[fz_rider]

Elusive Austrian gp eludes Marquez again. The braking prowess of Dovizioso was the winning factor. The Ducati looked so stable under braking.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

Elusive Austrian gp eludes Marquez again. The braking prowess of Dovizioso was the winning factor. The Ducati looked so stable under braking.

I believe the track suits Ducati more and between the two Ducati riders, its Dovi who has an edge.

MM should be back in business by next round.

But, what a race it was, for a change, I wasn't fiddling with my phone, instead the samosa turned cold in my hand.

[aravind.anand]

What a brilliant last lap battle Marquez and Dovi present to us yet again. Dovi seemed so calm and composed but when Marquez was all around him, he showed some aggression to wrestle him back. With two laps to go when Dovi showed the Ducati's horsepower advantage in the main straight, Marquez almost pushed him into the pit walls!

Though the Yamahas and Suzukis cannot do much at a track like this, they finished the race with 3rd, 4th and 5th going for Yamaha and 6th going to Alex Rins from Suzuki camp. No upsets here, as Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller crashed leaving the Yamaha and Suzuki riders with not much competition.

Apparently Dovi eased off the throttle towards the end of the long straights on few laps to confuse Marquez on the braking point and break his rhythm Marquez noted this and pointed it out after the race, to which Dovi admitted. Very happy to see the best talents give all that they can on the Race day.

[Abhi_abarth]

Zarco splitting from KTM. Where is he heading to? Repsol Honda?
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2019/...e-split/304917

[five46]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Zarco splitting from KTM. Where is he heading to ? Repsol Honda ?

I don't think so. Jorge has expressed his will to stay till his contract with HRC till 2020. But there were rumours of him flirting with a ride for Pramac Ducati and Petronas Yamaha. In that case where will Jack Miller go?

I think at this stage HRC would be having a keen eye on Fabio.

[aravind.anand]

Shocking news, that Zarco decided to part ways with KTM. Not a surprising move, as the KTM did not suit his smooth riding style and he went too far away from the lime-light this year with the KTM, but the timing of his decision is what is surprising.

Options for Zarco -
- Pramac Ducati has not renewed Jack Miller's contract, but that was primarily because of Jorge Lorenzo's wavering mind. But last week all seems to be settled and Jack Miller would retain his seat.
- Repsol Honda seat might have become vacant, but Jorge has decided to stay back till end of 2020 now.
- Take a break for one year and spend time as a test rider for 2020 season for some other team and hope to get back to Moto GP racing when seats open up for 2021 season.
- Try his hand at WSBK
- Go back to Moto 2, where he has been a champion twice already before being promoted to Moto GP, but it is personally a demotivating move to go back to where one came from.

He should have stayed quiet for a year and jumped teams when the opportunities would have presented by this time next year. Poor decision IMHO

[SideView]

Originally Posted by five46

I think at this stage HRC would be having a keen eye on Fabio.

Looking at long term perspective , Rossi should step down from the yamaha ride (sad to say this coming from a rossi fan and waiting for the elusive 10th championship) and give it to one of the younger guys. Podium places dont cut it anymore or they risk losing a nice talent like fabio to HRC/KTM. It is been years since he placed any real challenge to Márquez.(yamaha partly to blame)

Whether fabio will risk going to different manufacturer is another matter. As we have seen with Zarco, sometimes talent isn’t enough to tame the bike.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by SideView

Whether fabio will risk going to different manufacturer is another matter. As we have seen with Zarco, sometimes talent isn’t enough to tame the bike.

Yes, from whatever reading I have done up on the internet, The Honda and Ducati are V4 & L4 configurations and by nature these bikes can produce higher power output and can have an advantage on the long straights but they do not turn too well into corners. Whereas the Yamaha and Suzuki run the in-line 4 configuration which helps them take corners more smoothly but have the inherent horse power disadvantage.

So, making a switch from Yamaha to Honda would be a tough task and adapting to the Honda is very tough too. Jorge is suffering at the moment, Cal Crutchlow has been complaining for a long time on how difficult the Honda RCV bike is to ride around the track. Only Marquez has learnt the art of taming that wild horse and flogging it around the track for victory - partly because he literally grew up with that bike.

Honda might looks very lucrative from outside, but it is rather difficult to adapt one's riding style to that beast it seems.

[five46]

Here's a fantastic compilation of Dovi-Marc last lap exchange of blows:

https://youtu.be/bn8TJA09gP8

[naveenroy]

Wonderful race. MM and Dovi really fighting it out. But looks like MM will be champ again. Gah, the number of people who selected the second placer in the championship in this thread's poll

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

The Honda and Ducati are V4 & L4 configurations

A small correction, Ducati's GP series motorcycles has always been V4s - going back to their introduction in 2003 with their GP3 machine.

Source: http://44teeth.com/dream-garage-troy-bayliss-ducati-gp3

(The Panigale V4 block was derived from their GP17 machine)

[nkrishnap]

Cracker of a race. Another last lap show down between Dovi and Marquez with Dovi coming up on top again. Suzuki and Yamaha need to up their game to ensure they are in the fight. It will make it more interesting.

[Abhi_abarth]

And finally Miller's contract renewed with Pramac Racing

Source : https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2019/...or-2020/305102

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

And finally Miller's contract renewed with Pramac Racing

Source : https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2019/...or-2020/305102

Which technically closes all the doors for Johann Zarco, who might have to sit out and watch the 2020 season slip by. Quite a bold decision from the French man, as he was anyway being paid handsomely by KTM for his services. Would be interesting to see how his career goes from here...

[fz_rider]

Pole no. 60 in race no. 120 for Marc Marquez.
That's astonishing feat, a pole in every two races.
But Yamaha rider will be favorite to win, so is smooth riding Rins. Will be interesting race tomorrow.