EVOLUTION & REVOLUTION
As the MotoGP circus pauses, takes breath and heads off for the traditional, ever-shrinking, mid-season break, one could be forgiven for thinking that the 2019 championship is done and dusted. To put it plainly, Marc Marquez is romping it. His points total leaving Assen was a mighty 160, giving him a commanding 44-point lead in the championship with his rivals falling by the wayside with a combination of bad fortune and unforced errors (at this level are they ever really unforced?). But is Marquez’s apparent one-horse race a symptom of a dominant Honda that is the best bike on the grid? In my opinion it’s far from it. Indeed, the 2019 mid-season break could prove to be something of a Rubicon moment that may shape the next couple of seasons. So why, I hear you ask, is this season any different from any other season? And that is, the rate of development.
We can all see how well Marquez is dismantling his rivals, so why change anything? After all if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, that would be a dangerous assessment to make. Look a little further down the championship and the other Hondas are nowhere to be seen. Crutchlow and Nakagami are hovering around 10th and 11th, with five-time World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo, battered and bruised and languishing in 15th place. This suggests that Marquez’s dominance is a case of man-overmachine, akin to that of the early Rossi era. If Marquez were to leave at the end of his next contract (end of 2020), there would be a real risk of Honda being left carrying the can with a – relatively speaking – unrideable bike that only one man can extract a tune from. So despite some protestations from Marquez, Honda
arguably have to listen to their other riders and evolve into a more user-friendly machine.
Over in Bologna, Ducati also have woes to overcome. The age-old problem of a bike that ‘doesn’t turn’ has reared its head once more. Sure, it has a fearsome top end motor and some pretty trick parts in the form of aero and hole-shot devices et al, but the lack of manoeuvrability was graphically exposed at Assen, leaving both Dovizioso and Petrucci well off their usual pace. With Petrucci’s factory contract for 2020 still not finalised at the time of writing, he has arguably been a little over-polite with his teammate, erring on the side of caution where he would ordinarily be the aggressor. Petrucci is petrified of damaging his stablemate’s championship aspirations and his own long-term career prospects. After all, Ducati have form for high profile sackings following high profile errors. Andrea Iannone anybody?
Which brings us on to Suzuki and Yamaha. Whilst these Japanese factories haven't enjoyed anything close to the success of Ducati and Honda since the single ECU revolution, it could be argued that, in fact, Suzuki and Yamaha are the best placed manufacturers for the next micro-era. Not only have Suzuki made huge leaps in the last two seasons, but they also have two of the freshest and most exciting young riders on the grid. Rins is ploughing his own furrow with a riding style that doesn't try to emulate that of Marquez, Viñales, etc. Indeed, his classic upright, but super-smooth style is more of a throwback to the Schwantz 500cc era. Rins already looks capable of taking the fight to Marquez with a little more experience under his belt. Suzuki have also produced arguably the most complete machine running just two bikes. Rumours persist about a satellite team, something Dorna would like to see and is looking increasingly possible for 2021. I'm sure plenty of us would love to see what the GSX-RR would be capable of in the hands of Mighty Marc.
Moving on to Yamaha, the picture might not be as desperate as some would have you believe. Across their two teams, all running factory spec machinery, they have three incredible young riders in Morbidelli, Quartararo and Viñales (who is somehow still only 24) and the GOAT himself. Sure, the M1 could really do with some more grunt, having been embarrassed a couple of times this season
– not least down the straight at Mugello, but is it really that bad? The qualifying performances of Viñales and the phenomenal rookie, Quartararo, would suggest it really isn't that far away. There's not a lot they can do about the horsepower until 2020, but they continue to make strides with their evolution of that vital connection between Michelin rubber and asphalt. With three consecutive DNFs at Mugello, Barcelona and Assen, some have questioned if now is the time for Rossi to go. Well, until they start handing out points and championships for practice and qualifying, the answer is a resounding no. The 40-year-old veteran is still the top Yamaha rider despite the DNFs and is still an old-fashioned Sunday man. Yamaha have no reason to change any personnel and with their blend of youth and experience sharing and analysing all their data, they could very easily be best placed to make the next big leap at the front of the field. It’s exciting times ahead.