Yes, I know its a bit early but I thought I'd get in front of the game by prematurely starting next seasons 2020 MotoGP thread now.

Of course IMO go Marquez for World Championship number 9!

But there's more legit challengers than in the past to combine for some serious competition for the title.
Not to mention Alex Marquez in the same team as his brother!

So many stories.
So many permutations.
So many variations.
So many possibilities.
So much to look forward to.
Maybe even Rossi will win a race or two.

Time will tell.

Till then...

* Last updated by: yannih on 1/13/2020 @ 2:58 AM *

Yup, I'm already impatient for the season to begin. Marquez starts once again with a surgically repaired shoulder, so we'll see how fast he gets back into shape. Dovi is running out of time to get his first championship. Will be interesting to see the fight for the future Factory Ducati seat. Miller and now Zarco both really want to take it from Petrucci. Zarco apparently took the ride with Avintia only after Gigi assured him they would be offering full support. Zarco considers himself riding for Ducati, not Avintia. Haven't heard anymore rumors about Vinales leaving Yamaha, or if Jorge will accept the Test Team role.
And, what were the results of Imapony's 2nd urine test???

Mad

I was looking at that pic of MM and the dual wings on his Honda and wondered what downforce they could actually produce to contribute to corner traction

Assuming 100 km/hr corner speed and the winglets are ~ 8inx2in, 2x2in and 10 deg angle of downforce (probably about right when bike is upright) I calculated with 2 on each side roughly 26 N total downforce or about 5.8 lbs from 4 winglets.

If the driver is actually into the region where 26N is the margin he has between traction and a low side that's a very small knife edge to be dancing on. Used the basic lift or downforce eq with coefficient of lift = 1 for simplicity DF = Cl*((air density*V*V)/2) * Area

I was looking at that pic of MM and the dual wings on his Honda

Marquez looks most impressive but get Hub out there and I'm sure Marquez would be in Struggle City...

Ha! I wish. Thanks for the compliment though. I've got vid of some endurance race. I still remember the wiggle and cursing out of the fairing I was told to put on. I passed someone on the straight, and when my bubble hit the front of leaving his air bubble, you can see the wobble effect exiting his front push of his bubble. That's about the as close as I can get to experiencing the wings at speed. I hear that if one side breaks it's hard to lift the bike up, depending on which side is broken off, obviously. As slow as that was back in the day, if it can cut thru a bubble, meaning, make it more stable at speed, it's going to trickle down soon.

Are we seeing what I'm seeing? The front wheel is just a touch off center. If it went the other way it would upright him, yes?

https://www.visordown.com/news/racing/motogp/could-motogp-return-two-stroke-engine-formula?fbclid=IwAR0kvFvLVtbfIqQZLPlayuOCj3cabngcc_lRf2ERmNXpU2orsbVbET8B3OA

I doubt these bikes would seize if they have the same FI telemetry of F1. And there is nothing new happening with the one atmosphere a sensor couldn't jet electronically. Therefore it's a given. Dropping main jets is a thing of the past. Where are the prototypes?

* Last updated by: Hub on 1/17/2020 @ 10:11 AM *

el jefe are you calling the bit of countersteer I think I see leaning the bike over in the arc of the turn.

si el jefe is the wheel went the other way its flying Marques in living color

but i dont really know shot about how this level actually does this

Countersteer, yes. Couldn't think of it. Thanks. Shoulder wise to keep it pinned(pun) like that, I'm sure they have him working out as soon as he woke up from surgery. Kidding, but he might have enough time to recover. Here we go... who had the most get-offs last year? Who pushes it the most but has the highest points record for a season that may not be beaten for awhile?

Is MM's age a factor? What age is one's prime in the sport? My guess is around their late 20's. If I look up names that you know, their wins are achieved at around MM's age. He's 27 come Feb. Either way it's a peak and downhill from there.

Looks like Q can embarrass honda riding a satellite bike once again.

It may be this one or just the racing, but it may have been MM's own utube channel... anyway, they had MM seated and he was being interviewed a few years back. The commentator asked if his brother would be on the team and how ideal that would be? They were laughing it up, but I think it might be a freight train in the makings.

* Last updated by: Hub on 1/23/2020 @ 11:13 PM *

At 4:50, you can see the helmet turn, the knee go out. Just hit the space bar to stop so you can see the head angle, the knee hugging the tank, then the laugh when the knee goes out.

Little too competitive. I still think contact and possibly crashing is acceptable. If you're where the other guy needs to be and he has the cajones to go there anyway, it's anybody's game. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

https://www.yamahamotogp.com/news/29-01-2020-yamaha-and-valentino-rossi-agree-to-take-time-to-decide-future-plans?fbclid=IwAR36bC1vl-YM31fIyzFEstbV7zZnBOLdEvBN9HyDLMs01oSn8fWJVriV8eA

Sooo, just announced that Borenzo has signed to be Yamaha Test Team rider.
And the theory goes like this...
Vinales, after 2 years of having his ass kicked by Quatararo, leaves Yamaha in 2023.
Borenzo makes his triumphant return to Yamaha Factory Team.
By this time , Rossi is running the SKY/VR46 satellite Yamaha team.
And I'll still have buffering video feed on my MotoGP coverage...

Mad

Forget about Hamilton... new gen is going to entertain this year I predict.

Couple of hours away. MM is not fit so most likely Qman is the fastest lapper. The only upset is Morbidelli. Dovi and Miller fill up the rest. Usual suspects?

Marc Marquez has just signed with Honda HRC for the next 5 years!
Exactly what every manufacturer and every rider in MotoGP did not want to hear...

Personally I'm surprised Ducati didn't bring out the seemingly unlimited check book to secure #93.
Perhaps they were more than gun shy after the Valentino Rossi disaster.

Whats your guess at the kind of change MM got for a 5 yr deal w/ Honda? I have no clue. I know F1 top talent does pretty well. In the US a top QB would get $25-40M/yr for a deal maybe more. Is Moto GP about the same

Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.462
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.464
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:54.494
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.634
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.700
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.823
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.876
Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:55.074
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.204
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:55.268
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.308
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:55.360
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:55.430
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:55.449
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:55.627
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:55.644
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.707
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.737
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:55.757
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:56.135
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:56.552
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:57.027

Got a friend that had the same operation as MM. Said it took him about 3 years to have full range of shoulder motion. However, he's not a jock by a long shot so the way MM works out, might recover a lot sooner. Is MM another 'don't count out the guy' like cough, you know who?

"So many stories.'
So many permutations.'
So many variations.'
So many possibilities.'
So much to look forward to."

Well, that's the biggest story. MM misses out getting closer to Ago and Rossi. He acts invincible this year, it might bite him. Just saying. Losing that front end is going to be a no show. I know it's going to take a year at least if not more to get that range back. For sure, he'll be in pain for months.

It's in the air... don't I wish. The dream team goes 1,2. Wouldn't that be a kick if suz took the trophy this year. So what are we looking at here? Imagine if that was a race. Well, if you think about it, it's a race against the clock. Are we looking at thousands of a second? Front axle meets rear axle? Rear wheel meeting back wheel? Front tire meets clutch cover? Front tire meets the back of the front tire? If those two take out each other, oh my! What a nightmare if that happens.

With MM taking up podiums on the less aggressive tracks, it's a free for all for 1st. Might even give Rossi a mental boost seeing MM struggle. Where they saying Zarco was complaining about another bike? Can't win with that attitude. Crutch on a works bike and where does he sit? With Alex. Guy needs to retire.

Binder is a possibility to catch on quickly. Guy is fast once he knows the bike. Seems like a small field without Lorenzo and steroid boy.

Who knows what his contract say now? They do not get paid like F1 guys, not even close. Has to be on a scale you'd think. That's a lot of years where the bid might go higher, so it must be a sweet deal. Tossot has him on contract. Lorenzo was too, but who knows now. Helmets, gloves, suits are probably contract sponsors as well. He's set for life either way.
https://deshibiker.com/article/motogp-riders-salaries/

So many stories.
So many permutations.
So many variations.
So many possibilities.
So much to look forward to.

Oi Hub, you're smarter than me so I'm not sure if I should be pissed or proud you're using my stuff!!!

P.S.
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.823
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.876
Even with Marquez struggling for fitness and Rossi at 100%!

P.P.S.
MM93 is my man but I would love Suzuki to bring home the silverware in 2020...

* Last updated by: yannih on 2/22/2020 @ 11:52 PM *

Proud, my man. Permutations is not in my vocabulary. I'm not the sharpest razor in the shave kit. Which brings me to yesterday. A regular comes to the shop and takes us out for lunch. I remember swinging the door into the shop after lunch and I asked him about MM. He was not a fan and told me in so many words. Then I asked what he thought about Rossi, and kinder words came out. I had to chuckle inside thinking... if only yannih was here to witness this.

My head is turned to the up and comers. More or less, the next record breaker. These guys are just racers to me. Off the track I could care less what their closet looks like.

Even with Marquez struggling for fitness and Rossi at 100%! I don't think pops is riding at 100% if you [wink-wink] know what I mean. That's pop's 100% at his age.

I remember swinging the door into the shop after lunch and I asked him about MM. He was not a fan and told me in so many words.

Hub, each unto their own and their opinions, but did your regular give reasons for his dislike of Marquez?
I'm interested in what was behind his thinking...

* Last updated by: yannih on 2/24/2020 @ 12:58 AM *

I'm betting that Ducati did bring a huge bag of money and waved it in front of Marc's nose. But MM knows that HRC is his best chance for more championships, they are dedicated to giving him what he needs, even if it means that nobody else can ride the bike.
I'm following Joe Roberts on the new Kalex American Racing Team. He has John Hopkins as a rider coach now. He said that last year he never got comfortable on the KTM chassis. This year, jumped on the Kalex and was 5th. Looks good for the start of the season. (its' kid of funny. There is still a KTM Moto2 team, but now on Kalex chassis).

Mad

I'll ask next time. It was more general than specific... unless you count 'little runt' is what little I remember.

Well, I've been waiting for Rins to come into his own so he looks promising this year. Morbidelli too. He shot right up there like when Rins came to the gp class. Baggy as well. To head up to the top 5 is that private sub-class of riders. Qman is a given, but this group looks like the next batch of potentials. Rins for me this time around. He's not a crasher, is consistent, and did suz find something? Looks like MM is in a world of hurt.

That grouping looks tight. One guy crashes and takes out the back of the field, Rossi has a shot, as would a ktm or ape.

Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.038
Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.200
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:54.264
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.481
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.520
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.565
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.612
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.662
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.740
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.759
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.762
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.852
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.890
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.093
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:55.194
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.352
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.600
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.644
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.725
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:55.930
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:56.178
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:56.407

unless you count 'little runt'

Call someone that without an explanation of why???
Probably a "He wins too many races and makes it boring" kind of guy.
As Gary Player once famously said, "Funny how the harder I work the luckier I get"...

Say what you like about my opinions of Valentino Rossi but at least I give clear reasons behind why I feel that way...

220.58mph (355km) for Miller. Yam top 3. Honda camp is having frame to engine position problems. New frame so it's a mm oops. Just guessing. Duc and yammie for most of the year. MM eventually out rides the bike and cough, does not have Zarcology: the art of the bike riding you.

Yam top 3.

Come on Hub!
Don't be shy (or bias).

Name the Yam rider who finished in the top 3.
Now name your Yam old man's finishing position and all the Yam's who finished in front of him...