The weather at Misano today played a pivotal role in this year’s championship. Once again, Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was the beneficiary after rain drops fell on the track, but describing the race is a bit more complex.
The weekend had been dry, and every rider started on slicks, but rain drops fell as soon as the second lap, and by the fifth lap virtually every rider had made the decision to switch to rain tires. There is always some luck involved in deciding when to change tires, but the race soon sorted itself out with the three main protagonists, Rossi, teammate Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez (Honda) battling at the front.
Roughly 1/2 way through the race the rain stopped and the racing line began to dry. This led to yet another bike change (to dry tires), and another gamble as to when to do so. Marquez switched first among the lead trio, and this proved the difference in his ultimately winning the race.
Rossi’s delayed switch to dry tires ultimately relegated him to a fifth place finish, but his fate was better than that of Lorenzo’s. When Lorenzo switched to dry tires, he went out and did roughly 2/3rds of a lap before crashing in a high-speed left-hander. His DNF allowed Rossi to pad his championship points lead, which now stands at 23.
Behind Marquez, the podium saw a couple of somewhat surprised British faces, including Bradley Smith (Yamaha) in second, and Scott Redding (Honda) in third place. Smith made the biggest gamble of all by never switching to rain tires, and finishing the race on his original slicks. Redding actually crashed earlier in the race, but grabbed a podium despite this and despite changing tires twice.
For additional details, results and points, visit the official MotoGP site.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
| 1 | 25 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 146.6 | 48’23.819 |
| 2 | 20 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 146.3 | +7.288 |
| 3 | 16 | 45 | Scott REDDING | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 145.7 | +18.793 |
| 4 | 13 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | 145.3 | +26.427 |
| 5 | 11 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 145.0 | +33.196 |
| 6 | 10 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Octo Pramac Racing | Ducati | 144.9 | +35.087 |
| 7 | 9 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | Ducati Team | Ducati | 144.8 | +36.527 |
| 8 | 8 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati Team | Ducati | 144.8 | +37.434 |
| 9 | 7 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 144.7 | +39.516 |
| 10 | 6 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 144.7 | +39.692 |
| 11 | 5 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | LCR Honda | Honda | 144.6 | +41.995 |
| 12 | 4 | 43 | Jack MILLER | LCR Honda | Honda | 144.4 | +46.075 |
| 13 | 3 | 63 | Mike DI MEGLIO | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 144.2 | +48.381 |
| 14 | 2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 144.1 | +52.325 |
| 15 | 1 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 144.0 | +53.348 |
| 16 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 143.7 | +58.828 | |
| 17 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | Aspar MotoGP Team | Honda | 143.5 | +1’02.649 | |
| 18 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 143.4 | +1’04.768 | |
| 19 | 50 | Eugene LAVERTY | Aspar MotoGP Team | Honda | 143.4 | +1’05.677 | |
| 20 | 71 | Claudio CORTI | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | 138.8 | 1 Lap | |
| 21 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | AB Motoracing | Honda | 137.4 | 1 Lap |
Kills me that I missed this race, but I was riding back from a weeks vacation on the BRP and didn’t get home until Sunday afternoon. Was going to wait until I saw the recording at my brothers house Tuesday, before tuning in here, but couldn’t stand it and had to see what you guys were saying about it. Now I can’t wait until tomorrow to actually see it. Sounds like it was an interesting race.
WTH, you’re riding a BRP and you haven’t yet filed a report on your FZ-07 test ride?
Lol here you go dog (and remember I am looking for a lighter weight replacement for my ST 1300 ie a bike capable of double duty as a multistate sport tourer)
Very small feeling motorcycle
You look over front end like on a Ducati Monster..could not see headlight at all
Better ride compliance and seat than the FJ-09
Gear indicator was nice
Same wonky mirrors as FZ-09
Even wonkier switches
Vibration easily felt from 3500 rpms up
Front brakes good
Rear brake good.. Better than FJ-09
Another stupid moving bar graph tach
Would never IMO make a decent sport touring bike no matter what you did to it, but would make a decent around town bike
Still leaning toward a NC700, 650 wee strom adv or 2015 Versys 650 adv as a replacement … Someday
Thanks Mickey, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Yamaha. I was thinking this platform would make a good small adventure bike.
My only complaint on the Wee is that the seat kills me after 500-600 mile days. A sheepskin helps a lot but there may be a new seat this winter.
irregardless of the outcome, any time Rossi ends up in the front, it becomes an exciting event.
Great to see a good turn from B Smith. Hard to imagine he was the one on Tech 3 that was worried about no renewal for next year.
Not sure I understand the reasons why some believe Rossi made a mistake, he just didn’t have race pace on slicks. Lorenzo was faster on slicks so Rossi stayed out to create a gap and force an possible error from Lorenzo as they played chicken on the rain tires. MM fell behind so he could switch to the pits either the same time or before the others or at least have more information for a decision. Strategically Lorenzo played it perfectly, didn’t need to pit earlier, lots of laps left but he must have been rattled to make such a riding error. No one else was falling at that stage. Credit to Rossi might be generous but no one made a strategic error as far as I could see. You could easily say that Rossi was unlucky it didn’t rain throughout the race, could of won, and Lorenzo could just as easily of fallen or been lucky to finish in the top ten (maybe) or I would bet on a fall.
Did anyone notice if JLO’s pit crew put tire warmers on the slick shod bike when he came in to get the rain tire bike? If they didn’t, wouldn’t it cause the tire temperature to drop precipitously?
They had it on warmers. I believe the team did switch from the hard to the medium compound front, though I doubt that had any bearing on the crash.
Lorenzo said he pushed too fast right out of the pits.
Had Lorenzo not fallen, I believe the consensus would be that Rossi stayed on the rain tires too long. It was a mistake that didn’t cost him anything in terms of the championship, but a mistake nonetheless.
I understand, but I think about it in terms of him only racing Lorenzo, all or nothing and that staying out added risk for him and Lorenzo then it was the right thing to do. Perfect conditions and predictable variables are Rossi’s enemies. By the numbers he was leading by two points but he’s assuming he is effectively losing given there are 6 races to go. I don’t think it was a mistake, he had to go for broke because of the bizarre conditions. Rossi would have rode the rubber of the wet tires if it meant the same for Lorenzo. Lorenzo’s strategy of not coming in sooner could be criticised fairly. Rossi probably couldn’t believe Lorenzo kept following?
I believe VR thought that JL would have had an issue on the rain tires as he followed, not binning it on the slicks.
Agreed. Rossi would of guessed once Lorenzo switched back to slicks he would then be trying to mitigate the damage in lost points, but he pushed on hoping for more rain or shredding both their tires or optimistically thought Lorenzo might crack. He didn’t expect Lorenzo to crack on slicks, lucky! But the strategy of continuing on rain tires was not necessarily bad, in my opinion, but definitely riskier as the points gap would have ended up worse if Lorenzo stayed upright. Or maybe Rossi hadn’t a clue and thought he wasn’t taking a risk? I don’t think so.
I don’t know exactly why my least favorite team is Honda. It’s probably related to Honda being the best financed team and the most arrogant, a sense of self-entitlement to winning.
Only after Matt Mladin won about 5-6 AMA SB championships did I start feeling one tiny bit of sympathy for Honda being the bridesmaid for so many years, never the bride.
But it’s also hard to believe that at the same time it’s accurate to say that Yamaha isn’t well financed. Not hard to see the human trait to root for the underdog and scorn the big, dark empires that those at the top are often viewed as. It happens in all consumer items close to peoples hearts, autos, electronics and motorcycles, etc.
I can’t say I’ve ever felt that way about Honda, the company. Certain individuals get on their high horse but it’s people. We’re surrounded by them everywhere.
Money can buy better people, more R&D time which might lead to better design and more talented riders but it all comes down to race day when anything can happen.
For me its the fact that Dorna is a Spanish organization, Repsol is a Spanish oil company, and that they’re running two Spanish riders.
I’m fine with any bike winning as long as they’re not draped in Repsol colors.
So if the organization was run by Americans(lets say the new MotoAmerica organization run by Rainey),and the sponsor company was American (lets say GM or Ford or Chrysler) and the two factory riders were both American, and they were either winning or at least on the podium every week that would upset you?
If it was a worldwide organization, like MotoGP, and not just a domestic series? Yeah, I’m sure an entirely American clean slate would upset the rest of the world.
Yet no one is upset with Ducati an Italian mfg fielding a team of two Italians. Guess cause they aren’t winning huh?
Repsol didn’t just field Spaniards..remember a guy named Casey Stoner? They just happen to be fielding an all Spanish Team now, and why not? Spain and Italy as countries have the most interest in road racing and have the best amateur programs producing the best riders.
You’re forgetting DORNA, also Spanish. Between the main organizing body, the primary sponsor, the riders, the multitude of tracks, the rule changes to favor, ahem, certain riders, it’s all Spanish, and not by coincidence.
Ducati never enjoyed an all-Italian clean sweep, not in MotoGP, anyway.
No didn’t forget Dorna VLJ those two posts were a set up. I set up 2 scenarios to see what your true objections were, and you jumped all over them. It appears you have an objection to the governing body being the same nationality as a mfg and team and no objection with a mfg and riders being the same nationality.
It sounds like Tex’s and your objections should be with Dorna being Spanish and NOT with Repsol or Honda, who are only doing what Ducati is also doing.
Take tennis for example the ITF which runs both the ATP (Mens series) and the WTA(Women’s series) is run internationally.
No one country rules the governing body outright.
Thats how this should be done.
“I’m fine with any bike winning as long as they’re not draped in Repsol colors.”
Tex so why the gripe with Repsol and Honda? So what if it’s a Spanish sponsored team with Spanish riders? How is that different than Ducati?
I agree an internationally run governing body for MotoGP would be better, but that’s not Repsols or Honda’s problem. Repsol and Honda didn’t give the organizational control to Dorna.
I admire Honda, the guy started out bolting generator motors to bicycles for petes sake, and was determined to build the best motorcycles in the world. When he decided to go racing it was to win. They laughed at him at the Isle of Mann until he started winning. They laughed at him in Europe racing Motocross until he started winning, They laughed at him in America racing flat track until he started winning. You can’t fault a man’s or his company’s desire to be the absolute best. Would you rather Honda quit trying, to build lack luster racing machines, hire sub par riders or just get out of racing all together?
What exactly is the evil that is supposedly being spawned by the the Spanish connection between the various parties here? Is Dorna really doing a bad or unfair job of it? Track choices seem pretty diverse, and I’d say fan bases are pretty well represented. As far as riders go, two of the fastest racers in MotoGP are Spanish, and they ended up with Honda Repsol, and not at the same time either. If Valentino Rossi came knocking on the door, poor Pedrosa would get the boot immediately. Dorna, Repsol, Marquez and Pedrosa might all have Spanish origins, but they are not Spain. They all have their own objectives and agendas.
My problem started back when I began to take notice of MM while he was still in moto2.
I’ve seen him get away with too many stupid and dangerous moves for quite awhile.
For the umpteenth this season I’ll bring up MM busting Bautista’s rear brake line at Qatar while charging from the back of the pack cause he screwed up the first lap first turn deal.
MM running into the back of Rossi’s bike and fortunately just taking himself out.
MM running Rossi into the gravel trap for a little off road riding.
Not a single repercussion for his stupidity… Rossi “slows down on the line” at the end of qualifying this last race and gets a penalty point for that?
Yeah there’s collusion here at all.
Again, if the ownership or governing body was international I wouldn’t have an issue with all this.
Rossi is very fortunate that he is bigger than MotoGP as a whole.
I admit that Marquez has always been aggressive, but I think that is true of all of the top riders. Marquez isn’t unique in that regard since I’ve been watching MotoGP. I just don’t buy into Marquez’s nationality buying him some leeway, though I could be wrong.
Marquez’s nationality bought him leeway, to a certainty. No way Repsol and Dorna change the Rookie Rule for him if he’s, say, Stefan Bradl, and his new team isn’t Repsol Honda. Along those same lines, there’s no way Dani Pedrosa still has one of the two best rides in the world if his passport is from anywhere but Spain.
I love Honda. Always have. Repsol? Dorna? Not so much.
Nice, I totally forgot about that rookie rule change for MM.
Honda has always been the 800 lb gorilla, not Repsol (though I am sure they pushed the party line as well). If Honda had wanted Bradl, then yes, I still believe they would have changed the rule. MotoGP as a business was in the dumps at that time, and Honda had all of the leverage.
Besides, it’s not like the “rookie rule” was some long-standing MotoGP tradition. It only lasted two years and was an experiment to try and spread talent to the satellite teams. Riders hated the rule, and rightly so. I know that Spies believed it was the Spanish conspiracy (he was directly affected by the rule’s implementation), but I still don’t buy it. Stoner caught Honda off-guard by retiring, Honda needed an ace rider, and Marquez was already being groomed for the position. He would have been on the Factory bike within a year anyway.
It’s the fact that the series is owned and run by a Spanish organization. Like I said in my original post, I have to problem with a Honda winning races at all. It’s the Spanish link all the way to the top that I have a problem with.
I’d have the same issue if this “international” series was owned outright by an American, Japanese, Italian or any other country.
World Superbike doesn’t have this issue even if the series is owned by Dorna as well. I believe that’s because MotoGP is the “big time” of the two wheeled road racing sports.
Let me clarify that I understand that Spain does not own the MotoGP series before that’s brought up.
Well it’s no doubt that there is probably some politics involved but it’s that way in all aspects in life, probably including the company you work for. It was in American roadracing, in American flat tracking and gosh like I said all aspects of every sport..Baseball, football, basketball and even tennis I would imagine regardless of the make up of the governing board. It’s how the world works.
The fact of the matter is Spain and Italy as countries have the most interest in motorcycle road racing, they have the best amateur programs and out of those come the best trained and fastest riders. I don’t think it’s a surprise that the podium is often occupied by 3 Spaniards, or 3 Italians or a combo of the two. In road racing they just rule, and it’s not because of politics.
Lets consider what it would be like if Spanish sponsor Repsol suddenly quit sponsoring roadracing. Maybe Honda decides they don’t want to foot the entire bill, so they pull out. Then it’s basically a one team show (It almost is this year anyway and it’s not Honda). So one team quits, then quits supplying bikes to two other satellite teams, so they are scrambling for machines, machines which will ultimately be inferior to the machines they currently have. Honda ceases to continue developing road racers so their street bikes lose any advanced trickle down technology. How do we as motorcyclists and road race aficionados benefit from that scenario? We should be thrilled that Repsol is spending millions of dollars to support the sport we love. Instead we complain..why? …because they are too successful?
Imagine how fast Honda’s could go if Dorna didn’t restrict them with ECU rules, gas capacity rules, engine availability rules, tire rules, mid season development rules, mid season testing rules. Dang politics getting in the way of really going fast.
Sometimes I just don’t get it.
I’m a firm believer that Honda as a company could pull off just about anything if they were able to operate totally unfettered. I guess I find the intellectual engineering that goes into some of their creations almost a gadget lovers finest dream. Not too many companies give their engineering staff such leeway. Love it! Too often we see such original thinking stymied by bean counters and the like. If I was an engineer they would be one company that would have my resume’.
Why did JLO stay out on the track when his pit board said one word: “IN”? MM and his crew played the fiddle perfectly. Rossi is trying too hard to rub somebodies nose in the carpet.
I thought for sure Lorenzo would pit as well when his crew called him in, but I imagine it would be a psychologically tormenting decision to make to swing into the pits when one of the best racers of all time and your only competition for the championship for some inexplicable reason kept going for another round. I’m sure Lorenzo questioned his own judgement and that of his crew in that moment, even though he empirically knew pitting was the right move.
As others have suggested, I have to wonder if Rossi was just baiting Lorenzo to try to keep him on the rain tires as long as possible as it definitely played into Rossi’s favor since Lorenzo was the only rider he really needed to beat. That said, Rossi really lucked out this race. JLo came out a little too hot on those slicks, possibly due to concern that Rossi would somehow still pull off a win.
It seems to me that JLo should have known that VR could not go the distance on the rain tires and would have to pit (unless they were all second guessing the weather). JLo would have passed VR as soon as VR went in to make the switch…..likely on the next lap. Hence, there was no need to push the pace on the fresh slicks unless he was hoping to reel in MM and the others. I find it hard to believe that VR was betting on JLo’s error. I think they both screwed up and VR was just lucky.
I’m inclined to agree with you. I think they were both a little rattled mentally, and both made poor decisions. Rossi just got lucky.
Rossi was far from convincing today and showed some of the wobbles that cost him in 2006. JL’s mistake was all his, but he made a better timed switch than Rossi, who would not have been anywhere near him due to his later tyre swap. VR’s bike swaps were error strewn and the crowd’s reaction to JL’s crash was more relief than anything, as well as being in dubious taste.
Rossi made alot of ground today, no doubt, but anyone who questions JL’s self regard and bloody mindedness forgets that it was he who stayed with yamaha when Rossi was doing all he could to oust him. JL doesn’t mind being pantomime villain.
I think there’s another twist in this tale, and it’s the best title run in for many years.
I really like Marquez photo on GP site, Marquez is smiling like if he were a fan really happy of being there with his idol.
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/09/13/marquez-i-thought-ok-now-it-s-time-to-change-tyres/184354
On the other hand Lorenzo looks like when your father comes to talk about your behavior 😛
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/09/13/lorenzo-two-races-with-bad-luck-in-a-row/184455
So, assuming the “Lorenzo is God on Edge treatment” on “Atacama desert” (LOL, good one VLJ) scenario: if he wins and VR finish 2nd for each one of the remaining 5 races it adds up to 25 points, which would give him the championship for 2 points…
For Marquez the math looks worst, we would have to repeat today scenario over and over again.
VlJ Pacer, I agree, and then if this were a television script I would say Rossi planned it like a master mind to break Jorge. First, he messed with him qualifying and then made him follow him in the rain. Was Jorge getting that feeling it was going to be like Silverstone? He even stopped watching what Mark was doing. Then Rossi stays out longer and was Jorge wondering WTF is he doing? Anyone else and you would let it go, but it is Rossi and Jorge is watching Rossi’s tire shred and still Rossi stays out. Was Jorge mesmerize ? demoralized?, befuddled? Clearly, Rossi knew he might lose points in the dry but if Jorge got too distracted he might crack and fail; which is what happened. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle since Rossi seemed to stay out too long for his own good, but if his scheme was rough up Jorge’s mind, he sure looked like he did that. Whether weather or not Rossi at 36 loses the championship on speed, he has proven that he is both human and fallible and yet again proven his skills are immense and to use an over used word “awesome”.
JL’s and MM’s only work if theyre out front and clear. Rossi can play the mind game from just about anywhere on the track.
I think back to when Rossi broke the mind and will of Sete Gibernau when he was causing VR trouble and it seems we’re starting to see Rossi do that the JL now.
“JL’s and MM’s only work if theyre out front and clear.”
People say that, but I don’t agree. I’ve see Marquez gobble up practically the whole field on several occasions. The guy is very good in traffic. Lorenzo definitely struggles more when his cadence is broken, but he has demonstrated skill in traffic in past seasons.
“it seems we’re starting to see Rossi do that the JL now”
This is one race. I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions. Rossi may indeed have been playing mind games, but I think it is just as plausible to assume that Rossi was also going through a mental struggle as to whether or not to pit and made a poor decision to stay out too long. Regardless of which scenario is true, one thing is for certain: Rossi lucked out big time on this race.
The guy that truly lucked out was Marquez. Full wet or dry, he doesn’t win that race. He only landed on the top step due to the three tire-swaps merry-go-round and Rossi’s error in staying out on wets too long. Had the race been a dry one, Lorenzo or Rossi would have won. Rossi was reeling them in before the rains began to fall. He was going to overtake Marquez, at a minimum. Had the rain continued for the duration, Rossi would have run away with the victory.
The changing conditions clearly screwed up Lorenzo. To a lesser extent, they also screwed up Rossi. Along with the two fortuitous Brits, Marquez was clearly the fortunate (and smart) one.
On the plus side, Rossi at least did what he needed to do.
Jorge must be about ready to petition Dorna to move the entire MotoGP race schedule to the Atacama desert.
This was one unfortunate turn of events. Possibly for the first time this season, we were going to see Rossi, Marquez and Lorenzo fight it out in the dry, in close quarters. Jorge wasn’t running away. Marquez was hanging with him, and Rossi was reeling them both in. Once the rain started, Rossi destroyed them. It was very fortunate for Jorge and Marc that the rain abated, otherwise Rossi was long gone. Conversely, Rossi stayed out on the rain tires too long. He handed Marquez the win.
But he also rode Jorge into the ground. It’s amazing how #99 simply can’t cope when things don’t go perfectly and he’s forced to mix it up with the others. It’s basically clear track, or flounder. He’s all or nothing.
I think you are right about Rossi riding Lorenzo into the ground. Rossi was faster on the wets, and only cared about Lorenzo. Then Lorenzo knows he has to come out of the bike swap in front of Rossi. He tried to make up 2+ seconds in that first lap. Lorenzo doesn’t cope well when thing get mixed up, and Rossi likes to mix things up. Crazy thing is Lorenzo would have easily made the difference up on the first lap with the slick.
Also did Lorenzo mess his hand up when he punched the ground?
I am thinking Rossi’s decision to stay out on the rain tires might have cost him a position or two. I hope those lost points don’t come back to haunt him later on.
It clearly cost him a minimum of three positions, Jorge’s predicament notwithstanding. Otherwise, yes, Rossi easily finishes no worse than second.
Still, the overriding feeling I had while watching him stay out there even after Marquez went in to throw on some slicks was that Rossi was only concerned with Jorge; specifically, breaking Jorge. As long as Jorge was willing to stay out on wets and fall further and further behind, Rossi was going to hoist him on his own petard.
Rossi knows this is now a two-horse race. Finishing ahead of #99 is all that matters, even to the exclusion of winning races or maintaining podium streaks. The situation has become very clear. Rossi simply needs to finish ahead of his teammate a couple more times, and if he stays upright in the other races the championship will be his.
Plus if Lorenzo and Rossi came on together Lorenzo would have had someone to pace him. As it stands he was not sure how hard to push in the rain, and he wrecked.
I wonder if Rossi’s team didn’t bet on rain returning. He stayed out on those rain tires, hemorrhaging 8-10sec/lap after Marquez and JL changed to slicks. They had to know that Loris Baz had been going 8+ seconds/lap faster on a open bike for a few laps before the big went in.
I’m waiting for that wall to go up between the two in the pit box here soon…
It was fun. Great season!
Quote of the week.: “luck favors the brave “.
Great summary Dirck!
Fun to watch