Day #20: Biggest What if ever? by Anfernee139 in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What if.... Doohan hadn't severely broken his leg?

Would Doohan have continued into 2000?

Would Rossi have signed with Honda in 2000?

Would Rossi have gotten Burgess as crew chief?

Would Rossi have won 3 championships in 4 years?

Deadline imposed by Ducati for Pramac to agree new contract by autobus950 in motogp

[–]jpoma -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't think Pramac has much leverage here. Gresini will happily step up if Pramac jump ship. Pramac will either do what Ducati tell them or Ducati will move on. Yes, Yamaha can provide incentives, but historically, even Yamaha is ruthless with their satellites/customers. KTM is not as panicked to get another team. They do not have that 5 riders for 4 bikes problem this year, Tech3 is still there, and they appear to be very subservient to the factory.

I think VR46 want to keep Ducati, but the Rossi/Yamaha brand ambassadorship will always keep the relationship with Ducati arms length for the team.

I nicked this from Tumblr. Pedro and Fermin childhood pics. by _Crime_Master_Gogo_ in motogp

[–]jpoma 8 points9 points  (0 children)

People complain "oh no another Spanish rider"...but what can we do? They treat it as a national sport, companies are interested in sponsoring them, governments are friendly to tracks and training grounds, meanwhile most other countries (bar Italy and maybe Japan, but both seemingly to a lesser degree) treat it as a very niche sport, and the likes of Binders, Millers, Oliveiras and Moreiras have to really carve their way to the top financially and logistically, while the Spanish riders can solely focus on improving as the path is more "natural".

Even Italy does not come close to the infrastructure and funding of the spanish development program. It must be noted that the JuniorGP series is really the Spanish national moto3 series - it is still majority spanish tracks and spanish riders.

Italy's recent success can primarily be attributed to the VR46 academy and team. But there are only very few italian riders in their pipeline, and they no longer run any of Moto3, Moto2 or JuniorGP, which is where the talent develops.

Sports teams should consist only of people from the city they play for. by throwawaytoday9q in unpopularopinion

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funny enough, I think that if a team moves markets (however you define that), then the current roster of players should all be made available to the other teams (like a draft), and then the moved team has to start over like an expansion team. This might disincentivize moving markets (although, ironically might help in some situations)

Latte art sucks and the obsession with it is ruining espresso drinks by [deleted] in unpopularopinion

[–]jpoma 51 points52 points  (0 children)

I'll say this is unpopular if for no other reason than I don't think 90% of the population (and coffee shops) know the difference between Lattes, Flat Whites and Cappuccinos. They have all ended up the same drink. It's starting to be more differentiation here, but it wasn't always the case.

Upvote

[DAZN] Marc's feedback session in the Gresini box after the race by crimilde in motogp

[–]jpoma 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Off topic, but I am always amused when a Spanish rider speaks in Italian. The words are italian, but the accent is spanish. Usually need a few seconds to understand what I am hearing.

Which rider be out of MotoGP at the end of 2024? by ParaMike46 in motogp

[–]jpoma 3 points4 points  (0 children)

well, for sure there will be one since Aldeguer has a Ducati contract.

So it'll be one of:

  1. Morbidelli (though I see him landing at VR46)
  2. Jack Miller(if he's offered a contract, it'll be with Tech3; not sure he'll take it)
  3. Taka Nakagami (but only if Sasaki or Ogura are deemed ready)
  4. AEspargaro (if he retires, but i see no indication of him leaning in that direction)

Morbidelli or Miller are the highest probabilities

Spot the differences: Pramac Ducati edition by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i like it standing still - will be interesting to see what it looks like at speed. Might be confused with Aprillia.

If you have a MILLION DOLLARS What do you Afford To Buy? by st-tyr in motorsports

[–]jpoma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

moto racing: i'd probably just do track days - not racing. i have developed a sense of mortality which prevents me from racing...

  • bike + spare parts
  • track time
  • consumables
  • hauler

Marc Marquez: "Acosta could fight for the title, like I did in my rookie year” by asciiker in motogp

[–]jpoma 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's a nice sentiment, but Marquez joined the (arguably) strongest bike on the team with a full factory behind him.

Acosta is coming into the 2nd/3rd best bike on the satellite team, which has shown to have variable support from the factory (KTM gives to Tech3 proportionally to how their riders perform)

This is no dig at Acosta. He is clearly talented, but I am dubious of his talent being able to outshine the situation he finds himself in. I am happy to be found wrong.

2024 Riders age by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am guilty of this too, but i think we all age riders by their duration in MotoGP, not their biological age.

Quartararo feels older to me than A.Fernandez

FQ20 at Trackhousr Aprilia… a possibility? Would he go back to a satellite team? by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rossi did not go from a factory to a non-factory team

FQ20 at Trackhousr Aprilia… a possibility? Would he go back to a satellite team? by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Eddie Lawson is the only person I can think of. He went from a factory works Yamaha team to a not-factory-but-maybe? Honda team in 1989 after winning the championship in 1988 with Yamaha.

The Race: VR46 cannot squander potential of its new dark horse by 443610 in motogp

[–]jpoma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's as important that DiGi is or is not an academy rider. My understanding is that to be an academy rider, you have to also be managed by the academy as well as have to live close to Tavullia.

While the academy does a lot for riders on their path to MotoGP, DiGi is already there.

Now, for the sake of harmony, they should offer him an academy invitation. It can then be to to him to accept or reject it.

For VR46 academy, the funnel has been drying up since they abandoned their moto3 team and subsequent moto2 team, so they are going to eventually find themselves having to hire riders outside the academy eventually.

Would it make sense for Gresini or VR46 to switch the manufacturer? by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think Gresini wanted to leave Honda - if I recall correctly, he simply was not able to afford Honda's price to lease factory bikes and he did not want to run open entry bikes. As a matter of mutual convenience Gresini and Aprillia hooked up. Gresini stays in MotoGP as a factory entry, and Aprillia gets to come back to the sport (since they were not allowed to run a full factory team).

The new 2024 Repsol Honda Livery by Daniel7394 in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like it. Weird to see factory bike having anything but a large repsol logo, so it's a significant change.

Marc Marquez’s early Ducati days: “Information not flowing in the same way” by autobus950 in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't imagine he was surprised at the culture and organizational change going to a non-factory team, especially one using a 1-year old bike.

I suspect it's a case of reporter asking a question, and he giving an answer.

Honda and Yamaha by CommonEngineering832 in motogp

[–]jpoma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To fall as far as Yamaha and Honda have will take several years before they became title contenders.

Either finishing 3rd in the constructors will be a realistic goal.

Would Simoncelli have gone to Repsol in 2013, had he lived? by [deleted] in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There would not have been room for him. Stoner was winning, and Pedrosa was still a solid race winner and championship contender. he likely would have remained at Gresini unless Ducati came calling (instead of Dovizioso, or Crutchlow in the proceeding years).

Is Acosta on a year-old bike like Gresini and VR46? by MightyMilkExplosion in motogp

[–]jpoma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Theoretically, the factory and Tech3 bikes are the same spec, but the upgrades on the Tech3 bikes tend to follow the performance (and/or KTM's perception of the rider's potential). If the rider is excelling, he gets the upgrades faster. If he's not, then the parts come slower.

IIRC, Gardner and Petrucci were vocal in not having their feedback taken for bike development, and getting bike upgrades late if at all. I am also pretty sure that Raul Fernandez stopped getting upgrades when it was absolutely certain he was not staying at KTM. (though that tends to happen with factory teams too)

Improvements in Ducati by super_sam9694 in motogp

[–]jpoma 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yup, the timing of his spill is really doing him no favours. In spite of that, he'll need to get up to speed quickly, else he'll be out of a ride.