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Moto3 2019

  • John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.

  • He had also given the team their first Moto3 pole position.

  • Tatsuki Suzuki had again led the most laps before crashing out.

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.

The Scottish rider had see-saw beginning to the weekend but managed to capture pole position in Q2. He was also fastest during the morning’s warm-up session.

McPhee was third at the end of Lap 1 but he hung in there, keeping himself in the top three for most parts of the race.

Again, it was Tatsuki Suzuki who led from the start. Although pursued closely by the group, Suzuki controlled the pace from the front. Unfortunately, his bike’s rear tyre slid under him in Turn 3 on Lap 17.

By then McPhee and Lorenzo Dalla Porta have gone through. Suzuki’s crash opened up a gap behind the duo, leaving them to duke it out to the finish. But it was McPhee who held the advantage from the penultimate lap and past the finish line. Della Porta finished second, while Aaron Canet battled his way up to come home in third.

The victory was also the first podium for McPhee in three years.

French Moto3 Top 5 Finish:
  1. John McPhee
  2. Lorenzo Della Porta
  3. Aaron Canet
  4. Gabriel Rodrigo
  5. Andrea Migno
  • Aaron Canet won the Moto3 race at the Grand Prix of the Americas after a frantic final lap.

  • Early leader Tatsuki Suzuki crashed, setting the pack loose to battle for the win.

  • Canet and Masia now both lead the championship.

Spanish rider Aaron Canet won the Moto3 race at the Grand Prix of the Americas after a frantic final lap.

The race began with a high-speed train of riders but Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took the lead and soon opened up a large gap. Eventual winner Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) kept up the pursuit and cleared himself from the pursing group.

Tatsuki Suzuki – Photo credit MotoGP.com

But with eight laps to go, riders started to crash including the returning Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers). He was caught out by the notorious bumps in Turn 18. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) had nowhere to go and collected Fenati’s bike, sending him off the track as well.

Turn 18 also claimed another victim in the form of championship leader Kaito Toba.

Kaito Toba – Photo credit MotoGP.com

Up front, Suzuki seemed to have made a mistake with six laps to go, allowing the Canet to catch up, while the pursing group caught Canet in turn.

The pressure seemed to catch up with Suzuki. With just less than five laps to go, the Japanese rider entered a corner too fast and lost the rear end of his bike and crashed.

His misfortune set the pack free to battle among themselves. Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) overtook Canet into second while Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) slotted into third, followed by Jaume Masia (Migno’s teammate).

Jaume Masia – Photo credit MotoGP.com

A frantic battle ensued among the four, which included contact between Masia and Rodrigo which sent the latter backwards.

Canet planned his attack to perfection and overtook Migno with two laps to go. He would escape the fracas behind when Masia, Migno and Rodrigo started chopping among themselves.

Gabriel Rodrigo – Photo credit MotoGP.com

In the end, Canet cross the line first, followed by Masia, Migno and Rodrigo. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the Top 5.

The results mean Jaume Masia and Aaron Canet leads the championship with 45 points each, while Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Niccolo Antonelli both hold second and third with 32 points each. Kaito Toba falls to fifth with 31 points.

Hafizh Syahrin bersama teman sepasukan, Miguel Oliveira – Sumber imej: Malaysiazine
  • Terdapat banyak perubahan yang telah disenaraikan bagi MotoGP musim 2019.
  • Antara perubahan tersebut adalah dari segi penunggang, sesi kelayakan, dan juga aspek teknikal.
  • Perubahan-perubahan ini dijangka akan menjadikannya satu lagi musim yang mengujakan.

(more…)

  • Many changes are in store for MotoGP 2019.

  • The changes include riders, qualifying and technical areas.

  • Looks like it is going to be another exciting season.

The 2018 MotoGP season had just ended nary a week ago, but the MotoGP 2019 season has already begun.

The MotoGP field is now testing in Valencia. Certain riders have made the move to their new teams, new teams are formed, and new bikes have arrived. There are many changes for next year and it’s going to be another exciting season.

So, let’s take a look at the ten things to look forward to.

1. Hafizh Syahrin on Factory KTM

Hafizh Syahrin and teammate Miguel Oliveira – Courtesy of Malaysiazine

Hafizh Syahrin is retained by the Tech 3 team for the 2019 season. As we’ve reported earlier, Tech 3 made the move as KTM will supply the team with full factory bikes. There was no doubt that his performance in the second half of 2018 had been hampered by the 2017 Yamaha YZR-M1. Hafizh will certainly climb the rankings once he gets to grips with the RC16. Hafizh’s teammate is ex-Moto2 rider Miguel Oliveira. The KTMs will be developed by test rider Dani Pedrosa.

2. SIC Petronas Yamaha Sprinta Racing Team

Petronas Yamaha SRT – Courtesy of autosport

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) announced their own MotoGP team in collaboration with Petronas and Yamaha. SIC had contracted the 2017 Moto2 Champion Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo as riders. More interestingly, however, is that Morbidelli will be riding the same A-Spec Yamaha YZR-M1 as Rossi and Vinalez.

3. Marc Marquez + Jorge Lorenzo = Dream Team?

Marquez Lorenzo – courtesy of motorsport magazine

It was a big surprise when five-time world champion Lorenzo announced his move to Repsol Honda to join nine-time world champion Marc Marquez. Honda had made it clear that they will not produce two different bikes to suit each rider, but will it be a compromise or will it still favour Marquez? Both riders have distinctively different riding styles, after all.

4. Johann Zarco on Factory KTM

Johann Zarco on KTM – Courtesy of visordown

Two-time Moto2 Champion, MotoGP Rookie of the Year 2017 and top independent rider for two years running, Johann Zarco is promoted to the factory Red Bull KTM team for 2019. Zarco isn’t shy to run up front with the leaders and we hope he’ll do it again, besides securing his maiden MotoGP win.

5. Danilo Petrucci on Factory Ducati

Danilo Petrucci had proved himself well on the satellite Pramac Ducati since 2017. His efforts have been rewarded with a factory ride from next year, partnering Andrea Dovizioso. Will that elusive first MotoGP victory happen in 2019?

6. Jack Miller on Ducati GP19

Jack “Jackass” Miller will relish his chances on the Ducati Desmosedici GP19, the same bike as factory riders Dovizioso and Petrucci. Miller is already a winner in the class and had qualified on pole position a number of times in 2018. Look out for this guy.

7. Standard IMU 

Unlike Formula 1, technical changes seem to have worked wonders for MotoGP. Racing is now much closer since the introduction of a standard ECU since 2016.

MotoGP is going further this year by supplying a standard IMU (inertial measurement unit).

The IMU measures the pitch, yaw and lean angle of the bike and sends the signal to the ECU to formulate precise traction control strategies. This technology is currently used on certain road bikes for the same purpose, plus Cornering ABS. But ABS is not allowed in MotoGP.

There’ve been concerns that there may be teams who are manipulating the signals from their own IMUs to trigger advantageous strategies from the ECU. The results are telling especially in terms of tyre wear. A standard IMU should close the gap between rival teams further.

8. Standard CAN Bus Connector

CAN (Controller Area Network) bus connectors are the “middle men” between the sensors and ECU. Similarly, there is also suspicion that electronics are used inside the connectors to manipulate signals that are being sent to the ECU.

As such, MotoGP will also issue standard CAN bus connectors in 2019.

9. Triumph in Moto2

Let’s head over to Moto2. Triumph is the exclusive engine supplier beginning next year. The 765cc triple is based on the Street Triple RS. Riders who had tested the new engine loved it for its mix of torque and horsepower. It has even broken lap records before the start of the official testing season!

10. New Moto3 and Moto2 Qualifying Format

The two classes will see a new practice and qualifying format as MotoGP. The difference is the 14 fastest riders on combined times from FP1, FP2 and FP3 will automatically go through to Qualifying 2 (Q2). The 4 fastest riders in Q1 are promoted to Q2.

  • Pasukan Petronas SIC MotoGP telah mengesahkan keseluruhan barisan penunggang mereka bagi musim 2019.
  • Untuk kelas MotoGP, Franco Morbidelli dan Fabio Quartararo akan mengemudi jentera Yamaha YZR-M1.
  • Bagi kelas Moto2 dan Moto3 pula, Khairul Idham Pawi bersama dengan Ayumu Sasaki dan John McPhee akan membawa cabaran ke atas grid perlumbaan bagi musim 2019.

(more…)

  • The Petronas SIC MotoGP squad has confirmed their entire rider line-up for 2019.

  • For MotoGP, Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo will be riding the Yamaha YZR-M1.

  • As for Moto2 and Moto3, Khairul Idham Pawi together with Ayumu Sasaki and John McPhee will be bringing the fight to the grid in 2019.

During a grand presentation yesterday in conjunction with the GoPro British Grand Prix MotoGP round at Silverstone, the Petronas SIC (Sepang International Circuit) outfit has confirmed their entire rider line-up for 2019. A few surprises have been thrown into the mix so let’s get to it, shall we? (more…)

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