2014 Silly Season?...maybe spoilers

[Triple J]

True,

but at his worst still finished 4th IIRC.

Marquez had 2 non-scoring rounds.

JLo finished off the podium 4 times: DNS (Germany), 7th (France), 5th (Assen) & 6th (Laguna)

MM had 2 DNFs, but never missed the podium otherwise.

I'm not convinced that MM wouldn't have won it regardless. JLo would have had more points without his injury...but MM's team may not have been in such a gambling mood at Phillip Island if the points were closer.

[DanTheMan]

Also the last few races. Mm was not in a must win situation. So he didn't have to kill himself to be there.

[Triple J]

True. He clearly backed off the last 2 races.

[Spidey]

Just imagine the last coupla rounds if MM had been 15 pts behind with 3 rounds to go.  WOOHOOO!!!!!

[Speeddog]

Just imagine the last coupla rounds if MM had been 15 pts behind with 3 rounds to go.  WOOHOOO!!!!!

That would be epic!

Maybe we'll be lucky and get that in 2014. 

[ducpainter]

 These are the riders provisionally entered for participation in the 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship season:

4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO - ITALIAN - DUCATI TEAM - DUCATI *

5 COLIN EDWARDS - USA - NGM MOBILE FORWARD RACING - FTR YAMAHA         

6 STEFAN BRADL - GERMAN - LCR HONDA MotoGP - HONDA *

7 HIROSHI AOYAMA - JAPANESE - POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR - HONDA   

8 HECTOR BARBERA - SPANISH - AVINTIA BLUSENS - FTR         

9 DANILO PETRUCCI - ITALIAN - IODARACING PROJECT - TBA

17 KAREL ABRAHAM - CZECH - CARDION AB MOTORACING - HONDA         

19 ALVARO BAUTISTA - SPANISH - GO&FUN HONDA GRESINI - HONDA *

26 DANI PEDROSA - SPANISH - REPSOL HONDA TEAM - HONDA *

29 ANDREA IANNONE - ITALIAN - PRAMAC RACING - DUCATI *

35 CAL CRUTCHLOW - BRITISH - DUCATI TEAM - DUCATI *

38 BRADLEY SMITH - BRITISH - MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3 - YAMAHA *

41 ALEIX ESPARGARO - SPANISH - NGM MOBILE FORWARD RACING - FTR

YAMAHA   

44 POL ESPARGARO - SPANISH - MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3 - YAMAHA *

45 SCOTT REDDING - BRITISH - GO&FUN HONDA GRESINI - HONDA   

46 VALENTINO ROSSI - ITALIAN - YAMAHA FACTORY RACING - YAMAHA *     

63 MIKE DI MEGLIO - FRENCH - AVINTIA BLUSENS - FTR

68 YONNY HERNANDEZ - COLOMBIAN - PRAMAC RACING - DUCATI

69 NICKY HAYDEN - USA - POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR - HONDA     

70 MICHAEL LAVERTY - BRITISH - PAUL BIRD MOTORSPORT - PBM/ART     

93 MARC MARQUEZ - SPANISH - REPSOL HONDA TEAM - HONDA *

99 JORGE LORENZO - SPANISH - YAMAHA FACTORY RACING - YAMAHA *

TO BE CONFIRMED - IODARACING PROJECT - TBA

TO BE CONFIRMED - PAUL BIRD MOTORSPORT - PBM/ART 

The asterisks indicate factory option bikes.

Interesting to note Hernandez will be on a Duc with the spec ecu.

[duccarlos]

Interesting to note Hernandez will be on a Duc with the spec ecu.

From what I understood, it's the same factory bike that will be delivered in Sepang, but with the spec ECU, and hence, the extra fuel.

[ducpainter]

Preparing for the inevitable?

[zooom]

Preparing for the inevitable?

yup...test mule rider pregnant dog

[duccarlos]

They're doing pretty much the same as Yamaha and Honda, gathering enough data for 2015.

[triangleforge]

Can some one fill me in on how race numbers are assigned? I know how the #1 plate is dealt (and why, as smart merchandisers with opposing interests, Marquez doesn't want it on his bike, while Honda does), but how does Dovi wind up with #4, and Colin #5, etc.?

Is it just that riders choose numbers from the champion on down, and pick from whatever is left? So if it was still available & he had the chutzpah to do it, Edwards could have picked #1?*

*For the record, I don't think even Colin Edwards has that much chutzpah.

[Speeddog]

AFAIK, only #1 is reserved for the reigning champion.

All the others are first-come first-served.

[zooom]

most guys try and stick with the same number for as long as they can in their career. It seems to almost gets to a point of superstition, which we know how that goes for the elite racers with their routines and whatnot.

[gm2]

if you came out of the puig machine, or CEV, there's some logic to it.  why pedro is 26 and stoner was 27.

otherwise you generally get a number early on and try to keep it.  spies was always 11 but had to use 19 in wsbk since corser had 11.  then he went back to 11 in GP.  lorenzo was i-forget before he had 'the fans' pick 99.  pedro has always been 26 but one year ran 2 because it was available and he finished 2nd in points the year prior.  etc.

[derby]

jorge was 48, iirc.