The 2024 Motorsports Thread

[RadioactiveWaste]

2 hours ago, Gaspode said:

Horrible crash in the MotoGP Sprint race between Vinales and Bezzecchi - estimate was that they were doing 180-200mph when they came off the bikes though hopefully they're both ok...amazing that they even survived at that speed...

https://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2024/10/19/watch-vinales-and-bezzecchi-crash-out-after-high-speed-collision/510885?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=traffic

I felt sick watching that.

Fortunately the bikes went safely away from the riders and there was enough space to dissipate the energy gradually.

I sure the protective gear they have now has helped as well (I think they have an air bag in the suit, as well as the various bits of armour and the best leathers and helmets) but gear can only do much if you hit something solid or the bike comes down on you.

It's unusual to have a crash at that speed though and immediately the commentators suggested the areo was playing a part, usually these things happen at the slowest part of the corner at the end of the breaking or high siding on exit.

[Comrade 86]

Won't be watching that video, but obviously very much hoping both riders make full recoveries. I do love this sport, but it's hard to imagine a more dangerous game. 

Meanwhile, Darth Marko as I think he's now been well dubbed by @Alph is in the news again having mocked Lando Norris' mental health issues. At various times, Lando has openly and IMO courageously discussed his race day anxieties and it sounds like he spends them in borderline panic attack which is a bit grim. Marko, as only Marko can, has jumped on these supposed 'weaknesses' as reasons why Lando cannot win the WDC. The ever classy Zak Brown sums it up well:

Brown said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Marko’s remarks.

"Lando has been kind of an ambassador for mental health. Toto [Wolff, the Mercedes team principal] has spoken about mental health, so I think it's a serious issue that we've tried to talk about and bring to the forefront.

"Poking at that situation I think is pretty inappropriate and kind of sets us back 10-20 years.

"It's all fun and games in how some people go racing and what tactics they use from a sporting perspective, but I thought that one was in pretty poor taste."

Full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cy5y6gqzr0qo

Edited Sunday at 12:25 by Comrade 86
typo

[Gaspode]

 

6 hours ago, Comrade 86 said:

Won't be watching that video, but obviously very much hoping both riders make full recoveries. I do love this sport, but it's hard to imagine a more dangerous game. 

Meanwhile, Darth Marko as I think he's now been well dubbed by @Alph is in the news again having mocked Lando Norris' mental health issues. At various times, Lando has openly and IMO courageously discussed his race day anxieties and it sounds like he spends them in borderline panic attack which is a bit grim. Marko, as only Marko can, has jumped on these supposed 'weaknesses' as reasons why Lando cannot win the WDC. The ever classy Zak Brown sums it up well:

Brown said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Marko’s remarks.

"Lando has been kind of an ambassador for mental health. Toto [Wolff, the Mercedes team principal] has spoken about mental health, so I think it's a serious issue that we've tried to talk about and bring to the forefront.

"Poking at that situation I think is pretty inappropriate and kind of sets us back 10-20 years.

"It's all fun and games in how some people go racing and what tactics they use from a sporting perspective, but I thought that one was in pretty poor taste."

Full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cy5y6gqzr0qo

Helmut by name - helmet by nature - what an absolute 🔔🔚 that man is....

[Gaspode]

Brilliant MotoGP main race - well worth catching up with for those that missed it.....

[ram59]

When is someone going to have the bottle and resist Vestappen forcing then off the track? 

The FIA only class it as forcing someone off the track if there's contact. On the first corner at the start of the race and on turn 11 towards the end of the race, Max had no intention of making the corner and so forced Lando off.

Lando has got to be brave and clever, a wheel to wheel contact should ensure a penalty to Max but not race ending damage. If he wants to win the championship, he needs to take risks now, as time is running out 

[Alph]

Max is willing to do anything to win and Norris still isn’t. If there’s a murky area in a rule then Max exploits it. So if the rule states that the car on the outside must be level at the apex for the car on the inside to have to give space, Max makes sure he gets his nose in front right before that apex and then uses his rights to send anyone into the abyss. He just doesn’t care. 
 

His fans obviously think this is great as it shows what a winner he is. 
I’m not sure how commendable it is to be a dangerous aggressive driver who relies on others bottling it and going to the very limit of a rule. 
I've not seen any reaction to the race but at a guess, Max did his bewildered look and explained that he was ahead at the apex and stayed on the line. 
I’m sure if that had been the other way around he’d be screaming about the stupid rules that allow for dangerous dive bombs and him and Lando would have both been DNF. 
As it was though he’ll see it as a perfectly timed lunge and perfectly within the rules. 

[RadioactiveWaste]

Spot on.

Max has the "I'm going to go to the point physics or stewards stop me" attitude that some drivers have, even (or especially) some of the great ones. I just wish he'd be happy with the die by the sword part of the saying as well.

It's very rare you get a world champion who wasn't ruthless in wheel to wheel. The trick is just knowing which battles to fight and where here and giving a little quarter helps you far more in the long run.

I'm not that unhappy with max yesterday TBH, it was just what you'd expect from him, for my tuppence worth Lando had the faster car at that point and should've got it done with no way of arguing.