The Le Mans round of the MotoGP series saw complete dominance by championship leader Jorge Martin (Ducati). After shattering the lap record to take pole, Martin went on to win both the Sprint race on Saturday and the full GP on Sunday.
Behind Martin, Marc Marquez (Ducati) made an impressive charge in each race from 13th on the grid to finish second. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) finished third in the Sprint, while Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) finished third in Sunday’s GP.
Martin extends his points lead (now 38) over Bagnaia in the championship. The next race is in Barcelona in two weeks.
For full results and points for Saturday’s Sprint race, visit the MotoGP site here.
For full results and points for Sunday’s MotoGP race, visit the MotoGP site here.
is the above picture the reason we no longer have shoulder-cam?
Excellent race Marc has proven he is still a force and that Honda was holding him back. Acosta should have Millers seat. Jorge ran the perfect race and stayed cool under pressure. It’s going to be another great season.
Or perhaps MM was just capable of riding a bike developed by others better than anyone else. When Pedrosa was no longer listened to and subsequently pushed out was when Honda’s decline began. KTM is now benefitting from Pedrosa, as Ducati did from Stoner and perhaps even Lorenzo to some degree (see where Yamaha is now).
Honda won’t listen to riders who can help develop a bike, like Rins did with Suzuki. Even Hailwood had to set the Honda engineers straight. At Suzuka, Mike the Bike gave up complaining about the shocks Honda insisted on, got a wrench, took them off the bike and threw them in the duck pond… told the crew to go buy Girlings (the Ohlins of the day). Then went out and set a lap record that stood for 16 years.
https://cdnbkr.ca/vintage-motorcycles/mike-hailwood-the-bike-greatest-of-all-time/
Racers who can develop bikes may not win championships themselves, but others do on the bikes they develop. I don’t think MM can develop a bike, and his raw talent masks this inability. Any manufacturer who gives him a Factory ride may find out the hard way… after they get led down the same path as Honda, chasing MM’s talent.
I think you’re giving riders far more credit than they deserve for bike development. Saying, “give me xxx, I need the bike to xxx” is a long way from identifying the physical trait in the bike to improve and engineering the improvement into it. Riders are a feedback tool at best and some give better feedback than others.
Ya, some riders are like kids in a candy store, they want it all and irrationally demand same loudly. The best riders work within the possible and seem to get results where other don’t. And some seem able to assess a bike and recommend changes that improve not only the immediate issues, but the “DNA” of the bike.
Pedrosa has demonstrated that ability at two manufacturers. One which went in the crapper after he was ignored, then left, and another which has risen nearer towards the top after he joined and was listened to.
I think Rins has similar talent, but unfortunately first Honda, and now Yamaha appear not to be listening. Rins said that’s why he left Honda.
Says Honda. That’s why they are losing. Ducati doesn’t think that way. That’s why they are winning.
Then of course there is most of the rest of the universe where the racer tunes his own bike.
“Excellent race Marc has proven he is still a force and that Honda was holding him back.”
-indeed.
“Acosta should have Millers seat.”
-probably so but…something may or may not have happened…i don’t think PedroA was/is going to be a MVinales or *FabQuat (very impressive MotoGP career starts but nothing really happens from then on) but he’s not been in the spotlight for the past couple races like he was for the first couple. prolly nothing?? over-hyped??
–*no way Mir or Fab won a World Championship had MM been on a competitive bike. Period.
“Jorge ran the perfect race and stayed cool under pressure.”
-JM is absolutely running great the past couple years…but…(sorry MM haters)…I do wonder…would JM have gained that level of confidence he has now had MM been on a competitive bike and winning all the while for those past two/three seasons.
—same goes for Pecco.
are Pecco and Martin ‘BETTER’ racers than Dovi was on his Duc? surely they have faster/better bikes than Dovi did and produce lap records and faster lap times but were/are they better racers than Dovi?
Dovi was the only rider that consistently gave MM a ‘fun’ and interesting challenge for his last two/three Championships. It looked like Vinales, and then Fabio, were going to do the same but…no…not even close. Only Dovi gave MM a run for the money.
So, I think had MM had a competitive bike for the past three seasons, he would have done the same to Pecco and Martin as he did with Dovi. He would beat them fair and square and relegated them to second/third in the Championship. Neither Pecco nor Martin would have the confidence they have now. I believe Pecco knows it and respects it and Martin knows it too but arrogantly ignores it.
—I recently watched a ‘piece’ on Martin in which it was stated that he was fast yes but cocky, arrogant, and not a team player. Might be the reason why he doesn’t get a factory seat.
We’ll see happens for the rest of 2024 and 2025 I guess to see if that opinion hold water.
It’s going to be another great season.”
Indeed…the first season in long time I’ve been keen to watch.
Alex Marquez…anybody still believe he’s happy to be on the same team with big brother again?
I called it last year…MM is going to leave AM in the dust like he did on the Honda. no way in heck is AM glad MM is his team mate.
What exactly does AM say to his team finishing in the top 10 when MM is already finishing on the podium now (when he doesn’t crash)?
MM obviously pulled some strings to get AM a Honda seat.
I have no idea how AM got a Ducati seat and I don’t believe AM ever had any business in MotoGP.
No way was/is AM (same as Mir, Vinales, *Fabio) ever going to win a MotoGP Championship.
At least if MM gets a factory seat AM (if he still has a job in 2025/2026) can blame his brother’s success on the better bike.
When has MM ever had a teammate that helped him?
I agree, it was a 2 way battle last year, and now with MM93 on the Ducati, its a 3 rider fight for the championship. MM93 has taken a while to accustom himself to the new machine, but this last weekend, showed he is starting to understand how to ride the new bike. If Martin can keep it on 2 wheels, and if Pecco doesnt have any more bike issues (did anyone say what was wrong with Pecco’s bike in the Sprint) all the other riders seem to be outclassed by these three.
Can someone advise what engine configuration each manufacturer is running?
Yes
They are all V4s except for Yamaha running an I4. Not so?
I’m not shure that V4 sounds very brutal. As guys said here. M1 sounds very brutal and it is I4. Just pure power.
What you’re hearing is cylinder travel and firing order. The Yamaha I4 uses a crossplane crankshaft that makes the cylinders rise and fall in the same order as a conventional V-4. A YZF-R1 street bike with a loud exhaust is one of the best engine sounds in all of engine-dom, in my opinion.
This. This is why the modern resurgence of parallel twins is possible. It’s not because of their engineering advantages only – this is not the age of “when the engineers ran Mercedes” – it’s because they ride like v-twins. Without that they wouldn’t be accepted no matter how good they are.
The Kawasaki P-twins have bucked the clocked-crank trend and sold well but I agree, I knock them just on their dull exhaust note.
“I knock them just on their dull exhaust note.”
That’s because Government.
Government doesn’t dictate crank layouts. Just can’t stop that movie playing in your brain can you.
“ That’s because Government.”
Nah, doesn’t matter if stock or with an aftermarket exhaust. The 180* P-twin sound just doesn’t appeal to me.
“gov’t” “180”
Ah whoops I didn’t read your comment correctly, thought you were speaking of these generally. Yes I agree about the 180-degree ones.
That said, current exhaust sound – stock bikes and cars – is just sad these days, and that is what I was speaking of, generally….
Agreed, though I like the sound of roaring engines, I don’t like them running up and down my street (or through pristine national parks) any more than my neighbors do. Time and place.
The silver lining is that since the 80’s when the western governments started mandating cleaner emissions and our toys were briefly chokes, the engineers have figured out how to deliver these requirements while still delivering performance today that we couldn’t have imagined back then.
“The silver lining is that since the 80’s when the western governments started mandating cleaner emissions and our toys were briefly chokes, the engineers have figured out how to deliver these requirements while still delivering performance today that we couldn’t have imagined back then”
And there you have it. I too choose to see the world like the glass is half full. Thanks. Nice to have some company.
Well on the emissions front, it got to a good place but now they are going way too unnecessarily far with it – they want ICE off the road entirely for various and non-environmental reasons….
On the noise front, similar, I don’t mean people should have loud exhausts and in fact I would argue there’s no right to one as having one basically violates everyone’s right to peace and quiet (barking dogs aren’t a “right” either, I don’t care if it’s “just what dogs do”), I’m just saying they’ve taken it to ridiculous extremes with stock noise requirements, and as another attack vector.
Yep. R1. Maybe.
Is there some fundamental reason that V-4s are so common and seem dominant? How often has an I-4 won a race in the past few years?
Q was on about not being able to come out of corners as hard as the V4s. Why I don’t know.
Strength (shorter, stronger crankshaft)and width (aero) are two big reasons v4’s are favorable. Packaging is a disadvantage (fore/aft weight distribution).
I believe Yamaha has fallen behind in chassis more than power. They’ve had both grip and rear tire consumption issues for several years now. Their engine delivers power the same way a V4 does (crossplane crankshaft) so I believe this is more of a chassis issue. Suzuki were winning more frequently with a bike that they all but admitted followed Yamaha’s design philosophy when they began development. In fact, the Suzuki won the last GP it contested.
It’s amazing how hanging off has evolved – they’ve arrived at “basically sidecar co-rider without said co-rider” positioning.
At least there are no girls in MotoGP for now. Sidecar 2023 World championship winning crew had.
Indeed. This photo shows that arm-length may become a performance limiter. “I cannot place my head fully between the fuel tank and the tarmac the way my taller competitors can…” – Dani Pedrosa..
Looking at the results, didn’t Honda use to race in MOTO GP?
(snark? ME??)
yes, it seems, without MM93 they were lost for a couple of years, and when he came back, even he (other than Rins at COTA) they seem lost. I doubt if Mir and Zarco know what to tell them, how to fix it. It wont be easy for them to claw their way back. It does seem pretty obvious, Ducati has it, the smile on MM93’s face after his first test, and that in the last 2 races he came from 13th to second, threatening a win, its not him, that needs improvement. I am a staunch Honda supporter, but they seem to be lost at the moment. not being snarky, when your riders crash out of last place, something needs to be done. They say they are trying.
“Was really hoping MM would end up in the gravel but no such luck.”
and why is that?
anyhoo…
well well well!!!!…MM started the Sprint and Race in 13th and finished each race in 2nd.
that’s 11 passes he made in each event if my count is right for a total of 22 passes on the weekend?
*i missed the other count though…that had to have been 22 riders that MM crashed into, tried to kill them all, and himself as usual, and and forced them all out of the race? right?
surely, according to the “EXPERTS” here MM is incapable of riding safe and is dirty and crashes everyone off the track etc., etc….and should be banned…so, surely MM crashed 22 riders right? yeah…no!
If he was on a competitive Honda, he would be barging into everyone. He’s on a Satellite Ducati and wants a factory ride so he has to change his riding style a bit.
“If he was on a competitive Honda, he would be barging into everyone. He’s on a Satellite Ducati and wants a factory ride so he has to change his riding style a bit.”
well that makes perfect sense!
so you believe MM is getting a factory seat. interesting.
i thought MM had changed his riding style, a bit, in order to acclimate to the new and different bike he’s on now and trying hard to win races with.
but no…he’s just holding off crashing into everyone, trying to kill everyone and himself until he gets a factory bike….then, according to your logic, he will happily crash into everyone and so on and so on.
I hope Gigi doesn’t find out so he will not foil MM’s plans for 2025. Please don’t tell Gigi about all of this as I am sure Gigi must be completely unaware of MM’s dirty tactics of attempted murder all the time and it may hurt his feeling towards MM.
no biggie though…obviously if MM does not get a factory ride he can then just relax and begin trying to kill everyone with his satellite bike right?
MM wouldn’t be running into anyone had they banned him for all dis misdeeds long ago. He’d be out running I to slow golfers with a souped up golf cart. If he promised to crash into only slow golfers I would help soup up his go cart.
Great race IMO. Was really hoping MM would end up in the gravel but no such luck.
MM93 did crash in qualifying. effectively making him have to use an earlier qualifying time, putting him 13th on the starting grid. Possibly this, like so many other races, showed him what was too far. Better to do that is practice, qualifying, and not DURING the race. Sad to see others want to see a rider crash, why not comment on all those that actually did crash, during the sprint and race? Or point out how MM93 came from 13th in both races to finish a close second! in the race, passing Bagnaia on the last lap, almost the last corner, making it stick only feet behind Martin. and not crashing? Fantastic race. Ducati boys are all smiling. Little camera work on the Yamaha Honda teams, crashing or finishing last, it took Ducati 13 years to return, and they are in the limelight. Especially now MM93 in on board.
“Sad to see others want to see a rider crash”
bingo!!!
statements like that simply show the class of people welcomed here.
we have those who we prefer to cheer for and those that we prefer to cheer against. that is all perfectly fine and normal.
if/when there is a competitor (of any sport i enjoy watching) that i just do not like for some silly reason…i don’t make up/post ridiculous, garbage, false facts about them all over the internet. i tend to think that would simply make me look like an idiot but i know i am wrong as that sort of behaviour is the absolute staple of far too many internet haunts.
i also do not dismiss/deny their real and obvious accomplishments and achievements and their benefit to the particular sport they are in.
i simply prefer to see that particular ‘person beaten fair and square by their colleague(s).
i would not ever wish/enjoy to see anyone be prematurely forced out of their sport by way of injury or foul play (or worse).
it’s nice to see i am not alone in that thinking.
i am not a fan of V Rossi.
that only means if i saw him in a bar i would not be inclined meet him and have a chit chat with him about his favorite races and such.
I’ve watched, and enjoyed, numerous Rossie life story stories which better detailed his accomplishments. VR elevated the sport, made all the top riders look like amateurs, and is still hugely popular and beloved for all of his achievements. he deserves everything good that comes from it.
however, i think VR, like many other competitors, should have retired long before he did though.
Going to Yamaha from Honda was a great move for him and Yamaha. VR’s talent and hard work payed off for him and Yamaha.
VR should have recognized that going to Ducati wasn’t going to be the same.
He should have recognized that a new young talent, MM, was chomping at the bit to do all the same things he did with the sport. no big deal many others feel the same but
VR should have recognized that MM had the means to do so and simply was going to do so.
VR should have not made things personal with MM and simply realized that the new kid was simply too much for him at that stage in his career (when the announcers gushed and cheered at the prospect that VR may get a podium finish) as JLorenzo, CStoner, NHayden, DPedrosa, and father time had already taken the steam out of VR’s career.
I never wanted to see Rossi crash (even completely by his own doing) or be fouled. it was far better for me when he was simply beaten fair and square.
“and simply realized that the new kid was simply too much for him at that stage in his career”
I still shake my head how the master of psych VR46 actually lost the duel with MM93. He ruined his last real chance at a championship because of this….
“Ducati 13 years to return, and they are in the limelight. Especially now MM93 in on board.”
Indeed.
Stoner had great success with Ducati and if it weren’t for MM, Dovi would have had two/three World Championships on a Duc. it was a always a pleasure watching those two riders.
Ducati is in a ‘very good’ pickle right now.
Martin or MM to the factory team for 2025.
it seems Martin has doubts the seat is going to him ‘if they don’t want me I’ll give my talents to someone else’ (which is what he has said the prior two years? no?)
and MM’s comments seem to suggest he gets the factory seat (which I called last year) ‘i make decisions for today but also for my future too that leave options open (such as factory seat?) for me.’
Martin is an absolute proven force but MM (clear winner of any popularity contest=money) was a question mark for 2024.
MM has surely now proven himself to be a front runner/competitor capable of winning a Championship this year and/or the next on a Duc but he’s also going to want to retire soon I’d think/hope.
Ducati knows MM wants to retire at the top of his game (one or two Championships to go out on) and they now know for sure that he is fully capable of doing so. that spells money for Ducati too.
decisions decisions for Ducati.
-Was really hoping MM would end up in the gravel-
why is that?
any Mir, Fabio, Pecco, and even Martin fan or MotoGP pilot who denies that MM’s competitive absence for the past 3 seasons wasn’t a gift from the racing gods…well…i think enough said (for now).