2023 Author: Nicholas Abramson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 14:58
Although the protagonism of this weekend is for Jérez's career, now that free practice is beginning it is a good time to reflect a little or what happened in Motegi. A race spectacular and surprising. After the boredom of the inaugural race in Qatar, the truth is that I even considered going out for a motorcycle ride instead of watching the race. In the end, the only sensible neuron prevailed and I enjoyed a superb show.
In fact, this week I managed to watch Motegi's race again. The big question that I have now is to know if that race will have been the sample of the season that we are going to meet or an exception that we will remember with name and surname (come on, like Laguna Seca 2008, you understand me). Another question when writing these lines was whether to change the name to "the best and the best." But anyway, there were also some "worst" in the race, so there are the post-Motegi reflections.
The best and the worst of the MotoGP race in Motegi:
The best:
- Hand-to-hand fighting there was for most of the race. There were overtaking, changes of pace and excitement on the track. A carrerón!
- The return of Dani Pedrosa. Dani Pedrosa's exit was spectacular, gaining 8 positions before the first corner and one more position up to second position immediately. But above all, it was not a mirage of two turns. He fought the entire race, beat the copper with Rossi and achieved a creditable podium that is much more valuable than points.
- The solidity of Jorge Lorenzo. In his second outing with the Bridgestones, he surprised everyone. He unceremoniously passed Rossi and went in search of a surprising victory that puts him in front of the championship before Jerez. A busy season is anticipated in the official Yamaha box: you just had to see Rossi's face on the podium.
- After Motegi, 2009 is presented as one year open with four candidates who have presented their credentials to fight for the title (Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa and Lorenzo) and other outstanding riders who will be fighting in the top positions (Dovizioso, Capirossi,…). An exciting year with alternatives.
- The regularity of Dovizioso. Consistent with his years of career, Dovizioso is showing great consistency at the start of the season that has led him to be ahead with the official Honda since the beginning of the season. Will it really serve to function as a team with Pedrosa or is each one going to come to war on their own side?
- Melandri's surprising career with Team Hayate's Kawasaki. Melandri finished the race in sixth position, and although it was a considerable distance from Dovizioso, it is a great result for the team given their situation. It seems that Kawasaki is approaching the team again. For Melandri, the result tastes like glory after last year's Ducati soap opera.
Worst:
- Stoner's impotence. The truth is that he expected more from Stoner after the Qatar show but at no point in the race could he get anywhere near the podium, although he saved the furniture with fourth place. Now comes the Jerez race, which has never been a very good circuit.
- The status of the official Honda team, which still have a lot of work to do. Pedrosa's surprising performance may be motivating or mask the real situation for Honda, where there does not yet appear to be a clear development direction and each bike is different from the other (including satellite teams). They have to work hard so that the World Cup does not escape them before half a season.
- The worrying Nicky Hayden's negative trend. Many ghosts begin to haunt the second Ducati again. Since Stoner joined the team, there has been no way the second Ducati could perform reasonably well. First it was Capirossi who suffered one of the worst ordeals of his long sporting life. Subsequently, Melandri lived a year to forget. This year Hayden had good vibes in the first moments with the bike, but the start of the season is being disastrous. What will the second Ducati have?
- The performance of Sete Gibernau and Toni Elías. They both fell and are not having an easy start to the season. For both Sete and Elías this 2009 season is very important and we hope they get it right. I think that's what we all want.