Surprised yo see a Duc so high at Le Mans
Le Mans, Friday, May 15, 2015
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 308.3 1'34.034
2 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 308.1 1'34.280 0.246 / 0.246
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 307.7 1'34.301 0.267 / 0.021
4 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR CWM LCR Honda Honda 306.9 1'34.310 0.276 / 0.009
5 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 306.0 1'34.331 0.297 / 0.021
6 45 Scott REDDING GBR EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 303.1 1'34.472 0.438 / 0.141
7 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 301.8 1'34.570 0.536 / 0.098
8 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Pramac Racing Ducati 305.9 1'34.598 0.564 / 0.028
9 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Ducati Team Ducati 308.3 1'34.721 0.687 / 0.123
10 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 307.9 1'34.729 0.695 / 0.008
11 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 296.0 1'34.854 0.820 / 0.125
12 25 Maverick VIÃ'ALES SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 301.0 1'35.254 1.220 / 0.400
13 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 303.0 1'35.348 1.314 / 0.094
14 6 Stefan BRADL GER Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 299.0 1'35.367 1.333 / 0.019
15 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 296.5 1'35.510 1.476 / 0.143
16 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 297.5 1'35.617 1.583 / 0.107
17 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE AB Motoracing Honda 296.7 1'35.690 1.656 / 0.073
18 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Avintia Racing Ducati 303.9 1'35.697 1.663 / 0.007
19 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 297.7 1'35.800 1.766 / 0.103
20 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM Octo IodaRacing Team ART 294.0 1'35.802 1.768 / 0.002
21 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Racing Ducati 306.4 1'35.825 1.791 / 0.023
22 43 Jack MILLER AUS CWM LCR Honda Honda 298.3 1'35.835 1.801 / 0.010
23 76 Loris BAZ FRA Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 296.0 1'36.161 2.127 / 0.326
24 50 Eugene LAVERTY IRL Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 296.4 1'36.607 2.573 / 0.446
25 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 296.4 1'36.973 2.939 / 0.366
Why are you surprised? It has like 20 straights. The last 2 minutes of the session was great.
FP2:
1 38 Bradley Smith Yamaha 1'33.179
2 99 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1'33.369 0.190 0.190
3 4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1'33.553 0.374 0.184
4 35 Cal Crutchlow Honda 1'33.652 0.473 0.099
5 93 Marc Marquez Honda 1'33.670 0.491 0.018
6 46 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1'33.686 0.507 0.016
7 26 Dani Pedrosa Honda 1'33.725 0.546 0.039
8 44 Pol Espargaro Yamaha 1'33.903 0.724 0.178
9 41 Aleix Espargaro Suzuki 1'33.944 0.765 0.041
10 68 Yonny Hernandez Ducati 1'33.953 0.774 0.009
11 29 Andrea Iannone Ducati 1'34.092 0.913 0.139
12 25 Maverick Viñales Suzuki 1'34.110 0.931 0.018
13 43 Jack Miller Honda 1'34.253 1.074 0.143
14 45 Scott Redding Honda 1'34.371 1.192 0.118
15 6 Stefan Bradl Yamaha Forward 1'34.543 1.364 0.172
16 9 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1'34.568 1.389 0.025
17 69 Nicky Hayden Honda 1'34.663 1.484 0.095
18 8 Hector Barbera Ducati 1'34.745 1.566 0.082
19 76 Loris Baz Yamaha Forward 1'35.002 1.823 0.257
20 63 Mike Di Meglio Ducati 1'35.067 1.888 0.065
21 17 Karel Abraham Honda 1'35.090 1.911 0.023
22 19 Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1'35.137 1.958 0.047
23 50 Eugene Laverty Honda 1'35.182 2.003 0.045
24 15 Alex De Angelis ART 1'35.938 2.759 0.756
25 33 Marco Melandri Aprilia 1'36.056 2.877 0.118
Smith at the top is surprising. Or is it? ;)
I think this is going to be a good race.
FP3
Le Mans, Saturday, May 16, 2015
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 311.8 1'32.647
2 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Ducati Team Ducati 316.6 1'33.018 0.371 / 0.371
3 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR CWM LCR Honda Honda 315.6 1'33.126 0.479 / 0.108
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 314.1 1'33.176 0.529 / 0.050
5 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 311.7 1'33.502 0.855 / 0.326
6 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 315.0 1'33.517 0.870 / 0.015
7 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 312.9 1'33.597 0.950 / 0.080
8 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Pramac Racing Ducati 307.7 1'33.646 0.999 / 0.049
9 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 311.1 1'33.694 1.047 / 0.048
10 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 308.3 1'33.782 1.135 / 0.088
11 25 Maverick VIÃ'ALES SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 305.3 1'33.837 1.190 / 0.055
12 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 308.4 1'34.057 1.410 / 0.220
13 45 Scott REDDING GBR EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 308.0 1'34.097 1.450 / 0.040
14 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 301.0 1'34.214 1.567 / 0.117
15 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Racing Ducati 313.6 1'34.332 1.685 / 0.118
16 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 303.5 1'34.341 1.694 / 0.009
17 43 Jack MILLER AUS CWM LCR Honda Honda 302.0 1'34.505 1.858 / 0.164
18 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 301.9 1'34.604 1.957 / 0.099
19 6 Stefan BRADL GER Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 306.5 1'34.759 2.112 / 0.155
20 76 Loris BAZ FRA Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 300.5 1'35.000 2.353 / 0.241
21 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE AB Motoracing Honda 303.5 1'35.101 2.454 / 0.101
22 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Avintia Racing Ducati 309.1 1'35.487 2.840 / 0.386
23 50 Eugene LAVERTY IRL Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 301.5 1'35.511 2.864 / 0.024
24 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM Octo IodaRacing Team ART 296.6 1'35.671 3.024 / 0.160
25 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 303.7 1'35.711 3.064 / 0.040
Q2
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 313.1 1'32.246
2 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 312.6 1'32.749 0.503 / 0.503
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 310.1 1'32.846 0.600 / 0.097
4 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR CWM LCR Honda Honda 310.0 1'32.897 0.651 / 0.051
5 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Ducati Team Ducati 316.0 1'33.001 0.755 / 0.104
6 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 309.3 1'33.299 1.053 / 0.298
7 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 307.1 1'33.352 1.106 / 0.053
8 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 313.0 1'33.419 1.173 / 0.067
9 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 309.8 1'33.556 1.310 / 0.137
10 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 298.5 1'33.665 1.419 / 0.109
11 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Pramac Racing Ducati 307.6 1'33.714 1.468 / 0.049
12 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 309.7 1'33.724 1.478 / 0.010
MM didn't look very comfortable until the last run. I think Jorghey has the steady speed to get up there fast. MM needs to beat up on JLo the first few laps. At one point Rossi was 12th. He really needs to focus on qualy.
Quote from: duccarlos on May 16, 2015, 08:00:53 AM
MM didn't look very comfortable until the last run. I think Jorghey has the steady speed to get up there fast. MM needs to beat up on JLo the first few laps. At one point Rossi was 12th. He really needs to focus on qualy.
If he wants to win from row 3...
let him. ;D
I agree that You'reghey looks to have the race pace and Marc will have trouble beating him. Marc would be wise to make sure Rossi stays behind him.
Tires shouldn't play a role in the race...the weather? :-\
I'll go out on a limb and say this could be Dovizioso's weekend. He and Lorenzo were the two with the pace to put together long strings of fast laps over the past couple of days, and Dovi's better in a dogfight. Of course, it's not much of a limb, as Cal Crutchlow said pretty much the same thing...
Marquez put in a nutty lap - jeez, half a second over everyone else? - but hasn't shown the kind of sustained speed of the other two. Counting him out is silly of course, and I'm beginning to think Rossi could win from a start in a nearby timezone, so I'm mostly hoping for another great race in what's already been a fun season. [thumbsup]
Quote from: ducpainter on May 16, 2015, 08:11:12 AM
If he wants to win from row 3...
let him. ;D
I agree that You'reghey looks to have the race pace and Marc will have trouble beating him. Marc would be wise to make sure Rossi stays behind him.
Tires shouldn't play a role in the race...the weather? :-\
Rossi wins in the rain - the heavier the better for him.
Kind of a snoozer at the front...
great race for 4th between Marc and the Maniac.
Got my time zone wrong. Who's taking bets on Rossi winning the championship?
Four Ducatis in the top ten.
Ride of the meet goes to Crazy Joe.
^ +1 on that [popcorn]
+2 on that.
That was a fun battle
Quote from: ducpainter on May 17, 2015, 06:32:41 AM
Kind of a snoozer at the front...
great race for 4th between Marc and the Maniac.
I think Marc came as close to a highside, without going over the falls, as you can possibly get.
Quote from: MadDuck on May 17, 2015, 10:45:48 PM
I think Marc came as close to a highside, without going over the falls, as you can possibly get.
He looked like he was riding a bull.
He was definitely riding that thing on a raged edge. He did mention that pretty much all the Honda riders were having issues with the front. Didn't stop Nicky from being top open rider.
If only Rossi could qualify on the front row!!! If he didn't need to fight through half the field to make it to second, he could have reeled in Jorghey. By the time he got up to second, he knew he was done.
Dovi mentioned in an interview that they just needed a little more to really compete. I'm convinced that the little more they need comes from the rider. When Aoyama top over for the Turd he was barely keeping up with the satellites. I understand he's just a test rider and racing is very different, but at this level it shows the huge impact of the riders. A great rider on a good bike will always trump a good rider on a good bike. Rossi showed that a great rider on a shit bike will result in shit results.
Now MM and Crazy Joe looked like they were back in Moto2. Considering the dislocated shoulder, I would say that was a painful, but awesome successful ride. I'm convince that Iannone is not motivated unless he has someone to battle. This is part of developing the racecraft and in many races this year he has been "battling" his teammate, so I doubt he would feel very good if he inadvertently took Dovi out. Regardless, this race just showed glimpses of the old Crazy Joe. Would love to see that fight in Mugello!
A tremendous shot of confidence for everyone except, maybe, Marquez.
HRC should be very worried. The beginning of the year is when they have to build a big lead. Yamaha would then push towards the end of the year. Jorghey is showing us that he's back on form and Vale is just Vale. I think Argentina might have effected MM more than he has lead on and the Turd is going to take a while to get back up to speed.
Quote from: duccarlos on May 18, 2015, 08:00:48 AM
HRC should be very worried. The beginning of the year is when they have to build a big lead. Yamaha would then push towards the end of the year. Jorghey is showing us that he's back on form and Vale is just Vale. I think Argentina might have effected MM more than he has lead on and the Turd is going to take a while to get back up to speed.
Explain. Do you mean mentally? His confidence?
Quote from: duccarlos on May 18, 2015, 06:35:43 AM
Now MM and Crazy Joe looked like they were back in Moto2. Considering the dislocated shoulder, I would say that was a painful, but awesome successful ride. I'm convince that Iannone is not motivated unless he has someone to battle. This is part of developing the racecraft and in many races this year he has been "battling" his teammate, so I doubt he would feel very good if he inadvertently took Dovi out. Regardless, this race just showed glimpses of the old Crazy Joe. Would love to see that fight in Mugello!
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/05/18/iannone-it-was-maybe-the-most-difficult-race-of-my-career/176127 (http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/05/18/iannone-it-was-maybe-the-most-difficult-race-of-my-career/176127)
Whore-hey might be great rider but he's boring to watch. And...... I hate his showboating at the end of the races. He sucks at it. It just makes him look like an argent asshole. I actually want to see him fall off the bike at the end of a race as he tries to stand on the seat.
Quote from: 1.21GW on May 18, 2015, 08:03:52 AM
Explain. Do you mean mentally? His confidence?
Yep. Prior to Argentina, he was on the winning side all his aggressive moves. In Jerez and Le Mans, he ended up being pushed out on the first lap.
JLo was dialed in from the start, I don't think Vale could of kept up with his pace even if he caught him. That being said it don't matter what row Vale is in he will shoot through field to the top 3 easily. IMO he could've passed those Ducs sooner but I think he was playing it smart like a true Jedi master so he wouldn't kill his tires.
The next race in Italy will be a good one, Vale says it's one of JLo's faves so a battle between "teammates" may be on the horizon [popcorn]
Like duccarlos said Honda needs to be strong early in the season because the second half season favors the yamahas.
Quote from: duccarlos on May 18, 2015, 09:30:29 AM
Yep. Prior to Argentina, he was on the winning side all his aggressive moves. In Jerez and Le Mans, he ended up being pushed out on the first lap.
I'm not sure I'd fully agree that Argentine affected him that much. Here's why:
It seems his issues on his "bad" races have specifically been errors at the start. Le Mans he was pushed out as you noted, and there was talk of front end problems that he had to work through. But once he got settled he ended up riding aggressively back into 4th. There was also Qatar where he overshot a turn on the first lap and ended up in last(?) place before a masterful ride back up to the 5th. Thus, he has shown the drive to recover from bad starts, and in the three other races he (1) won, (2) almost won but crashed on penultimate lap in a battle for 1st, and (3) finished 2nd behind a perfectly run JL race.
I would consider the two recovery races to be evidence of his aggression/fearlessness (for lack of a better phrase). Clearly, the Vale incident at Argentina was aggression/fearless and no doubt the COTA victory was all out riding. Jerez? Well, I just think JL was plain better on that track on that day.
He has been eclipsed in media coverage by the success of the GP15 and the return of Vale, along with minor stories like the surprisingly decent performance of the Suzuki, CC's exciting podium in Argentina at the expense of his former employer, and JL's absence/slow start (a story that is now dead). But take away the two recovery races, and MM might be leading the championship. My point I guess is that he is a lot closer to dominating than perhaps we as a public perceive, and concomitant with that I think the aggression/fearlessness remains as potent as ever. I expect a 3-4 win streak mid-season that will swing the championship in his favor.
All that said, I'm still hoping VR can pull it out. ;D
Good assessment and I agree MM is still fearless but he is making big mistakes seems out of desperation. Like that stunt he pulled on turn 1 this past weekend diving in front of three riders nearly riding off track. Then again later on he runs wide. I see desperation
Quote from: m9hundo on May 18, 2015, 10:35:36 AM
Good assessment and I agree MM is still fearless but he is making big mistakes seems out of desperation. Like that stunt he pulled on turn 1 this past weekend diving in front of three riders nearly riding off track. Then again later on he runs wide. I see desperation
+1
If you look at the same races last year, he would be aggressive but always in control. I understand the issues he had at Le Mans were probably related to the front feel, but he's made too many mistakes this year on tracks where he should be very competitive. As the season wears on,he will find himself in tracks where the Yamaha has clear advantages. He really needs to get his head right before the latter part of the season.
And I also hope that Vale comes back with a vengeance. This is why it's frustrating to see him start from the 3rd row! I think he should hitch himself onto the back of MMs bike during qualy just to simulate the race. I wouldn't mind seeing Jorghey screw up his ankle as he's jumping off the podium. That will serve him right.
David Emmet, Andrea Dovizioso and many others point to problems with the Honda, not anything going on between Marquez' ears. I'm inclined to agree. Even with blowing several corners & generally fighting with the bike much of the race, he finished in essentially the same total time as it took him to win last year. But while the Honda isn't quite as good as last year, the Yamaha and Ducati have gotten much better, and even Marquez' massive talent and aggressiveness can't hide the growing gap. Emmet theorizes that the sweet spot for the Honda is incredibly narrow, so a change in track temperature or other minor issues have an outsized impact on it's performance - witness MM's crazy fast pace in warm-up, followed by near disaster in every corner when the track heated up during the race.
As always, it's worth a full read, including more detail on Iannone's gutsy day:
https://motomatters.com/analysis/2015/05/17/2015_le_mans_motogp_sunday_round_up_why_.html (https://motomatters.com/analysis/2015/05/17/2015_le_mans_motogp_sunday_round_up_why_.html)
Linky bad...
Hmm, it seems to work at my end. Let me see if i can figure it out...
Aaand now it's no longer working for me...
Quote from: triangleforge on May 18, 2015, 12:51:51 PM
Aaand now it's no longer working for me...
I think it's the whole motomatters site. Can't even get there.
Quote from: ducpainter on May 18, 2015, 01:00:59 PM
I think it's the whole motomatters site. Can't even get there.
Hasn't worked for me all day long. Been dying to dead David's thoughts about the race and especially the battle for 4th.
Worked for me.
Great article!
Yup...back up.
Regardless of the Honda issues I think we can all agree that we would like to see Jorghey misjudge his jump and fall over the guardrail.
That's a negatory, I don't know why all this hate for George, but Im a fan. I want him to go on and take the championship
Quote from: The Don on May 18, 2015, 03:18:29 PM
That's a negatory, I don't know why all this hate for George, but Im a fan. I want him to go on and take the championship
It's just because he's a douche nozzle. :D
That pretty much covers it. ;D ;D
Wow just watched the race !! amazing race by MM and Joe ...thats the way MotoGP should be what a cracker .
Jay Low ..is sooooo boring ....even his celebrations are lame
He's okay I guess, I met him at Laguna Seca and he was kind enough to give me an autograph. I guess the hate comes from different places mostly from him inheriting a winning bike.
He's ok, I don't mind him and he seems quite likable in an interview.
I think it was a PR mistake to mimic VRs theatrics. It gives the appearance of an awkward copycat.
Great article.
Honda have been through this before and no company trying very hard to win is immune from it.
Quote from: koko64 on May 18, 2015, 06:14:21 PM
He's ok, I don't mind him and he seems quite likable in an interview.
I think it was a PR mistake to mimic VRs theatrics. It gives the appearance of an awkward copycat.
exactly the way I feel about him
Yeah, great article by Emmet as usual. Iannone def has the ride of the race. Pretty amazing what he managed to pull out once he saw MM pass him.
I'm def still rooting for Rossi though... if there is a year for him to have a shot at the title I think it's this one.
Great battle for 4th...and fantastic (if a little boring) ride by JLo.
Finally...people are starting to see that the Honda isn't the best bike on the grid. MM has been covering for its weaknesses for a while now. The Yamaha has been just as good since around the 2nd or 3rd race last season IMO, and now seems to be an outright better bike. Despite MM, the results this season and last prove it.
Quote from: Triple J on May 18, 2015, 09:25:46 PM
Great battle for 4th...and fantastic (if a little boring) ride by JLo.
Finally...people are starting to see that the Honda isn't the best bike on the grid. MM has been covering for its weaknesses for a while now. The Yamaha has been just as good since around the 2nd or 3rd race last season IMO, and now seems to be an outright better bike. Despite MM, the results this season and last prove it.
The M1 was missing the full seamless gearbox. Both Vale and Jorghey were begging for it. Honda lost that advantage this year.
The Duc has shown that it handles similar to the Yamaha with a ton more straight line speed, but the one thing that is probably missing... being able to downshift without using the clutch.
Though I'm sure a fully seamless downshift would help, Dovi seems to be pointing to issues with the bike that use up too much grip in the early stages of the race, leading to a drop off in the last half. Seamless downshifting could help with that, I suppose, and be a tad gentler on the tires on corner entry...
Yep, they also have that load from the extra horsepower. Gearbox + work on the electronics to even out the power delivery.
And fitting Michele Pirro with a Camelback & catheter, then running nearly endless laps around a test track...
Quote from: duccarlos on May 19, 2015, 06:47:38 AM
The M1 was missing the full seamless gearbox. Both Vale and Jorghey were begging for it. Honda lost that advantage this year.
The Duc has shown that it handles similar to the Yamaha with a ton more straight line speed, but the one thing that is probably missing... being able to downshift without using the clutch.
I thought the Duc already had clutchless downshifts?
The M1 was missing Marquez last year (and JLo), otherwise it was just fine...and it's even better this year.
Quote from: Triple J on May 19, 2015, 10:40:28 AM
I thought the Duc already had clutchless downshifts?
The M1 was missing Marquez last year (and JLo), otherwise it was just fine...and it's even better this year.
From the preseason GP15 reveal
“We will do a comparison test at the next Sepang test. I don’t know if the GP15 will be faster than the GP14.3 at the end of the week. We will focus on the chassis first, while the development of the engine, also in terms of weight, will be done during the season. I expect the engine to be lighter at the end of the coming season. We won’t work on the seamless [gearbox]. Last year, we made important steps forward [with the gearbox] and we are satisfied with it, although it involves only the first 4 gears, not 5th and 6th gear.â€
The M1 was a good bike last year, but again, it was missing the gearbox, which was the biggest complaint of both Jorghey and Vale. Take that good package and fix the one deficiency, you get tody's M1. They can brake later and power through the corner with legendary stability. The Duc now has similar stable characteristics, with extra zooooooom that eats through tires. I would love to see them using the spec software to get a heads start on next year.
I just watched Moto3 last night, Danny Kent is definitely impressive.
Who is the last Brit to win a world championship other than WSBK?
Mark
Barry Sheen I think, champion of a man