Marc Marquez

Le Mans MotoGP Post-Race Part 3: Rise And Fall Of KTM, Marquez Returns, And Quartararo Winds Back The Clock

By David Emmett | Wed, 17/05/2023 - 23:30

If you had made your MotoGP fantasy picks for the Le Mans grand prix on Friday evening, as I did, you would have been all in on Jack Miller and KTM. The Australian was fastest in both the morning and afternoon sessions, and his pace looked good too. Teammate Brad Binder was third in the morning, seventh in the afternoon, and on pace for another strong result.

Or so it seemed. Qualifying went reasonably for Miller, the Red Bull KTM rider ending up in fourth, just behind polesitter Pecco Bagnaia. Brad Binder had a tougher time, struggling with the front tire locking, and ending up in tenth on the grid.

In the sprint race on Saturday, Binder made up for his poor qualifying by getting one of his trademark rocketship starts and steaming through to finish second, behind an unleashed Jorge Martin. Miller chose the medium front, on the advice of KTM and Michelin, and ended up losing the front at Musée, always a tricky spot when the left-hand side of the tire isn't quite up to temperature. But both riders had shown real potential.

Le Mans MotoGP Saturday Subscriber Notes: Winning Sprints, Making Rules, And Rebellious Riders

By David Emmett | Sun, 14/05/2023 - 00:22

Perhaps the sprint races are starting to calm down a bit. Sure, there were only 17 finishers – Raul Fernandez withdrew on Friday because of his arm pump surgery, and Jack Miller, Augusto Fernandez, Jonas Folger, and Fabio Quartararo all crashed out – but there were no injuries, no riders taking each other out, no excessively enthusiastic attempts at a pass ending in collisions. It was hard, close, clean competition.

Surprising, then, that once again all of the drama is around the standard of stewarding. After the meeting the Stewards had on Friday with the riders, explaining how each contact would be punished and laying out the guidelines they use to assess which penalty to apply in which situation, they went on to apparently throw their own guidelines out of the window and – correctly – not penalize any of the several riders who touched other riders while making hard passes. This left half the riders furious, the other half delighted, and everyone dismissing the role of the Stewards as pointless. It felt like they span the great Wheel O' Penalties again, and we all got lucky when it came back saying "Free Pass".

MotoGP Court Of Appeal Scraps Penalty For Marc Marquez - An Analysis Of The Court's Decision

By David Emmett | Tue, 09/05/2023 - 23:10

The MotoGP Court of Appeal has finally rendered judgment on the revised penalty issued against Marc Marquez for causing the crash with Miguel Oliveira at the opening round of the 2023 MotoGP season at Portimão. The change to the original penalty notification, which stated that Marquez would have to serve a Double Long Lap Penalty at the Argentina grand prix at Termas de Rio Hondo, was found to be irregularly and wrongly amended.

As a result, the penalty is deemed to have been served, and Marquez will not have to serve a Double Long Lap Penalty at the next race in which he participates. Marquez is free to race, without facing a penalty.

Update: Has The Marc Marquez Appeal Exceeded Time Limits Set By FIM Regulations?

By David Emmett | Mon, 08/05/2023 - 21:21

On the third lap of the opening grand prix of the 2023 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez locked the front wheel of his Honda RC213V while braking for Turn 3, trying to close the gap to Jorge Martin and Miguel Oliveira. As he did so, he clipped the Ducati of Martin, lost control, and barreled into the RNF Aprilia of Miguel Oliveira.

For that incident, Marc Marquez was handed a Double Long Lap Penalty, to be served at the Argentina GP the following week. But two days after the penalty notice was issued, the FIM Stewards issued a revised penalty, stating that Marquez was to serve the Double Long Lap Penalty at "the next MotoGP Race in which the rider will be able to participate".

That revised penalty has kicked off a controversial process which has gone on so long that the case has exceeded the term set for a hearing by the MotoGP Court of Appeal. As such, the penalty for Marc Marquez is no longer valid.

The FIM regulations set out very clearly that the MotoGP Court of Appeal must hear an appeal and issue a judgment within four weeks of the brief of appeal (basically, the letter from the appellant setting out their case) being received by the court. Section 3.4.4 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations states the following:

3.4.4 Time limits to be observed for appeal hearings

The FIM Appeal Stewards must be convened to examine an appeal immediately after the brief of appeal is received.

MotoGP Jerez Sick Bay Update: Marquez Out, Lecuona In

By David Emmett | Wed, 26/04/2023 - 09:23

The injury toll at season opener at Portimão continues to reverberate through the paddock. Marc Marquez is set to miss yet another race, as he continues his recovery from breaking his right thumb in the first laps of the race. Though his recovery is proceeding as expected, he has decided to sit out the Jerez round of MotoGP, and focus on a return at Le Mans.

His decision to miss another race is another sign of the dramatic reversal in the way Marquez views injuries. His rushed return after breaking his humerus in 2020 ended up costing him two years of his career, and he appears to have learned that there is little to be gained from rushing to return.

MotoGP Court Of Appeal Suspends Marquez Penalty Until Full Appeal Is Heard

By David Emmett | Thu, 13/04/2023 - 19:32

Marc Marquez has been granted a temporary suspension of the Double Long Lap Penalty issued after the Portimão race until the full appeal of the FIM Stewards penalty has been heard. In effect, the MotoGP Court of Appeal has decided to hear the full case, regarding the changing of the official penalty notice, and has prevented the FIM Stewards from imposing the penalty before the Court has ruled on the appeal.

In a long, and interesting ruling granting the stay, the MotoGP Court of Appeal lays out its reasoning. It is a highly readable document, as long as you ignore the legal and Latin jargon.

Marc Marquez To Miss The US Round Of MotoGP As Recovery Continues

By David Emmett | Tue, 11/04/2023 - 20:31

Marc Marquez is to miss the Grand Prix of The Americas at Austin in Texas. The Repsol Honda rider had a final scan on the first metacarpal in his right hand to assess how the thumb he injured in a controversial crash with Miguel Oliveira is healing. In consultation with his medical team at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, Marquez decided to forgo the chance to race in Austin.

The decision makes sense given the intensely physical nature of the Circuit of The Americas. The first sweeping section from Turn 1 down to Turn 11 grants the riders no rest whatsoever as they muscle the bike from one side to the other. The back straight which follows is a notoriously bumpy affair, leaving the riders struggling to hang on. Trying to ride there without a fully healed thumb risks doing more damage than good, as it also rules out any chance of a strong result.

Repsol Honda Appeal Referred The MotoGP Court Of Appeal

By David Emmett | Thu, 30/03/2023 - 18:13

The Repsol Honda Team's protest against the changing of Marc Marquez' penalty is to go to the MotoGP Court of Appeal. Repsol Honda lodged a protest with the Appeal Stewards on Wednesday, protesting the fact that the FIM Stewards Panel had retrospectively changed the race Marquez was to serve his penalty from the Grand Prix of Argentina, to the Grand Prix of Argentina or the first subsequent race Marquez will participate in.

Marquez was handed the Double Long Lap Penalty after he lost control of his Honda RC213V on lap 3 of the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimão, clipped Jorge Martin's Pramac Ducati, and slammed into Miguel Oliveira's RNF Aprilia RS-GP, causing Oliveira to crash.

Repsol Honda To Appeal Change To Marc Marquez Penalty - An Opportunity To Clarify The Rules

By David Emmett | Wed, 29/03/2023 - 15:15

The Repsol Honda team has issued a press release stating that they intend to protest the change made to the penalty imposed on Marc Marquez after the incident at Portimão in which he hit Miguel Oliveira.

The original Notification of Sanction from the FIM Stewards stated that Marc Marquez was to serve a Double Long Lap Penalty at the Argentina Grand Prix at Termas de Rio Hondo. When it became clear that Marquez would miss the Argentina round of MotoGP, the FIM Stewards amended the penalty to add a clause stating that if Marquez was absent from Argentina, he would have to serve the penalty at the next race in which he participated.

The Repsol Honda statement made it very clear that what they are protesting is the change to the original penalty, rather than the penalty itself. The statement says that the original penalty issued was final and definitive, and the FIM Stewards have no grounds to change it at a later date.

It's a fair cop

FIM Stewards Revise Marc Marquez Penalty - Double Long Lap To Be Served Next Time He Races

By David Emmett | Tue, 28/03/2023 - 10:06

The FIM Stewards have been forced to revise the penalty they imposed on Marc Marquez, for hitting Miguel Oliveira on the third lap of the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday. Initially, the Stewards Notification was worded such that the Double Long Lap Penalty would have to be served at the Grand Prix of Argentina, due to take place at Termas de Rio Hondo this Sunday.

However, Marc Marquez broke his thumb in the crash, fracturing the first metacarpal in his right hand. The Spaniard has since had surgery, but has decided to skip the next round in Argentina.

By a strict reading of the Stewards Notification, Marquez would only have to serve the penalty at Argentina. But after the controversy that produced, and debates over the correct application of penalties, the Stewards have issued a second Notification, clarifying that Marquez will have to serve the penalty during the Sunday race in Argentina, or the next Sunday grand prix he races at.

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