MotoGP 2020 (Spoilers)

[jim v]

Not looking good for Austin, a week after booking flights...

Looking even worse -

https://jalopnik.com/austin-motogp-s...rus-1842176915

...Now, the new season opener in Austin is looking very questionable after the city declared a local disaster and canceled the South by Southwest festival. The SXSW event was to begin this coming Friday and was expected to bring 75,000 people into the city. According to Austin Mayor Steve Adler, any event in the city with 2,500 or more people in attendance will be suspended unless the event organizers can prove that measures will be in place to contain the spread of contagious diseases.s...

[gixxer72]

Well moto2 was a good race, Roberts did a great job putting it on pole and had a great race. Awesome to see Hopper pumped up for the kid, I’ll be pulling for him this season.

[Tekime]

I was pretty bummed about Qatar but Moto2 made up for it. Roberts has a solid race... definitely cheering for him too. Nagashima was on fire!

[Tas]

I’m happy to watch Moto2 and follow Joe. Just Hope they keep running them.

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah, that was a super pleasant surprise. I haven't been following Moto2 closely enough to have heard about him prior to this past race. Made watching the race more interesting, that's for sure. Hope he becomes a mainstay

[loudbeard]

He was a nice idea last year, but was riding with the back of the pack on a KTM chassis. Really cool that American Racing has put a team together and put him on the new Kalex chassis, hopefully it won’t be long before we see what he can do with it over the course of a season. Certainly not a bad first showing!

[Kenn157]

This mornings virtual race was good. Seeing the racers in their homes and joking and having fun. I wish it was a longer race instead of the flying laps and 6 race laps. Also the center screen should be full screen. All in all it was good. Anything is better then nothing. Stay home and stay healthy!

[OreoGaborio]

The virtual race was definitely more entertaining than I had expected it to be. I figured it'd be good for a few laughs but my GF and I had shit eatin grins on our faces the whole time. Maybe it was just the novelty of it and it'll be boring as shit if they do it a ton, but for now I'm hoping they do more.

[union]

The virtual race was definitely more entertaining than I had expected it to be. I figured it'd be good for a few laughs but my GF and I had shit eatin grins on our faces the whole time. Maybe it was just the novelty of it and it'll be boring as shit if they do it a ton, but for now I'm hoping they do more.

Yep I'm sitting here watching today's virtual races. Doesn't replace real racing but it does have my attention. I'm enjoying it and would watch again if we don't get real racing soon. It is fun seeing the riders laugh off the hard racing and crashes. Maybe next time they need to get some of the more hot headed people in so they can rage quit and say derogatory comments like the nascar guys.

I kind of want this game now.

[JettaJayGLS]

Lots of strong rumors out there right now.

Pol > Repsol Honda
Alex M > LCR Honda
Cal > Retire? KTM?
Petrucci > KTM? Aprilia?
Jorge Martin > Pramac Ducati?

[gixxer72]

Lots of strong rumors out there right now.

Pol > Repsol Honda
Alex M > LCR Honda
Cal > Retire? KTM?
Petrucci > KTM? Aprilia?
Jorge Martin > Pramac Ducati?

Interesting. I could certainly support Cal retiring. Pol to the factory team and Petrux to KTM are headscratchers. I’m just ready to see them get back to racing.

[JettaJayGLS]

Petrux is just looking for a job at this point - it's either that or Ducati WSBK. Both options are likely his demise out of professional road racing. His personality and talent got him really far, and he should be super proud about what he's accomplished, but I think the teams know when to hang it up. He does not bring much other than popularity and a seemingly good attitude. I think they'll be saying the same of Andrea soon too.

I think Cal should retire before he takes another job. He's too old school, I don't think he would add much from a development point to any team. He must have a high price tag. He would probably do okay on a Ducati, but think it would be unwise of them to hire him.

Pol to Honda makes sense to me. He will probably do pretty good after all the experience riding the shit out of the KTM. But he won't do as well as Marc. Great teammate to have for the golden boy. The brothers thing was potentially a recipe for disaster. I'm just bummed for Pol to not see the KTM out, I feel like they're close and he could really cement a legacy with them with first win/dry podium (don't think they have this yet?). But money always talks, right? And if Pol wants a real shot at this, its tough to turn down a factory Honda ride.

[02redhawk]

I suspect Cal and Pertucci bring in a lot of viewers from their homelands. Both have shown they can win when everything lines up. Do I think either one is going to break Respol's grip...probably not but I'll bet the paddock would be worse w/o them. I don't recall any love between Pol and Marc and I'd be surprised if Honda kicked Alex to the side this soon. They've shown patience with young talent in the past (or did I miss something).

[JettaJayGLS]

I suspect Cal and Pertucci bring in a lot of viewers from their homelands. Both have shown they can win when everything lines up. Do I think either one is going to break Respol's grip...probably not but I'll bet the paddock would be worse w/o them. I don't recall any love between Pol and Marc and I'd be surprised if Honda kicked Alex to the side this soon. They've shown patience with young talent in the past (or did I miss something).

Unless Dorna puts up the money for Cal and Petrucci, that doesn't really mean anything in current times. Winning when everything lines up isn't what these teams need or want. They need someone to challenge Marc, or that can potentially grow to challenge Marc. They need to find the next Quatararo, not pay the Rossis.

Alex had a 1 year deal and Honda has no real reason not to kick him to the curb if a better option comes up. If I were Honda, I would prefer Marc to be focused on winning and not his brother. Pol is all but guaranteed to be a good teammate, not challenge him, and provide good feedback. Alex is a wildcard. Let him figure it out with LCR first. Just my view. The only reason to really keep Alex is if it is what Marc wants. In public, he has to say that's what he wants. Who know's what he really feels behind the scenes...but I can think of several reasons he would not want his brother as a teammate.

[tsorfas]

Cal retiring before Rossi. 2020 is a Wild year for sure

[Paul_E_D]

I thought Alex to repsol was a strange move. This makes more sense. Pol has been riding phenomenal on the KTM, and his style should suit the honda. He will surprise many I believe. KTM needs a race winner on their bike. Cal is actually a good development rider by all accounts AND race winner. That move makes sense for KTM at this point, even for 2 years. Not sure if Cal wants it though.

[JettaJayGLS]

I'm really pushing for Pol! I hope he stands on the podium before the end of the season. I think he can win a race if Marquez crashes.

Cal seems excited about the potential to go to Aprilia. I keep on thinking its going to be a Colin Edwards type exit...if the new Aprilia doesn't fare any better then the old one I expect it will be. I'm just nervous that Cal and Aleix's riding styles are going to push Aprilia's new bike down the wrong path - it doesn't Jive well with the the new comers in Moto 2 and you need to prep for the future. Then again, Ducati seem to be doing it just fine with a mandatory 2+ year learning curve.

[Paul_E_D]

I am also a fan of Pol. I think he can podium the Honda.

[loudbeard]

Ok that entire series of events with Marc was by far the craziest thing I’ve seen on a motorcycle. The save and keeping it up in the gravel trap was nuts. Tracking the field back down was amazing to watch. Also I’m 100% certain he binned it the second time because he was pushing to deny FQ20 his first win. He didn’t care about 2nd place, he believed he could close the gap and saw an opportunity to crush someone else’s soul.

I don’t know how anyone can watch an effort like that and hate Marquez. Dude is amazing and no one puts in the effort he does.

[gixxer72]

Ok that entire series of events with Marc was by far the craziest thing I’ve seen on a motorcycle. The save and keeping it up in the gravel trap was nuts. Tracking the field back down was amazing to watch. Also I’m 100% certain he binned it the second time because he was pushing to deny FQ20 his first win. He didn’t care about 2nd place, he believed he could close the gap and saw an opportunity to crush someone else’s soul.

I don’t know how anyone can watch an effort like that and hate Marquez. Dude is amazing and no one puts in the effort he does.

Great race and super happy for Fabio. There’s no way 93 was going to catch him though with the laps remaining.

Bummed Rins is injured.

[jimaug87]

It's funny how the same rider crashed twice in the same race and I had 2 different reactions. First time he was okay, just got sent to last place. Yay! We get to see a different race. The second one tho, that was nasty.

I've been pulling for Fabio since he had the mechanical with the shifter issue, but you hate to see guys get hurt. I wanted to see a race without MM93 in front, not without him at all.

[union]

Marc had an epic ride. He wasn't going to catch Fabio at all by the time he got back up there but he certainly deserved that second place. He has done that stuff before too. Always amazed at what he can do on two wheels. Hopefully he can recover quickly and get back to fighting for the championship. I'm super happy for Fabio. It was only a matter of time before he got his first win. So close so many times last season. Hope next week is a good race too.

[01xj]

That was wild. 16th to battling for 2nd in less than 15 laps. Unreal.

[gixxer72]

It's funny how the same rider crashed twice in the same race and I had 2 different reactions. First time he was okay, just got sent to last place. Yay! We get to see a different race. The second one tho, that was nasty.

.

Watch it in slo-mo, his right arm got mangled. Hopefully it’s just broken.

[Paul_E_D]

Ok that entire series of events with Marc was by far the craziest thing I’ve seen on a motorcycle. The save and keeping it up in the gravel trap was nuts. Tracking the field back down was amazing to watch. Also I’m 100% certain he binned it the second time because he was pushing to deny FQ20 his first win. He didn’t care about 2nd place, he believed he could close the gap and saw an opportunity to crush someone else’s soul.

I don’t know how anyone can watch an effort like that and hate Marquez. Dude is amazing and no one puts in the effort he does.

We are on the same page. Unreal. I mean the race, not that we are on the same page. lol