura right now.
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Post by mekon on Apr 28, 2022 10:59:08 GMT
Ogura has been in the winning pack in moto2 a few times. Last week for example. I think there is too much looking for the next big thing at the moment but it seems that MM is past his prime and I don't think too many riders are 'essential' like they were in the aliens era. The bikes have leveled the field a bit too much for my liking and it's harder to spot the real talent. Look at Bastianini....is he really that good or did Ducati fuck up with the 22 bike? Hard to say.
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Post by nippon on Apr 28, 2022 11:15:39 GMT
Marc had a bit of a moan on Sunday by all accounts about the direction that HRC have taken. Well he hasn't exactly been very up for development duties in recent off-seasons has he? Maybe it was HRC who made the mistake with the contract.... maybe HRC decided to build a universally user-friendly racer this year to spread their bets, given marquez' injuries. it never really works though. they tried this in 2004 to show the world and valentino, that their bike wins championships not riders, but ended up over-developing the RC211v into a package nobody could ride fast. this year feels a bit like that. main rider missing, development is left to sub-standard riders, manufacturer fills in the missing data like that crazy bastard who runs jurassic park. marquez can still win the championship but that bike needs turning around soon. they (marc and HRC) had this problem in pre-season for 2016. he couldn't ride it and told the crew 'if you don't fix it, i'll just keep throwing it at the stands'. christ knows what'll happen this time because he can't afford to keep crashing, testing is limited these days and the season is already well underway. |
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Post by nippon on Apr 28, 2022 11:27:02 GMT
The bikes have leveled the field a bit too much for my liking and it's harder to spot the real talent. when marc fucked himself up 2020 and 2021 reminded me of the mick doohan years...without mick doohan. motogp was hard to predict because 99% of the grid is average at best. this year is similar, with nine different riders on the first three podiums or something because now you've got the added complication that two maybe three (if you included KTM) huge manufacturers in the paddock that are struggling with their new machines. the title isn't being won, in the traditional sense. it's being lost by everyone else. |
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Apr 28, 2022 11:59:55 GMT
Ogura has been in the winning pack in moto2 a few times. Last week for example. I think there is too much looking for the next big thing at the moment but it seems that MM is past his prime and I don't think too many riders are 'essential' like they were in the aliens era. The bikes have leveled the field a bit too much for my liking and it's harder to spot the real talent. Look at Bastianini....is he really that good or did Ducati fuck up with the 22 bike? Hard to say. But it has always been a combination of bike and rider in perfect harmony that got wins. Look at Morbidelli on that old Yam making the factory boys look stoopid. Put him on the factory bike and the tables have turned... Is Bastianini that good? On his own probably not that far above the rest, but in his current contaxt he looks great and to be fair Ducati seem better at keeping the riders happy as they move through the structures than the other manufactures with different level squads, that is until they don't win a title for a few years in the top level then they drop them like hot stones.... Bastianini at Gresini 2022 = title challenger Bastianini at Pramac 2023 = title challenger Bastianini at Lenovo 2024 = title challenger Bastianini at Lenovo 2025 = waivers a bit under pressure, crashes, injuries.... Bastianini 2026 = Aprilia test rider (when Miller retires) |
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Apr 28, 2022 13:09:03 GMT
Marc had a bit of a moan on Sunday by all accounts about the direction that HRC have taken. Well he hasn't exactly been very up for development duties in recent off-seasons has he? Maybe it was HRC who made the mistake with the contract.... maybe HRC decided to build a universally user-friendly racer this year to spread their bets, given marquez' injuries. it never really works though. According to Albert Pooch that's not the case. He is adamant that HRC would be stupid to not develop the bike around Marc... Whether Alberto has the power in HRC that he thinks he does is another question of course. |
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Post by mekon on Apr 28, 2022 13:17:17 GMT
Maybe Honda didn't even make a good bike for the last few years? Marc really was at the height of his powers? Maybe this one is actually utter shit?
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Post by nippon on Apr 28, 2022 14:49:26 GMT
According to Albert Pooch that's not the case. He is adamant that HRC would be stupid to not develop the bike around Marc... i agree with albert o'pweege. they would be daft but it doesn't mean they did. like you said, how do you build a bike around a guy without getting his input. in testing, the honda riders were really upbeat. saying it had great potential, especially at mandalika. then they race there, michelin bring a completely different tyre to the options used at the test and it's snafu. |
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Apr 28, 2022 15:08:04 GMT
Yamaha possibly interested in Oliveira I am reading.
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Post by neilf on Apr 28, 2022 15:32:53 GMT
Yamaha possibly interested in Oliveira I am reading. I'm assuming to replace Morbidelli?! |
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Post by mekon on Apr 28, 2022 15:39:33 GMT
Binder and dovi both on one year contracts?
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Apr 28, 2022 21:17:47 GMT
Dunno, I think that Yamaha actually has nobody on contract for 23....
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Post by mekon on Apr 29, 2022 7:53:01 GMT
I wonder if Aleix has actually done himself out of a job? He's proved the bike can win but is not that much of a highly regarded rider and obviously nobody else wants him. All he's done is make his own ride more desirable, whereas a couple of years ago you couldn't give the ride away. I'd imagine Aprilia would be happy taking on a rookie and keeping Vinales....then again Vinales hasn't done shit either.
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Post by nippon on Apr 30, 2022 13:16:29 GMT
yeah, if you were a rider with some pedigree (as opposed to none) you'd be thinking, if he can go quick on it, i definitely could. aleix is going fast on a bike with concessions in a championship where honda and ducati are struggling with their new machines and the joint leaders have scored 69 points from a possible 125.
as for maverick, i can't see him coming good. not consistently at least. he might show well at tracks he likes but even then he needs everything perfect to go fast. there's more chance of him changinging his crew chief and his race number before the end of the year, than standing on the top step of the podium.
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Post by mekon on May 2, 2022 10:38:23 GMT
Do we need to talk about Martin? The dude has gone full Lowes and has binned it nearly every race? Talk seems to be he's taken Miller's spot but he looks like some crazed maniac at the moment.
He also doesn't seem as fast as he did last year. Maybe the weight of expectation is upon him. Zarco is also all over the place but that's just Zarco who I think is actually 49.
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