Absolutely. Iannone was one of my favorite riders to watch in Moto2 because of how he fought and battled with riders. Marquez, last year, was under a lot of heat from the older guys saying he was too aggressive. It was great to see him scrap it out and really back up what he said last year to everyone (which was essentially, "Bring it"). I can't wait to see how good the '15 Duc is (although we'll actually have to wait until '15 to see it). Hopefully, Iannone is competitive on it, and we'll actually see some good racing! His riding (and Marquez's riding) is good for the sport.



Ahh, that would make sense. I didn't re-watch it. Him removing the tear-off seemed like he was gesturing back to Marquez. But a tear-off makes a LOT more sense.




In theory, Bradl's bike is supposed to be the same bike that Marquez and Pedrosa have. In a lot of ways, it is. But as far as support from HRC with parts and data comparison, it's nowhere near what Repsol has, which explains why he does well FP1 and FP2, but the Repsol boys always seem to pull away from him in the race. However, Bautista's Gresini has different brakes and suspension, but the frame, engine, and software are the same.

We'll see how Cal does, but I have to be honest, I've been a bit put-off by him this year. I'm curious to see who his teammate will be (Miller, Rea, or E. Laverty).

 

I'd love to see Laverty get a better ride.

I think next season might be last chance saloon for Cal, if he can't produce the goods.

 

For Cal Ducati was the beginning of the end for him in GP. 2016 will be a far better season to see who's the better riders.

 

very good insight.
Racing Legend Wayne Rainey on Marc Marquez, Electronics, Dirt Track, and More

 

I agree. He was his own worst enemy. I'm sure Ducati is even more happy than he is to see that "partnership" end. I'm curious to see how he approaches Silverstone, since it's his home race. He seems checked-out, but I wonder if he tries a little harder for the last time he'll be at Silverstone.


But I'm even more surprised Bradley Smith was resigned at Tech3. I don't get it...I just don't. It's clear he can't consistently put in fast laps over a race distance. And it's ALWAYS an excuse. Something with the temperatures made his race pace fall off, or something else on the bike changed. It's as if he can't ride around one tiny little variable that will always inevitably happen in motorcycle racing.


And Redding's plans are still up in the air as well. While he's done okay, he hasn't done okay unless Hayden was sitting out (minus Qatar). Aoyama and Abraham aren't good for comparison. And he's another guy that says a lot of dumb things. He recently said "I'd rather sit at home next year than be on an Open bike." While I get that he wants to be on a factory bike, I can't stand hearing that from a rider/racer. I used to really like him last year, but some of the things he's said this year are just moronic (all of the TT banter), and to me, he doesn't seem to be setting the world on fire (not that Bautista is either). It seems as the terms of his contract has played out, so he should be on the RCV213 next year, I hope he does better and learns to think before he speaks. I'll be curious to see if any of the old P. Espargaro/Redding battles happen.

It was a treat to see the Iannone/Marquez battle, we need more of it.

It's frustrating to see guys that should have better rides have to sit on the sidelines. And Hawkie, both Rea and Laverty are guys that should have that chance. I thought that maybe Laverty might join A. Espargaro at Suzuki. But Vinales is tipped to do so instead... I hope Rea gets in. He did well filling in for Stoner in the past.

 

Indeed.

I'm not sure how the "open" software is going to get us there, but I can hope that we see less electronics.

 

Very interesting article.

I think he hits the nail on the head here.

 

Alright - Gresini is now going to be Aprilia's Factory MotoGP team.

Where do we think Redding will end up?

Do you think Bautista will stay at Gresini?

What other team (if any) will get an RCV213? Will MarcVDS come to GP?

How does this play out for Suzuki?

 

Avintia has just announced that they're running Ducati's next year....


This is AMAZING news if you ask me. Next year will see 2 new manufacturers, which can only be good for us spectators.

 

I think Redding will still be with Honda in some form of another, he's well liked and respected there for how he's performed this season.

Suzuki have had a great first season back in WSBK, but I think they're having tyre life issues, they can stick with the leaders for 10 laps and then they seem to fade fast as the grip falls away. Are they planning a MoTo GP campaign as well? I would love to see Kawasaki back in the mix as well.