MotoGP 2018

sport
#1

MotoGP 2018 starts today!

I know there are a couple of users who watch at least sporadically so figured I would make a thread.

Riders: http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/MotoGP/
Calendar: http://www.motogp.com/en/calendar/

FAQ:

Q: Close and exciting racing, miraculous saves, eight billion overtakes per lap, SUSPENSE!? Sold - how do I watch this amazing sport in the UK?
A: Presuming you don’t want to spend £££ on a subscription, all sessions are broadcast live on BT Sport.

Q: Isn’t it like the motorcycle equivalent of F1 though?
A: Besides it being a Grand Prix World Championship, no. There’s more excitement in five laps of Moto3 than an entire season of F1. You get to watch the young guys (and very occassionally girls) coming up as well which makes it much easier to invest.

Q: Who are the contenders?
A: Marc Marquez will start basically any season as at least joint favourite. Andrea Dovizioso was the surprise star of last season and looks set to continue that form. Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales can never be counted out. Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Johann Zarco? Less likely for the championship but certainly contending for wins.

Q: Who are the British riders?
A: Cal Crutchlow, Bradley Smith, and Scott Redding in MotoGP; Sam Lowes and Danny Kent in Moto2; John McPhee in Moto3.

Q: Who do you support?
A: Marc Marquez in MotoGP; Alex Marquez and Andrea Locatelli in Moto2; Jaume Masia in Moto3. Also generally root for all the Japanese riders.

#2

Please join me in praying my data allowance will last the full weekend.

#3

Really enjoyed last season - so entertaining and competitive. I really like Marc, but part of me thinks it would be nice for Dovi or Maverick to win it this time. Be interesting to see how Zarco does, too, given his rookie season last year was pretty exceptional. Either way, I’m looking forward to it.

I think there’s highlights on ITV, too, for those without BT Sport.

#4

Zarco seemed nowhere in practice which was odd. But doesn’t mean much of course.

Seems like Rins and Iannone are more likely to contend for this race than the Yamahas. Would love to see Suzuki challenging week in week out (especially Rins, could do without Iannone’s ego increasing further).

#5

:pray:

Isn’t Rossi about 80years old by now?

#6

Is superbikes chat allowed here?

#7

We should probably defer to PM on this. I thoroughly enjoyed the first round in Philip Island, mind. I’m hoping it’ll be a bit better closer this season rather than Rea disappearing off into the distance most rounds.

#8

Appreciate its completely different, which is why i asked!

#9

Sure - any form of motorcycle racing is fine. No cars obvs.

#10

And he’s just signed on for another two seasons after this one!

#11

The last few laps of that Moto3 race :scream:

Masia 12th, hoped for a bit better but a solid points scoring start is a good way to start the season. And should only get better once back in Europe.

#12

Watched the highlights of the latest round earlier. I’ve got a lot of time for Marc generally, but I really don’t know what he was doing there. As Dovi said afterwards, he got almost everything wrong. Poor Alexis Espargaro.

On an unrelated note, it was also a shame to see Pedrosa getting an injury. Will need an operation on his wrist it seems.

#13

Having to avoid basically all MotoGP related media because its being blown completely out of proportion. Yes, he did some stupid things during the race, and I wouldn’t have complained if he had been black flagged. But journalists, commentators, fans etc now seem to all be going “Marc is dangerous” etc etc like the past four years haven’t happened. They’re bringing up the Wilairot incident like it was just a few months ago and therefore a pattern. And don’t even get me started on Rossi’s comments which were as hypocritical as they were pathetic.

I’m irritated with Marc for losing his head to that extent, but also at everyone making it in to some big thing when it was the first stupid move(s) he’s made in a long time. If he does something similar at Austin then fair enough, that’s a pattern, but as it is…

I’m also a little worried about Marc’s safety especially after Rossi’s comments. I’m sure he has good security though.

Really not looking forward to the rest of the season. Almost hope Marc doesn’t win the championship so I don’t have to listen to people saying he didn’t deserve it.

#14

Yeah, I think notwithstanding what he did was wrong in that particular race, some the reaction has been overblown. It’s hardly as if he’s made a habit of it, as you say. And Rossi’s hardly an impartial commentator given their history…