Discussion
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
Gas1883 said:
Is Jack ( miller ) staying at Ktm ? I did hear of Honda mentioned to help develop the bike , but have not heard anything since
Assume there’s only one place left at Ktm with binder , acosta & bastini confirmed .
Bastianini hasn't officially been confirmed for clarity, nothing formally announced by Tech3 yet.Assume there’s only one place left at Ktm with binder , acosta & bastini confirmed .
Assuming he goes there I doubt KTM will retain Fernandez unfortunately, he hasn't done much and it certainly doesn't help having your rookie team mate wiping the floor with pretty much everyone so far. That may give Miller another year or two at best, the writing is on the wall for him also. I think if he could jump on the Honda it's really to top his bank balance up as it'll probably be his last dance in the series.
The Honda has become the Aprilia RS-GP from a few years ago, you couldn't give away a ride from memory, so anyone going there is potentially killing their career in the process.
Yazza54 said:
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
Yeah, they'll be seriously put out of joint knowing their beloved Ducati has their Hated Marquez on their bike, and likely to be their number 1 rider quite quickly Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
Yazza54 said:
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
I feel the same, it's business, nothing more. I guess this is lost on a nation which has some deep rooted racism which seems to only be eclipsed by their arrogance?Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
roboxm3 said:
hiccy18 said:
After Monday's news no-one can be surprised, thankfully the main choices are made and we can focus on the racing rather than engaging in silly season idle speculation.
+
I suspect Pramac will want to confirm their bikes quite quickly now so they can sort out their rider choices, I'm not sure Fermin is going to be a big enough draw to stick with Ducati, but there's a lot of interesting riders without seats still.
= +
I suspect Pramac will want to confirm their bikes quite quickly now so they can sort out their rider choices, I'm not sure Fermin is going to be a big enough draw to stick with Ducati, but there's a lot of interesting riders without seats still.
In fairness, there's no racing for the next few weeks so what else am I going to waffle about?
Edited by hiccy18 on Wednesday 5th June 15:57
graeme4130 said:
Yeah, they'll be seriously put out of joint knowing their beloved Ducati has their Hated Marquez on their bike, and likely to be their number 1 rider quite quickly
The Italians hated Alain Prost, until he drove for Ferrari then they loved him. He was sacked by Ferrari for criticising the car, similar to Martin's criticism of Ducati.carlo996 said:
Yazza54 said:
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
I feel the same, it's business, nothing more. I guess this is lost on a nation which has some deep rooted racism which seems to only be eclipsed by their arrogance?Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
carlo996 said:
Yazza54 said:
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
I feel the same, it's business, nothing more. I guess this is lost on a nation which has some deep rooted racism which seems to only be eclipsed by their arrogance?Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
However, I’m cheering for Marquez this year as he and Acosta have been so exciting along with Pecco and Martin. I’m fairly convinced that Bagnaia will never again produce a better lap than the final one in Jerez to stay ahead of Marquez and take the win — which tells you all you need to know about the calibre of the multiple World Champion on a year old bike.
Marquez, Acosta and for me, Quartararo are the pick of the bunch and a step ahead of the competition. Props to Bagnaia but these guys have all capitalised on the absence of the class of the field and now we’re seeing both the vet and the rookie on track and on factory bikes in 2025.
graeme4130 said:
I’d totally agree. Pecco and Martin are great riders, but they’re not the class above that lots of the alien era riders, or all time greats have been
Marquez is still the best rider on the grid currently, and if he had a 24 bike and understood how to ride it, this season would be a very different proposition
Acosta is up there in ability too, way more than the Pecco and Martin, and it’s hard to argue that when he gets into his groove, he’s likely to dominate GP for many years to come
Yep!Marquez is still the best rider on the grid currently, and if he had a 24 bike and understood how to ride it, this season would be a very different proposition
Acosta is up there in ability too, way more than the Pecco and Martin, and it’s hard to argue that when he gets into his groove, he’s likely to dominate GP for many years to come
Acosta is the first rider since Marquez that exudes Alien level ability. He's MULLERING every other KTM rider as a rookie!
Freakuk said:
Ducati/Marquez officially announced.
And there goes the last vestiges of hope for Peccos career. He wont recover from being trounced week after week by his team mate. Crikey MM93 is beating him in races on a year old bike!I suspect also you'll see some upgrades going to MM for the rest of the season. (thought that runs the risk of him beating Pecco from time to time) And Jorges updates being a bit slower in arriving. They wont want Martin taking that 1 plate to Aprilia!
dibblecorse said:
carlo996 said:
Yazza54 said:
Have to admit I am loving the whining from some Italians on social media etc. They are coming to the realisation that Valentino Rossi does not run Ducati or MotoGP. I applaud Ducati for doing something this disruptive.
Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
I feel the same, it's business, nothing more. I guess this is lost on a nation which has some deep rooted racism which seems to only be eclipsed by their arrogance?Was and am a big Rossi fan BTW, but cannot stand the tribalistic nonsense.
It's all good fun, isn't it?
But seriously, I don't really care who wins I just want the best riders on machinery that's capable. It's a shame Fabio is still outside that category.
I too was, and still am a huge Rossi fan, and back in the day I was always cheering for him over Marc, but things change and I'm not blinkered. I can't help but admire Marc these days. He's been through some serious s
t and has immense will power. Edited by Yazza54 on Wednesday 5th June 21:50
stevemcs said:
I think i would prefer to se 93 on a slightly inferior bike so that he tries harder, the best rider on the best bike doesn't bode well for a championship.
Re. the discussion five pages back on peak Marquez being pre-shoulder injury, are we sure that he is still the best rider? Next year looks like it might tell us, though perhaps to really know we would have needed Martin to be on a Ducati too?trevalvole said:
stevemcs said:
I think i would prefer to se 93 on a slightly inferior bike so that he tries harder, the best rider on the best bike doesn't bode well for a championship.
Re. the discussion five pages back on peak Marquez being pre-shoulder injury, are we sure that he is still the best rider? Next year looks like it might tell us, though perhaps to really know we would have needed Martin to be on a Ducati too?Ducati certainly seem to think so, or at least they couldn't run the risk of losing him to another manufacturer.
trevalvole said:
stevemcs said:
I think i would prefer to se 93 on a slightly inferior bike so that he tries harder, the best rider on the best bike doesn't bode well for a championship.
Re. the discussion five pages back on peak Marquez being pre-shoulder injury, are we sure that he is still the best rider? Next year looks like it might tell us, though perhaps to really know we would have needed Martin to be on a Ducati too?As it stands Marc has beaten him numerous times this season already on a base spec GP23 in a 3rd tier team having ridden something completely different for his entire career.
If Martin is as good as he says he is, I expect him to show adaptability.
Yazza54 said:
As it stands Marc has beaten him numerous times this season already on a base spec GP23 in a 3rd tier team having ridden something completely different for his entire career.
I agree that Marc has achieved a lot in his first season on a Ducati, but Martin has also beaten him numerous times this season and is on 171 points vs. 136, so I don't think it is clear who is currently the best rider.trevalvole said:
Re. the discussion five pages back on peak Marquez being pre-shoulder injury, are we sure that he is still the best rider? Next year looks like it might tell us, though perhaps to really know we would have needed Martin to be on a Ducati too?
Judging by the number of younger riders that had arm pump issues at Mugello, Aleix saying if the race was 3 laps longer and he would struggle to turn the bike, contrast with Marquez stated that he was really happy with his physical performance. So yes, I think the arm is right.
trevalvole said:
Yazza54 said:
As it stands Marc has beaten him numerous times this season already on a base spec GP23 in a 3rd tier team having ridden something completely different for his entire career.
I agree that Marc has achieved a lot in his first season on a Ducati, but Martin has also beaten him numerous times this season and is on 171 points vs. 136, so I don't think it is clear who is currently the best rider.It's pointless debating this stuff but just look how desperate Ducati were to keep Marc Vs Martin. When you weigh up all the variables and circumstances and the fact we are still quite early on in the season it's easy to look past the current points table.
Marc has proven himself more than anyone by showing immense adaptability, no one actually knows whether Martin will be any good on an Aprilia. Given he doesn't seem to be able to be on the pace on his GP24 with a soft rear tyre how's he going to cope with a completely new bike? This is why it is more of a danger to let Marc go.
What I would say is I don't think that any one rider is currently lightyears ahead of any other these days, but being the best rider is more than just pumping a dominant performance in when things are going your way, it's about working at it and turning lemons into lemonade when things aren't going your way. IMO Marc does this better than anyone...
People were so quick to criticise him leaving Honda but he was putting his body on the line every weekend to come 6th or something while his fellow honda riders floundered in 15th ... He was doing amazing stuff then too, just wasn't on the podium so no one other than the true racing fans that understand what's going on actually took note.
All of this stuff recently and some of the comments I've read has made me realise just how many absolute mouth breathers consider themselves fans of our sport. They are so blinded by their own hatred for a particular sports person they will spin anything they do against them and always belittle them when they achieve something, instead of being able to take stock and have a balanced view of what theyre seeing.
Makes me sad.
(I don't mean anyone here BTW.. stuff I've read on FB, Insta etc.)
Edited by Yazza54 on Thursday 6th June 16:30
John D. said:
Ditto.
He's always pushed harder and gone quicker in left handers though.
Agreed on both points with you and Yazza. Yep there has always been that left handed thing (for me it was right handed due to living in a new town with stacks of roundabouts and enjoying melting knee sliders) but you can see the difference in his posture pre and post shoulder injury that looks like a lack of strength issue.He's always pushed harder and gone quicker in left handers though.
Have to say i think this is the best season for ages and after my initial doubt over the sprint races, that wasn't helped with the amount of trashed bikes and riders when they first started, they have really brought something to the party and added big time to the weekend.
Going to be interesting to see Marc on the factory bike next season, if it goes how we all expect everyone else will have to seriously up their game.
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