Yessir, the jury is definitely still out on that one. I would like to think it is a step in the right direction, though.
In other rumblings, Dovi could be out of MotoGP after the Mugello race. Just can’t get on with the M1. The British kid Dixon is set to replace him. Too bad for Dovi.
It’s time for Dovi to go. Great rider and good guy, but he’s just not fast enough anymore.
Dixon is the latest British pet of Dorna. Dude has raced for three seasons in Moto2 with no wins and one podium finish. Please tell me why he deserves a MotoGP ride. Dorna knows – his passport reads United Kingdom.
Dixon will be yet another on the list of British riders who Dorna tried to stuff down the UK public’s throat as the next potential Barry Sheene who flame out into little or nothing. Toseland, Crutchlow, Bradley Smith, Redding, etc.
Jonny Rea was the British rider who should have received the GP push. I think he could have done much more than his occasional one-off or wild card ride showed.
Agree. I don’t really think Dixon has earned that seat, nor is he ready for it. Hell, Garret Gerloff is more qualified to take that seat if that is where we are going. But I get it. If I am Jake Dixon, I am gonna give it all I have. Who knows, maybe he’ll shock us all. At least Yamaha aren’t investing a lot here. They are trying to salvage at least something from what appears to be a failed campaign in that garage. So put the kid on there… if he stinks it up, they can gracefully back out at season’s end and look for a rider for next year. Speaking of which, Ol’ Franco better step it up or they will be looking to fill 2 seats. Just sayin.
And I don’t know about you, but there is something about Jonny Rea that just I don’t like. Frankly I am glad he hasn’t really made it to the GP grid. But that is just me.
I get it with Jonny. There’s always the “big fish in a small pond” question with him.
Is he really that good just because he won six WSBK titles? If he is that good, why didn’t he get a bigger sniff from a MotoGP factory after his third or fourth straight WSBK title? I know WSBK isn’t nearly as strong as in the days of Foggy, Colin Edwards, etc., but still.
Then again, who was the last WSBK rider to make it through to MotoGP and stay for a while? Spies had promise but then flamed out due to injury. Crutchlow won a few races but was more blather than pure speed.
To be fair, the gap between prototype GP bikes and production-based Superbikes probably never has been greater. So, it’s going to take a special talent to bridge that chasm, and I don’t see that rider anywhere in WSBK now.
What a sad state of affairs. Damn it, Suzuki, I was skeptical when you first came back, but I had such high hopes for you. You let us get excited for your progress only to have the rug pulled out from under yet again. Your thrust into irrelevance is all but assured, now. Here is their bullshit statement ahead of the upcoming French Grand Prix:
"Suzuki Motor Corporation is in discussions with Dorna regarding the possibility of ending Suzuki’s participation in MotoGP™ at the end of 2022.
Unfortunately, the current economic situation and the need to concentrate its effort on the big changes that the Automotive world is facing in these years, are forcing Suzuki to drastically decrease racing related costs and to use all its economical and human resources in developing new technologies.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our Suzuki Ecstar Team, to all those who have supported Suzuki’s motorcycle racing activities for many years and to all Suzuki fans who have given us their enthusiastic support."
Do we call this another casualty of the Pandemic? Who knows, and at this point who cares. I just feel for all those men and women who worked so hard to bring Suzuki to this competitive position and now will be left holding the bag.
Damn you, Suzuki.
Suzuki always has had the lowest budget among factory teams in MotoGP. So, when they stopped selling as many bikes due to the pandemic, etc., the Grand Prix racing program was going to be the first item on the chopping block in the board room at Hamamatsu.
The departure isn’t surprising. But this is the manufacturer’s second exit from MotoGP in the last 15 years. Their reputation is in tatters in the MotoGP paddock. No one will believe in Suzuki if economic conditions improve and it expresses desire to return to Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Well here we go, folks, MotoGP is back in action! The first race weekend for the 2023 campaign is in Portugal, a very quick but challenging track.
And after an intense qualifying session, an unexpected but familiar face will start from the pole on Sunday:
Marc Marquez is back, baby, and he means business. With any hope, he has learned the value of staying on the bike and mitigating some of the risks he used to take. The bike is looking very racy so far. I know that has been part of the problem over the last few years, but this bike looks good. Here is an interesting top 10:
Still lots of Ducatis present, but I have a feeling they are not going to dominate like they did last year. That said, you have to think Bagnia is the early favorite to repeat and retain the number 1 plate. Competition will be at an all time high, and with the number 93 back in the mix, anything is possible!
So encouraging to see a Honda and Marquez atop the charts, with a KTM and Aprilia in the top five. My only fear is that MM93 will need to ride over his head to keep the Ducatis at bay, and he will crash yet again. The dude’s body can’t take much more punishment.
Still, these results assuage the fears this season would be a Ducati parade. Hopefully that parity isn’t just specific to Portimao and will continue all season.
Come on, Thriller Miller! 
How would you like to wake up in the morning and realize that you get to ride this:
I would have chronic stupid smile syndrome.
The packaging on these bikes is NUTS under the cowling. Engineered and built like a Swiss watch.
What do we think of the Marquez crash? He said in a statement that the front locked on him and when he released the brake the bike dove to the inside. Also said that he thought maybe the hard front wasn’t up to temp yet. Watching replays it almost looks to me like he was trying to brake later than the others and got caught off guard and ended up locking the front up.
Honda need to get him a brand new bike. He’s only barely making the bike work and to do that he has to ride his ass off. Makes him take unnecessary risks that otherwise wouldn’t happen if he was on something something newer.
Well, you’ve indirectly pinpointed the main problem of all Japanese factory teams: Paralysis by analysis.
Consensus among executives before action is a hallmark of Japanese corporate culture. There are no point people or strong men banging on tables and saying: “I don’t care what you think; this is how we’re going to do it. Get started NOW.”
Honda and Yamaha are renowned for being slow to react due to the need for boardroom consensus about any major change.
Contrast that with Dall’Igna’s tenure at Ducati. Gigi arrived and was given almost carte blanche to make immediate changes. He did, and now Ducati is an unstoppable force.
I tend to agree with you.
Marquez overrides the Honda, for two reasons. One, he thinks he’s superior – by some margin – to every other rider on the grid. He absolutely was before his arm injuries, but I’m not so sure anymore. Two, the Honda is such a piece of crap that he needs to ride over his head.
There’s almost no doubt in my mind that his current deal will be Marquez’s last contract with Honda unless money is more important to him than more titles.
I have to look at this again, I was not feeling overly well yesterday and wasn’t in the proper frame of mind to really analyze the incident.
From what I saw, it looked like another blatant error on Marc’s part, over-riding the Honda yet again trying to make an early move. I think he realized early that at least 2 of the Ducatis were going to pull away and he needed to get in that lead group in order to have a chance of running with them. He was asking the bike to do way too much and never really had a chance of pulling that off.
I had hopes that after everything he has gone through, he would have learned a little something about patience and being there at the end. But his doubts about the bike’s competitiveness are showing yet again. I know many thought he should have been handed a 1 race suspension, and frankly I would not be mad at that, but he only got 2 long-lap penalties instead.
As it turns out, he injured his hand in the incident and had to have surgery done on it, which was successful, so he will end up missing the next race anyway. But this sets a menacing omen for the rest of the season.
At this rate, if HRC can’t improve the bike, I don’t see Marc continuing the relationship beyond this signing. Especially since Alex had such a positive weekend on his new ride. But it’s early; we will see how things develop.
I don’t know anything about motorcycles, but I do know a motorcycle journalist! Alan Cathcart is a friend of the family, my sister who has POTS and has to spend quite a lot of time at home (and loves the Meles) transcribes his interviews.
Funny to start watching this, hear “it’s got a really fat midrange”, and remind myself I’m not still on an audio forum 
There’s no way Dorna would allow Race Control to sit Marquez for a race. He’s still the biggest star in MotoGP by a mile, and a one-race ban would be bad for ticket sales and global TV ratings.
It’s MotoGP’s version of the “Jordan Rules,” accusations that the NBA quietly ordered refs to protect Michael Jordan with foul calls in the 90s that would be given to no other player.
Picture from beginning of last year…in the meantime if done a few more things…cutted the frame under the seat, got new steering blink lights and a new front light, second mirror and front fender for reasons 
That is pretty sweet. I actually think I like it better with the front fender on! I bet it’s fun to ride. Enjoy. 
I don’t know how I missed this thread. It’s nice to see so many riders on here. I sold my Harley Softail in January last year, but I still have my Hayabusa. I was thinking about selling it too, but it’s just too much fun. I really only use it for occasional early morning runs and cruises up the coast these days, but there’s something magical for me about riding that bike. The responsiveness you feel to every weight shift no matter how slight, to every twist of the throttle or tap of the breaks… It’s like the bike is alive underneath you. It can make for a challenging ride because it sometimes has a bit of a mind of its own and it’s certainly not for novices or the faint of heart. Let me put it this way, it’s the only bike I’ve ever owned that leaves me appreciating just how awesome and powerful it is everytime I go for a ride. I need that in my life and I’m glad it didn’t sell quickly so I got some time to come to that realization.
Thankfully, my girl didn’t take it to badly when I told her the 'Busa was staying. I think she feels like she still got a win since I’m no longer riding my Harley as my primary mode of transportation. 
