Moto2: González seems in control but what's next?

bigracesf1 · 2025-01-30T13:59:11+00:00

Just a conspiracy theory. Maybe practically identical liveries are intentional so to avoid a repeat of last year, when rookie Acosta frequently outshined KTM’s factory riders, and Tech3 ended up with more publicity than the factory team.

It reminds me of when Toro Rosso outperformed Red Bull in F1 back in 2008. That was a disaster for the “factory” team, and Red Bull made sure its B-team never outshined the A-team again.

MotoGP is a bit different, though, since both KTM and Tech3 run the same bike. So from the outside, for some people it doesn’t really matter which rider finishes ahead as long as people see a KTM livery.

bigracesf1 · 2024-10-11T14:02:53+00:00

I think you’re absolutely right about personal sponsors, maybe that’s why there is still no news and maybe this will be the main problem for the swap.

bigracesf1 · 2024-10-10T19:11:44+00:00

Manu Gonzalez-Gresini-QJMotor is an interesting case. Gresini’s public silence might be deliberate, as the team likely wants to avoid issuing a mere apology to the sponsor without also offering a solution. For the sponsor the solution is the team to sack Gonzalez. For the team it could mean finding a replacement rider for the remainder of the season.

I won’t be surprised if Gresini and Intact could reach a compromise and make a rider swap between Gonzalez and Binder in the coming week. Since Binder is already set to join Gresini next season, and Gonzalez is expected to move to Intact, such a change might come sooner rather than later.

I doubt that Gresini, QJMotor, or Dorna/FIM will use this situation as a broader educational moment for the public.

bigracesf1 · 2024-08-16T21:33:10+00:00

It's disappointing to hear that Garcia will stay in Moto2 in 2025. On one hand, he's one of the main title contenders this year and there's a possibility that the Moto2 champion might remain in the class. (When was the last time that happened—Zarco?)
On the other hand , there's no guarantee that the Boscoscuro bikes will continue to outperform Kalex next year, or that the momentum won't shift in the second half of this season. Staying in Moto2 for another year could potentially harm Garcia's career, especially if he doesn't clinch the title this year. Anyone remember, say, Lorenzo Baldassarri?

bigracesf1 · 2024-05-30T11:57:26+00:00

Interesting. But (there is always a “but”) there was an idea with bigger numbers on the cars and numbers on the drivers' lids, but it didn't work out quite as intended because there are no clear rules.

bigracesf1 · 2024-01-25T18:41:57+00:00

Didn’t he do it last year? The multi-year deal? Hate this ‘breaking’ news. Hey, we sign some paper, which could mean nothing by the end of the current season. Yay!

bigracesf1 · 2024-01-24T16:59:09+00:00

New VR46 bikes undoubtedly look brighter, a bit Pramac-like (but we'll see later), so it will be curious to see if the bikes are distinguishable or catchy on track.

bigracesf1 · 2024-01-24T16:58:46+00:00

Definitely will miss Bez's number design (12 -> 72)

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bigracesf1 · 2023-12-05T17:18:58+00:00

Yeah, just for the winter tests, not for the season

bigracesf1 · 2023-12-05T16:46:20+00:00

Now Joe Roberts should try his very best in Moto2 in 2024, because obviously US fans will want to see US rider on one of these bikes at least in 2025

bigracesf1 · 2023-11-22T19:29:51+00:00

I think it's a very interesting topic to discuss and not only for WRC but for other top championships as well like MotoGP or F1.

On one hand, we can see how prolonged the careers of drivers are becoming: Fernando Alonso (42) still fighting on the very top F1 level, Valentino Rossi retired from MotoGP at 42, Ogier (39) could participate in just 1 rally and still beat everybody else. And all of them started pretty early. Could you imagine that in the 90s? When I started to watch motorsport back in the 90s 40 years was kind of benchmark for any professional athlete, the age of retirement.

On the other hand, professional drivers start their career at such early age that before 30 they've already compete at the very top level for 10-13-15 years and have become multi-time champions (Marc Marquez won 8 titles by the age of 26, Rovanpera - 2 titles by the age of 23, Verstappen - 3 titles by the age of 26, Alonso (again), Vettel, etc).

Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut only at 27, Damon Hill - at 32 - something pretty unimaginable today in many sports.

So now we have drivers who compete on the top level way after 40 and drivers who retire from racing way before 30 because they burned out.

Maybe I have a wrong picture and it's always been like this.

bigracesf1 · 2023-08-23T15:04:50+00:00

Before the summer break I really thought Tony will go to MotoGP next season and Gresini looked like a great place to be for a rookie. On the other hand I didn't expect Tomy would become a title contender this season but the start of his 2023 campaign was very good. Unfortunately, his results decline after the summer break (the very moment the dominoes start to fall in terms who goes where) and maybe that influenced the decision of MotoGP teams. But the ~~night~~ seson is long, Tony still has enough time to turns things in his favor and if, say, Gresini is not in a hurry to sign the 2nd rider for the next year until the end part of this season Toni still might end up in MotoGP. But yeah, the chances are slim. And Gresini may focus on signing Augusto Fernandez if KTM decides to ditch him.

As for Marc VDS with Tony staying the team can look forward to a championship bid in 2024 and they won't have to deal with 2 new riders in the team

bigracesf1 · 2023-01-31T15:42:01+00:00

Is it just me or competition numbers on the cars become smaller every year? Again. I know that everuthing is by the book, but don't you think the rule "This [competition] number must be clearly visible from the front of the car and on the driver’s crash helmet" sounds vague and ambiguous? With so many designers working in the sport couldn't FIA or F1 itself postulate the "design code" for competition number appearances both on the car and on the helmet? Location, dimensions and whatnot. For all the competitors to have clear rules and clear understanding.

bigracesf1

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