sandman1347 wrote:
Cold Gin wrote:
You aren’t kidding about Rins—man the kid’s got monstrous corner speed and his overtaking is sublime. If they could just squeeze some more power out of the Suzi, and qualify consistently in the top 4-8 positions, he’d challenge for the podium every weekend. As it is, the calendar will visit tracks without such a penalty in terms of long straights and you have to figure he’s going to be a serious contender.
He nearly got Dovi in the last corner on the last lap!!! Truly great battling.
Rins is an interesting rider to watch. If you go back to the 2013 Moto3 season; Vinales won the championship but for me it was Rins who was the most impressive rider. He seemed to have the most speed. I was disappointed to see that he did not go on to win the title that next year and even more disappointed with his inability to beat Zarco to the Moto2 title in either 2015 or 2016. I was beginning to think that he was almost an Ianonne-like figure. Plenty of speed but not enough consistency to become champion. The way that he has performed this season has been an eye-opener though. I think the Suzuki has really come good. That bike is really strong in terms of edge grip and cornering performance. It's like the Yamaha used to be a few years back. It's also way down on power. I agree with your suggestion that if they can improve the power unit, Rins can be a contender. For me; he looks like the second best rider on the grid at the moment and that's not something I expected coming into the year. Rins is in a good position and I can't help but feel that Maverick must be kicking himself. Things really haven't worked out at Yamaha for Vinales and he might wish that he stayed with Suzuki.
Speaking of Zarco; his decision to sign with KTM must be the worst career move that I've seen since Rossi going to Ducati back in 2011. He has taken himself right out of the conversation in MotoGP and I don't think it will be easy for him to get an opportunity with a top team. He was in really good form in 2017 and also for parts of last year but he has squandered the moment when his stock was high enough to get a top seat and he's not young for a guy in his third year. Zarco will be 29 next month and he is absolutely nowhere on that bike.
I'm at a loss about Zarco; he clearly isn't that slow, but he just cannot get on with that bike, and it is indeed a horror show. I wonder if he might be able to void out his second year with them and try and go elsewhere, but I can't see where else he'd be able to go. So he may just stick it out (if they let him stay?), and in so doing, potentially write off his career in the class. It is very likely a career-ending decision for him there, and I cannot for the life of me understand why he'd pick that bike over HRC, which was the ride that was rumored to be offered to him that he turned down. Surely competing towards the front of the grid, even if you are getting your butt handed to you by Marquez, is superior to this reality, no?
As far Yamaha, it's becoming quite the horror show itself. Rossi's race in Mugello was at best a nightmare, and they are lost, and don't seem to be able to generate any midseason improvement unlike other teams. Yes, the engine is sealed, but there are some engineering changes that can be made to set up. I feel bad for Rossi especially. I don't think he beats Marquez on his best day, but he'd compete for the podium if they could give him the bike to do it. As far Vinales, he's a mystery. His race wasn't actually to bad on Sunday, but he's just so inconsistent. Being a Yamaha fan has got to be difficult.
Back to Rins---I expect him to take major points at Catalunya, Assen and the Sachsenring. All of those tracks have fast corners that the Suzuki can profit from. If they can just learn to qualify well.
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