2023 Catalunya World Superbike FP2 Result: Bautista And Rinaldi Put Ducati On Top

By Jared Earle | Fri, 05/05/2023 - 14:28

After Michael Ruben Rinaldi's show of force this morning, Alvaro Bautista joined him, taking the best time of the day. Second place to ninth place in qualifying were unable to improve on their morning's times but Rinaldi and Rea's times from the morning kept them in the places they ran this afternoon. Garrett Gerloff was fourth quickest this session, but tenth quickest overall.

Results:

MotoGP/WorldSBK News Round Up: Pol Espargaro Update, Oliveira Out Of Le Mans, Acosta To MotoGP, Bautista Back For 2024

By David Emmett | Thu, 04/05/2023 - 16:10

The motorcycle racing world never stops, and in between the MotoGP test in Jerez and the start of the fourth round of WorldSBK in Barcelona, there have been a couple of interesting items of news to pop up.

On the road to recovery

Let's start with a bit of good news, though in this case, it is still quite relative. On Wednesday, Pol Espargaro posted an update on his recovery on his Instagram page, in English and Spanish. The Tech3 GasGas suffered a number of injuries when he tumbled through the gravel during practice for the opening MotoGP round of 2023, breaking his jaw, and suffering eight fractured bones, including a couple of ribs and vertebrae in his neck and back.

Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 332: Looking Back At An Eventful Jerez With Ducati's Paolo Ciabatti And KTM's Francesco Guidotti

By David Emmett | Tue, 02/05/2023 - 10:17

The MotoGP round at Jerez proved to be as controversial as it did exhilarating. On Monday morning as the test started, Adam Wheeler, David Emmett, and Neil Morrison gathered in a server room at the Jerez circuit to take a look back at the weekend.

The Paddock Pass Podcast crew get into the amazing atmosphere at the circuit, and how that changed the feel of the new format. They discuss how Pecco Bagnaia and his crew turned around what could have been a terrible weekend to take a podium in the sprint race and a convincing win in Sunday's grand prix, and go on to lead the championship.

They discuss the furore around the stewarding, and report on the feeling in the paddock over the penalties handed out. And they ask whether the FIM Women's Motorcycling World Championship, launched at Jerez, was a good idea.

Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 331: Steve English And Gordon Ritchie Look Back At Assen

By David Emmett | Tue, 02/05/2023 - 10:05

The world championship motorcycle racing schedule is picking up the pace now, with MotoGP and WorldSBK alternating weekends. Sandwiched between the MotoGP rounds in Austin and Jerez, the World Superbike paddock paid a visit to the iconic circuit of Assen.

Afterwards, Steve English and Gordon Ritchie gathered to chew over a weekend dominated by the Ducati of Alvaro Bautista and the Aruba.it Ducati squad. Can Bautista be stopped?

Jerez MotoGP Monday Test: A Busy Day For All Five Factories

By David Emmett | Mon, 01/05/2023 - 22:37

With the field in MotoGP being so incredibly tight, the value of testing has increased exponentially. The more equal the bikes and manufacturers are, the more important testing has become. Smaller and smaller gains are making a bigger and bigger difference.

But as part of Dorna and the FIM's attempt to control costs in MotoGP, testing has been reduced to the bare minimum. Beyond the bare minimum, perhaps; there will be two days of post-race testing in 2023, but next year, that number has been bumped back up to three days.

Post-race tests are a fantastic opportunity to try new things at a circuit where the teams have a whole weekend's worth of data. The downside is that the circuit is also covered in Michelin rubber, meaning the grip is spectacular, which can hide all sorts of problems. And in 2023, the two post-race tests are taking place at Jerez and Misano, useful circuits for sure, but not great places for trying new aerodynamics, as the top speed is limited, and there are few corners where you are accelerating from very low speeds.

2023 Jerez MotoGP Test Final Results: Mooney VR46 Riders Fastest In Busy Test

By David Emmett | Mon, 01/05/2023 - 17:18

Marco Bezzecchi topped the timesheets in a busy at Jerez, the riders circulating in near ideal conditions on a track full of rubber and warm but not excessive asphalt temperatures.  Bezzecchi's Mooney VR46 Ducati teammate Luca Marini was second quickest, while Fabio Quartararo exploited the additional grip of the test to end as third fastest.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was fourth quickest, just under four tenths slower than Bezzecchi, the Gresini Ducati rider, like the two Mooney VR46 riders, not having much to work on beyond settings and his position on the bike.

Jerez MotoGP Sunday Subscriber Notes: A Return To Form, A Failure Of Stewarding, And Why There Are So Many Crashes At The Start

By David Emmett | Mon, 01/05/2023 - 12:06

What we should be talking about tonight is the return of MotoGP to the place that houses its soul, and the explosion of passion and racing that emerged from the Circuito de Jerez. But despite a tense race with a scintillating last lap that played out in front of the largest crowd to pack the Jerez track for perhaps a decade, the main topic of conversation is the level of stewarding. MotoGP at Jerez looked like the pinnacle of motorcycle, surrounded by adoring fans, and overseen by a bunch of amateurs.

The circuit was a cauldron of emotion from the crack of dawn. I walked down to Turn 10 to watch the warm up, to get a sense of who had drive out of that crucial corner, but to be honest I was captivated by the crowds. There was an intensity that has been rare in MotoGP since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, only seen at Le Mans, the Sachsenring, Assen. It felt like the old days.

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