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2019 MotoGP

  • Maverick Vinalez won at the Dutch MotoGP 2019 round to end Yamaha’s year-long drought of race wins.

  • Marc Marquez finished in 2nd place.

  • Fabio Quartararo finished on the podium again.

Maverick Vinalez (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) won at the Dutch MotoGP 2019 round to end Yamaha’s year-long drought of race wins.

Vinalez had battled all race long with the youngest back-to-back pole sitter Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Sepang Racing Team) and World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda). The trio traded places on and on until Quartararo had to slow down due to incessant speed wobbles. Both Vinalez and Marquez passed him without hesitation, to set up a two-bike battle in the closing laps.

Vinalez finally prevailed from Lap 18 to end the race 5 seconds ahead of Marquez. The latter seemingly slowing down to settle for 2nd position to protect his lead in the championship. Indeed, he revealed in the post-race interview that his goal was to finish ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) and Danilo Petrucci (Dovizioso’s teammate).

Quartararo made it home in 3rd for his second podium finish in his first season. He had battled through arm pump to stay ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.

Photo credit – MotoGP.com

His teammate Franco Morbidelli pushed up the field to pass Petrucci on the final lap to finish 5th.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) fought back against Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) to grab 6th.

Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati) and Andrea Iannone (Gresini Aprilia) rounded off the top 10.

It was another nightmare race for Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha) who crashed together with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) at high speed. Nakagami was stretchered off the track side.

Marc Marquez had predicted a strong race, if not a victory, but one of the Yamahas after witnessing their pace throughout the weekend. As in the previous race at Catalunya, the Yamahas demonstrated higher midcorner speeds and ease of being flicked side-to-side, fitting the twisting format of the Assen track well. Suzuki also had this advantage but Alex Rins crashed out from the lead on Lap 3.

It was Marquez’s remarkable skills to put the Honda in 2nd place. The next closest Honda of Cal Crutchlow was way back in 6th.

The Ducatis couldn’t take advantage of their towering engine power and straightline speed at the Cathedral of Speed. As Dovizioso remarked earlier this season, the Ducati Desmosedici GP19 still has trouble with keeping its line in midcorner, thereby hampering the riders from applying the throttle earlier.

Photo credit MotoGP.com

Marquez currently leads the championship with a substantial 44 points clear of Dovizioso in second. Indeed, the cameras caught a despondent-looking Dovizioso sipping his drink in his paddock after the race.

What about Quartararo’s speed wobbles/tank slapper? As pointed out by our veteran journalist friend, both the Yamahas and Suzukis suffered the same problem down the back straight due to the strong crosswind. The two manufacturers’ bikes are set up for quick-steering hence have less stability, compared to the Honda RC213V, Ducati Desmosedici and KTM RC16.

The next round is at Sachsenring, Germany.

  • Miguel Oliveira will continue to ride for KTM in the 2020 MotoGP season.

  • He has so far impressed everyone this season.

  • He is currently in front of a number of more experienced men in the standings.

KTM secures Miguel Oliveira through the 2020 MotoGP season.

The Portuguese rookies has so far impressed everyone in the 2019 season, including veteran riders on the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike. He will continue to ride for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team next year.

He was riding further up the field in the season opener at Qatar but dropped down to 17that the finish after destroying his tyres. But he learned quickly and fought hard for 9thwith Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia and Pol Espargaro on the factory KTM, before settling for 11th. In Austin, Oliveira finished 14thbehind Johann Zarco on the factory KTM.

Oliveira came oh-so-close to winning the 2018 Moto2 championship, by winning 3 races and standing on the podium a total of 12 times. He would eventually end the season with just 9 points behind Francesco Bagnaia.

His results had him promoted to MotoGP right away, albeit to the Tech3 satellite team. But it didn’t matter, since both Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing teams share the same factory-spec KTM RC16.

Oliveira is now 16thin the standings, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Ianone, Johann Zarco, Tito Rabat and teammate Hafizh Syahrin.

Sumber imej: Fox Sports Asia
  • Ketua pasukan Red Bull KTM Tech 3, Herve Poncharal mengakui yang dia berasa “berang” dengan Hafizh Syahrin.
  • Dia telah berkongsi perasaannya itu sewaktu pusingan MotoGP Argentina.
  • Hafizh Syahrin mensasarkan untuk mendapat keputusan yang lebih baik dari teman sepasukan baharunya, Miguel Oliveira pada tahun ini.

(more…)

  • Red Bull KTM Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal admitted that he was “very angry” at Hafizh Syahrin.

  • The outspoken Frenchman shared his thoughts during the Argentina MotoGP.

  • Hafizh Syahrin’s target is to go better than his new teammate Miguel Oliveira this year.

Oh dear, this doesn’t sound good at all. Red Bull KTM Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal admitted that he was “very angry” at Hafizh Syahrin.

The outspoken Frenchman spilled his guts when interviewed by MotoGP trackside announcer Simon Crafar during the weekend’s Argentina MotoGP.

“Hafizh, this is something very strange, but we’ve been through that before,” said Poncharal, alluding to his previous “motivational” talk with the rider at Misano last year.

Herve Poncharal – Photo credit GPOne

“He finished ninth last year for his second race in MotoGP, we know the guy has potential.”

“And yesterday FP1 was a disaster. He was looking almost like you (Simon Crafar) or me riding the bike around the track. I was really angry.”

“But after three laps in FP2, he improved by a full two seconds, which is a lot. Changed nothing on the bike, but clearly there is something is his head. At the moment he doesn’t dare to push, for reasons I can’t explain, he can’t explain.”

However, Poncharal gave assurance that the KTM Tech 3 team is fully behind Hafizh in his quest.

Hafizh Syahrin’s Thoughts

Motosport.com asked Hafizh for his opinion regarding Poncharal’s strong words. “Yesterday morning was (a) similar feeling like Qatar and also in the test. I didn’t find any good grip with the bike.”

“And after that we make a small change (which Poncharal said they didn’t change anything on the bike), and really surprised for me, and I feel a different bike, and we improve.”

Hafizh admits that that he’s still adapting to the bike. “Now I start to understand this bike more or less 90 percent. I just need a little bit more laps.”

Our Take

Before you jump on Poncharal, consider this: MotoGP is business. It’s not some fancy hobby of the rich who employ riders to blast around tracks worldwide. MotoGP is not horse racing and the riders are not horse jockeys.

Now, sponsors have the very right of seeing their logos on the bikes they sponsored and it’s not exactly cheap in MotoGP. These sponsors may say, “We use the top level of motorsports i.e. MotoGP to develop our technologies,” but it’s about brand visibility. Sponsors want to be associated with winners. Would you sponsor a fly-by-night team? You wouldn’t.

Unfortunately, only the front runners and crashers who get the most visibility during a race weekend. The cameras will focus on the front runners 99% of the time; the footage beamed into millions of homes around the world.

In other words, teams and riders at the back of the field are “invisible,” unless they crash. Even then, the front runners who crashed receive more air time. Sponsors will have a hard time justifying the costs to their stakeholders and start pressuring the manufacturer. The manufacturer then pushes the team boss, and the team boss goes down to the pits and start kicking butts.

Sepang International Circuit CEO and Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team principal, Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali was asked about Hafizh Syahrin’s performance during a recent interview. He said that he had a talk with Hafizh at Qatar. “I gave him a stern advice: Do not look at the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team as a backup, since we’ve signed Morbidelli and Quartararo for two years,” said Dato’ Razlan.

He also added that getting into MotoGP could be relatively easy, but staying in MotoGP is entirely a different matter. “Tech 3’s target for Hafizh in 2019 was to go faster than his new teammate Miguel Oliveira.”

“I also told him to stop comparing the KTM with the Yamaha he rode last year.”

As with Poncharal, SIC supports Hafizh’s venture. “We’ve gone the whole length of trying to help Hafizh, including signing on a sport psychologist for him.

BikesRepublic.com hopes Hafizh Syahrin will rise to the challenge quickly. We understand that being a MotoGP rider isn’t easy but it’s a world based on results.

*NOTE:

Many top riders also suffered with grip at the Termas Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina. Apart from MotoGP, the circuit is hardly used throughout each year. Consequently, the surface lacks grip. Maverick Vinalez qualified second but lost 1.5 seconds per lap to winner Marc Marquez. Alex Rins could qualify no better than 16thon his Suzuki and had to be satisfied with finishing 5th. Johann Zarco on the factory KTM also suffered, finishing in 15th, one place ahead of Hafizh Syahrin. Andrea Dovizioso said he was disappointed in finishing 3rdafter nursing his worn tyres home.

  • Marc Marquez destroyed the field in the 2019 Argentina MotoGP.

  • Valentino Rossi celebrated his 23 years in GP racing by finishing 2nd on the podium.

  • Andrea Dovizioso finished 3rdafter nursing his worn tyres.

While many had expected reigning MotoGP champion to win at the 2019 Argentina MotoGP, no one had thought he’d destroy the entire field. He left the riders behind him to fight tooth and nail for the last two podium positions, ending with Valentino Rossi claiming second place ahead of Andrea Dovizioso on the final lap.

Putting the nightmares of last season and the start of the weekend behind him, Marquez (Repsol Honda) blasted into the lead from the get-go and never looked back. He led as much as 12 seconds before backing off in the last few laps to take the chequered flag.

The battle for second and third position ensued among Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha), Andrea Dovizioso (Team Winnow Ducati), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Sepang Yamaha Racing Team), Maverik Vinalez (Monster Energy Yamaha), Danilo Petrucci (Team Winnow Ducati), Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda).

Photo credit MotoGP.com

The group saw multiple position changes throughout the race, including trading paint and leaving tyre marks on rivals’ leathers.

Early casualty was Crutchlow who was called to serve a ride through penalty due to jumping the start. Dorna and the FIM had installed new jumpstart cameras and caught the Englishman moving forward by just 0.0001s before the red lights went out. He would eventually finish 13th.

Soon, Petrucci was dropped by the group. Rossi, Dovizioso, Miller and Morbidelli were caught in an exciting high-speed duel. Rossi and Dovi managed to pull clear at the end, leaving the men behind to chop and block each other.

Rossi and Dovi exchanged position a number of times, but the Ducati rider couldn’t pull away as he was trying to conserve his worn tyres. Rossi then put a block pass on Dovizioso at Turn 7 on the last lap and took off to take second place.

The podium finish celebrated Rossi’s 23 years of his involvement in GP racing.

Photo credit MotoGP.com

By now, Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) rode a steady race from 16th on the grid to join the group. In the battle than ensued between Miller, Vinalez and Morbidelli, the trip went three wide as they headed into Turn 7. Miller was on the inside, Morbidelli on the outside, sandwiching Vinalez. Miller managed to slip through, followed by Vinalez and Morbidelli. Miller’s block pass means Vinalez had to hold his throttle, causing Morbidelli to smash into Vinalez’s back wheel. Both riders were knocked out of the race with just a few corners to go.

Alex Rins slipped through to claim 5thwith Petrucci behind him.

Photo credit MotoGP.com

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) finished 7th to cap off a strong weekend; Fabio Quartaro (Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team) impressed in 8th; Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) took 9th; and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory) rounded out the Top 10.

Further down the field, rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) put in another impressive race to come home in 11th; Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda) had a horrid start and finished 12th; Crutchlow in 13th; Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Ducati) in 14th; Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory) couldn’t capitalize on his soft tyres and dropped all the way back to 15th; Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in 16th; and Andrea Ianone (Aprilia Racing) took the last spot.

  • Repsol Honda unveils the bike for the MotoGP 2019 campaign.

  • It was the 25thanniversary of Repsol and Honda’s partnership.

  • Some “modifications” are seen on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike, although the 2019 bike has the exact same livery.

For those waiting to see the 2019 Repsol Honda bike were surely disappointed as the livery remains unchanged.

Many had expected a new colour scheme as the Spanish petroleum giant and Honda celebrate the 25thanniversary of their collaboration. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the stale same-ol’-same-ol’ stripes.

However, there seem to be a few notable differences on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike (pictured above).

  • Polished aluminium frame and swingarm.
  • The fuel tank is extended at the rear. Lorenzo prefers to push his weight further back.
  • An extended seat stop.
  • Both bikes sport larger aerobodies.

The launch was held at the Sentul circuit in Indonesia. Current riders Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo were joined by past Repsol Honda champions Mick Doohan and Alex Creville.

L-R: Mick Doohan, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Creville

The Repsol-Honda partnership began in 1994 when Doohan won the first of his five world 500cc GP championship. Alex Creville won the 1999 championship when Doohan crashed heavily during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez and retired.

Of course, both current riders spewed team savvy answers about how happy they are with the team, how they are confident in winning, yada, yada, yada.

Marc Marquez will be in action at the shakedown test from 1st to 3rd February prior to the first 2019 pre-season testing from 6th to 8th February. Both tests will be held at the Sepang International Circuit.

  • The factory Ducati Team launched the Ducati Desmosedici GP19.

  • Factory riders Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Pramac rider Jack Miller will ride the GP19 in MotoGP 2019.

  • It now sports a full-red livery.

The factory Ducati Team launched the Ducati Desmosedici GP19 for the MotoGP 2019 season.

The launch was aired “live” from the Philip Morris Cube in Neuchâtel, Switzerland early this morning. Attendees at the launch were team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci. Factory and team luminaries including Claudio Domenicali, Paolo Ciabatti, Davide Tardozzi, Luigi Dall’Igna, among others.

The Desmosedici GP19 now sports a fully-red livery without white and grey stripes. The Mission Winnow sponsorship is actually part of Philip Morris International (PMI).

Apart from the livery, the GP19 looks similar to its Desmosedici GP18 predecessor. However, the giant air intake at the front of the fairing has more rounded edges, especially at the bottom. Our guess it to maintain a steady flow of intake air as rounder shapes promote better surface tension. Hence the airflow “sticks” together rather than turn “choppy.”

Besides that, there are “whisker” aerobodies on both sides of the upper fairing.

To those who asked if the “lunchbox” is still there, yes, it is still there underneath the tailsection.

Although the GP19 many look outwardly similar to the older bike, we suspect much underneath have evolved. Remember, MotoGP will use a unified (standard) IMU this year.

There are claims on the internet that the GP19 may produce as much as 300 bhp. It could very well be true as the GP17 and GP18 were already eputed to produce around 280 bhp.

Dovizioso finished as the bridesmaid for the last two seasons. He’s confident that the new bike will help him seal Ducati’s second MotoGP championship since Casey Stoner did so in 2007.

  • Jorge Lorenzo has finally spoken about his first impressions on the Repsol Honda.

  • He rode it at the Valencia and Jerez post-season tests last year.

  • He joins Marc Marquez as part of Honda’s assault on the MotoGP championship next year.

Jorge Lorenzo says the Honda RC213V suits him better than the Ducati Desmosedici.

The five-time World Champion shocked almost everyone when he announced his switch from the Ducati MotoGP team to the Repsol Honda beginning this year. He took over Dani Pedrosa’s reins in the team after the latter announced his retirement from competitive riding.

Lorenzo has since ridden the Honda RC213V during the Valencia and Jerez post-2018 season tests. However, this was the first time he spoke out as his contract with Ducati expired at the end of 2018.

“Last season I rode a completely different bike, that was very big and very tall,” Lorenzo said. “Maybe it was a little too big for me. The Honda suits me better in terms of its dimensions. It is more compact, a smaller and lower bike, with which I can lean over better.”

“I felt a little more confident when entering corners, because the closer you are to the ground, the more confidence you have. The first impression was positive and I saw a lot of potential there.”

“In those moments your expression speaks for itself. It’s all very exciting, very new and enjoyable. Also, if the initial feeling is good, you can tell even more from your expression.”

Honda made a number of modifications to the bike for Lorenzo by the second test in Jerez.

It included a grippy fuel tank, which was similar to the changes made to the Ducati Desmosedici GP18. He won the Italian MotoGP immediately following the modification.

“One of the things that impressed me most was the ability of the Repsol Honda Team to react, providing what you ask for,” he said. “I was quite clear, Honda took note of all my indications and within a few days they had everything ready and we had a fuel tank almost one hundred percent to my liking.”

Lorenzo knows he has joined the most successful MotoGP team and looks forward to the opportunities that lay ahead of him. Indeed, the Honda team had won 15 riders’ championships, including Marc Marquez’s last year.

“Repsol Honda may be the most successful team in history,” he said. “They have the most victories and titles.”

“To compare them with a football team, they would be a Barcelona or a Real Madrid. There is no team with more titles and more importance worldwide than this one.”

The rider and his new teammate Marc Marquez are set for the first 2019 Winter Test at the Sepang International Circuit from 1stto 3rdFebruary 2019.

Source: Crash.net

  • The provisional 2019 MotoGP has finally been revealed.

  • Mexico and Finland are not included.

  • The 2019 season will kick off earlier.

Dorna has revealed the 2019 MotoGP calendar.

As speculated earlier, the 2019 season will not include Mexico and Finland as expected earlier, as the track in Mexico City is deemed too dangerous for 350 km/h motorcycles while the Kymiring circuit in Finland is still under construction. They are expected to join in the 2020 season.

Next year’s calendar may look the same as this year’s, but there are a few changes.

The 2019 season begins at Qatar on 10th March, which is earlier than usual and one week ahead of *cough* F1, instead of the other way around. Argentina follows three weeks later and the United States after that in two weeks.

The championship will only head to Europe for the first of the five – yes, five! Greedy buggers –  Spanish rounds at Jerez on 5th May. The customary 3-week summer break follows after Sachsenring, Germany.

The British GP will still be held at Silverstone. The circuit needs to solve the drainage problems if it wants to remain on the MotoGP calendar, after this year’s embarrassing cancellation. Dorna has demanded the changes.

A big change is the San Marino GP at Misano which will be moved a week later to 15th September to avoid clashing again with the high-speed procession that’s F1 at Monza. This means San Marino and the other Spanish round at Aragon back-to-back. It is going to be a challenge for logistics as the two tracks are separated by 1500 kilometres.

The final five rounds follow the same order, including the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang International Airport on 3rd November 2019 as the penultimate round.

Date Grand Prix Venue
March 10th Qatar* Losail International Circuit
March 31st República Argentina Termas de Río Hondo
April 14th Americas Circuit of The Americas
May 5th Spain Circuito de Jerez
May 19th France Le Mans
June 2nd Italy Autodromo del Mugello
June 16th Catalunya Barcelona – Catalunya
June 30th Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
July 7th Germany Sachsenring
August 4th Czech Republic Automotodrom Brno
August 11th Austria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg
August 25th Great Britain Silverstone Circuit
September 15th San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
September 22nd Aragón MotorLand Aragón
October 6th Thailand Chang International Circuit
October 20th Japan Twin Ring Motegi
October 27th Australia Phillip Island
November 3rd Malaysia Sepang International Circuit
November 17th Comunitat Valenciana Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo

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