Assen, The Netherlands

Guest Blog: Mat Oxley - I’m (almost) speechless

Submitted by Mat Oxley on

I have no words after watching an old man win in the riskiest of conditions, but that wouldn’t make much of a blog…

In October 2011 a photographer and I flew to Bergamo, Italy, for an audience with 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini. Ago and his wife Maria welcomed us into their home and ushered us straight to the dining table: it was lunchtime. Lunch was served by the family butler – dressed all in white – and the world’s most successful motorcycle racer was his usual charming self.

The reason for the visit was simple. For many years the racing world had been wondering if Valentino Rossi would one day eclipse Ago’s record of 122 Grand Prix victories. By the end of his first miserable season at Ducati, there was a lot less wondering.

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2017 Assen MotoGP Sunday Round Up: Greatness Rewarded

Submitted by David Emmett on

There are days when being a MotoGP journalist can be hard work. You spend hours each day trying to wheedle tidbits of information from unwilling conversation partners, then hours chasing round after riders. You top it off with hours trying to spin a day's worth of platitudes into something vaguely readable and semi-interesting, before hopping into bed for five hours' sleep, only to do it all over again. There were years when writing race reports containing any entertainment value was a hard slog through tiny details, as for much of the Bridgestone years, the riders would pretty much finish in the order in which they qualified. You keep doing it from a deep love of the sport, and the hope of better days.

You keep doing it for days like today. Sunday at Assen saw not one, but three breathtaking races. Each race was packed with a season's worth of drama, and combined spectacular passing, raw, undiluted speed, tricky weather conditions and surprise results from the first race through to the last. It was a reminder that majestic tracks produce phenomenal racing. A reminder that we are living through a new golden age of Grand Prix racing, with the outcome of any of the three races completely up in the air on any given weekend.

Above all, though, it was a reminder that we are watching giants of the sport at play. In twenty years' time, when MotoGP fans come to draw up their lists of the top ten racers of all time, at least half of the names they choose will have been on the grid on Sunday. Assen was a veritable cornucopia of racing greatness.

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Franco Morbidelli Signs Two-Year MotoGP Deal With Marc VDS

Submitted by David Emmett on

As had been widely trailed, Franco Morbidelli has signed a two-year with the Marc VDS squad to move up to MotoGP. The deal will see the Italian take the place of Tito Rabat inside the Marc VDS team for the next two years, with an option to sign on for a third.

Morbidelli had also been under consideration for a ride with Ducati, but the relationship the Italian had built up with the team proved decisive.

With Morbidelli signed, the focus will now switch to the second seat in the Marc VDS squad. Jack Miller is still the favorite for that seat, the Australian currently in talks with the team. Miller's priority is to secure the best package available, however. The outcome of those talks will depend on what Honda can offer Marc VDS in that regard.

Below is the press release from the Marc VDS team:

Morbidelli to step up to MotoGP with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

Franco Morbidelli will step up to the premier MotoGP category in 2018, after agreeing a contract extension with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in Assen today.

Morbidelli, who leads the Moto2 World Championship, will remain with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for a further two years. The agreement reached today also includes an option for a third year, should the Italian wish to continue with the team for the 2020 MotoGP season.

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