MotoGP 2015 Season

[Go4Long]

So...uhhh...I don't now how many could have predicted this time sheet at this point:

Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Lead. Gap Prev. Gap Laps Last lap
1 IANNONE, Andrea Ducati Team 1:55.265 30 / 37 1:55.764
2 DOVIZIOSO, Andrea Ducati Team 1:55.363 0.098 0.098 36 / 41 1:55.737
3 MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:55.554 0.289 0.191 23 / 37 20:55.458
4 ESPARGARO, Aleix Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:55.698 0.433 0.144 33 / 40 1:56.176
5 CRUTCHLOW, Cal CWM LCR Honda 1:55.837 0.572 0.139 26 / 32 1:56.162
6 LORENZO, Jorge Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1:55.904 0.639 0.067 30 / 38 1:56.513
7 ROSSI, Valentino Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1:55.938 0.673 0.034 27 / 38 1:56.236
8 REDDING, Scott Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS 1:56.112 0.847 0.174 43 / 44 2:01.106
9 PEDROSA, Dani Repsol Honda Team 1:56.215 0.950 0.103 26 / 26 1:56.215
10 HERNANDEZ, Yonny Pramac Racing 1:56.301 1.036 0.086 26 / 27 2:02.248
11 VIÑALES, Maverick Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:56.316 1.051 0.015 23 / 39 1:57.311
12 SMITH, Bradley Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:56.318 1.053 0.002 28 / 34 1:56.523
13 ESPARGARO, Pol Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:56.615 1.350 0.297 31 / 38 1:57.088
14 ABRAHAM, Karel AB Motoracing 1:56.638 1.373 0.023 29 / 29 1:56.638
15 DI MEGLIO, Mike Avintia Racing 1:56.719 1.454 0.081 32 / 45 2:44.094
16 PETRUCCI, Danilo Pramac Racing 1:56.779 1.514 0.060 16 / 30 26:04.585
17 BRADL, Stefan Athina Forward Racing 1:57.146 1.881 0.367 16 / 27 1:58.565
18 BAZ, Loris Athina Forward Racing 1:57.376 2.111 0.230 34 / 37 1:57.896
19 BARBERA, Hector Avintia Racing 1:57.405 2.140 0.029 4 / 18 2:16.445
20 HAYDEN, Nicky Drive M7 Aspar 1:57.507 2.242 0.102 18 / 33 1:58.317
21 LAVERTY, Eugene Drive M7 Aspar 1:57.661 2.396 0.154 23 / 25 46:19.980
22 PIRRO, Michele Ducati Test Team 1:57.664 2.399 0.003 31 / 47 2:01.217
23 DE ANGELIS, Alex Octo Ioda Racing Team 1:58.026 2.761 0.362 26 / 33 1:59.272
24 MILLER, Jack CWM LCR Honda 1:58.064 2.799 0.038 24 / 34 19:18.126
25 BAUTISTA, Alvaro Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:58.459 3.194 0.395 24 / 26 1:58.812
26 MELANDRI, Marco Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:58.990 3.725 0.531 19 / 19 1:58.990

lots of laps in, Ducati, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki

[Modelexis]

Ducati topped the second test as well, doing really well.

Suzuki is looking crazy good for their debut.

[civic_stylez]

holy.. Aprilia is 3 seconds back with 2 seasoned riders??? Looks like a rough season ahead.

[Go4Long]

Aprilia is an all new platform. Basically where Suzuki was last year at this point.

[Modelexis]

Ready for Qatar, press conference begins tomorrow at 8am (wed)

[Go4Long]

So who was it that said the Suzukis weren't going to be any good this season?

First official session of the year is in the books in Qatar, Aleix is making use of the softer tire option, although they've said that his time was very close on the normal soft option that the factory riders were using. Dani back near the top, Marquez situation normal. Good to see Cal back to competitive. Vale and Jorge both struggling with a "floaty" feel.

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 343.7 1'55.281
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 347.3 1'55.357 0.076 / 0.076
3 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 328.8 1'55.685 0.404 / 0.328
4 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 338.4 1'55.698 0.417 / 0.013
5 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR CWM LCR Honda Honda 340.2 1'55.818 0.537 / 0.120
6 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 341.2 1'55.939 0.658 / 0.121
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 345.0 1'55.980 0.699 / 0.041
8 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Pramac Racing Ducati 343.5 1'56.139 0.858 / 0.159
9 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 338.4 1'56.162 0.881 / 0.023
10 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Ducati Team Ducati 344.4 1'56.315 1.034 / 0.153
11 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 344.6 1'56.361 1.080 / 0.046
12 45 Scott REDDING GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 338.1 1'56.374 1.093 / 0.013
13 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 343.7 1'56.428 1.147 / 0.054
14 6 Stefan BRADL GER Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 336.2 1'56.577 1.296 / 0.149
15 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE AB Motoracing Honda 334.1 1'56.651 1.370 / 0.074
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM Octo IodaRacing Team ART 326.7 1'56.768 1.487 / 0.117
17 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 330.6 1'56.922 1.641 / 0.154
18 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Racing Ducati 340.1 1'56.957 1.676 / 0.035
19 43 Jack MILLER AUS CWM LCR Honda Honda 338.4 1'56.983 1.702 / 0.026
20 76 Loris BAZ FRA Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 332.9 1'57.031 1.750 / 0.048
21 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 331.4 1'57.052 1.771 / 0.021
22 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 331.8 1'57.130 1.849 / 0.078
23 50 Eugene LAVERTY IRL Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 336.3 1'57.224 1.943 / 0.094
24 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Avintia Racing Ducati 338.4 1'57.612 2.331 / 0.388
25 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 333.6 1'59.579 4.298 / 1.967

[Go4Long]

FP3 is in the books now:

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 345.0 1'54.822
2 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR CWM LCR Honda Honda 339.7 1'54.918 0.096 / 0.096
3 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Ducati Team Ducati 345.0 1'54.992 0.170 / 0.074
4 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 331.1 1'54.994 0.172 / 0.002
5 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 345.4 1'55.024 0.202 / 0.030
6 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 344.1 1'55.044 0.222 / 0.020
7 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Pramac Racing Ducati 344.2 1'55.102 0.280 / 0.058
8 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 335.2 1'55.108 0.286 / 0.006
9 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 336.8 1'55.192 0.370 / 0.084
10 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 340.2 1'55.328 0.506 / 0.136
11 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Racing Ducati 342.9 1'55.396 0.574 / 0.068
12 45 Scott REDDING GBR EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 341.6 1'55.447 0.625 / 0.051
13 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 333.1 1'55.676 0.854 / 0.229
14 6 Stefan BRADL GER Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 335.5 1'55.694 0.872 / 0.018
15 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 341.6 1'55.777 0.955 / 0.083
16 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 330.8 1'55.789 0.967 / 0.012
17 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Avintia Racing Ducati 341.3 1'55.866 1.044 / 0.077
18 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 339.9 1'55.905 1.083 / 0.039
19 50 Eugene LAVERTY IRL Aspar MotoGP Team Honda 331.6 1'55.913 1.091 / 0.008
20 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE AB Motoracing Honda 332.3 1'56.080 1.258 / 0.167
21 43 Jack MILLER AUS CWM LCR Honda Honda 331.1 1'56.162 1.340 / 0.082
22 76 Loris BAZ FRA Athinà Forward Racing Yamaha Forward 332.3 1'57.072 2.250 / 0.910
23 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 329.8 1'57.107 2.285 / 0.035
24 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM Octo IodaRacing Team ART 323.5 1'57.509 2.687 / 0.402
25 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 329.9 1'59.339 4.517 / 1.830

Interesting notes:

- Top 10 are within half a second
- First 16 places are within a second
- A little over 2.5 seconds covering the grid if you don't count Melandri
- 4 different bikes in the top 4 spots.
- 3 Ducatis in the top 7 spots
- Yamahas are giving up ~10km/h to the top 5 other than the suzuki
- Aleix Espargaro has the slowest top speed in the top 15 and only 4 riders had a slower top speed on the entire grid (and Jack miller was the same down in 21st) sheerly from a math standpoint, put him on a bike with a top speed closer and that .172 gap is gone.

Overall, I think the qualifying and the race are going to be pretty interesting. Can't wait to see how it shakes out, and see what I'm in for in Austin.

[Modelexis]

Lorenzo making excuses about his helmet, I don't believe him for a second. These helmets don't malfunction in this way, he should have just accepted defeat.
Feel bad for Pedrosa, but it sounds like he might be racing for this entire season, this is good news for Marquez.

[japan_us]

Originally posted by Go4Long
So who was it that said the Suzukis weren't going to be any good this season?

I'm the one who said that they'll be aiming for Top 10s, and argued you that they would not be "more competitive than Ducati", as you suggested. Tests are one thing, but there's a reason why they race on Sunday, and in Qatar we saw both Ducatis on the podium (fractions of a second from a win) and the first Suzuki still 2.5 seconds from 10th. So, I wasn't THAT far off from my original assessment haha!

All friendly jabs aside, it's a long season, and Dani might already be out (thus removing a top rider), so we may see some better end of race results from Suzuki here and there. With the proper conditions (downed riders, rain, etc.), it wouldn't surprise me to see Aleix get a top 5. Admittedly, their testing times were better than I thought, but not enough to change my original opinion on them.

[Go4Long]

Hehe. I was just giving you the gears.

Such a great race regardless, can't wait for Austin.

[japan_us]

No doubt it will be! Maybe the Andreas have something to challenge Marquez.

Hopefully Suzuki and Aprilia take advantage of their concessions the same way Ducati did last year and develop some beasts. The more manufacturers at the top, the better. Suzuki seems to be on track, but my oh my what's with Aprilia? I didn't expect them to be this slow. Bautista can ride, but Melandri is looking like a poor choice.

[adamc]

Awww yesssssss:

[Modelexis]

Lucky!

What an ugly graphic on the front of the ticket, looks like a bad photoshop done by some grade 5 kid.

[Go4Long]

I'm still thinking of getting a paddock pass. Actually I just bought the shoei rf1200 in the marquez colours and I REALLY want to get him to sign it.

[japan_us]

Get the paddock pass! I used to love going to Laguna because of it. None of the European rounds that I've been to offered one, which is a real shame.

[adamc]

Yes to the paddock passes. Also go4long, a heads up:





It's free, also gratis drinks and food, RSVP before it fills up!

[Modelexis]

Originally posted by adamc
Yes to the paddock passes. Also go4long, a heads up:
It's free, also gratis drinks and food, RSVP before it fills up!

https://vimeo.com/123551251

Scheduled to coincide with the 2015 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, Revival Cycles will be hosting the second annual Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, presented by Moto Guzzi. A FREE custom motorcycle, art and entertainment all-ages showcase, The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show was designed and put together to engage and include ALL who are even remotely interested in motorcycles and moto-culture, not just the veteran moto-experienced crowd. The show will take place at Fair Market, 1100 E 5th St. near downtown Austin, Texas on April 10 -12.

[adamc]

^ yup, going to try and hit that saturday night.

In Austin now, warm and humid as always, forecast is calling for sporadic thunderstorms - we could see some wet racing this year.

[Go4Long]

Yeah, it's showing as a 100% chance of showers for Sunday at the moment, which makes me happy because rain pictures are fun.

[Modelexis]

Originally posted by adamc
^ yup, going to try and hit that saturday night.

In Austin now, warm and humid as always, forecast is calling for sporadic thunderstorms - we could see some wet racing this year.

If you go and take pics, post them up or link me to the photos. My brother really wanted to go to that.