Just as Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) appeared to be pulling away from his competitors in the MotoGP championship, a disastrous day at Le Mans sees his lead cut to a single point over today’s race winner Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati). A collision early in the race between Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) ended the race for both riders (both unhurt).
Bezzecchi had his own problems early in the race when an aggressive pass forced him to give a position back to a competitor. Unfazed, Bezzecchi quickly worked his way into the lead and established a pace that led him to victory by more than four seconds over second place.
Second place went to Jorge Martin (Ducati), who battled for several laps with Marc Marquez (Honda) before Marquez crashed out with two laps remaining (also unhurt). Third place went to Joann Zarco (Ducati) who was riding in front of his fellow Frenchmen.
Bagnaia’s crash also brings Martin and KTM’s Brad Binder within striking distance for the championship lead. Binder finished sixth today.
The next race is in four weeks at Mugello. For full results of today’s race, take a look here.
Is it just me, or does anyone else here really enjoy Artem’s increasingly oblique haiku-style posts?
He used to post fairly clear, straightforward things, employing full sentences. One could tell that English wasn’t his native tongue, but his posts were perfectly fine, and perfectly normal.
Now?
Think Hunter S. Thompson meets Pai Mei from Kill Bill. Nicholas Cage on a mescaline bender.
One time I got really blasted and fired off a letter to CityBike. The bastards printed it. I thought it was HST level but it was really just garbage.
Granted, HST had to be “heavily” edited e.g. for Song of the Sausage Creature so there is that.
Never a fan of HST. Lounge lizard who eats too many hallucinogen lacked sausages. You gotta be a little off to put your hallucinogens into sausages.
But then my tastes are generally a little off the main stream.
Haiku… Maybe echoes. Pink Floyd and stuff.
The problem is that David Gilmour got the looks of Syd Barret not in form. Slightly later.
Ya think French people like MotoGP? 278K weekend attendance, take that Nascar! What a demolition derby. Glad no serious injuries.
It is good
Miley Cyrus and Billy Idol. Leathers. About Harley
Banana cake and rabbits. Woolly socks. Brough Superior.
Billy is about twice Miley’s age. I’m thinkin’ her FLESH! is more or less a fantasy for ol’ Billy. I don’t care what he’s riding.
Whatever. Good luck Billy.
Shaka! Until the tower falls.
Thought about that. He is still like he is. He can drove whatewer. Miley becomes white american superbomb singer. In my humble opinion.
“who battled for several laps with Marc Marquez (Honda) before Marquez crashed out”….
Will everyone surprised at that please raise their hand?
Arms down, say wha? MM93 was the class of the field. If it wasnt for Pecco, world champion with a late lap banzai, getting pole MM93 had it. First time back! Ok, he started second, led the race for a couple laps exchanging leads with Miller, both sliding past each other at 250KPM in and out of turns. Then having Bazzecchi plow into the inside of him, forcing him off track, and Bezzecchi also having to go off track without any possibility of ever making the corner, any other rider would have crashed, MM93 stayed up, caught back up to the leaders, hounding them, never doing any of the craziness Bezzecchi was penalized his one place for. Then in the last few laps, MM93, still upright, fighting for the race win, only bike on the hard front, tucks it a lap from the end, and that is your only comment? I guess all the Rossi fans have to hate someone. Thumbs up to Bezzecchi, he has what it takes, he left everyone in his dust The race would have been so much more if the Bagnaia / Vinales crash and Marini / A Marquez had not taken place. So, should those four all have clown costumes next race, or be permanently banned? Maybe you didnt watch the race, and just grabbing a quick headline, MM93 crashed, but there was more to it, than that.
I certainly saw a rider willing to mix it up and override the bike he was on. MM93 will not be denied, regardless that the bike he is on is inferior to those he is competing against. It would be something to see him leave Honda and get on A Ducati or even an Aprilia…heck, even a KTM. The Japanese seem to be on the back foot of late..watching the storm clouds forming.
I have this terrible feeling though, that Marc, with his aging, injured and diminishing cat-like reflexes…depending fully on his physical skills, and that alone, is going to further maim himself or taking out several others before it is over resulting in further depletion of the riders on the grid. He has little to no regard for others, except for his ego, and his Puig led entourage. Watching his father’s antics in the Honda/Repsol garage says it all.
Totally agree, what he said on qualification (“I improve the time or yellow flag”, so the others are f*cked up) supports your words. He is the last alien, and despite I can’t stand him, he’s an extraordinary talent, but as always he doesn’t care at all for the other pilots, only his goals. Until the end of 2019 he was extremely fortunate, since 2020 karma chases him and he’s paying all his excess and careless rides.
I’ll easily agree that MM was fortunate to have had a superior bike upon his entry into the premier class and even for a few years afterwards.
Karma is in no way responsible for his current issues.
Other manufacturers bike’s performance has caught up and surpassed his current ride.
The latest batch of rider’s level of skill is much higher now due simply to them being required to meet ‘the bar’ MM himself set.
MM is racing against faster bikes and better riders on those bikes.
That is more difficult racing for MM compounded with him having an inferior bike.
That is not karma beating up on MM…that is simple facts.
MM’s job is to win. His goals are to win…that’s his job. (I’ll go out on a limb and assume those two statements apply to most all other riders on the grid and especially the top level riders.)
that some folks use those statements as insults in attempt to discredit any particular rider is, ahh, ‘interesting’.
How much ‘caring for other riders so they can win’ do you suppose his employers like to see from him on the track?
How much effort should he dismiss in attempting to achieve his goals?
apparently when the reinging ‘Champ’ Pecco states “It should always be like this” and “This is the way I like to race”, added to Sprint race winner’s Martins statement “You always improve battling with him” regarding sharing the track with MM, some ‘folks’ have the mental lacking necessary to allow themselves to think that stating contrary and ignorrant things about that same rider, whom is obviously well respected by actual racers, is appropriate.
I too assume that these special folks believe it is their solemn duty to their beloved Rossi to continue to cry and whinge about the riders who put Rossi out to pasture…cry and whinge just like Rossi himself could only do before he was finally put out to pasture.
It has been a while. But I think that tires are once again becoming a problem.
Wasn’t it in the late eighties or early nineties that they had tires that gripped like crazy right up until they didn’t and riders were crashing without warning all over the place?
I guess it could be inconsistent aero in traffic crashing some of the guys out. But there sure are a lot of guys losing their front tires this year.
The Kalex chassis seems to be helping the Honda guys go fast. But they all lost their front tires before the race was over didn’t they?
They need to get a handle on that. You can’t sell a racing series as premier if half of the riders crash out on race day. It looks way too amateur. You have equipment or rules creating an unsafe racing environment. That’s not good for anyone.
Agree on all points (gasp..).
It’s going to be hard to work out the solution. I’ve no doubt the tire maker will point their finger at the technical rules and proliferation of aero. “Our tires are good, get rid of the wings..”.
They need to come up with something. We’re 5 rounds in and crashes have been as big big factor in the points chase as performances have been. I only hope the crash drama isn’t actually appealing to viewers the way it seems to be in NASCAR.
marini’s elbow save was incredible, but like melandri, the guys following think you’re down and cut to the inside. a. marquez should not be penalized.
simoncelli, not melandri. melandri can’t believe ducati can sweep the podium.