MotoGP | 2020 | Round 5 | Austria | Red Bull Ring | Aug 21-23

It was a political move on the stewards' part.

Not for favouritism of one clique over another but rather to give the impression of admonishing dangerous riding. Safer for them to do that then to risk giving the impression of sweeping risks under the carpet.

As usual, I could be way off...

 

As a single incident of Franco failing to brake enough before hitting Zarco, the penalty is not deserved. Maybe the stewards are looking at some other Zarco incidents as well when making the ruling?

 

Ducati working on a 2yr deal with Pecco Bagnalia. They havent decided if its the factory team or Pramac.

 

That's not news! Errrrrrrybody gets two years.

Real news: it's factory.

 

Good for Zarco! I like Rossi a lot but he’s as far from unbiased as you can get in this situation. He’s justified with his views but everyone jumping on bandwagon, not so much.
Shame Zarco got taken out of the race and now has a penalty to boot.
If Zarco was taking a “weird line” and got rear ended by Franko does that mean Franko was taking that same “weird line?”

 

It means that their lines crossed.

 

Xaus did mention that the long lap penalty from the previous race hurt Zarco's case, since it looks like he's riding dangerously. Which wasn't his fault that Pol can't keep it on two wheels in a race.

 

I suppose so. While watching the race and the countless replays I just can’t see how the crash is all Zarco’s fault imo.
I don’t remember this much outrage when Zarco was on the ground after Marquez did this to him.
Seems like the biggest issue by far is just the risk associated with that corner.

 

If there is ONE thing we learned from ghostbusters: dont cross the streams

 

Fixed.

 

I'm not saying Zarco was in the wrong. I was just answering your question about the magic of lines.

 

Riders agree with your assessment.

https://the-race.com/motogp/riders-unanimous-in-criticism-of-motogp-stewarding/

 

MotoGP - Free Practice #1

1 43 Jack MILLER AUS Pramac Racing Ducati 313.9 1'23.859
2 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 313.0 1'23.863 0.004 / 0.004
3 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 309.4 1'23.898 0.039 / 0.035
4 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 310.3 1'23.950 0.091 / 0.052
5 36 Joan MIR SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 307.6 1'23.961 0.102 / 0.011
6 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 306.8 1'24.198 0.339 / 0.237
7 33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 307.6 1'24.251 0.392 / 0.053
8 27 Iker LECUONA SPA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 304.2 1'24.301 0.442 / 0.050
9 12 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 308.5 1'24.324 0.465 / 0.023
10 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 304.2 1'24.381 0.522 / 0.057
11 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 313.9 1'24.397 0.538 / 0.016
12 51 Michele PIRRO ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 310.3 1'24.508 0.649 / 0.111
13 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 307.6 1'24.517 0.658 / 0.009
14 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 308.5 1'24.623 0.764 / 0.106
15 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 312.1 1'24.628 0.769 / 0.005
16 73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 313.0 1'24.690 0.831 / 0.062
17 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 302.5 1'24.699 0.840 / 0.009
18 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 309.4 1'24.764 0.905 / 0.065
19 53 Tito RABAT SPA Esponsorama Racing Ducati 305.0 1'24.806 0.947 / 0.042
20 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 310.3 1'24.808 0.949 / 0.002
21 6 Stefan BRADL GER Repsol Honda Team Honda 311.2 1'24.914 1.055 / 0.106
5 Johann ZARCO FRA Esponsorama Racing Ducati

 

MotoGP - Free Practice #2

1 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 309.4 1'23.638
2 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 309.4 1'23.904 0.266 / 0.266
3 36 Joan MIR SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 305.9 1'23.907 0.269 / 0.003
4 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 310.3 1'24.009 0.371 / 0.102
5 12 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 305.9 1'24.060 0.422 / 0.051
6 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 310.3 1'24.118 0.480 / 0.058
7 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 307.6 1'24.187 0.549 / 0.069
8 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 311.2 1'24.366 0.728 / 0.179
9 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 301.6 1'24.378 0.740 / 0.012
10 33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 306.8 1'24.427 0.789 / 0.049
11 27 Iker LECUONA SPA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 304.2 1'24.429 0.791 / 0.002
12 73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 310.3 1'24.463 0.825 / 0.034
13 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 309.4 1'24.560 0.922 / 0.097
14 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 302.5 1'24.643 1.005 / 0.083
15 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 309.4 1'24.774 1.136 / 0.131
16 51 Michele PIRRO ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 308.5 1'24.807 1.169 / 0.033
17 43 Jack MILLER AUS Pramac Racing Ducati 307.6 1'24.925 1.287 / 0.118
18 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 307.6 1'24.985 1.347 / 0.060
19 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 307.6 1'25.025 1.387 / 0.040
20 6 Stefan BRADL GER Repsol Honda Team Honda 306.8 1'25.057 1.419 / 0.032
21 53 Tito RABAT SPA Esponsorama Racing Ducati 307.6 1'25.221 1.583 / 0.164
5 Johann ZARCO FRA Esponsorama Racing Ducati

 

What is the actual engine count right now? Did they salvage morbidelli's or was that a total loss from use as a lawn dart?

 

Last I read, that engine had not been withdrawn, so it is still in service.

 

Yamaha have withdrawn their request to open the engines, and have put some of those withdrawn engine back in play....... In short Lin says they've figured out what's wrong, and have come up with a plan and a method to change "engine settings" to mitigate the problem. In pr talk, "if we don't spin them as fast we wont fuck the valves as much" lol

 

I was in France in 2018 and saw a profile of Zarco on local TV programming and he seemed like a very cool guy. In contrast to Lorenzo's giant crib with girls sunning themselves by the pool, Zarco lived in a small cottage in the country. He had some friends over and they were all drinking wine and he played a little piano. He seemed like a real renaissance man.

Keith Huewen made a couple comments about Johann being "different" or "strange" in last weekend's BT Sport coverage. Keith didn't elaborate, so I'm wondering what that was all about.

 

Were they drinking French wine? I may have to realign my thoughts about him, with this new evidence.

 

Hey, I found that program! You can see his house at 3:10 and the piano playing at 5:00. I was mistaken about the wine, though.