NOT the MotoGP News – #IndianGP
Intense, joyful, colourful, loud, exciting. Yep, that’s India. For once, we weren’t the only ones not there. We live an intense (joyful etc) life in the bunker of happiness and we’re happy with that because our boss, the editor, says we should be. And a few proper journalists didn’t go and boy did that annoy one of those who did. Such is life and clickbait eh kidz?
Well, here they were. The first MotoGP in India. God only knows why it’s taken this long to sort out. Another culture, another way of doing things? India inherited bureaucracy from the colonist British, took it and magnified by 10. Only a fool would hazard a guess if that caused the hold up. It is more likely DORMA just forgot to ask.
The circuit? Blimey (hello Lucio!), there’s some long straights, there’s banked corners and there’s some nadgery stuff too. That seemed to please the riders who to be fair changed their minds about what a dump it might be after Carmelo told them to enjoy themselves a bit more or no poppadoms. Those banked corners that had more lines than a party at a Mötley Crüe gig.
Race winner Bezzecchi is without doubt the new Marco Simoncelli. But with more speed. Not just the hair, but the absolute distance from all the other riders in attitude and personality. What would you give to see the two race each other. Hypothetical nonsense obviously, but……
As for the race, well, here’s a thing; on lap 1 the Repsol Hondas were 4th and 5th. How so you may ask? Well on a circuit that no one had seen, Marquez, Mir and add to that Quat had enough about them to equalise the advantages the others normally enjoy. Will it continue? No not until there’s another new track on the calendar.
By the second lap Bez took the lead and checked out; on a 2022 bike – think about that for a minute. Martin and Bagnaia had nothing left to do but chase hard on their 2023 bikes. At the moment the championship is between Bagnaia and Martin – well Pecco obviously sees second placed Martin as his closest rival and is right to be worried. So sitting behind him wasn’t Bagnaia’s plan. But……. Overtake and crash isn’t his plan either, but yet again him did so.
Talking of crashing, Marc Marquez was in fourth ahead of his teammate when he low sided at turn 4. He remounted in 16th and fought his way up to finish 9th. Mir clocked in in 5th which is a great result for the former WC. Actually, it’s a great result for HRC. And that’s not something we ever thought we’d type. Talking of which Quartararo had a great ride topping out in third for only his second podium of the season.
Unfortunately, by less than halfway through the race, our notes read “Race stretching out”. Definitely Bezz had something to do with that by buggering off into the distance, and Martin inheriting second from Bagnaia certainly caused additional stretching. By the end of the race Martin was suffering from everything a hot humid race can throw at you. Throw into the mix a zip that wiggled it’s way undone and had to be done up and Fabio Q caught and passed him. Only for Martin to drag himself from the gutter and re-take second.
Was it worth it? Going to India for the first time? Yes, because there’s got to be a first time. No because it was a little bit processional.
