Qatar MotoGP Race

[oldironnow]

It looks like The MotGP class is scheduled to drop-gate Sunday at 15:00 Zulu.




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[Fatfatboy]

The champion Quartararo starting in 11! I don’t think he’s ever done grand at Qatar bu he’s done better than 11th.
I hope this is not the example of his season.

Good to see all the Ducs out there but I do got to say I’m not a fan of the Gresini Ducati colors.

[motogrady]

[Fatfatboy]

“*@$&in’ electronics!” I believe is what Miller said.

[oldironnow]

Fatfatboy wrote

The champion Quartararo starting in 11! I don’t think he’s ever done grand at Qatar bu he’s done better than 11th.
I hope this is not the example of his season.

Good to see all the Ducs out there but I do got to say I’m not a fan of the Gresini Ducati colors.

Was it Mr. Crafar? Someone somewhere said The Yam is the last of the In-line Fours. The crank is too long to support the higher power that the V-Fours can make, becuase their cranks are shorter in length and therefore stronger.

So that got me thinking - what if Yamaha split the long crank into two shorter section?
They could run a "parallel-parallel Twin-Four." Off the top of my head, I'd say the cost is the friction of extra bearings and engine width.

[motogrady]

What about MM?
Anyone notice, he did not fall.
Or even get close to wrecking it.  

Could it be all the agony he’s gone thru will
temper him just enough to give him a second career?
He’s still got plenty of speed.

When I saw all the guys going with him I thought, well,
half the league will be changing riders half way thru.

But now, I’m not sure.  

[oldironnow]

Calm MM... How strange.

Maybe he's finally reached adulthood and can have a calculated last half/third/quarter of his career.

My regret was not acting on the impulse to pick Pol!

[motogrady]

I tell you guys, we saw some incredible riding right before MM did the shoulder thing.
I mean, laying a bike down, at speed, on a knee and elbow puck, then somehow lifting it back up on the rubber with little more than a speed wobble, and getting going again, that's just off the scale.

The only time I've heard of anything close, was back in the late 60s/early 70s.
The Russians at the time were big into FIM World Motocross.
They rode CZs.  CZs were made behind The Iron Curtain, they were Communist bikes.  

One quirk on them was the footpegs.
They were just solid rods that were bolted or welded straight to the frame.
No hinge, maybe 3/4 inch thick. They had a little ball like end, kinda like a clutch lever.

In the latter stages of a Moto, when the old drum brakes were getting hot and started fading a bit, the top Russian factory guys were known to lay the bike down, especially on a downhill, and just dig the peg into the dirt, like a plow or something.  When it was saved,
or enough speed was scrubbed, they'd flick the bike back up, straighten it up and be off again.

Crazy ya, but still, nothing compared to pre shoulder MM.

[Fatfatboy]

oldironnow wrote

So that got me thinking - what if Yamaha split the long crank into two shorter section?
They could run a "parallel-parallel Twin-Four." Off the top of my head, I'd say the cost is the friction of extra bearings and engine width.

Good question. Wheres Cameron when you need him?

The more these guys start to master these V4's the more the I4 guys are going to be sniffin exhaust.

[Fatfatboy]

motogrady wrote

Crazy ya, but still, nothing compared to pre shoulder MM.

 Yes, very crazy and ballsy.
Now that you mention it Marc didn't have any near misses that I can remember, in the race or practice but he did come in 5th. Does this mean he's done looking for that limit. I hope not but if it is we were lucky enough to witness it.

[motogrady]

I'm thinking more will come back.

To what it was, I really doubt that.
But imho, he doesn't need that level of, how can you put it, indifference of consequence,
to win another championship.

But hey, he might meet some young thing like Rossi did, hear birds chirping, start asking himself, is it worth it, I've been there, done that.......at which point he's done.

[whatarush]

If you haven't seen Moto2 yet sorry for the spoiler













































Barry Baltus save in Moto2


As for MM....he said he had some warnings with the front and wanted to start the season with a finish. It really looks like Honda did their homework with the new bike.
https://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2022/03/06/front-tyre-warnings-quashed-marquez-podium-ambitions/409098

[Mad4TheCrest]

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