Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) took over the championship points lead today with a victory in the Silverstone MotoGP race. Yamaha Factory riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi finished second and third, respectively. Rossi had led the entire race until the final three laps.
It was a disastrous day for Marc Marquez (Honda) who was running with the leaders when his engine gave out roughly two-thirds through the race. Marquez falls to second in the points. Follow this link to full race results. For additional details and points, visit the official MotoGP site.
See more of MD’s great photography:
FIM probably has an “engine go boom button” so Marquez doesn’t run away with it. Of course they’re Spanish so that wouldn’t make sense. So it’s got to be Putin.
“So it’s got to be Putin.”
That is so funny my side is hurting I am laughing so hard.
i can’t remember, why did motogp go with just one tire supplier for everyone
to make it fair
to save money
are the computers the same on every bike now too
seems like alot of control over a prototype sport
i wonder what will be next to be the same…
Q: i can’t remember, why did motogp go with just one tire supplier for everyone to make it fair(?)
A: yes.
Q: to save money(?)
A: yes.
Q: are the computers the same on every bike now too(?)
A: yes.
re: “seems like alot of control over a prototype sport”
A: yes.
These measures have saved MotoGP. Since 2008 there just hasn’t been the same willingness to spend on the sport. They were down to a dozen bikes on the grid, only 4 of which (2x factory Yamaha and Honda) had any chance of winning. Nobody was willing to invest in the hope of as high as 5th place.
Meanwhile, Moto2, with no factory involvement, had full 40 bike grids and WSBK was also doing awesome.
Good points
but how did the factory teams, or any teams throw money at tire development? wasn’t that the job of the tire mnfs? How does the current tire mnf perpare/develop their current tires for these bikes…?
Moto2 is nasty i’ll give you that. aren’t they running a spec engine…?
My friend was trying to explain to me the ins/outs of F1. Seems like a similar vein in motogp; balancing cost with safety as a function of speed.
They don’t. The money spend on tire development is the responsibility of the tire maker. What drives those costs up? That’s easy- a competitor. With only one tire provider, that provider is in control of cost, while being accountable for no less than the safety of the racers and their brand’s reputation at the highest level. For this spend, they get the marketing exposure of being “The official tire of MotoGP. Add a competitor to that mix and costs skyrocket.
Moto2 is a spec engine class, engines provided by Honda. In a couple. Years, Triumph will be the engine provider. Chassis’ are made by a few companies who sell them to teams, probably no freebbies.
re: “In a couple. Years, Triumph will be the engine provider.”
FISTPUMP…!!!
It ought to make for a pretty cool race bike. More displacement (765cc, I think?), approximately the same peak power as the current 600, so broad power and under-stressed/reliable.
It’s be REALLY cool if this increased interest in Triumph’s street bikes. That 675r has always been something special.
Unrelated – is the photo at the top from the race? No wings/ducts this go around?
I believe Lorenzo used the “wing” fairing during the race, while Dovi won with the standard fairing.
re: “is the photo at the top from the race? No wings/ducts this go around?”
glad you brought this up, i was planning to put a comment up top about the pic in this thread. funny, the image looks alot like the “enforcement action” photos i get sent to me in the mail along with a ticket when my transponder doesn’t read going through out of state toll booths. LOL
anyway, while yes that shot is from the race, no that fairing is most certainly NOT “standard”. not the standard they started the season with anyway, it’s some kind of “standard 2.0” in that it doesn’t even look like it accommodates an A/B swap with the new Manta-Ray upper. during the race i wondered why Dove’s biked looked “odd”…? if we think back to the GP12, the silhouette was very much like the old, recalcitrant, carbon monocoque Ducati Chopper that Nick and Ross rode (or should i say frequently crashed).
by “chopper” i mean with the nose high and the ass low, the geometry of the bike looked counter-intuitive to traditional set-up. looked like something Hopper and Fonda would be on about…? however, from this “surveillance pic” (thanks Dirck) i clearly see the side fairings have been tapered in at the front towards the radiator which has the effect of “showing more leg” of those fancy fiber Ohlins.
again, it must just be an effect i’m picking up when Dove was in the company of all the other “fully faired” bikes, cause such a geometry would be the ANTITHESIS of what you’d want to run if your bikes were known for “chronic understeer” and have no choice but to be shod with DMF (Dodgy Michelin Fronts). gentlemen it appears we have more than just the Manta-Ray fairing to thank for the small fortune VAG recently spent on wind tunnel testing.
Does this fairing create more down force when the bike is leaned over?
there is always concern in a prototype sport that the guy with the most cash to throw at it, can buy the championship. Spec ECU and spec tires are two things they have implemented to make it more fair to everyone. Is THAT fair? who knows, depends on your perspective I suppose.
It has worked to some degree. Honda and Yamaha (who have the most cash) do win the majority of the time, but Ducati, Suzuki, KTM and Aprilia are coming in closer all the time. Ducati who has been at it the longest of those 4 obviously having the best results with 4 wins this year and multiple podiums.
Rossi complaining that Stoner with his Bridgestones had an unfair advantage led to a rule change to the one tire rule. Hasn’t always worked out in Rossi’s favor.
… and still on the podium, what will be the title for Rossi’s career, age, epoch, era?
Ducati. Leads. The. Championship.
How long ago did that seem impossible?
Lorenzo is still trying to imagine it.
I was glad to see MMs Honda crap out. Tired of seeing Hondas win. Go Ducatis or any other brand bike that can beat Hondas. !! Too bad Rossi couldn’t stay in front at the end of the race after leading from the start. Least he got on the podium.
Congrats to Dovi, he earned that win. Bad luck for Marquez as he was in contention for the win. Unusual to see a Honda motor let go like that.
Got up early on the other side of the state, rode 197 miles and got home in time to watch the race.
Should have slept in. This one was a snoozer except for Dovi’s charge in the last couple laps. Other than that it was pretty much follow the leader (Rossi) until Marquez’s Honda took a dump, and Rossi’s tire gave out.
BUT.. it did tighten up the race.
Another disappointing outting for Dani. Can’t he even try and pass somebody anymore?
What the heck happened to Espargaro and the KTM on the cool down lap? Never seen that before.
During the practices there was a lot of talk about Dani having trouble with the bike over the rough track surface, due to his weight–mechanical grip on the pavement. I suppose it’s possible he’s somehow lost the drive to win…but that’s not the first place I’d go. Competition is probably tougher than now it’s ever been, Michelin tires make it hit-or-miss for different bikes on different weekends, and DP’s small size seems to hurt more than it helps.
I think Michelin has really come into their own. We are now seeing the guys on the podium using different tire combinations. I would argue that now you can ride the bike the way you want to, and there is a tire for you.
re: “What the heck happened to Espargaro and the KTM on the cool down lap? Never seen that before.”
exactly Honda’s scattering engines on camera during a race…? Katoom’s high-siding on cool down laps…? cats sleeping with dogs…?
it’S MADNESS i tell you…!!!
If the powers to be said “Pol, you’re gonna wreck today. How do you want this to go down”? This would be his answer.
lol I think he would have opted for a lowside. That looked like a pretty rough landing
ironically Paul “spitting the dummy” works out for Smith. KTM boss is threatening his (Brad’s) ride so now he can point at Espargaro’s performance and say, see NATCORK.
It was a shame to see Marquez taken out by an engine failure, but it was an exciting race nonetheless. How did Vinales manage to keep that soft rear tire at warp speed the entire race?
The championship is as tight as ever with Dovi in the lead again. Can’t wait for the next race.
Rossi has mentioned that Vinales is a very smooth rider.
Honda junk
This time, yes. Hardly a trend in MotoGP though. Formula 1 is another story altogether.
Having a hard time dealing with your hatred?
re: “It was a disastrous day for Marc Marquez (Honda) who was running with the leaders when his engine gave out”
HRC boffin, YOU’RE FIRED.
i’m not gonna put all of this on HRC. ya can’t go from the top of 6th to 2nd in 50 feet week after week and expect the engine to live. there is such a thing as mechanical sympathy, and marquez has very little of it…
Never considered that. Maybe they should be changing engines proportionally to allocation vs number of races, or do they already?
re: “Maybe they should be changing engines proportionally to allocation vs number of races, or do they already?”
yes, with limits on total engine allocations per team, naturally the individual engines have mileage/hour limits and are being constantly rotated in and out of the primary and back up bikes for practice, qualifying, race, etc.
it’s how the 30 man boffin armies roll (pun intended).
Would they practice on an older engine and race with another? Is that legal?
re: Would they practice on an older engine and race with another? Is that legal?
sure, in fact it’s the intelligent thing to do. however (comma) Murguez did take 2 diggers at the start of the weekend. i didn’t see the crashes or anything, but perhaps wanting to save fresh engines for the end of season push, someone may have made an “executive decision” and decided that same engine was okay to race on…?
oops, turns out it may have NOT been okay to race on. nobody said “strategy” wasn’t a gamble. might have been saving their next fresh engine for Misano so Marc can go WTFO and counter any advantages Ducati might have at their home track, for make no mistake Borgo Panigale WILL be “slotting fresh kit” for the DOVE.
In an interview, Marquez had commented that it was a “fresh” engine that was working perfectly until the moment it let go.
re: “Marquez had commented that it was a “fresh” engine that was working perfectly until the moment it let go.”
uh oh Houston (Tx) then HRC “has a problem”…
same as when the Yam blew a season or 2 ago, now they have to wonder is this a fluke…? or this same defect present in their remaining kit…?
it’s big money HRC so naturally i’d like to think it’s just a fluke right. or wait, were these last few engines “Friday builds” and the boffin was playing Karaoke and nipping at the Sake…? (aw crap)
They’re pushing 250+hp/liter, normally aspirated, with a limited allocation per season. It’s amazing we don’t see engines pop more frequently.
Last time a Honda engine grenaded in a MotoGP race was Nicky Hayden 2007