MotoGP Le Mans *******spoilers*****

[m9hundo]

^ +1 on that 

[lazylightnin717]

+2 on that.

That was a fun battle

[MadDuck]

Kind of a snoozer at the front...

great race for 4th between Marc and the Maniac.

I think Marc came as close to a highside, without going over the falls, as you can possibly get.

[The Architect]

I think Marc came as close to a highside, without going over the falls, as you can possibly get.

He looked like he was riding a bull.

[duccarlos]

He was definitely riding that thing on a raged edge. He did mention that pretty much all the Honda riders were having issues with the front. Didn't stop Nicky from being top open rider.

If only Rossi could qualify on the front row!!! If he didn't need to fight through half the field to make it to second, he could have reeled in Jorghey. By the time he got up to second, he knew he was done.

Dovi mentioned in an interview that they just needed a little more to really compete. I'm convinced that the little more they need comes from the rider. When Aoyama top over for the Turd he was barely keeping up with the satellites. I understand he's just a test rider and racing is very different, but at this level it shows the huge impact of the riders. A great rider on a good bike will always trump a good rider on a good bike. Rossi showed that a great rider on a shit bike will result in shit results.

Now MM and Crazy Joe looked like they were back in Moto2. Considering the dislocated shoulder, I would say that was a painful, but awesome successful ride. I'm convince that Iannone is not motivated unless he has someone to battle. This is part of developing the racecraft and in many races this year he has been "battling" his teammate, so I doubt he would feel very good if he inadvertently took Dovi out. Regardless, this race just showed glimpses of the old Crazy Joe. Would love to see that fight in Mugello!

[MadDuck]

A tremendous shot of confidence for everyone except, maybe, Marquez.

[duccarlos]

HRC should be very worried. The beginning of the year is when they have to build a big lead. Yamaha would then push towards the end of the year. Jorghey is showing us that he's back on form and Vale is just Vale. I think Argentina might have effected MM more than he has lead on and the Turd is going to take a while to get back up to speed.

[1.21GW]

HRC should be very worried. The beginning of the year is when they have to build a big lead. Yamaha would then push towards the end of the year. Jorghey is showing us that he's back on form and Vale is just Vale. I think Argentina might have effected MM more than he has lead on and the Turd is going to take a while to get back up to speed.

Explain.  Do you mean mentally?  His confidence?

[The Architect]

Now MM and Crazy Joe looked like they were back in Moto2. Considering the dislocated shoulder, I would say that was a painful, but awesome successful ride. I'm convince that Iannone is not motivated unless he has someone to battle. This is part of developing the racecraft and in many races this year he has been "battling" his teammate, so I doubt he would feel very good if he inadvertently took Dovi out. Regardless, this race just showed glimpses of the old Crazy Joe. Would love to see that fight in Mugello!

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/05/18/iannone-it-was-maybe-the-most-difficult-race-of-my-career/176127


Whore-hey might be great rider but he's boring to watch.  And...... I hate his showboating at the end of the races.  He sucks at it.  It just makes him look like an argent asshole.  I actually want to see him fall off the bike at the end of a race as he tries to stand on the seat. 

[duccarlos]

Explain.  Do you mean mentally?  His confidence?

Yep. Prior to Argentina, he was on the winning side all his aggressive moves. In Jerez and Le Mans, he ended up being pushed out on the first lap.

[m9hundo]

JLo was dialed in from the start, I don't think Vale could of kept up with his pace even if he caught him. That being said it don't matter what row Vale is in he will shoot through field to the top 3 easily. IMO he could've passed those Ducs sooner but I think he was playing it smart like a true Jedi master so he wouldn't kill his tires.

The next race in Italy will be a good one, Vale says it's one of JLo's faves so a battle between "teammates" may be on the horizon 

Like duccarlos said Honda needs to be strong early in the season because the second half season favors the yamahas.

[1.21GW]

Yep. Prior to Argentina, he was on the winning side all his aggressive moves. In Jerez and Le Mans, he ended up being pushed out on the first lap.

I'm not sure I'd fully agree that Argentine affected him that much.  Here's why:

It seems his issues on his "bad" races have specifically been errors at the start.  Le Mans he was pushed out as you noted, and there was talk of front end problems that he had to work through.  But once he got settled he ended up riding aggressively back into 4th.  There was also Qatar where he overshot a turn on the first lap and ended up in last(?) place before a masterful ride back up to the 5th.  Thus, he has shown the drive to recover from bad starts, and in the three other races he (1) won, (2) almost won but crashed on penultimate lap in a battle for 1st, and (3) finished 2nd behind a perfectly run JL race.

I would consider the two recovery races to be evidence of his aggression/fearlessness (for lack of a better phrase).  Clearly, the Vale incident at Argentina was aggression/fearless and no doubt the COTA victory was all out riding.  Jerez?  Well, I just think JL was plain better on that track on that day.

He has been eclipsed in media coverage by the success of the GP15 and the return of Vale, along with minor stories like the surprisingly decent performance of the Suzuki, CC's exciting podium in Argentina at the expense of his former employer, and JL's absence/slow start (a story that is now dead).  But take away the two recovery races, and MM might be leading the championship.  My point I guess is that he is a lot closer to dominating than perhaps we as a public perceive, and concomitant with that I think the aggression/fearlessness remains as potent as ever.  I expect a 3-4 win streak mid-season that will swing the championship in his favor.

All that said, I'm still hoping VR can pull it out.  

  

[m9hundo]

Good assessment and I agree MM is still fearless but he is making big mistakes seems out of desperation. Like that stunt he pulled on turn 1 this past weekend diving in front of three riders nearly riding off track. Then again later on he runs wide. I see desperation

[duccarlos]

Good assessment and I agree MM is still fearless but he is making big mistakes seems out of desperation. Like that stunt he pulled on turn 1 this past weekend diving in front of three riders nearly riding off track. Then again later on he runs wide. I see desperation

+1

If you look at the same races last year, he would be aggressive but always in control. I understand the issues he had at Le Mans were probably related to the front feel, but he's made too many mistakes this year on tracks where he should be very competitive. As the season wears on,he will find himself in tracks where the Yamaha has clear advantages. He really needs to get his head right before the latter part of the season.

And I also hope that Vale comes back with a vengeance. This is why it's frustrating to see him start from the 3rd row! I think he should hitch himself onto the back of MMs bike during qualy just to simulate the race. I wouldn't mind seeing Jorghey screw up his ankle as he's jumping off the podium. That will serve him right.

[triangleforge]

David Emmet, Andrea Dovizioso and many others point to problems with the Honda, not anything going on between Marquez' ears. I'm inclined to agree. Even with blowing several corners & generally fighting with the bike much of the race, he finished in essentially the same total time as it took him to win last year. But while the Honda isn't quite as good as last year, the Yamaha and Ducati have gotten much better, and even Marquez' massive talent and aggressiveness can't hide the growing gap. Emmet theorizes that the sweet spot for the Honda is incredibly narrow, so a change in track temperature or other minor issues have an outsized impact on it's performance - witness MM's crazy fast pace in warm-up, followed by near disaster in every corner when the track heated up during the race.

As always, it's worth a full read, including more detail on Iannone's gutsy day:

https://motomatters.com/analysis/2015/05/17/2015_le_mans_motogp_sunday_round_up_why_.html