Well, off to a bit of a dramatic start.

Suzuki techs inadvertently burned up one of Rins' bikes.
No problem for the race as they've got lots of spares, but now a bunch of busy work they've made for themselves.

JLo has been passed fit to ride.
I think it's a bad plan, but he's yet to call me for strategic advice.

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/lorenzo-sepang-comeback-attempt-ducati/3206615/

Quote from: Speeddog on November 01, 2018, 08:34:21 AM
Well, off to a bit of a dramatic start.

Suzuki techs inadvertently burned up one of Rins' bikes.

...........

Iannone's I assume Just to make him happier than after last weekends race. Lorenzo's happy party friend.

Quote from: Speeddog on November 01, 2018, 08:34:21 AM
Well, off to a bit of a dramatic start.

Suzuki techs inadvertently burned up one of Rins' bikes.
No problem for the race as they've got lots of spares, but now a bunch of busy work they've made for themselves.

<snip>

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/rins-suzuki-pit-fire-sepang/3206740/?nrt=112

And for an alternative explanation of events:

http://motogpnews.com/2018/11/01/suzuki-sabotage-where-was-iannone/

 

Hey don't blame Iannone, it was an accident!  Iannone dropped his still lit bong and crack pipe into a puddle of leaking fuel.

FP1 starts in 🖐🏼

I dropped in live near the end, clicked to start at the beginning, and it did.
Watched a bit, paused to move laundry, and Videopass snatched it away.  

Rins
Marc
Jack

Rins was on ðŸ"¥

Dovi looks fast and comfortable.
3 Ducs in the top 10, Jack and Monkey going hard at it.

3 Yamahas in the top 10; 4th, 6th, 8th.
Wasn't this supposed to be a crappy track for Yamaha?

Rins is indeed hammering along nicely.

MM has done his quota of front-end saves.

Seems an odd mix in spite of what I would expect, I thought concern over rain in FP3 would have everyone trying to set a banker to stay out of Q1.
Perhaps they all did....

Word is Jorge will decide before FP3 whether he's going to race or give it to Pirro.

Hopefully it's true in the sense of that decision already being made after his first run in FP1 and things getting sorted in the background to get Pirro on the bike.

If they're going to faff around until tomorrow morning before they make a move one direction or another, IMO that's madness.

Puts Pirro in a really bad starting point, at best giving away manufacturer points, at worst getting him hurt from desperate riding.

From the outside, it just seems crazy.

You would think that Lorenzo would be smart enough to understand that the last thing he needs is to crash again before Valencia.

True, Pirro should be given as much time as possible. Ideal situation is to pass a fitness test before the event, but JL using actual event free practice to do that shortchanges the substitue rider for sure. The lot of a factory tester.. Being biased I would have liked Jack to have a go on the 18 as it would have stung to hear Bautista banging on about how much better it is.

Lorenzo pulled out, so he has officially thrown Pirro under the bus, leaving him a grand total of half the practice of everyone else.

If I were Ciabatti I'd tell him:
"Thanks, don't bother showing up in Valencia until the 20th for your Honda test. Oh, wait, I don't care, really. Do whatever the make the beast with two backs you want, you'll not be riding our factory bikes ever again."