MotoGP Motegi Madness <spoilt>

[Speeddog]

JLo carrying momentum, leading FP1 and FP2 by worrisome margins.
Shoulder obviously painful in the garage, but doesn't seem to be slowing him on track.

Consistent pace 0.25 sec faster than Pedro and Loony Andy, and a solid 0.75 sec faster than Vale'.

MM struggling to get within 0.50 sec of JLo.

However.

Current forecast is ~90% chance of rain *all day* Sunday.
So odds are all activity prior to Sunday morning warmup means bupkus.

[1.21GW]

Sweet. So my 6 hr rain dance and goat sacrifice yesterday was not in vain?

[m9hundo]

^ 

Oh the drama, the rain will hopefully have a psychological effect on JLo as well. I wonder if he's gonna use the same face shield like last time.

[Speeddog]

Perhaps that big drop in rain probability will move forward, and add even more spice! 

[1.21GW]

^ Crap. Guess I'm gonna have to sacrifice the cat, too.

[Speeddog]

 

[triangleforge]

So... Apparently it was #26 that won the mini bike race on Thursday.



http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/10/08/photo-gallery-mini-bikes-at-the-twin-ring-motegi/186287

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[lazylightnin717]

^ Crap. Guess I'm gonna have to sacrifice the cat, too.

 

[triangleforge]

FP3 is in the books, and Lorenzo continues to dominate.

FP3:
1.   Jorge Lorenzo   ESP   Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1)   1m   44.089s   [Lap 16/16]   303km/h (Top Speed)
2.   Andrea Iannone   ITA   Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP15)   1m   44.497s   +0.408s   [20/21]   314km/h
3.   Andrea Dovizioso   ITA   Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP15)   1m   44.568s   +0.479s   [17/18]   311km/h
4.   Marc Marquez   ESP   Repsol Honda Team (RC213V)   1m   44.771s   +0.682s   [15/17]   304km/h
5.   Valentino Rossi   ITA   Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1)   1m   44.822s   +0.733s   [17/18]   300km/h
6.   Pol Espargaro   ESP   Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)   1m   45.088s   +0.999s   [14/16]   303km/h
7.   Cal Crutchlow   GBR   LCR Honda (RC213V)   1m   45.103s   +1.014s   [16/17]   304km/h
8.   Bradley Smith   GBR   Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)   1m   45.319s   +1.230s   [11/18]   305km/h
9.   Scott Redding   GBR   Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)   1m   45.446s   +1.357s   [15/18]   303km/h
10.   Maverick Viñales   ESP   Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)*   1m   45.458s   +1.369s   [15/15]   301km/h
11.   Dani Pedrosa   ESP   Repsol Honda Team (RC213V)   1m   45.507s   +1.418s   [6/18]   309km/h
12.   Aleix Espargaro   ESP   Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)   1m   45.557s   +1.468s   [16/17]   299km/h
13.   Hector Barbera   ESP   Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14 Open)   1m   45.716s   +1.627s   [17/18]   306km/h
14.   Danilo Petrucci   ITA   Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2)   1m   45.840s   +1.751s   [17/18]   303km/h
15.   Yonny Hernandez   COL   Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2)   1m   45.848s   +1.759s   [12/15]   306km/h
16.   Takumi Takahashi   JPN   Team HRC (RC213V)   1m   46.090s   +2.001s   [16/20]   302km/h
17.   Alvaro Bautista   ESP   Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)   1m   46.166s   +2.077s   [16/16]   300km/h
18.   Nicky Hayden   USA   Aspar MotoGP Team (RC213V-RS)   1m   46.190s   +2.101s   [15/16]   294km/h
19.   Katsuyuki Nakasuga   JPN   Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1)   1m   46.280s   +2.191s   [5/17]   301km/h
20.   Mike Di Meglio   FRA   Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14 Open)   1m   46.599s   +2.510s   [3/13]   303km/h
21.   Jack Miller   AUS   LCR Honda (RC213V-RS)*   1m   46.644s   +2.555s   [13/15]   298km/h
22.   Stefan Bradl   GER   Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)   1m   46.675s   +2.586s   [19/20]   297km/h
23.   Eugene Laverty   IRL   Aspar MotoGP Team (RC213V-RS)*   1m   46.755s   +2.666s   [12/16]   296km/h
24.   Loris Baz   FRA   Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha)*   1m   47.106s   +3.017s   [13/16]   293km/h
25.   Toni Elias   SPA   Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha)   1m   47.408s   +3.319s   [13/13]   298km/h
26.   Alex De Angelis   RSM   E-Motion IodaRacing (ART)   1m   48.192s   +4.103s   [8/10]   289km/h
27.   Kousuke Akiyoshi   JPN   AB Motoracing (RC213V-RS)   1m   48.449s   +4.360s   [14/14]   290km/h

Interesting to see the Ducs showing well - with Dovi complaining about braking issues (still, though he says the bike's better this round) and Motegi famous as a stop-and-go track that emphasizes braking & acceleration.

[Speeddog]

Rossi's going to have to really abuse that Lorenzo Voodoo doll before Q2.
If the Ducatis and MM qualify in between him and Jlo, it's going to make a mountain to climb.

The weather report has moved the ~100% rain wedge forward 2 hours.
Still a very very solid chance of rain for the first half of Sunday, falling to 50% for MotoGP race time.
So, a freshly hosed off track, maybe wet, maybe not... playing into Rossi's hands.
The variable and inconsistent conditions that corrode JLo's zen.

 

[Speeddog]

Alex DeAngelis big crash in FP4, with about 20 minutes left to go.

No video at this time, but appears incident on the exit of turn 9.

Initial info is he got into the armco on the inside of the exit of the turn.

Medicos attended to him for quite a while, prior to loading him into the ambulance.

Reported conscious and breathing.

[Speeddog]

DeAngelis airlifted out.

[HotIce]

I hope either a full dry race, or a full wet. Mixed match are always a lottery.

Q2:

1   99   Jorge LORENZO   SPA   Movistar Yamaha MotoGP   Yamaha   302.9   1'43.790   
2   46   Valentino ROSSI   ITA   Movistar Yamaha MotoGP   Yamaha   303.3   1'43.871   0.081 / 0.081
3   93   Marc MARQUEZ   SPA   Repsol Honda Team   Honda   306.4   1'44.216   0.426 / 0.345
4   4   Andrea DOVIZIOSO   ITA   Ducati Team   Ducati   309.7   1'44.322   0.532 / 0.106
5   29   Andrea IANNONE   ITA   Ducati Team   Ducati   312.4   1'44.436   0.646 / 0.114
6   26   Dani PEDROSA   SPA   Repsol Honda Team   Honda   308.9   1'44.582   0.792 / 0.146
7   41   Aleix ESPARGARO   SPA   Team SUZUKI ECSTAR   Suzuki   296.7   1'44.809   1.019 / 0.227
8   35   Cal CRUTCHLOW   GBR   LCR Honda   Honda   302.7   1'44.932   1.142 / 0.123
9   38   Bradley SMITH   GBR   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   Yamaha   304.7   1'45.067   1.277 / 0.135
10   25   Maverick VIÑALES   SPA   Team SUZUKI ECSTAR   Suzuki   300.2   1'45.081   1.291 / 0.014
11   44   Pol ESPARGARO   SPA   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   Yamaha   301.8   1'45.219   1.429 / 0.138
12   45   Scott REDDING   GBR   EG 0,0 Marc VDS   Honda   301.0   1'45.333   1.543 / 0.114

[ducpainter]

Alex DeAngelis big crash in FP4, with about 20 minutes left to go.

No video at this time, but appears incident on the exit of turn 9.

Initial info is he got into the armco on the inside of the exit of the turn.

Medicos attended to him for quite a while, prior to loading him into the ambulance.

Reported conscious and breathing.

ouch....

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/10/10/alex-de-angelis-undergoing-treatment-after-fp4-crash/186519

[m9hundo]

1. Dani P
2. Rossi
3. JLo

 JLo went no holds barred and trashed his tires and maybe running the winglets added to the tire deg.

Rossi managed his tires better and ran no winglets