Marc Marquez (Honda) continued his perfect season with his fifth straight victory from pole position at Le Mans. Marquez made a mistake early in the race and had to fight back from 10th position. Marquez was followed home by Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), with Alvaro Bautista (Honda) finishing third. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo uncharacteristically finished back in 6th position. The 21 year old Marquez is the youngest ever to win five straight in the premier class. Marquez already has a sizeable points lead over his teammate Dani Pedrosa in the championship.
For additional details, results in points visit the official MotoGP site.
If you find MotoGP boring, as did I, do whatever is required and watch a race in person. I’m a MotoGP convert now, and can hardly wait to see the race at Austin in 2015. How on earth anyone can ride these bikes at such velocities, no mere mortal (non-GP champion) will ever know.
I may even wear Marquez-labeled clothing next year. As much as I admired many Honda motorcycles, I used to be a card-carrying member of the “Anyone But Red” club when it came to racing. Marquez made this zebra change his stripes.
You want excitement? How ’bout Marquez flying by the Main Grandstand straight-away well over 200mph?
watching the bikes roll over the crest towards turn 1 at Laguna almost 170 mph was enough for me to convert.
Even better? Watch one overseas sometime. I’ve already gone to Qatar and Brno in addition to US races. It’s so awesome to be around fellow international bike fans when your heroes are speeding by. You also have a far better chance to meet the racers. Once in a lifetime, go for it!
So once you’ve seen them in “person” you can put the televised coverage in perspective and enjoy it more now. When you think about it, isn’t it that way for many sports? When you experience events first-hand and enjoy them, that same enthusiasm comes back when watching them on TV. It’s rather like watching your own home movies as opposed to watching someone else’s. They mean more to you.
I know the producers do what they can to envelope us in their televised coverage but it’s not always done well. I think they’re trying.
I love MotoGP live, but it is at its best when two or more guys are battling for the lead the last couple of laps. That rarely happens anymore. That’s why I commented about another boring season below. That doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of watching the best in the world show off their skills, but I’d rather see them 3 wide on a curve the last lap, battling for the win.
admittedly, as die hard as I am, when attending a live race I really have no idea “who’s on first or who’s on second”…? I’m all about the SONIC ASSAULT…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyPRViLyrQ
eat your heart out silent F1.
Wow, great video, thanks! At 2014 Austin MotoGP, I spent a long spell during practice on the foot bridge just past Turn 3. The bikes exit T3 leaned right, then they transition in a heart beat to vertical and slight left lean in preparation for the next turn just past the bridge. I stood there with a couple pro photographers so long, that I eventually noticed the motors “studder” for only a few milliseconds while the bike is vertical. Eventually, I realized that motor power was interrupted to maintain suspension stroke (if motor power stayed constant the suspension would extend for the brief moment the bike was vertical…the subsequent lean toward the opposite side would cause the suspension to compress and this quick change in suspension attitude would diminish handling performance). I wonder if the ECU automatically caused the “studder” or it was the result of manual rider control.
On another note: as a professional audio technician, I wonder if any audio tech considered writing an algorithm that is inverse of the Doppler Effect, which causes change in pitch as motor vehicles approach or depart from a fixed sensing device (ear or microphone). While watching video it would be nice to hear the same motor pitch the rider hears, which of course is completely different compared to what is recorded by a stationary microphone. A mic attached to the vehicle would work, but that’s not always available.
I completely agree. I’ve never considered myself a race fan. However, I went to the Austin races this year just to check it out figuring it would be a “been there, done that” moment to chalk up on the bucket list. First MotoGP race ever. Loved it, hooked and will be there next year and every year thereafter.
Same here, watching the racers coming in in turn 1 at Indy raceway and braking from 200mph into the high speed turn, is unbelivable and a defiance to physics…
Really, where’s the relevancy of one person responding with 25% of the comments on this site? Few of his responses make much sense, much less than talking in tongue and riddle. I do enjoy most knowledgeable responses and it seems that MM & Rossi are the main subject whereas Dani and JLo are the subplot. I think the young guys are getting better and better, this is a very interesting season.
thanks for that…
I thought I was the only one that had to read things twice over.
They should invert the starting grid. Qualify first start last. Qualify last start first. All practice lap times count as qualifying laps.
Then people would be holding back during practice and qualifying. Better to have starting positions for the race be the opposite of finishing positions of the prior race.
why allow people who can’t ride as fast block those that can? That would be like fighting with lapped riders every race. recipe for disaster
The establishment. ( Rossi, Lorenzo & Pedosa have all had major physical damage in the last couple of years. Wonder if that is still the little voice keeping them from going that tiny bit farther on the edge where Marquez is?
In the past year, Marquez has broken his leg and dislocated his shoulder. If Marquez has a “little voice” his isn’t listening as he’s been hurt as much or more than the others. In reality, it’s just a perfect storm of having the best rider riding the best bike. I love watching him ride even though I am a Rossi fan. Being a life long motocross fan, I liken his style to a Hannah or a Stewart…….if he stays upright, he is going to win.
Rossi’s reawaking+Yamaha’s recent dominance (althought it was JL) at Mugello could make for an exciting next race.
Here’s to hoping for an amazing scene if Rossi can pull off something in 2 weeks. That would be incredible!
re: “That would be incredible!”
you’re right, that WOULD be incredible (John Davidson/Kathy Lee Crosby voices)… considering the fuel restriction and Mugello is the original track for the DOUBLE TON.
sorry for my extreme density… Double ton?
200 mph. 100 per ton.
re: “Double ton?”
It’s Bri’ish. God save the Queen.
thanks! I was kinda figuring, since we never could get that on the non-existent straights of Laguna…
Cheerio!
Just wait till Suzuki gets here…..and they lure Lorenzo and Dovi to the dark side….mwah ha ha ha
In your dreams
Lorenzo seems to have lost his swagger. Wonder what’s going on there? I hope he gets it back soon.
Marquez and the Honda are unstoppable this year. Best rider + best bike = Another boring year in Moto GP. Marquez is dominant on the curves and the bike appears to be dominant in the HP department.
It’s great to see Rossi in the mix again, even if only fighting for second place.
The last two races have been anything but boring; you must have slept through the races and woke up to see the podium
I’m sorry, but the racing at the front just isn’t as entertaining as it was a few years ago when Rossi would sit back and stalk the leader, and finally pass in the last lap or two. Sometimes there would be multiple passes for the lead in the last couple of laps. I miss that. Yesterday, I think there was a 3 plus second lead going into the last lap, and Marquez took it easy, and Rossi got it under two seconds. Granted, Marquez came from 10 spots back, but by the end there was no real drama.
When someone is so totally dominant as Marquez is on the Honda, it leaves no drama at the end. The most drama this year was when Marquez got careless and nearly crashed out near the end a few weeks ago.
There may be some entertainment value to guys battling it out for second and third, or fifth and sixth, but it isn’t the same as when guys battling it out for first.
Q: “Wonder what’s going on there?”
A: you’re seeing the support shift in real time from Jay over to Ross. nothing against Jay, but there’s no business case for “circling the wagons” around a rider 50pts back. even moreso, when your 2nd seat is none other than the 9x “worl’ champeen”.
And to add, while it’s hard to tell from over here in “Anglo-ville” (USA), I would wager that Rossi finishing 2nd is more valuable from a marketing standpoint than Lorenzo winning. Rossi is a celebrity on the same level as any in sports. I don’t think that’s true of Lorenzo.
re: “Rossi is a celebrity on the same level as any in sports. I don’t think that’s true of Lorenzo.”
papparazzi…? no… pappaROSSI…!
http://s62.photobucket.com/user/shamarone/media/papparossi_zpsf8994564.jpg.html
At Austin MotoGP this year, Rossi clothing was so overwhelmingly #1 that I have no idea who was #2…possibly Marquez. I love Rossi, but Marquez grows on me by the day.
There was quite a bit of Marquez merchandise being sported in the Turn 15 stands. He was a solid #2, but I’d say Rossi out-merc’ed Marquez by at least 10 to 1.
I’m wondering about Lorenzo, have the winds been taken from his sails? Used to have counted on him to be at the front 1 or two spot. Has MM’s performance out of the gate this year knocked him down?
re: “have the winds been taken from his sails?”
funny you should phrase it that way, for there’s a Japanese Proverb (supposedly often spoke by Soichiro Honda himself) that goes…
“Raise The Sail With Your Stronger Hand”.
so granted, you may SEE two riders, and to foster the illusion the brass make statements that they support both equally, the reality is there has to be a pecking order, a command and a control.
Me too. 8^ 0 Hope not but it’s starting to remind me of the Rossi-Giberneau past episode.
Great race. It was a mad scramble at the start, with the 2nd and 3rd rows pushing hard into the first turn and the front row kind of scrambling. There was a mass of bikes squished into the first few turns. I was surprised only one (Hayden) went down after getting pushed wide. MM got pushed way wide on the one turn and fell back to 10th I guess (I thought they said 11th during the broadcast). Then he went to work, clicking them off one by one. Amazing talent that kid has.
re: “Amazing talent that kid has.”
Amazing bike that kid has. $5 million in adjusted dollars (that’s minus payload of course).
Yeah, that’s true…but you still gotta have a young stud on there thaat’s willing to slide that pricey mille through the turns, dragging knee and elbow, at ridiculous speeds.
better the kit, easier the task. NATCORK.
All the other guys on Hondas wonder why their results aren’t the same..
not precisely, the better the kit the better the rider has to be… (yep, with similar riders you can argue it will still be better, but remember that are machines that even if better require more effort to fully utilize them)
re: “All the other guys on Hondas wonder why their results aren’t the same.”
all those other guys should ask themselves if they’ve ever had a “rookie rule” scrapped on their behalf…?
re: “the better the kit the better the rider has to be”
sorry kid, there is no Superman.
Spoiler alert ..hey the picture ruined it for me lol
Just kidding. Dang what a race. When Marquez was in 10 th with Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi and a bunch of others in front of him I thought NO. WAY was he going to win this one, but the lad was impressive. By what 16 th lap he was in the lead? There were years when Rossi could pull that off, but certainly not in the last 5. Congrats to Rossi as well. I had written him off after his 2 miserable years on the Ducati, but the old guy ( with respect to the others he is racing) isn’t quite through yet. Go Rossi.
Great race!
Mickey, you summed it up very well.
re: “When Marquez was in 10 th with Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi and a bunch of others in front of him I thought NO. WAY was he going to win this one”
when Marcus made it up to 4th, and then I checked the top left of the screen and saw there was still a WHOPPING 20 laps left to run, that’s when I thought…
it’s over Johnny, IT’S OVER…!!!
ps: Ross =’s Johnny.
Rossi finished 1.5s behind Marquez, which I estimate to be 225′ @ 100mph. Wow, that’s still a pretty sizable margin of victory.
Marquez is already carving out his place in the history books. This track was among Yamaha’s best chance to win. Could be the early chapters in a long dry spell for MotoGP Teams not named Repsol Honda…
I can’t wait to see Marquez again next year in Austin.
Oh I don’t know..after 28 laps around a 2+ mile curvy course with 14 turns when MM crossed the finish line, before you could say one thousand one, one thou.. Rossi crossed the line. That isn’t very long.
to put it another way after 56 miles of racing to be only 255′ behind, that’s pretty close.
Don’t forget, the last couple of laps Marquez relaxed a bit.
Who’s to say Rossi didn’t back off too, just enough to stay ahead of Bautista? He knew he couldn’t catch Marquez why die trying?
Re: “Who’s to say Rossi didn’t back off too, just enough to stay ahead of Bautista?”
I will. 1.5 sec. is not a huge margin and that gap could’ve disappeared with a mistage or a tire going off faster than expected. The fact that it didn’t go out to 5 sec. was enough to keep anybody in Rossi’s position motivated, if a chasing Bautista wasn’t enough.
check the lap times here http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/2014/FRA/MotoGP/RAC/analysisbylap.pdf?v1_7b63563c
Well is it a sizeable margin as Provalona said …or not a huge margin as you said?
If Marquez saw on his board that Rossi was fairly close, would he cruise?
We can say anything, but we can’t say for certain what was going on in a particular racers head or what his orders were.
Bautista said in an interview he knew he was never going to catch Rossi.
Rossi probably figured he was never going to catch Marquez, but I doubt he backed off much.
Marquez said in an interview earlier, he learned his lesson about backing off when he nearly fell in the last corner while leading early in the season and that from then on he was going to keep his head down and race until he saw the checkers.
I watch the races just like everyone else and I never see Marquez cruising. Hes throwing down 59 degree lean angles, power sliding thru turns and pulling stoppies as he brakes, even on the last lap. These guys put in lap times with a few hundreths every single lap. If he were cruising it would show up in those lap times. Nobody out there is crusing.
Marquez is likely under team “advice” to not make it look too bad at the end of each race. The last thing Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta would want is a return to the Mick Doohan days. So we can expect to see some serious race end sandbagging by the young wonder. I knew he was going to be good but I honestly didn’t expect him to rise so quickly into the exalted ranks of Hailwood, Ago, Roberts, Rossi et al. Here’s hoping that Jack Miller makes the jump to MotoGP in three years. He’s one of just a few that might have the talent to get on level with Marquez.
“I honestly didn’t expect him to rise so quickly into the exalted ranks of Hailwood, Ago, Roberts, Rossi et al”- didn’t you forget Doohan here too?
“Here’s hoping that Jack Miller makes the jump to MotoGP in three years” hell yeah- he’s the only Aussie we’ve got on any circuit doing well at the moment. Stoner also started at KTM…….
Marc is so so great that probably universe will abduce him in a ovni to make his carrer end as spectacularly at he is
*As he is….
why do I have to do do those many errors when writing in this site….
I hope is not part of that “aging” stuff
re: “Marquez made a mistake early in the race and had to fight back from 10th position.”
fight…? cakewalk…? whatever the kids are calling it these days.
Rossi is now in third place, only two points behind Pedrosa in the standings this year. And he’s 36 points ahead of Lorenzo. Not too shabby for an “aging” fellow…
Aging isn’t a bad thing.
Don’t you know your physics? The closer the person moves to the speed of light the slower he ages.
Seriously, MM’s ride take something away from the resurgence of Rossi, but its still impressive. The fire still burns in him.
Also noteworthy: Rossi seems to consistently finish closer and closer to Marquez, everyone else seems to be slipping farther away.