MotoGP Rnd 3: Jerez (Yup...thar be spoilers here laddies.)

[Randy@StradaFab]

From the overhead shot it looked like Marquez had the line and Lorenzo turned into him.

[fastwin]

Again, can't wait for him to pull that bump pass on Pedrosa and see what Puig has to say.

[Buckethead]

That was a bit of a Senna-esque pass there. Obviously not unprecedented, but arguably not entirely kosher.

I was a little surprised to see Lorenzo make a comment about "leaving the door open" at the post-race press conference. Do you guys think he really feels that way? Or was he just being a diplomatic Yamaha mouthpiece?

[fastwin]

Mouthpiece.

He wants to put his moon landing spacesuit back on and beat MM about the head with his space helmet. MM is going to be a meanace and a factor to be dealt with in the future. He will make his place in the big boy class (much like #58 did ) and end up putting Pedrobot out to pasture with Repsol. Just sayin'...

[OT]

Subtle, but, it almost looks like MM came in too hot and was just starting to stand the bike up, which caused him to hit JL and that helped him to hold the turn....

He had that same problem on a right-hand turn several laps earlier while trying to stuff inside Lorenzo, and had to stand it up a bit to avoid the collision.....

gettin' like NASCrap out there - the reincarnation of Dale Earnhart

[Speeddog]

I'm amused by both Jarvis and Lorenzo using the phrase 'leaving the door open'.  

Lorenzo didn't leave the door open.
He took it off the hinges, set it aside, and cut the opening four times larger.
He's seen Marquez race, WTF was he thinking?
Even if it wasn't Marquez.... another racer has been on your ass all race, and challenged you once already on the last lap.
And you enter the last corner out against the curb.


Watching the Rossi/Gibernau clip, Gibernau was five feet inside the line that *Marquez* took.

[Triple J]

OK...I'm a Marquez fan! He was harassing JLo for most of the race...fantastic!   It would have been a snoozer parade without him. Who cares if he'd punt his granny into the gravel...he's exciting to watch.  

+1 to Speeddog...JLo left the door WAAAY open.


Nice race by Pedrobot as well. 3 races, 3 winners. 

[Jester]

Marquez had that corner.
Lorenzo looks like he assumed MM would back off if he cut MM's line.

If you watch Marquez' line, he didn't have the corner by any means until he ran into Jorge.  He was extremely deep and would have run it very wide.  I think Jorge was composed about the incident all things considered.  It was fair enough, but I know Jorge will repay the favor at some point.

[Triple J]

but I know Jorge will repay the favor at some point.

Hopefully!

[triangleforge]

Marquez' take on the incident: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2013/marquez+on+jerez+race

My favorite part: “If somebody did that to me…for sure, I would be angry - not because of the moment but because I would have lost a place on the podium. I can understand that but, anyway, I have said sorry.”

[koko64]

Vendetta time! Like in old country .
The season got real interesting.
Jorge aint whining, he'll get him back and now there'll be nothing race direction can do about it, because "it was a racing incident" precedent. Respect for Jorge.

The only reason MM made the corner was because he hit Jorge. Jorge did make a mistake, but so did MM (maybe).  The door was open for sure because the Yams were running wide all day, but MM ran in too hot. An accident, or calculated to look like one I'm not sure. The kids good enough to make a dirty move look like a racing incident (like Rossi). It's a real skill, like tripping yourself up in the penalty area in soccer.

Jorge could have smacked the kid and paid the fine, but he'll wait. A dish best served cold. If he doesnt, I'll take that respect back.

[MadDuck]

Vendetta time! Like in old country .
The season got real interesting.
Jorge aint whining, he'll get him back and now there'll be nothing race direction can do about it, because "it was a racing incident" precedent. Respect for Jorge.

The only reason MM made the corner was because he hit Jorge. Jorge did make a mistake, but so did MM (maybe).  The door was open for sure because the Yams were running wide all day, but MM ran in too hot. An accident, or calculated to look like one I'm not sure. The kids good enough to make a dirty move look like a racing incident (like Rossi). It's a real skill, like tripping yourself up in the penalty area in soccer.

Jorge could have smacked the kid and paid the fine, but he'll wait. A dish best served cold. If he doesnt, I'll take that respect back.

I think that is the best summary so far.  Marquez was too hot and too early with no hope of holding an inside line. He was taking the chance that Jorge's wider line would be enough for him to squeeze through. If Mark was a tad quicker he might have been enough ahead that his rear wheel would have caught Jorge's front wheel and that could have downed them both.  Jorge just might have a little blood on his mind now. New lines in the sand have been drawn. 

   

[Raux]

But at the same time, Lorenzo could have slowed let MM pass, MM goes wide, then Lorenzo takes the place with no bump..

goes the same way.
Lorenzo took MM's line, ok maybe it was a bad line, but Lorenzo pushed MM in. That's indisputable. otherwise as you all say, MM would have gone wide.

[TooClose Racing]

I think that is the best summary so far.  Marquez was too hot and too early with no hope of holding an inside line. He was taking the chance that Jorge's wider line would be enough for him to squeeze through. If Mark was a tad quicker he might have been enough ahead that his rear wheel would have caught Jorge's front wheel and that could have downed them both.  Jorge just might have a little blood on his mind now. New lines in the sand have been drawn. 

   

I'm with this school - these guys know their bikes better than anybody, but this had all the potential of both parties not making it to the finish (and possible injury?) and that's just not Cricket in roadracing.  I'll acknowledge to our supercross fans that - mechanically - it looks like a block pass  and the bikes just happen to have fairings and they probably weren't going that fast.

Way back in my club racing days - if I was leading someone on the last lap and they were "there" (although I NEVER looked behind me for some wierd, paranoid reason...), I would ride that last lap absolutely stupid slow in the corners, HUGGING the inside line on all corners at the expense of speed and proper corner technique.  I never "left the door open". Most of the time I got the trophy.   But it cost me once or twice when the corners really did have great line if a larger radius was used.

BTW - "our father who art in heaven, please give Nicky a new bike that works".  Great job by the Nick-miester, but 25 SECONDS from the front.  Gawd.  The test times this morning look encouraging, but not don't know the specifics.

[duccarlos]

MM did what he had done in 3 previous corners, come into the corner hot and overshot it. It just so happens that Lorenzo decided he wanted to be on that line at that specific time. I wonder if these types of passes are going on way in the back of the grid and we're just not seeing them.

Moving on to the more important stuff. I hate to admit it, but it looks like we only have 3 aliens. Rossi just did not have the speed to catch up, even when Jorghey and MM were going at it.

I don't remember Pirro being any good, but he kept the new Duc up and running with the old Duc, so I count that as a positive.