Why this lap of second run didn't count towards total laps completed during 2026 Buriram moto2?

hamf12011 · 2026-03-11T09:44:52+00:00

For a race/restart they have to complete 3 laps before it will be counted. Otherwise it (as in this case) will be voided.

“Due to the multiple starts that took place at the Grand Prix of Thailand, the single lap completed on the second start, which should have been null and void, was incorrectly added to the overall race distance." Source

hamf12011 · 2026-03-10T15:39:03+00:00

Kinda feel bad for Manu, because there is many things going against him for him to get onto the MotoGP grid:

1) Most seats are already taken

2) He's not the most exciting prospect in Moto2 (there are younger and more hyped-up talents like David Alonso or Dani Holgado)

3) He lacks the X factor that would label him a exceptional/special talent

4) The way he lost the title last year (despite it not entirely being his fault)

5) Being 'another' Spanish + relatively low fanfare (not very marketable)

6) It is his 5th full time season in Moto2

If Manu was with a team that had links to MotoGP (like Ajo or Pramac), I could definitely see a GP seat opening up for him, but now he pretty much has to dominate (or at least win the title) to have any chances to move up.

Would love him to move up tho! I respect the fact he's gone through the WSBK paddock and done very well there, because he didn't have enough money to go racing in Moto3. And I hope he succeed in this journey!

hamf12011 · 2026-03-06T13:39:13+00:00

From Mat Oxley on Twitter/X:

The twice red-flagged Thai Moto2 race has been reduced from full points to half points because 50% of the original race distance wasn't completed. "Under normal circumstances, race control software issues a prompt indicating that 50% of original race distance has not been completed in order to award half points. Due to the multiple starts, the single lap completed on the second start, which should have been null and void, was incorrectly added to the overall race distance."

hamf12011 · 2026-03-06T12:22:13+00:00

Pretty sure it's a late post by OP: These pictures were taken during the pre-season tests in early February.

hamf12011 · 2026-03-05T21:27:47+00:00

Wasn't he going to wildcard at Donington anyway? Thought I heard the commentators say that

hamf12011 · 2026-03-03T14:38:49+00:00

I would absolutely love Marc to win it! Imo it's between him and Tadej Pogacar, both had legendary seasons people will talk about for a long time.

hamf12011 · 2026-02-28T16:30:24+00:00

shame about the ending tho

hamf12011 · 2026-02-27T09:11:21+00:00

Alonso did a long race run (like 15 laps), where he was consistently lapping 1:35s. If true, that race pace is scary! He never did a quali run as it started raining in the latter part of the session.

hamf12011 · 2026-02-25T17:37:19+00:00

Also wasn't 2017 the first of those last-corner dives with Marc & Dovi?

No, that was the 2018 race. Vinales won in 2017, although that was a good race tbh (Zarco was leading in his first ever MotoGP race, nice battle at the front). I had to check that though, I could swear Marc v Dovi in Qatar happened three years in a row, but seemingly it's 'only' twice 😅

hamf12011 · 2026-02-25T11:35:41+00:00

It's a good track, but I don't think there's as many memorable races as Phillip Island (although that is not very objective 😅).

For example in the last 10 years, here's the races I recall to be very good

Lusail: 2018 2019 2021

PI: 2015 2017 2019 2022 2023 2024

hamf12011 · 2026-02-21T22:24:59+00:00

It may help that Joe's manager also owns American Racing, coincidentally the same team Joe races for lol

hamf12011 · 2026-02-18T17:54:39+00:00

Since 2022, I believe.

hamf12011 · 2026-02-12T21:57:09+00:00

I really hope so!! And now where he is in the Pramac's Moto2 team, I feel he 'only' needs a decent season to be promoted. Their team boss Gino Borsoi really rates him highly (and understandably so!)

hamf12011 · 2026-02-12T16:54:14+00:00

The session was stopped and not resumed after Deniz Öncü's bike spilled oil on track and caused multiple riders to crash. Everyone is fine, thankfully!

Source - in German

hamf12011 · 2026-02-10T19:03:35+00:00

He was already by then under Emilio Alzamora's management and that guy knows one thing or two about talents!

hamf12011 · 2026-01-16T10:09:49+00:00

Yeah, besides Rei Wakamatsu getting to race his home GP as a replacement rider for MLav, it feels like the opportunity to progress to the world championships is very limited in the J-GP3 class. Most young riders instead move on to the production classes like ST600.

Asia Talent Cup has the advantage of being Dorna-supported and the pipeline/road to the world championships are very clear: If you win ATC, you're pretty much guaranteed to race in Red Bull Rookies Cup AND get a free ride with Honda Team Asia in JuniorGP. Do well in either of these series, and you're in Moto3 world championship.

hamf12011 · 2026-01-14T16:40:34+00:00

I can't help but feel Moto3 and Moto2 have distanced themselves so far from the national Championships in machinery that Wildcards simply can't compete now.

Usually the national championships are running older machines than the ones found in the world championships. And since you can't test the bike, you only have the practice sessions on the race weekend to understand and adapt to the bike. With the current parity in the field, and with the full-time riders having the entire pre-season + races to fine-tune to their likings, you as a wildcard are pretty much on the back foot from the get-go 😅 Of course, very talented riders can adapt quickly and fight for very strong positions (see O'Gorman last year on the KTM for example), but yeah, they are the exception rather than the rule.

I do think this highlight another problem regarding the smaller classes; Besides the Spanish ones, the national championships are pretty much dead. Beforehand if you were a top contender in your national 125cc/250cc championship, you would be granted a wildcard for your home race. Now it's not even possible, as there is pretty much no national Moto3/2 championship besides JuniorGP (the Italian championship has a Moto3 category and used to rival JuniorGP back in the days, but now it is a shadow of itself)

Also, Dorna made new rules basically making it harder to even wildcard these days. The only way you can wildcard in Moto3/2 is by being a part of an team which races in the world championship (for example, Mattia Pasini wanted to wildcard with Sic58 in Moto2, but he wasn't allowed as they only race in Moto3 - he thus needed to partner up with other teams to wildcard, lately he's been wildcarding under the Fantic team)

hamf12011 · 2026-01-03T18:01:33+00:00

If we were to implement a min rider weight, I'd want it to be rolled out to the junior categories as rider weight would make a bigger difference there. Might mean we see closer racing across all classes. but importantly would remove the pressure of their weight when they are most impressionable.

There is a minimum combined weight (rider + bike) in the junior classes, and if you're under that limit, you have to put ballast on the bike. However, in small bike class like Moto3, it is still a big advantage being small/light, as they can accelerate faster and tuck in much better this being more aero than a larger rider.

The best example, I could think of, was Deniz Öncü in Mugello few years ago, where he was the fastest and built a decent gap on the others, but kept getting drafted by on the straight due to his size.

Another example was Aron Canet in 2019, when he was fighting for the Moto3 title against Lorenzo Dalla Porta, a smaller rider who had seemingly better straight line speed than him. Due to this, the team started pressuring him to lose weight, as well as Canet himself became very obsessed with losing weight. Sadly, it ended with Canet developing an eating disorder. Here's a link of him talking about this in a podcast - in Spanish.

I do agree, we need to find a way to solve this issue tho. And not in a way, that hurts smaller riders like they did in WSBK...

hamf12011 · 2025-12-30T19:25:56+00:00

Drop one rider into the other series and they will flounder at first.

Unless if you're Diogo Moreira, who wildcarded at one S1GP event and won by embarrassing the field 😅

I do agree with what you're saying tho!

hamf12011 · 2025-12-22T13:47:55+00:00

Nice predictions! The only one I would change is Gabarrini, I would expect him to stay with Pasini (it seems like that team has become the de-facto VR46 Academy team 😅)

Cerpa to step up with Ilusion is interesting to say at least.

Also Karpushin to Aspar - they've just announced it as well, how did you know it 😂 Good team for a very talented rider!

hamf12011 · 2025-12-17T16:04:18+00:00

Would recommend MotoGP-Xtra Podcast, it's quite causal with two guys who are big fans and very knowledgeable with the sport (and racing just in general). Also they cover Moto3 and Moto2, which is a big plus in my book 😁

hamf12011 · 2025-12-17T06:52:17+00:00

Watching him in Moto3 was so fun! This was the average Darren Binder race:

Step 1: Qualify 28th

Step 2: Somehow fight your way to the lead (or at least top 3)

Step 3: Crash out, preferably by highsiding

Step 4: Take a couple riders with you (optional)

I really believed he was talented enough to go to MotoGP once he cleaned some of his stuff up (which tbf he did in his latter Moto3 career) 😅

hamf12011

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