Motorcycle Racing FIM Grand Prix 2020

[heywoodu 16,468]

Really the only deserving 2020 MotoGP champion  

 

And only three years after winning the Moto3 title  

[Monzanator 5,136]

@heywoodu Bo Bendsneyder got 8th in Valencia which is probably the best result for NTS ever but he wasn't retained for 2021. Instead 17-year old Barry Baltus will graduate from Moto3 to partner Hafizh Syahrin. That makes no sense. Baltus hasn't scored a single point in Moto3 this season and needs one or two more years there to even warrant a Moto2 chance. No way he does anything positive on NTS next season IMO.

[heywoodu 16,468]

2 hours ago, Monzanator said:

@heywoodu Bo Bendsneyder got 8th in Valencia which is probably the best result for NTS ever but he wasn't retained for 2021. Instead 17-year old Barry Baltus will graduate from Moto3 to partner Hafizh Syahrin. That makes no sense. Baltus hasn't scored a single point in Moto3 this season and needs one or two more years there to even warrant a Moto2 chance. No way he does anything positive on NTS next season IMO.

To be fair, Bendsneyder only started to get some sense of pace as soon as the decision to let him go was made (because him not being retained is news from a while ago). It's too bad he got a more than excellent result now, but he really did have plenty of chances to show this before and he really can't put everything on 'the other tracks didn't suit the NTS'.

 

Besides, it's not like NTS has a huge pool to fish from, everyone who's been fighting for podium positions will either want to stay in Moto3 or get a chance at anything better in Moto2. Baltus has shown 'some' things in Red Bull Rookies last year, but pretty much everyone who performs better there is out of their league. I really can't see the likes of Holgado, Muñoz or Muñoz, Salvador or for example top riders Guevara or Artigas make a move to NTS of all places.

 

Basically: NTS has to gamble in terms of which riders are possible for them, and with Baltus, they do have someone who has shown excellent things in the one or two years before his full-time GP debut and who very much has the age where significant growth is possible. Not saying he will go for wins at all, but given the very limited group of riders they can choose from, Baltus is not a bad choice. I don't think he'll perform much worse than Bendsneyder did (until the pressure was off due to him being let go) and am quite certain he'll do way better than Biesiekierski.

[Federer91 3,390]

If you are a Moto 2 rider from Italy, you are hitting the jackpot this year, as all of Bastianini, Marini and Bezzecchi got a contract for Moto GP next year.   But Bazzecchi turned it down, because he wants another year in Moto 2..

[heywoodu 16,468]

2021 is going to look so different  

 

Miller and Bagnaia moving 'up' to Ducati's factory team, Petrucci moving to KTM, Dovizioso gone. Zarco and debutant Jorge Martin replacing the first two at the third Ducati team with Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini replacing them, meaning all six Ducati bikes will have a different rider next year.

 

Rossi moving up to Petronas and Quartararo moving down to the Yamaha factory team (yeah, I know officially it's a move up, but quite clearly it isn't really).

 

Oliveira moving up to KTM's factory team to replace Pol Espargaro, who moves to Repsol Honda to replace Alex Marquez, who will move to LCR Honda to replace Cal Crutchlow, who will move to Yamaha's test bike to replace Lorenzo. Easily the biggest chain of replacements  

 

Then there's Marc Marquez most likely coming back and an Aprilia seat still open for whoever wants to ride around in the back most of the time.

 

That's a grand total of 13 (not counting MM) out of 22 bikes that will have a different rider next year, damn.

[Federer91 3,390]

The younger Marquez got a break, as he was going back to Moto 2 a few weeks ago. The chain of rider shuffling landed in his favor to stay in GP for next year too. 

[heywoodu 16,468]

19 minutes ago, Federer91 said:

The younger Marquez got a break, as he was going back to Moto 2 a few weeks ago. The chain of rider shuffling landed in his favor to stay in GP for next year too. 

I must say I'm curious what he'll do next to Nakagami. I was sceptical of him early in the season, but he has definitely had moments that showed he's got real talent. Of course not compared like his brother yet and probably not on Repsol Honda level yet, but I do think he can get there eventually.

[Monzanator 5,136]

I have to say Bagnaia in the works team has failure written all over it. He crashes too often and has choked away podiums & wins this season already - and that was without being on the 'A' team pressure.

 

Rossi should just retire and focus on running his own team. He's not beating Agostini's overall win record no matter what he does now.

[heywoodu 16,468]

Raul Fernandez moves up to Moto2 with Ajo next year  

[Monzanator 5,136]

Yeah, Arenas, Ogura, Fernandez, Arbolino, Vietti and Baltus all move up to Moto2 next season. That's the biggest group moving up I can remember in recent years.

 

I wonder what happens with Nagashima? Will he go back to SAG Team?