Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) won his third race of the year earlier today at Catalunya to re-take the points lead in the MotoGP championship series. Quartararo started from second on the grid, and had to overtake the early leader, teammate Franco Morbidelli.
Quartararo got breathing room out front when Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) crashed out of second place. Former points leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) crashed on the first lap and drops to fourth in the World championship points.
As they typically do, the Suzukis came on strong near the end of the race … seemingly with better tire grip than their competitors. Suzuki teammates Joan Mir and Alex Rins finished second and third today, respectively. Mir is in second place in the championship, just eight points behind Quartararo.
You can find full race results here. For additional details, visit the official MotoGP site.
I was watching the leaderboard, keeping an eye on Alex Marquez. He was down in 16th for much of the race. But, when you look who was ahead of him, beating any one of those guys would be a significant achievement for a rookie. The talent is deep in MotoGP, to the point where the best rider crashed himself out of the season trying to win.
Anyhow, I’m loving the racing this year. So much young talent bodes well for the future of the sport. Brilliant race by Quartararo, Mir, and Rins. Hoping to see Miller get his fading tire problem worked out. Great to see him consistently in the lead groups without the crashing problems that have plagued his MotoGP career.
Wonder what Mark Marquez is thinking now about Fabio….
not much.
if i read correctly there is a recent article, at motogp, in which MM stated that the two guys he thought would be doing quite well (points standing -wise), namely fabio, are just not.
i agree.
i still wouldn’t be shocked if fabio won 2020 but i’d also not be shocked if a KTM or Suzuki rider won.
As for spectacle and unpredictability, it’s been a good year. I’m becoming less convinced that we are seeing good racing. MotoGP “should” be the best riders, on the best equipment, on the best tires, on the best tracks, riding for the best teams and manufacturers in the world. It doesn’t really feel like that, to me, this year.
The Michelin tires, especially the rear, don’t seem to be the best tires. Maybe they are, but the riders seem to be fighting the tires, rather than working with them.
Maverick seems to be really having “on” and “off” races, but he’s not unique in the field. Mir has put together a solid run, as has Fabio, but the rest seem to blow hot and cold, but mostly cold. Only 3 riders have finished every race, and only Taka has finished every race in the top 10, or even in the points.
There have been flashes of brilliance, but few consistent bright shining lights. Not that flashes of brilliance are a bad thing.
Unfortunately, because of covid, the race schedule changed. The tire specs for each track are decided BEFORE the regular season started. The teams decided that’s what they wanted.
Since the schedule got all mangled up, the tires are now not properly suited for the ambient and track temperatures that were originally designed for a given date at a particular track. The tire’s working temperature range is off for those dates.
I don’t agree with what they did but that’s the price they’re paying for deciding so far ahead of time based on historical weather data.
As such, lap times are a bit down from where they should be and traction is sketchy from bike to bike.
Agreed and understood. I’m still starting to miss Bridgestone more and more.
I don’t remember it being any better when Bridgestone was supplying tires. Gaps between finishes were greater, though I know there were many more factors contributing.
Maverick is all over the place but he other three copies of he Yamaha are consistently up front so I have to put that on him and his crew. He’s understandably frustrated. Qualify up front, finish near the back? Gotta feel for the guy..
Awesome season of racing with so much drama and twists and turns. I feel bad for MM missing so many races and for his injury but it sure has made for a very exciting season with multiple different winners and a tight points race. Wouldn’t break my heart to see him sit out the rest of the season in order to fully recover.
Really impressed with Mir.
The Suziki’s late race pace is unbeatable right now. If they could be up front sooner..
And what is up with Vinales?
Vinales can win, but he has problems when he can’t take his qualifying lines, so he falls back.
Sucks for him, but he may figure it out within the next several seasons.
For fans of VR46, the weekly shredding of our hearts continues apace, seemingly without end. This one was a particularly cruel dagger.
I am definitely not a Rossi fan, but it is impressive to see him continuing to show up to race, and even being competitive for several laps at a time.
I still think Stoner was correct when he said that Rossi’s ambition exceeded his talent. The talent is considerable, but the ambition motivated a lot of questionable actions throughout his career. The ambition has made him rich, famous, and popular, and has kept him on the track at a competitive level for far longer than most riders. It seems that he is in the Twilight Zone that he wished upon Sete Gibernau: First, he’ll never win another World Championship. Then, he’ll never win another race, and perhaps now, he’ll never get another podium. Each step downward has been a bitter pill for him to swallow, but he still keeps getting out there and trying for one more podium.
He is clearly still fast enough to get another podium, and possibly win another race. He already has a podium this season, and barely missed two others, so that’s not an issue.
Regarding the championship, this obviously would have been the year to do it, if it was going to happen. Three DNFs killed that notion.
As for Stoner’s comment, which was in regard to one racing incident, not a summation of Rossi’s entire career, Stoner has also fallen victim to moments when his ambition exceeded his talent. The same is true for everyone who ever lined up on a Grand Prix grid.
Well spoken.
1) Disagree about his current season speed. He is 11th in the Championship: ANC podium – 4 of the riders ahead of him in the points retired. CZE – 5th, but Mir retired. AUT – 5th, with 3 retirements. RSM – 4th, with Fabio retirement. Admittedly, retirements are part of the game, but his natural speed puts him about 5th or 6th without his DNF’s.
2) Agreed, this was the only year he had even a small chance. If Marc were competing, VR would be 6th or 7th on pace, at best.
3) Agreed. It was my conclusion that Casey’s remarks fitted Vale’s career. He made no such implication at the time. We’ve all been there.