Marc Marquez (Honda) returned to his winning ways after failing to make the podium in the previous round. Marquez won an often tense and tight battle with Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, including a very aggressive pass by Marquez near the end of the race. Lorenzo finished second, while his teammate Valentino Rossi finished a somewhat distant third.
With 11 wins in 12 rounds, Marquez continues to have a massive points lead in the championship series. For additional details, results and points, visit the official MotoGP site here.
Someone help me. What happens from race A to race B that has one rider killing it in race A, then not so much in race B? Lets just use Pedrosa as an example…
re: “What happens from race A to race B that has one rider killing it in race A, then not so much in race B?”
exactly, and conveniently timed at that. IT’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE…!
I would think it had to do with numerous variables: bike setup, track, tire compound, how rider feels mentally/physically, etc.
If i could draw a comparison to baking a cake: you are given all the ingredients and recipe but aren’t told what proportions of everything needed to achieve success.
As such, for race A, the bike was setup great, rider felt amazing, tires gripped better than ever and result was a Win. For race B, it had rained the day before/was damp, suspension wasn’t setup 100%, rider felt great but tires didn’t grip as well as expected.
Or just like anything else: there’s just someone better that day.
My .02
The top 4 factory riders are pretty well matched. They turn lap times over a 2 1/2 or 3 mile course within a couple hundredths or certainly tenths of a second from one another , lap after lap after lap. get held up trying to get around someone for a corner or two and fall 1/2 second, or a second behind, and it’s really difficult to make up time on someone who has had a clear track in front of him. A one second lead, if you can run 1/10 of a second faster per lap trying to catch up would take 10 laps. That’s why the start is so important.
Agree with the comments below. MM93 was pushing incredibly hard and forced into a few mistakes by JL99, who himself was pushing extremely hard. Silverstone has favored the Yamaha’s over the past handful of years so that might come into play, but Lorenzo looked awesome.
In regards to the talk about the rest if the grid learning the Marquez game; In some of the post race interviews Marquez stated that he felt like he had the win at the end because his tires were starting to fail and that he LIKES that feeling. I wonder if the other Aliens practice on used tires to stay competitive when thus happens?
Also wondering if it will take another Marquez to come up and dethrone Marquez. I’m betting it will be another hungry, fearless, and gifted rookie to come up and do to Marquez what he’s been so incredibly efficient at doing to the rest of the Premier class. And what a fireworks show that will be!
I will say that it is breathtaking to watch how loose and aggressive Marc is with that bike braking so late and hard and throwing it in and our of curves. The kid is really on another level.
Re: “Also wondering if it will take another Marquez to come up and dethrone Marquez.”
It is not another ‘Marquez’, that’s needed, it’s field leveling rules that make the other teams invested in the class able to compete.
Several of the guys who were able to beat him in Moto2 are already there, racing on inferior bikes.
Exactly.
Actually I believe we are seeing that Marc is not unbeatable and there are going to be close races coming up. It’s almost like the new best pitcher in the big leagues that can’t be hit the for a season until the batters get their head around his stuff. Eventually they learn what it takes to hit him. Then the next new thing will come along. At the least it was a great performance by Jorge and some good racing to decide 3rd.
How about Dovi keeping the Ducati in the podium hunt until the end? This season may be in the bag for MM and Honda but it could all change in a year. There’s hope.
Re: ” Eventually they learn what it takes to hit him.”
+10hp, +10ftlb. More warp speed Captain.
Re: “This season may be in the bag for MM and Honda but it could all change in a year.”
2 years, 2016.
Re: “There’s hope.”
There’s the forthcoming disaster of putting 250 horse grandprix kit on 17″ Michelins. Unfortunately, this cluster’s exploding on everybody.
One of the more never-in-doubt close races you’ll ever see. Short of a crash or some other massive mistake by #93, Lorenzo was never going to come out on top.
My comment is awaiting moderation! Yay!
Pobrecita.
Check it out, the Editor-in-Chief ragging on his own readers! Wow!
Oh, the humanity!
maybe he’s just tired of all the complaining about the “comment is awaiting moderation”…
who knows why some get snagged and some don’t?
maybe the system is completely random, like the TSA (haha)
+10
Re: “never-in-doubt close races”
There is no such thing. One tiny mistake by MM (he had already made a couple) and he would’ve lost. He rode that Honda the edge for that win and it was amazing, even for him.
Nonsense. You, I, even the announcers calling the race, we all knew Marquez was going to overtake Lorenzo and, once he did, he was going to make it stick. That entire race had the feeling of Death and Taxes. There was such an overwhelming sense of fait accompli, it was almost like a mid-2000s Rossi win.
Re: ” we all knew Marquez was going to overtake Lorenzo and, once he did, he was going to make it stick.”
Until he didn’t. He overcooked a corner and Lorenzo took the lead back. Once that happened, nobody “knew” anything anymore. We didn’t know that JL wouldn’t get by him again until the last couple of turns.
And Marquez took it right back again, never to be headed. Even with the mistake he made to open the door for Lorenzo, Jorge’s only real chance was a major mishap by #93. Short of a crash or something more than a small bobble, the race was over the moment Marquez wanted it to be. More than anyone else, Lorenzo of all people knew this.
Read Lorenzo’s comments following most every race or qualifying session. He’s now expressing happiness and gratitude just to be close. He never fails to mention how the Honda works better in more areas than his Yamaha. Rossi says much the same thing. They know what they’re up against, and it’s not just a great rider. It’s the combination of a great rider on a nearly unbeatable bike.
I think you’re underestimating just how close that mistake or crash could be. He’s not winning by miles anymore. Less than 12 months ago Lorenzo toyed with Pedrosa and Marquez in the final race. He’s getting closer every race, not farther away.
He’s winning by as little as he needs to, which is the time-honored blueprint for sustained success. No need to push like a madman in an effort to win by ten seconds when the less-risky approach of biding his time and pulling away at the very end will net him the same twenty-five points. He is clearly picking and choosing his spots. He sits on the leader’s rear wheel until he decides to pull the pin, and that’s all she wrote. Nothing short of a major error will derail him then, and he doesn’t fear such errors.
Rightly or wrongly, that’s his mindset. Anyone who’s been paying close attention this season can see it, plain as day. He’s simply toying with the field.
“Anyone who’s been paying close attention this season can see it, plain as day. He’s simply toying with the field.”
While I agree that he has been masterful, I don’t think it’s been nearly as easy as to call it “toying”. He wouldn’t choose to allow his chief competitor to sit just a second off of his wheel if he could safely ride out to a larger gap (which he has done on occasion) and avoid bumping fairings with a guy who is desperate to win.
I look forward to the rest of this and the next seasons.
Yea I don’t think Marquez is toying with the field lol He is riding his butt off, knocking people off line, being very aggressive and that’s the difference. He says he is interested in winning the championship and not races, but truth be known, the kid wants to win every race, badly and is doing everything in his power to do so. I think the difference for MM is desire. I think Rossi has found some more desire and it has shown up in his racing as well.I think Lorenzo nor Pedrosa have the killer instinct needed to fight until the very last second no matter what.