MotoGP | 2020 | Round 2 | Spain | Jerez | July 24-26

If they had to pay Alex $1 million a year to sit at home and post Instagram pictures so they could keep Marc for 4 more years, it’d be worth it.

 

Where are all the tech nerds.
What are the differences between the 2019 and 2020 Honders?

 

i'm expecting that a rookie who gets a premier ride on arguably the best team in MotoGP beats half to 2/3rds of the grid right out the gate... and not by their engines blowing up and them crashing, but straight up racing. if those aren't your expectations, that's what a satellite team is for. but hey, that's just me.

 

Honda posted that on their Instagram so everyone can scan study the bikes.

 

If you were said fish and chips emporium, would you want your logo placed prominently on the bodywork, but inverted?

 

I agree, but the decision made sense. They wouldn’t have signed him to the Repsol bike if they hadn’t been in a jam. Alex is a world champion, but clearly doesn’t get off to lightning fast starts with new machines. They probably would’ve wanted him regardless, but would’ve started him at a satellite. For the situation they were in, it made all the sense in the world. You deal with the cards you have.

One good thing about COVID is that it’s saved us from all the vomit inducing propaganda about the Repsol Butt Bros we’d otherwise have been subjected to. The stuff they managed to put out before COVID was already nauseating.

 

I'm only telling you that my opinion on his demands was neither stated nor implied in the posts that you read.

 

Don't quote yourself. It's like masturbating in public.

 

You see, I’m not convinced they are the best team. No doubt they have the best rider in MM.
The best team is debatable.

I know what you are saying but............Equipment reliability and riders crashing is racing. You can’t remove them from the equation. It’s what makes racing.............racing.

Yamaha seems to think their satellite team is for winning races.

 

fair enough. we'll see i guess, but this so far is totally how i expected it to play out. it tooks years and the best bike in Moto2 for him to finally barely win. Repsol since i've been watching racing has been synonymous with being a power house on the track. i just don't see that in him, that's all.

 

argument is still holding up.

 

Well crap, what’s Instagram?

 

something I block at my firewall

 

haha touche. but i also woulda given Repsol high reliability marks for the last decade or 2. its had enough grunt to keep up with the Ducs while the Yamaha always fell behind on long straights, and until the last couple of years, nobody was really saying the chassis was shit. maybe its shit and only Marc can ride it just like only Casey could ride the Duc of 14 years ago, i dunno enough insider shit to know that. we'll see, i'm not in love with hating the dude for any particular reason, i just don't see it. let there be a few good weather, no drama events, and let's see where he finishes. i'm willing to bet more near Bradley than near a Top 5.

 

Yamaha is trying a new thing. 2 factory riders on 2 different teams, FQ and MV.

 

So, your assumption is that I would prefer sponsoring Crashlow. Maybe I’m looking to expand operations into Spain.
That’s an easy answer, underside of belly pan.

 

Ok, all the different conversations have become a pain in the ass to keep up with. Maybe I didn't clearly state my stance well enough. That's probably on me. So I'll sum it up as clearly and concisely as I can.

Honda signing Alex was smart if it was indeed what kept Marc onboard for another 4 years. I'm hesitant to believe he wouldn't have signed that contract anyways. Out of all the rumor mills that tend to float around the paddock, I do not recall any indication or even the slightest hint that Marc was considering jumping ship but my memory is shit so maybe it's failing me here. If signing Alex was indeed the deciding factor in Marc staying then yes it was genius. I doubt any of us will ever know for sure. However, now that Marc is signed for the extension HRC is absolutely making the correct decision in bouncing Alex from that seat for next year. He's not a factory level rider and he's young and inexperienced so I highly doubt he has a lot of bike development skills. Most riders don't at that point in their careers. I don't care about Cal and I'm not saying he's the best option for that seat. I simply said he was a better option than Alex. If Alex was not the determining factor in Marc signing the extension then Honda would have benefited more from putting a more skilled and more experienced rider in that seat. If Alex was the determining factor in Marc's extension then I believe Honda has made the correct choices in all regards thus far, signing Alex to keep Marc and then bouncing him for Pol for next year.

As far as Dovi goes, he has not shown anything that indicates to me he will ever win a championship for Ducati. For $8 million, they could hire 2 younger riders with many more years and potentially more untapped potential. Maybe those riders will win them a championship. Maybe they won't. But they've been on the Dovi wagon for years now with no title. If you keep doing the same thing you will keep achieving the same results. Future Ducati championships will not have Dovi in them. But at least there's a chance with a younger rider with more room to grow. Or maybe even with Lorenzo (cringe). At least he has 3 championships to his name already so he's got what it takes and he proved he could consistently win on the Duc when the conditions are right. There appear to be no such conditions in which Dovi can do that. Or at least none that have been found. He's valuable for the right price. That price is not $8 million. Duc seems to agree.

 

Well after this season, you won’t.