MotoGP 2022

Yikes... the speed of Bastianini has been immense. MM93 is just out of this world, probably took too much out of his tyre in that fightback... and Rins pipping Thriller 2 corners from the end... he'd be pissed
 
Fck it KTM! Sort your sh*t out now! Amazing rides from the Beast and MM93. Good stuff from Jack as well to finish third. He'll need that for his own confidence.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Fck it KTM! Sort your sh*t out now! Amazing rides from the Beast and MM93. Good stuff from Jack as well to finish third. He'll need that for his own confidence.
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I think KTM struggle at pure power circuits like this... but yeah they were no where today. Also how is Beast doing that on a year old bike??? Its insane
 
Mzezman said:
I think KTM struggle at pure power circuits like this... but yeah they were no where today. Also how is Beast doing that on a year old bike??? Its insane
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Power isn't an issue for KTM. It is believed to be the second best bike on the grid in the power stakes after the red missiles. Last year at Mugello, the MotoGP cathedral of speed, Brad was matching the Dukes in the speed traps.

The problem seems to be how they work their tyres, particularly in short runs, hence their quali struggles. At various times there have also been issues with getting the power down out of the corners.

I think ''inconsistent'' is the best way to describe the KTM. Nearly every weekend it just appears to be in a different place. Brad mentioned last year that they were throwing everything at the bike because they couldn't find direction.

Miguel amplifies this as when he is hot and the bike is in the sweetspot, he is one of the best on the grid, but then he can just go AWOL the next weekend and his performance worsens when the bike is bad. Brad, the steadier of the two, more or less puts the bike where it belongs and seems better capable of digging a little deeper in the race if the bike is difficult.
 
So the circus rolls on to Portimao. Brad had mixed fortunes there last year. Finished 5th (just 6 seconds off the pace) at the first race in April at the Portuguese GP as it was and then 10th several months later in November, this time at the Algarve GP, nearly 15 seconds back. If KTM can find some small fixes (I'm sure that is all that is needed), he should be well in the hunt as I think on balance, this year's RC-16 is a better bike than its predecessor. He's slipped to 19 points behind Bastianini so needs a strong showing to stay in touch.
 
FP1 looks a bit wet with more rain predicted for FP2. Also Saturday weather not looking ideal for qualifying. Could make it very interesting, BB33 currently in 11th
 
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Great riding by all in these conditions. Pol, Marc and Dovi top FP2.

Brad in 19th, Enea in 15th, Fabio in 13th
 
Luke7777 said:
Perfect timing from BB, excellent lap just before the heavier rain.. learnt his lesson from yesterday :) 4th will see him in Q2 with Oliviera in 1st..
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They might as well have fought their way through Q1 for all the good it did.
 
Tsk tsk Thriller Miller

Great recovery by Rins though. Dovi also had great pace, if not for the mistake he'd have finished in the top 10
 
Top 10 from Friday's FP sessions at Jerez

MotoGP™ Top 10 on Friday:
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – 1:37.071
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresinin Racing MotoGP™) + 0.201
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.212
4. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 0.297
5. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 0.510
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.514
7. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.519
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.655
9. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.688
10. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.691
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Much better showing from the Ducatis. The highest place Ducati in FP1 was Jack Miller in 10th but they found some form in FP2. Brad also showing well, a top 10 in both sessions. A bit concerning though, the time gap to Quartararo. In this close season, half a second is a lifetime.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Top 10 from Friday's FP sessions at Jerez



Much better showing from the Ducatis. The highest place Ducati in FP1 was Jack Miller in 10th but they found some form in FP2. Brad also showing well, a top 10 in both sessions. A bit concerning though, the time gap to Quartararo. In this close season, half a second is a lifetime.
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What's happened to Franco?

The chasm between Fabio and Franco is huge.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Yeah really not sure. He's been a shadow of the rider he used to be since he came back from injury.
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Prevailing thought is that the bike os only really suited to Fabio and other riders are finding it a handful...
 
Agent_Smith said:
That Qatar podium seems like a lifetime away now.

Really curious as to where his pace went this morning. He was comfortably in the top 10 yesterday.
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It looks like short runs are the issue - again - for KTM.

FP3 is usually the dress rehearsal for Quali. FP4 is the dress rehearsal for the race and both KTMs were inside the top 10 (Miguel 5th, Brad 8th). They appear to easily have top-10 race pace nearly every weekend but quali torpedoes them.
 
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