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MotoGP 2018
- Thread starter johnscruiser
- Start date
Winales_2017
Well-known member
Neither do I, actually; Honda will bend over backwards for Marc as they are really struggling to maintain their image in motorsports intact. Outside of Motorcycles it hasn't been going very well, and HRC just lost their closest battle in over a decade to KTM at this year's Dakar with Bort dropping out due to an injured leg. (Funny enough, Marc was on Spanish TV commentating and all the riders asked him when he was going to make it out to Dakar as he is a big fan.)
Money wise, I'm sure Marc could ask for whatever he wants at this point and they'd probably give it to him--who else could realistically handle that machine other than him--so why would he leave?
Ducati were almost sold this year from VW group who've been bleeding money like crazy. I'm not saying they wouldn't remain in Motogp if sold, but its not worth the risk whereas HRC/Honda have to be the Team that is backed by the most financially secure company on the grid with Yamaha and Suzuki rounding the top 3 in my opinion.
A personal observation: I think after 2015 when a bunch of sponsors dropped Marc but Honda stuck by him and didn't even question why he did that in Sepang in the media it made him a Lifer, so its logical he will probably finish his career like Dani until he can segue into Team management, which is where Dani really should be in the next 2 years.
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Or have the new team manager heavily prefer the rider in the other side of the garage, but that will never happen... hehe
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more silly season fodder...
https://twitter.com/matoxley/status/966640242873782272
"I'm not usually one for silly season tittle-tattle, but how about this: Rossi will ride for factory-backed VR46 team in 2019 to give the team a nice sponsorship golden hello..."
Can't tell if it's something he's just throwing out there, or something heard....
Juicy stuff...
https://twitter.com/matoxley/status/966640242873782272
"I'm not usually one for silly season tittle-tattle, but how about this: Rossi will ride for factory-backed VR46 team in 2019 to give the team a nice sponsorship golden hello..."
Can't tell if it's something he's just throwing out there, or something heard....
Juicy stuff...
oh boy...
https://twitter.com/MotoGPJules/status/966628953736826880
"BOMBSHELL! Yamaha and Tech 3 to part company at end of this season."
https://twitter.com/MotoGPJules/status/966628953736826880
"BOMBSHELL! Yamaha and Tech 3 to part company at end of this season."
more...
The Angel Nieto Team (formerly named Aspar) is rumoured (or is officially? i can't read spanish well) to be becoming a satellite yamaha team.
https://as.com/motor/2018/02/22/motociclismo/1519320602_708789.html
if you squint and connect the dots, VR46 is going somehow be connected to this, just not sure how. VR46 has a relationship with ANT. ANT has had several VR46 riders run his moto3 bikes, and Pablo Nieto operates the VR46 team.
So does VR46 then partner with ANT? Do they take over the grid slots? If VR46 runs their own motogp team, then why does ANT bother to switch to Yamaha, only to lose them a year or two later. I suppose a year old Yamaha is better than a 2-year old Ducati, but still... Fun stuff...
The Angel Nieto Team (formerly named Aspar) is rumoured (or is officially? i can't read spanish well) to be becoming a satellite yamaha team.
https://as.com/motor/2018/02/22/motociclismo/1519320602_708789.html
if you squint and connect the dots, VR46 is going somehow be connected to this, just not sure how. VR46 has a relationship with ANT. ANT has had several VR46 riders run his moto3 bikes, and Pablo Nieto operates the VR46 team.
So does VR46 then partner with ANT? Do they take over the grid slots? If VR46 runs their own motogp team, then why does ANT bother to switch to Yamaha, only to lose them a year or two later. I suppose a year old Yamaha is better than a 2-year old Ducati, but still... Fun stuff...
Tech 3 KTM in the future....
BigEvilDoer
Well-known member
Winales_2017
Well-known member
Huh... That is interesting, will Zarco stick with Yamaha if Rossi doesn't leave this year or will he do the KTM shift? Is Zarco's contract at Tech3 up at the end of this season? Bike development at Yamaha must have put a bad taste to make the partnership end, who will they end up partnering with in 2019, Honda? Ducati? KTM?
Its tricky, but if I were Suzuki I would be trying to woo him if the Works Yamaha seat doesn't pan out. But Rins seems to be to coming into his own this year so it may not be in the cards.
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Yeah, unless Smith kicks *** very early in the season, he's out between the two. I'm just not convinced KTM want to keep Pol either.
I can read Spanish, they say that Valentino will not be involved yet as owner, that he wants to continue to compete. Aspar will be the Tech 3 replacement moving from Ducati to the M1
N3WMAN
Well-known member
Neither of them have done anything noteworthy worth keeping them around for.
Winales_2017
Well-known member
Marc signs to 2020 with HRC:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/890028/1/marc-marquez-extends-honda-contract?page=4
Smart albeit predictable move by both HRC and Marc; Crashlow was going on and on about how difficult the bike has been (saying Miller was never able to do well in testing on the Honda) in the past few years, but the fact is that no one can come close to winning on that bike other than Marc and HRC know it, despite having 4 factory back riders this year!
I hope Dani gets another season after this so as to allow Mir to get up on to MotoGP and have those 2 in the same garage, that will be something special.
Harsh, but I would like to see Baz get a proper Factory ride, just to see how he would have faired as he has to be the Marc Webber of MotoGP, so maybe booting Smith for his seat would be ok.
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/890028/1/marc-marquez-extends-honda-contract?page=4
Smart albeit predictable move by both HRC and Marc; Crashlow was going on and on about how difficult the bike has been (saying Miller was never able to do well in testing on the Honda) in the past few years, but the fact is that no one can come close to winning on that bike other than Marc and HRC know it, despite having 4 factory back riders this year!
I hope Dani gets another season after this so as to allow Mir to get up on to MotoGP and have those 2 in the same garage, that will be something special.
Harsh, but I would like to see Baz get a proper Factory ride, just to see how he would have faired as he has to be the Marc Webber of MotoGP, so maybe booting Smith for his seat would be ok.
N3WMAN
Well-known member
Dani got 2/8 Honda wins in 2017. Crashlow(2), Miller(1), and Dani(1) all got wins in 2016 on the Honda. Marc got the most Honda wins both seasons, but he is not the only one on a Honda winning races.
Loris Baz? How is he the Mark Webber of MotoGP? Mark Webber won races. Baz is usually barely making it into the points. The only time he does remotely well is when it rains. Otherwise he finished a best of 17th in the points in his GP career. Hardly worth of a factory ride.
Winales_2017
Well-known member
None of those are Championship winning riders, and HRC knows it; and that was in a year when they had the most diverse race winner season, too.
Yes Loris Baz, he is rather young (24?) which isn't really that young in this era of motorsports I suppose, but I think he resembles him during his Jaguar era where you can see potential but machinery and genetics playing against him; like Webber he is way too tall for motorcycle racing when the average height of most top riders (barring Rossi) is well below 6 feet tall so he has to try that much harder.
I would of liked to see him at KTM or Aprillia after this recovery alone:
[video=youtube;xw4k2mjJI6E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw4k2mjJI6E[/video]
I know Tom Sykes doesn't think so either.
Winales_2017
Well-known member
Agreed, I really do want to believe Thailand is a one-off and that come Qatar he'll be up there.
As for Baz, probably; I don't make claims because they're popular, hence my Rossi posts, but because it would be interesting to see if he would be a rider to push beyond the limits of the bike just to prove he deserves to be on the grid. That always makes for exciting racing and hopefully rapid bike development. If he is championship material is another question entirely, but I would like to see him and Zarco pull KTM into title contention in a few years. That way Binder could team up with Zarco by 2020.
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