Charlie Kilmer

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Algarve MotoGP: Quartararo: Winning the World Championship has finally arrived! | MotoGP

Winning the MotoGP World Championship in 2021 begins for Fabio Quartararo to finally come home before the penultimate round of the season this weekend.

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The Frenchman, who moved up from 15th place on the grid to fourth place, took the title after seeing championship rival Francesco Bagnaia fall from the lead.

Without this mistake, the title fight would most likely have rolled out to the second race of the year at Portimao this weekend, but with the pressure now completely gone, Quartararo is back in the mindset of finishing first, as he did when he won the Algarve International Circuit in April.

“It took a while, but winning the MotoGP World Championship in 2021 has finally made its mark,” said Quartararo.

“Now that I don’t have to think about the tables and points all the time, I can go back to the way we thought when we came here earlier this year.

“Our goal is to be first again, like at the start of the championship, because we still have to fight for the team and constructors’ titles.

“We drove a great race on this track at the Portuguese GP. The pace was so fast, so I’m really excited to see what we can achieve this weekend.”

On his way to fourth place in Misano, Quartararo prevailed against his team-mate Franco Morbidelli, who ended up ten places down after qualifying seven.

The Italian’s early pace was impressive but after struggling with his physical condition the Italian quickly fell through the field.

Even so, Morbidelli feels that steps are being taken in front of Portimao, a lap that, given the physical nature, could be challenging.

Morbidelli added: “The Emilia-Romagna GP weekend was overall positive for us. We took a good step to improve the feel of the bike and my pace at the start of the race was good.

“The condition of my knee is improving from week to week, so we are seeing steady progress.

“Portimao could be a challenge though. I don’t know how physically demanding this route will be, especially given the difference in altitude, but I always enjoy riding this route so I’m looking forward to it.”

MotoGP: Honda’s Marc Marquez wins American Grand Prix

Texas, October 4th (IANS) Eight-time world champion and Honda rider Marc Marquez won his second race of the 2021 season with his seventh win at the Grand Prix of the Americas.

French and Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo finished second, while Italian Francesco Bagnaia finished third in Sunday’s 20-lap MotoGP race.

Starting from third on the grid in Texas, Marquez and his Repsol Honda Team RC213V shot forward and led the field from the first corner. From here there was no turning back; In the following 20 laps he set an unsurpassed pace.

From the fifth to the 15th lap, Marquez never drove slower than 2’04.9 to make a gap of over four seconds on Fabio Quartararo. Marquez was unstoppable in Austin on Sunday as he celebrated his seventh win on the track.

Marquez’s second win in 2021 also brings the Repsol Honda Team’s 450th podium in the premier class since 1995. With 98 podium finishes in the legendary Repsol Honda Team colors, Marquez is the second most successful driver in terms of podium finishes for the team behind Dani Pedrosa with 112 top 3 finishes.

“The plan was to do exactly what we did today: start well and fight right into the first corner, take the first few laps a little lightly and then, when the tires wear out a little – then I would start pushing. That’s exactly what I did and I saw how the gap increased with my lap times in 2’04 heights, very consistently and comfortably, ”said Marc Marquez after the victory.

“In the last few laps I was very tired and it wasn’t easy to keep my concentration, but Fabio was way behind and my instincts told me that he wouldn’t risk anything in the fight for the championship. It was a difficult season to understand everything, I really waited for this win because we know we had a good chance here, ”he added.

Friday, November 26, 2021

Jack Miller breaks his right leg; Will Motegi miss MotoGP

Jack Miller

Jack Miller breaks his right shin

The Australian Jack Miller broke his leg last Friday while training on his observed trial motorcycle at his European base in Andorra.

The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS MotoGP rider put his right foot down to rescue a front end crash at slow speed. This caused him to twist his right leg, which resulted in a fracture of the upper right tibia.

Because of this, Miller will miss the next MotoGP round at Motegi, Japan, which is scheduled for October 15th.

Jack Miller breaks his right leg; Will Motegi miss MotoGP Jack Miller

After the crash, Miller was taken to the Universitari Dexeus hospital in Barcelona, where he had an operation on Saturday morning. A plate and eight screws were placed to stabilize the fracture of the Honda RC213V rider.

Miller is undergoing physical therapy and hopes to return to the Phillip Island Australian Grand Prix in just over two weeks – a home race for Miller.

Miller’s fall follows Valentino Rossi’s training accident. Nine-time world champion Rossi broke his right tibia and fibula and returned to the Aragon race just three 25 days after his broken leg. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider finished fifth.

Miller will seek the same kind of recreation to come back and do his home race in Australia. Miller’s best result that season was the sixth place he took in Assen and San Marino. He is currently 13th with 56 points. He has a victory under his leather – the 2016 Dutch GP at Assen.

“Of course, I am both disappointed and frustrated to have to sit out the Japanese Grand Prix due to a training injury, especially since it wasn’t even a fall.” Jack Miller says.

“We were doing trials and I put one foot on the ground when I lost traction from the front tire. That would have been the end of the story nine out of ten times, especially at this slow speed, but this time I must have got my foot hanging on something and ended up breaking my right shin near the knee. The injury was stabilized with the plate and screws and I already have some movement, but it is clear that I will not be fit for Motegi. However, I am determined to get back on my bike at Phillip Island and I will now work towards that with the physiotherapist. “

Michael Bartholemy, Team Principal, says: “Jack was extremely unhappy that he had fractured his tibia in such a seemingly harmless incident; it was just bad luck. The timing is also unfortunate as we will be going overseas for three races on so many weekends, but Jack firmly believes he will only miss the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi next weekend. His goal is to get back on his bike for his home race at Phillip Island and the prognosis is good. He will now be working with a physiotherapist to improve mobility in the event of the injury, and we and his doctors will make a decision immediately after the Japanese Grand Prix as to whether he is fit to ride on Phillip Island. “

MotoAmerica, Elias and Mistress like Rins: factory Suzukis for Toni and Josh

What do Alex Rins, Toni Elias and Josh Herrin have in common? The answer is simple: a racing bike from Suzuki. Although these are two different projects dedicated to two very different championships, Both in MotoGP and in MotoAmerica, the commitment of the manufacturer from Hamamatsu is the same, namely direct and official.

The Ecstar Spanier team – like its teammate Joan Mir – will benefit from the research and development of the Japanese racing department, which is constantly designing, constructing, experimenting and testing new parts for the GSX-RR, then passing them on to local testers who refine everything .

This sends the components to the test team, where Sylvain Guintoli, the Frenchman with an excellent racing record, puts them through their paces. The number 50 Michelin-studded Suzuki has everything Rins needs to drive fast, and in Texas came the first well-deserved win. Alex – taking advantage of Marquez’s fall – defeats Rossi’s Yamaha and Miller’s Ducati, with a crouched style that was as strange as it was effective.

All of this also applies to the American superbike: the US Yoshimura base is located in Chino, California, a direct branch of the Japanese branch on American soil. In a huge area, every part received from Suzuki is reviewed, developed, improved and then assembled in a final configuration that is completed by Dunlop tires. A team of Japanese engineers completes the work of art and confirms how “factory” is the structure that is committed to MotoAmerica and the GSX-R machines that run in the American series.

The results? We have already talked about Rins and his sovereign victory at CoTA, and as for Elias and Mistress … well, Toni and Josh also won directly in Texas, beating the Ultra Factory Yamaha ridden by Beaubier and Gerloff. With this, the Suzuki hat trick in Austin was completed under the watchful eye of Kevin Schwantz, who is very familiar with the philosophy of the “samurai bike” from Hamamatsu.

Looking at all the major championships – such as the World SBK – it seems clear that Suzuki is not a company that invests in every category, but where it invests, it wins and plays a prominent role.

Rins increased by “unbelievable” Suzuki speed on used tires

Rins was runner-up on both test days so far, but the Spaniard, who had reliably improved in races last year, drew more attention to his constant speed.

“Hello – yesterday too,” said Rins after running on Thursday. “I am very happy.

“Because of the [Valencia 2018] Racing bike so far we are improving. Of course we improve – we don’t improve a second, but we improve a few tenths that in the end it is very important.

“The bike gives me confidence when I get on it [the corner] faster and I drive a good cornering speed, I try new things myself every lap that I turn.

“The rhythm with 20-25 laps on the tire was incredible.”

Pre-Season MotoGP Reviews:

Rins claims that the GSX-RR’s new spec has improved acceleration – and while braking and top speed remain their weaknesses, Suzuki has made advances on the latter.

This was ensured by “a little more power from the engine”, but also by a new fairing that Rins tried out on the second day, which gave him better grip on the front tire.

But after finishing in the top six for the last seven races of 2018, Rins pointed out that no drastic changes were needed in the off-season.

“We don’t have to try, I don’t know [putting] the rear wheel at the front, the front wheel at the back, “he said.” Just small adjustments that give us more information, more consistency.

While Rins starred in the first two days of testing, his rookie teammate Joan Mir was outside the top 20 on both occasions.

But although he feels “tired” at the end of Thursday, the Moto2 graduate insists that he is satisfied with the way the test has gone so far.

“We worked a lot on the new bike – tried the good things, the bad things, tried a lot of things,” said Mir. “I am very happy about today because we have the path that we have to take and that is really the most important thing.

“For tomorrow, I hope to continue in this line, hopefully time off to see what’s going on.”

Additional reporting from Oriol Puigdemont

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP

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