But can Anybody Stop Defending MotoGP Champion Fabio
Quartararo from winning a second, consecutive World Championship?
The Premio Road Racing Kneedraggers’ returned
to action August 7th at
Bloody Silverstone after their five weeks Summer Holiday. Due in part to
Finland’s Kymi Ring circuit once again Not Hosting it’s intended inaugural MotoGP
race. And No, it’s Not named after that former Formula 1 Driver known as thee
Iceman…
Cannot remember the last MotoGP race I “Watched,”
Err listned to on Thy Telie’, but the British GP was a very good race! As it was
refreshing not only having the Bikes’ back in action, but also with the great ride
Maverick Top gun’ vinales put in upon His factory Aprilia. And only if Maverick
hadn’t done His trademark Slow Start and dropping back to seventh, or may be
just sixth? From starting second, who knows?
But I was indeed Rootin’ for Maverick to pass
Pecco’ Bagnaia for the race victory, which the Spaniard wasn’t able to do. But
it was Fun listening to the announcers describing Maverick carving His way
steadily forward until He was threatening Francesco Bagnaia for the win, before
a Scraggly last lap saw Maverick finish a tantalizing 0.4-seconds adrift!
As Vinales was the Aprilia “Salami” in the
Ducati Sandwich, as Pecco’s Ducati teammate Jack Thriller’ Miller finished
third. Giving us an All Italian manufacturer podium sweep in England.
As I heard the lead announcer, err Presenter
claim that Miller was leaving Ducati for KTM at season’s end, and how the KTM’s
aren’t really in the fight right now. Making me wonder who’s going to be Bagnaia’s
Stablemate next year?
Another rider putting in a great ride was my
current Numero Uno MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini, simply known as The Beast! As
Bastianini carved His way from midfield to finish a fine fourth! Hmm, will Ducati
want an All Italian lineup for 2023, or will it be the Martinator’, nee Jorge
Martin instead? Or will Martin’s teammate Johann Zarco have something to say
about it?
Heading to the Hills Are Shrieking Yamahas in Spielberg,
which will forever be remembered as where Maverick vinales had His spectacular Meltdown…
Three riders had Dominated the Top step of the Podium. Led by Ducati’s
Francesco Bagnaia with four wins and four Poles. While reigning MotoGP Champion
Fabio Quartararo had won three times and claimed one Poles upon His Yamaha. With
Ducati Satellite Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini also notching a most
impressive three victories abourd His year old Duc’.
Quartararo led the Points standings by 22
markers over Aprilia’s Aliex Espargaro: 180-158. With Aleix having scored His
and Aprilia’s Debutante MotoGP victory in Argentina where He made a clean sweep
of Pole, Fastest lap and Win. And has claimed two Poles to date.
Bagnaia was third with 131 points, 49 adrift
and Bastianini was fourth, some 62 points back on 118. While Pramac Racing’s
Johann Zarco was nipping at His Heels with 114 poits, rounding out the Top five
before Austria.
Guessing Y’all have Heard that Dovi’, aka Andrea
Dovizioso who’d earlier announced His retirement from MotoGP at season’s end
has moved His Curtain Call forward. As the upcoming San Marino GP September 4th
on Home soil at Missano will be Dovi’s final race.
Then Yamahoper’ reserve rider Cal Crutchlow will
Deputize for the remaining six rounds before the WithU Yamaha RNF Satellite squad
swaps Yamaha’s for Aprilia’s next year.
MotoGP then gets serious with it’s final six races,
beginning with a Triple Header at Motorland Aragon, Twin ring Motegi and Thailand.
Then Down Under to Phillip Island and Malaysia. Before ending it’s season on
November 6 at Valencia, and easily missing the upcoming FIFA World Cup in
Qatar.
Red Bull Ring seeing Red…
Not surprisingly, Ducati – Well known for their
prodigious Horsepower swept five of the first two rows six Grid positions. With
the Front Row being an All Ducati affair, albeit it was “The Beast,” aka Enea
Bastianini capturing His Debutante MotoGP Pole position by a scant two-Hundreds
of a second ahead of Pecco Bagnaia, with Jack Miller third.
Points leader Fabio Quartararo split the Pramac
Racing Duc’s with Jorge Martin fourth and Johann zarco sixth.
And while it was good news Hearing of Thee
Pinball Wizard, nee Marc Mrquez’s return to the MotoGP Paddock at Spielberg.
Surely Marquez wasn’t impressed that the Quickest
Honda was LCR’s Takaaki
Nakagami in P14!
Austrian GP Race Highlights
Francesco Pecco’ Bagnaia got the perfect Hole
Shot from second and never looked back! Leading Wire-to-Wire, whilst Pole
sitter Enea Bastianinisoon found Himself struggling to Hold onto the Podium’s
final step, having been passed by Thriller’ Miller. Soon engaged in a Mano e
Mano tussle with Jorge Martin, for which these two are apparently also fighting
for Miller’s Factory Ducati seat next year! But it All went Pear Shaped for
Bastianini on lap-6 when Front Wheel technical issues saw The Beast riding
straight into the Gravel Trap!
Fabio Quartararo methodically stalked the three
remaining duc’ riders ahead, quickly dispatching Martin and chasing the two Factory
Ducati’s ahead of Him. Before passing Jack Miller for an eventual second place finish
with four laps remaining.
Miller and Martin fought for the final Podium
place before The Martinator’ ran wide during the final lap and fell to a lowly
P10, with Miller finishing third. Whilst Luca Marini led Johann Zarco across
the stripe, with Aleix Espargo soldiering Home in sixth.
Round 13 Point Standings
Race winner Bagnaia, claiming His fith Grands
Prix season victory and third in-a-row. (3rd Overall) Only trimmed
five points off of His Deficit to Points leader Quartararo, trailing by 44 markers:
200-156. Aprilia’s Aliex esparago now trails Quartararo by 32 points with 168,
and remains second Overall, albeit losing another 10 points.
Bastianini’s DNF Drops Him from fourth to sixth, now a whopping 82 points behind! While I’d say the only other two riders still mathematically in the Hunt are Johann Zarco and Jack Miller. Who find themselves P4-5, with 175 and 173 points respectively. Yet both Ducati riders are now trailing by a distance of three race wins, which seems a pretty Hefty Deficit…