MotoGP | 2024 | Race 2 | Portugal | Portimao | March 22-24

This was my reaction and view also. I also think Pecco is very aware of the threat MM poses and will be more aggressive with him than with other threats. Totally speculating, but I think Pecco assumes he's got Martin mentally beaten after last season, but he's worried about Marc. He might've thought - 'we're going to a few very Marc friendly tracks right after this, I better show him it's gonna be a fight to beat me. And it's better to crash than to just cede the position'

Orr probably he was just hanging off the left side of the bike and didn't even really see him and went for a gap he assumed was going to be there based on MM running a bit wide and before he knew it he was on his ass.

 

Speedvision

Acosta is a beast. Jack Miller is like he needs to change his riding style to match Pedro. Acosta seems like a MM93/Stoner mix. The bike is moving all kinds of ways, and yet he still keeps on going. I guess there's some comfort knowing about TC being there as well as an aid.

 

Yup, great to have a way to watch all three races and all the talk
talk from all the well informed former racers/commentators, without having to pay more than I already do for race coverage. When you watch MotoGP, World Superbike, MotoAmerica, Supercross, and American mx and MXGP and American dirt track, a guy doesn’t want to spend more for streaming a single sport.

 

I fully expect PA to chuck it down the track a few times in the GP races this season...but thus far, his acuteness with the bike and finding its limit in such a short order is amazing. He went into T1 a few times and the front was visibly angry, chattering a bit, and seems to have found that razor's edge on keeping it upright while extracting 99.999% of what his bike setup is capable of delivering. To me, that's far more impressive (and different) than discussing his pace, which obviously is beyond what most of us would have expected this early on. Wondering if he's going to mirror JL in the sense of when he's clicking, he's unstoppable, but if he's having a bad streak, it's really, really bad.

 

Think Acosta will win one this year?

 

I think he is capable but not convinced the KTM/GasGas is yet in a “normal” dry race. To many Ducatis with capable riders and little chance they all have a bad race on the same day. Oddball wet/mixed conditions and you just never know on those days.

 

The hatred for MM is so deep in here that it's clouding their vision. MM had a clean pass on Bagnaia, then Bags tries a switchback move to take that spot back, can't keep the bike upright, takes MM out, but in some people's minds it's MM's fault?

 

Yes

 

MM turned into him...lol

He was on the outside, looking through the turn...FB clearly within his field of vision when he cut back to the apex. Racing incident, but again, many 'incidents' seem to follow MM as well.

 

I agree it was a racing incident in the sense that Pecco shouldn't be penalized however if fault were to be given - it's squarely on him.

Pol E. made a great point about how if it were Bezz (close pal) who made that pass there is zero chance Pecco would have tried the cut back, and I also agree with Marc that to make such a risky move over a 2-point swing was a bad decision. On the flip side, I'm happy to see Pecco not shy away from some hard racing - he's been accused in the past of not being a cold-blooded killer like Marc, Vale, Casey...so I have no issue when in the heat of the moment he went for it.

 

I agree it's a racing incident. I fail to see how the outside bike, which was behind the inside bike, thus allowing the rider on the outside to physically see the inside bike means the inside bike (rider) is at fault.

Discussing anything more than the racing incident is nothing but deflecting/ "what about-isms" that are irrelevant. What if dinosaurs with strap on dildos were raining from the sky during the crash? Who cares?

On the other hand...how would a T-Rex tighten the straps...

 

I usually agree with most of your comments but no way was that Pecco’s fault… I’ll go further in saying he probably thought that it was likely there would be impact considering it was MM but his front wheel was safely in front and he should’ve been able to take a bump from the outside without crashing… otherwise he wouldn’t have put it there… imo

but I’m an old school protect your front wheel and whoever is a mm ahead owns the line racer

 

Funny thing that Pecco/Marc crash.

Neither rider saw the other at impact.

 

I'm not opposed to anything said here, but I look at it differently:

- Marc made a safe, clean block pass - similar to the one he put on Jorge the day earlier.
- they both crashed because Pecco made contact with Marc - not the other way around. Pecco had lots of time to process the pass and make sure both of them made it out of that corner safely but chose not to. He knew Marc would likely drift a tad wide and he rolled the dice that only Marc would be in danger of crashing and it cost em both.

I agree Pecco was level with Marc upon impact and that both of them had their eyes well up the road - I just think Pecco initiated contact and therefore should shoulder the majority of the blame. Apparently Ducati see it that way too from them telling both racers to play nice when clearly their interest lies in having Marc shoulder the blame.

If only Marc crashed, my guess is 100% Race Control sanctions Pecco for irresponsible riding as Fabio's crash into Eleix last year was a carbon copy and Aleix crashed- Pecco got sanctioned.

 

Who cares, neither had the pace for the podium anyway. I hope Acosta beats up Marc and takes his lunch money every weekend! Gonna be a long, expensive year for Gresini.

 

If I'm Pecco, what I saw was MM make a pass on the inside, with his foot off the peg and the rear tire squirming around. I think there's no way he gets it together and I have room to make the turn in. But MM being MM, he does get it under control and back towards the line. Racing incident.

 

Racing incident. Both guys took a risk that the other guy would concede the corner. And neither guy did. So they touched. That's what happens when you take risks like these guys do. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't.

 

Actually, the biggest evidence that Pecco caused the crash is right here in this thread: the trolls made their one union-mandated negative comment and quickly moved on. Had Marquez been responsible, they would still be bitching in here.

If Pecco had not crashed, he would have been penalized, which I totally disagree with because it was not an unreasonable or egregious move. It just wasn't very smart.

 

alright, since you and I are of the intellect to have a proper conversation…

a block pass can only happen from the inside… because you’re blocking the outside rider’s line… Block… MM did do that to JM, and that was exactly what Pecco did to him with the switchback.. blocked his line making the pass as he was in front and if MM would’ve checked up neither would’ve fallen, like I said though I’m sure all but the fall was expected by Pecco… racing happens… I didn’t look for reactions from the riders or teams and damn sure not the bullshit penalty division, that I think is the dumbest thing racing has ever seen…

that being said… here is a long story about knowing who you’re racing and who owns what line when…

back when we got paid well to chase contingencies every paying race made us thousands from bike and tire manufacturers mostly… it was cut throat and vicious but fair and respectful…

Most of us knew the others limits and how to safely beat each other or concede to podium when out of reach of the win… different tracks and strengths etc…

well… one time a racer, who was never a friend but a respected fellow competitor thought he was going to race us podium fighters for position… first lap… $3k on the line…

he shoves it up the inside of me in T7 the bus stop at Putnam… my peripheral vision is really good and I saw him about up to footpeg on the inside… so… being the nice guy I was I went deeper and deeper into the corner ten feet past my apex and he still hadn’t turned… mind you two others are getting away… so at the last possible second at the end of the pavement… way off line… I turned hard to make the corner… while I knew he was there and hoped he was smart enough to get stopped as he had plenty of time… he didn’t and my rear tire took out his front sending him cartwheeling and rag dolling through the grass… it barely moved me as I gave chase to 1st and 2nd…

I lost $2k the difference between 1st and 3rd where I finished not being able to chase down my real competition…

So would’ve I ran off track for a good friend that didn’t mean to get in hot and run us deep? Maybe… do I wish I’d’ve immediately turned chopping his front wheel so that I could’ve won the race and the extra $2k? after he opened his mouth crying about it I did…

he came crying about crashing and said… “well you just waited and waited and then just turned!” To which I said “no shit I was giving you time to fix it! Wtf were you thinking anyway?!? You’re not going to race me here!” Anyone that knows me knows that’s out of character…

til this day he still makes comments about “prison rules” when racing me… he never tried to stick it up the inside of me again and my point is as long as your in front that line is yours for the taking… I lost $2k but he lost new R6…