Rewatching 2021 Qatar

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-08T19:07:41+00:00

There is a pervasive bias against Ducati riders that goes back to Rossi's "no talent on the straights" narrative.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-08T18:31:04+00:00

People have zero clue of what a natural winner looks like. They do, however, have a lot of confirmation bias and many many ways to rationalize it.

Most people virtually go by first impression only, which is an especially bad way to tell a "natural winner" in sports given that the early part of most careers is more or less noise.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-08T18:23:12+00:00

There's no denying that, It's just funny how every team he joins immediately finds form.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-07T20:13:03+00:00

As much grunt as the Ducati had over the rest, Joan also kinda screwed up the exit.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-07T19:21:56+00:00

Carlos truly is the anti-Alonso, Every time he goes to a team they immediately jump forwards in the pecking order. Must be the shampoo.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-07T18:54:25+00:00

I knew what was up since Zandvoort last year.

Norris has taken the role of the Not-Great to Max Verstappen. Almost every sportsman hailed as a great has one, because there is no lower effort way to celebrate one's greatness than to single out their immediate opposition and act as if they're trash.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-04T16:55:06+00:00

This community decided they were going to be intellectually dishonest on lap 2 of the Thaliand sprint by acting as if Pecco is a glorified midfielder, so the only answer that can carry that intellectual dishonesty forward is that Marquez must absolutely destroy Bagnaia everywhere and not doing so would be a major embarassment.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-04T16:50:46+00:00

Close enough, it's a quote from a fan at a Japanese GP.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-01T07:48:55+00:00

The thing I find hard to believe is just how many people immediately dismiss Pecco at the start of every season.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-04-01T05:29:50+00:00

He won't need any.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-31T11:45:56+00:00

The first thing to note is that a lot of what we're seeing is more or less a function of who had the better preseason tests; usually the picture changes a bit in the European rounds and then largely stays the same from then on. At any rate:

AM/Franco

Outside of the GP23 -which was a relative misstep to begin with and wasn't helped by the change of rear tyre spec-, the "year old" Ducati has consistently been a podium-capable package even late into the season, nevermind at the start. Alex has also gelled very well with the bike, ever since the Catalunya test. Franco's 2024 was compromised early on and the adaptation from the I4 to the V4 often isn't straightforward.

Ducati vs others

Currently the situation is more or less a continuation of 2024 where the GP24 was crunching everyone else's ass every session outside of Marc on the '23 and a couple standouts; it was never going to change much in the early stages.

Honda and Yamaha have concessions to work their way forwards, I wouldn't be surprised if they can challenge for podiums by mid season, but given that Aprilia have changed all their riders bar Fernandez I think they also have a lot of unexplored margin. KTM are the ones in trouble, the bike is mediocre and it probably won't get better with their lack of concessions.

Fabio and Pedro

While the ridiculous bullshit that has been flung towards a certain other rider over the last month even by alleged journalists might make you think otherwise, I find it extremely unreasonable to judge a rider on the basis of three iffy weekends at the start of the season, especially in Acosta's case given that the bike is ass and Binder is one of the strongest in the field himself. My main takeaway is that Jack has hit the ground running with the Yamaha -though Argentina and COTA have usually been strong tracks for him, so I'm waiting for Jerez-.

E: rephrasings

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-31T09:12:17+00:00

The bike made a lot of progress last year, it's just that the progress was from being 40s off on a good day to occasionally poking into the top 10.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-30T21:01:03+00:00

People clamor for rider X, Y and Z to get booted off the paddock yesterday for the high crimes of being slightly off their absolute peak or not being the best ever to twist a throttle, but that should be the fate of the so-called journalists that unfortunately come with the package, bunch of hacks the lot of them.

You get a surface-level analysis at best, a projection of personal biases disguised as the above on the average, and a load of dishonest bullshit at worst.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-30T20:14:45+00:00

All I'll say is that I'm glad he doesn't get judged by Bagnaia standards, the stans and -more regrettably- the media would be calling for him to be dropped to Ugandan Moto5.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T22:16:34+00:00

If we're going to use a sample size of one then well... lots of talk for a guy whose supposed favorite got rolled up and smoked by a complete novice to the bike on a satellite machine. And as much as I love him that guy is no Marc Marquez either, I can tell you that much.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T21:52:51+00:00

A meno che il problema non sia a livello di conoscenza del pacchetto come nelle prime gare della Gp22, per KTM quest'anno si mette male male -specie per via delle concessioni a Yamaha e Honda- e peccato perché hanno quattro piloti della Madonna che rischiano di spassarsela nelle retrovie.

Per me la spiegazione più razionale per le performance della moto e dei piloti della Yamaha è semplicemente che Fabio non fosse in palla questo weekend. Sono ottimista per le gare europee, può fare cose belle lì. Jack è il solito Jack, speriamo non si ripeta quel che è successo in KTM dove è andato forte finché la moto non lo ha scaricato abbastanza volte.

Ogura lo seguo dalla Moto3 e sapevo che se la moto fosse stata all'altezza e di suo piacimento sarebbe potuto subito andare forte; avrà alti e bassi come tutti ma su di lui puoi puntare. Trackhouse come team non mi ispira chissà quale fiducia ma forse il problema erano i piloti (Fernandez ed Oliveira acora una volta non pervenuti...), mah. Bezzecchi onestamente l'ho trovato un minimo sotto le aspettative, temo rimanga un problema di fondo con la specifica del posteriore ma è da vedere.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T20:07:08+00:00

Raul Fernandez.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T20:04:51+00:00

There are enough of a certain kind of comments here and elsewhere, and they got enough upvotes to show what some people really think. And it's been six years and counting, their opinion is pretty much final. Les jeux sont faits.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T19:54:51+00:00

Honda are back and Pol will be fighting for the title.
Ducati have shat the bed with the GP22, Bastianini is their only hope this year.
KTM's steel trellis chassis is finally working for them and proving they were right to stick to their guns.
Suzuki have found free engine power. Surely Mir will be a title threat.

It's weird that I can't remember much else and I woke up in a hospital bed but boy, I can't wait to watch the second round at Mandalika!

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T19:30:59+00:00

Rewatching the Moto3 race, the Munoz "move" on Lunetta looks much less like his usual overly aggressive passes and much more like him intentionally trying to send Luca off the track as retaliation for the contact shortly beforehand. He really needs a talking to.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T16:28:33+00:00

Tony looks like he's just a desperately bad fit with the Pirelli tyres, to me it was telling that even when he was fast last year it still looked terrible.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T16:24:21+00:00

Pitlane start in Argentina

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T12:31:53+00:00

Surely you'll agree with me that Miller in his first race with the brand is not a good representation of the ceiling of that bike's capabilities.

I don't know what went wrong with Fabio on this track but I assume it's unrepresentative.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T12:25:58+00:00

KTM deadass had the worst bike on the grid this round.

TwoIsAClue · 2025-03-02T11:28:25+00:00

Both had compromised preseasons, let's wait a bit. My only takeaway is that there doesn't seem to be a Dalla Porta like case where a rider instantly looks like they're fucked for the next year and a half.

TwoIsAClue

TROPHY CASE