MotoGP - Marc Marquez

[chrisolson]

Ok so the guy really is an alien ... placed 6th after FP1 and FP2 including a couple of typical "Marquez saves" of front and rear end slides. 

 

The only down side is he said he has some pain/soreness in the arm which he and the doctors need to track carefully.

 

He definitely was having fun , joking and laughing while looking at the replay of his runs .  As long as the arm hold up ... looks like "he's baaaaaaaaaaack" !!  Could definitely lead to an exciting race / season .

[Whip]

Maybe not

[chrisolson]

8 hours ago, Whip said:

Maybe not

 

Well , yes .... although he was briefly on pole . 

 

I think even for him, the reality of the strength and endurance required to ride a GP bike at its fullest is something that can't be fully duplicated with off bike training and exercise. Its a long race at a demanding circuit so we'll see if he starts well and then fades.

 

Still starting from 6th (only because of two scratched laps from Vinales and Bagnaia) will definitely give him an opportunity to be in contention for a podium. 

 

Portamao being the first actual laps on a GP bike in months and he's .259 off the official pole time ain't bad ....for comparison.... at the previous race Bagnaia , starting sixth, was .548 off the pole time

 

  

 

 

Its looks again to be a wide open race .... Quartararo, Vinales, Rins, MIr, Miller, Bagnaia, Zarco , maybe Morbidelli, with Marc being the wild card ... all have a shot at the podium.

 

I don't know how to call any of them as race winning favorites.

[PatM]

He's got talent, that's for sure! The question is can he maintain that kind of pace for the whole race? 

Honda is struggling this year. None of the other Honda riders made Q2.

[AZgman]

I fear for Marc. Another bad get off and he could be done for good.

[chrisolson]

So how did it go for Marc ?

Spoiler

Not the Marquez of old by any standard ...  gifted 3 places to 7th with Rins, Miller and Zarco crashing out.  Started strong, was roughed up a bit in a couple of corners and had a tire/tire contact with MIr which lost him several places.  Didn't' seem to fade over the race distance.  Have not seen any commentary from Marc on his assessment of the race it ... should be interesting. 

[Skywagon]

I think Marc was just getting his legs under him.  I don't think he was trying to compete hard today after the first couple of laps and some bumping.  I would look for him to get better as the season goes on.  What the HE double hockeysticks is up with Rossi?  He seems to just be mailing it in even though he recently said he wants 2-3 more years.  He needs to kick it up or give a younger rider an opportunity....and I am a Rossi fan but he isn't doing anything worthwhile.  I might have to take off my 46 tee shirt.  Vinales?

[chrisolson]

3 hours ago, Skywagon said:

I think Marc was just getting his legs under him.  I don't think he was trying to compete hard today after the first couple of laps and some bumping.  I would look for him to get better as the season goes on.  What the HE double hockeysticks is up with Rossi?  He seems to just be mailing it in even though he recently said he wants 2-3 more years.  He needs to kick it up or give a younger rider an opportunity....and I am a Rossi fan but he isn't doing anything worthwhile.  I might have to take off my 46 tee shirt.  Vinales?

 

MotoGP finally posted a video with Marc ... I believe he was more worried than anyone thought about his ability to ride the bike and compete.    He seemed overwhelmed  when he completed the race ... which for him and his team was a win. But he also realized how much farther there is to go to return to his former self. He said he wasn't comfortable in traffic ... well not surprising as he had a couple of close calls and at the end he was just enjoying riding around.

 

His doctors advice is to race but then rest so as to not over stress the arm... no additional training or dirt bike between races. He will progress,  but with the races as his only bike training but surely it will be several more races before we see glimmers of the old Marc again .... 

 

I'm a long time Rossi fan and think his contribution to MotoGP has been huge both as a champion and a spokesman for the sport.  But ...  Rossi needs to consider retirement ...sad to say.   If he could finish top 5 it would be a different story ... but not even close.   I think he's more recently contemplated retirement as his performance is definitely lacking ... I'd bet he's hoping for one last podium before announcing he's done.

[Bill_Walker]

On 4/18/2021 at 10:46 PM, chrisolson said:

surely it will be several more races before we see glimmers of the old Marc again

But he was still the highest placed Honda!  And funny how Alex was faster than he's been in a long time, now that brother Marc was back.

[chrisolson]

4 hours ago, Bill_Walker said:

But he was still the highest placed Honda!  And funny how Alex was faster than he's been in a long time, now that brother Marc was back.

 

True ... which is an interesting commentary for Honda and its manufacturers' hopes for 2021. 

 

Although I wasn't ever a Marquez fan, you couldn't ignore his raw talent.  I hope he gets it back .... to even complete the race where he did is impressive.  Chances are good he'll again be a competitive force .... unless there is another crash.

[Skywagon]

 SPOILER ALERT I just watched Q1 and Q2. I’m a big fan of Rossi but not sure his head is in the game. I don’t think it’s probable it’s machine or tires with his fellow riders of Yamaha smoking him week after week. I get the since he doesn’t want to get hurt again but can’t call it quits

I wonder if Marquez’s crash/injury last year caused Rossi to ease up. Starting at 17th again this week he won’t likely be much of a factor 

[chrisolson]

11 minutes ago, Skywagon said:

I’m a big fan of Rossi but not sure his head is in the game.

 

I think he's already made up his mind to retire ... he has to realize he just doesn't have the edge anymore so the announcement of him forming his own 2 bike MotoGP Team is a great "excuse" to devote more energy to that effort and allow a more graceful exit from active competition. 

 

I would expect that decision to come no later than the next 2 or three races.  

 

The 2 big questions are .... what manufacturer will he go with and what riders will be on them ? So speculation so far is that Ducati is a front runner, and Marini is supposedly a safe bet ... but anything goes.

 

 

On to Marquez ... 

 

Spoiler

A big scary crash in FP3, and an eventual trip to the hospital for a cautionary cat scan .... but in general ... he escaped re-injuring the arm or creating new issues.  He admitted it was a big blow to any good feeling he was developing to place well in qualifying.  He starts 14th so it will be a long race ... 

 

[Veefore]

On 5/1/2021 at 4:26 PM, chrisolson said:

 

I think he's already made up his mind to retire ... he has to realize he just doesn't have the edge anymore so the announcement of him forming his own 2 bike MotoGP Team is a great "excuse" to devote more energy to that effort and allow a more graceful exit from active competition. 

 

I would expect that decision to come no later than the next 2 or three races.  

 

The 2 big questions are .... what manufacturer will he go with and what riders will be on them ? So speculation so far is that Ducati is a front runner, and Marini is supposedly a safe bet ... but anything goes.

 

 

On to Marquez ... 

 

  Hide contents

A big scary crash in FP3, and an eventual trip to the hospital for a cautionary cat scan .... but in general ... he escaped re-injuring the arm or creating new issues.  He admitted it was a big blow to any good feeling he was developing to place well in qualifying.  He starts 14th so it will be a long race ... 

 

Ironic if they choose Ducati given his tenure there......

[chrisolson]

52 minutes ago, Veefore said:

Ironic if they choose Ducati given his tenure there......

 

Rossi will want a winning team, and Ducati is definitely competitively equal or better than any of the other manufacturers ... especially in the top end speed which does come into play at many of the tracks on the tour ... 

 

Even though he couldn't figure out how to ride it, he sure can hire riders who will !!