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India MotoGP Friday Round Up: Fast, Furious, And Fun - What Makes Buddh So Difficult And So Enjoyable

By David Emmett | Fri, 22/09/2023 - 23:12

What was the verdict on the first day of a historic Indian GP? "So fun," Jorge Martin said, speaking for pretty much everyone on the grid. "I really enjoy riding here. It was so, so fun." That fun translated into outright speed as well. "Straight away in the morning I felt good. then in the evening I was super competitive trying to improve some problems I had. The pace is good. the lap time was great also. So I’m very happy."

The Pramac Ducati rider wasn't the only rider to be impressed. "Really good," Marc Marquez agreed. "Better than everybody expected." The fears about safety had been allayed, which allowed the riders to get on with figuring out how to go as fast as possible without worrying about the consequences. "I think they did a very good job the last two months, and it’s true that we can improve a few things for next year but as riders we can give thanks because we can be in a normal way and just think about riding."

India MotoGP Preview: Was All That Worry About The Buddh International Circuit For Nothing?

By David Emmett | Thu, 21/09/2023 - 22:13

After all the worries, concerns, fears that the Indian MotoGP round would not happen, because of missing visas or missing riders, inadequate facilities, or an unsafe track, things are looking pretty bright for the first ever motorcycle racing grand prix to be held in India. There were plenty of bumps along the way (and there may yet be a few more bumps ahead), but the stage is set for what promises to be a remarkable event.

Was the panic over visas unwarranted? Not entirely. The fact that Marc Marquez only arrived first thing on Thursday morning is far from ideal preparation for a grand prix weekend in the intense heat and humidity of northern India. Lessons will have to be learned when MotoGP comes back next year, about planning to tackle the various bureaucratic challenges posed by racing in India well in advance. It is normal for the first race at a new track to face bumps in the road, but these bumps were nearly large enough to qualify as a whoops section.

Another WorldSBK Silly Season Update: Bassani To Kawasaki, Rinaldi To Moto2?

By Steve English | Thu, 21/09/2023 - 19:06

The primary seats are now all spoken for in WorldSBK. Yesterday’s announcement that Michael van der Mark would partner Toprak Razgatlioglu at the official BMW Motorrad squad is likely to be followed very soon by confirmation from Kawasaki has tabbed Axel Bassani as Jonathan Rea’s replacement.

The only factory seats to be decided at the HRC squad. Their line-up is all but certain to remain as Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona, with both having signed Honda contracts already. The only delay on announcing their pairing for 2024 is that until Marc Marquez confirms his future, Honda wants to have the option to move Lecuona to the LCR squad in MotoGP. Lecuona would then replace Johann Zarco, who would be promoted into the Repsol Honda team.

As a result all five factories in WorldSBK have effectively penned their squads for next year. The confirmation that Scott Redding would move to the independent BMW of the Bonovo team was significant for a number of reasons. Redding was under contract but at the centre of plenty of speculation for next year. Kawasaki was an obvious target for him to replace the departing Rea, but ultimately with Kawasaki lasered in on Bassani, this option disappeared quickly.

Where Are We With The Indian Round Of MotoGP, Part 3: Ready(ish) To Go

By David Emmett | Wed, 20/09/2023 - 21:44

A brief update on the state of play for the Grand Prix of India at the Buddh International Circuit this weekend. A steady stream of updates, via social media, team communication, and otherwise, have followed throughout the day, with more and more people arriving at the track. As of nearly midnight European time on Wednesday, the entire MotoGP grid has either arrived or are in the air and on their way. Reports from Moto2 and Moto3 follow a similar pattern.

As the situation appears now, the event will go ahead with close to the full contingent of 2000 people who booked to travel to India. There may still be hiccups ahead, but those appear to be relatively minor.

Where Are We With The Indian Round Of MotoGP, Part 2? Another Brief Update

By David Emmett | Tue, 19/09/2023 - 21:14

Developments surrounding the inaugural Indian round of MotoGP at the Buddh International Circuit have been continuous and changing almost moment by moment, making it pointless to try to provide up-to-date commentary, as the moment a story is published, it is superseded by events.

But after a second day of feverish speculation and commentary, things are looking a little more positive than they had been yesterday. Visas are arriving, the track is likely to be homologated without problem on Thursday, and riders, team members, and media are starting to head toward the circuit located near Greater Noida, 45km southeast of New Delhi.

Takaaki Nakagami Confirmed At LCR Honda For 2024

By David Emmett | Tue, 19/09/2023 - 21:05

Another day, another rider signing. Tuesday's news is the confirmation that Takaaki Nakagami has extended his contract for another year with the LCR Honda Idemitsu squad.

The deal had been getting closer over the past few rounds, as Nakagami, who negotiates his own contract, had been speaking with HRC for several races. The second half of the season has seen Nakagami's role in developing the Honda RC213V expand, the Japanese rider taking on the role of testing parts before the factory Repsol Honda riders were ready. HRC seem to be using more of Nakagami's input in their development process.

Nakagami has also been far more outspoken in his criticism of Honda in the past few months. Perhaps emboldened by remarks by both Marc Marquez and Joan Mir in the factory team, Nakagami has been keen to highlight the deficiencies of the RC213V.

Franco Morbidelli Confirmed At Pramac Ducati

By David Emmett | Mon, 18/09/2023 - 22:02

Franco Morbidelli is to race for the Pramac Ducati squad in 2024. The news had been widely anticipated, despite denials by Morbidelli at Misano, but news of Morbidelli signing for Pramac had been circulating since the summer break.

The news will come as a boost for the Italian. Morbidelli has struggled for the past two years, since Yamaha changed the design of the M1, and he has gone through some pretty dark periods, both in mood and form. Getting on what is almost certain to be the best bike on the grid give him a chance to find his form again.

Morbidelli's signing is something of a double-edged sword for Pramac, despite the glowing words of praise in the press release. Pramac have long wanted another Italian rider in the team, to help with their sponsors. But the team were believed to be wary of signing someone from the VR46 Riders Academy, as such a rider would come with a certain amount of baggage.

2023 Misano MotoGP Test Notes - What The Five Factories Were Working On At Misano

By David Emmett | Mon, 11/09/2023 - 21:37

With just two days of testing during the MotoGP season, track time outside of race weekends is like gold dust. Just over halfway through the season, teams and riders find themselves with a lot of questions needing urgent answers. Factory engineers have their own agendas, with prototypes and new ideas to collect data on in preparation for the first post-season test at Valencia, to give themselves enough time to get bikes and engines ready for 2024.

Michelin, too, have things they want testing. New compounds for 2024, and very early work on the 2025 front tire which is meant to solve the current woes with tire pressure caused by ride-height devices and aero. That tire is reserved for test riders, however. The MotoGP regulars won't get their hands on it until Valencia or Sepang at the earliest.

So there was an awful lot to test on Monday at Misano. A new engine, chassis and aero for Yamaha, a new bike (sans engine) for Honda, carbon-fiber frames for KTM and Aprilia, and experiments with suspension and setup and bike geometry to work through.

Misano MotoGP Sunday Subscriber Notes: Great Venue, Poor Racing, And Just How Good A Development Rider Dani Pedrosa Really Is

By David Emmett | Sun, 10/09/2023 - 23:40

Nearly 80,000 fans (technically, 71,000 paying spectators and 8,000 people in the VIP Village and paddock, some of whom might even have been fans) crammed into the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday to see a feast of Italian racing. They got what they came for: three Italian bikes on the podium, eight Italian bikes in the top ten, two Italians on the podium.

The only thing they missed out on was an Italian winner. In Moto3, it was the Colombian David Alonso who won a fierce final lap battle to take victory. In Moto2, the Spaniard Pedro Acosta controlled the race pretty much from the start. And MotoGP, Jorge Martin led a replica of Saturday's sprint race podium, the Pramac Ducati rider making it two Spanish wins on the day. Local fans had to make do with hearing Il Canto degli Italiani twice on Saturday, when Mattia Casadei and Nicholas Spinelli took victory in the two MotoE races, and Casadei was crowned MotoE world champion.

Misano MotoGP Saturday Subscriber Notes: Paying Tribute The Right Way, Riding Through The Pain, And Sticking Between The Lines

By David Emmett | Sun, 10/09/2023 - 00:35

There are days when you are reminded that racing is not quite as important as we like to think it is. Saturday was one of those days. The news that Mike Trimby, IRTA CEO, had died on Friday night affected everyone in the paddock. To say that Trimby was a giant of the sport is an understatement. The only person who has had a greater impact on the shape of MotoGP and motorcycle racing in its current guise is Carmelo Ezpeleta.

And arguably, Trimby did more to make motorcycle racing safer than Ezpeleta, because he was elected by the riders as a safety representative, and went on to form IRTA, which had the political clout to improve safety because they had the power of collective bargaining. And Trimby had the moral courage to use that power to force race promoters and circuit owners to make drastic changes to make the racing safer. There are riders alive today who probably wouldn't have been if Mike Trimby hadn't taken the stance that he had.