August 5th, 2021; Valentino Rossi announces he his retiring at the end of this MotoGP season!

[GuzziMoto]

2 hours ago, LowRyter said:

Yes Mav was only withdrawn from the next race.  In fact, his entire team will sit out and not travel to the race.   But when the rider deliberately tries to blow up the engine, and those engines have extended life limits by rule, I'd say he's gone. 

Like Steal Your Face, gone.

 

 

If he had been successful and blew the engine up, that could have caused issues for other racers (oil on the track). It also would have been expensive and bad press for Yamaha. Mav doesn't pay for the engines, and when they blow up Mav isn't the one people will think of. So he needs to be sat down, he deserves it. He can blame others for things, but the only one to blame for this is himself. There may be baggage on both sides, but this is a case of Mav doing something that was stupid and irresponsible that risks the safety and well being of others on track. That simply was not acceptable, regardless of how legitimate his beef with Yamaha is.

[LowRyter]

1 hour ago, p6x said:

Gotcha!

Austin used to be my "week-end" city, especially because of the Sixth Street.

As the California based companies started to spawn there, the accommodation prices went sky rocketing. But the city has a lot of good vibes. My former company had a product center there. I applied for a transfer and I got Houston instead.

As for prices, its becoming ludicrous...

I hear ya but I don't think Austin's been Austin since they closed the Armadillo World Headquarters.  Of course I was always partial to San Antonio and San Marcos.   

But I can agree that Austin is still weird, just not in a good way so much anymore.

 

[p6x]

Soooooo....

Maverick Viñales has apologized to Yamaha for revving up his engine to "let out" his frustration after a succession of setbacks on track.

This is something that feels familiar. Maybe not so much here in the US, but in some places, when the light goes green, people honk you, and I have witnessed revved up engines from exasperated drivers.

Obviously, revving up a race engine with no load is not something you should be doing, and Maverick should have had better control of his nerves.

[bbolesaz]

Wow, someone else old enough to have been to AWHQ.  Marquez looked solid on Sunday until the rains came and messed up what was a really good race.  But I hate Marquez, so I really don't want to see him back in form.

I'm really hoping that Texas doesn't manage to F'up Covid so bad that Dorna pulls the race or COTA bans fans.  I'll be making the run from Mesa, AZ to Austin if it's a go.  I'll finally be able to use my 2020 tickets I bought a year and a half ago.

BTW, other Italian marques are welcome on Ducati Island, if you don't mind the "fees".

[LowRyter]

bb-  I don't see the reason to purchase tickets in advance.  They'll be plenty of tickets at the gate. T1 is my favorite spot and there were plenty on tickets.  I almost bought into Duc Island but my buddy was on a Yamaha.  I didn't see that Ducati Island had been released, I was on the info sign up.

Still, give Covid, I'm not sure I'll want to travel to Texas anyway even if Dorna opens the door.  I'm not optimistic either way.   I see the Dead & Co are requiring vax, perhaps I'll go in Dallas?

[PJPR01]

Agree on buying tickets on the spot...Turn 1 is fun...but slow around, so not much "leaning at speed"...generally it's just Marquez running a 3-5 second differential to #2 as he crests turn 1, and the next guy is making the turn way the heck down at the beginning of the grandstand straightaway.

I do enjoy the stands where you can see turns 13/14/15/16...

[LowRyter]

Paul. The problem with COTA is they don't allow for open seating on practice days.  So there's little opportunity to sample the seats before purchasing.  At Indy, fans can sit anywhere except for race day (camping is always great fun there too ).  I was able to sit in the stadium complex for a bit, I didn't feel I had a great view to the rest of the track, didn't see a lot of passing but there were lots of fans.  From T1 you get the race start, visibility for about 3/4 of the track, a big screen, and some spread out room and mingle with my friends that paid for Duc Island.

One great spot is T18-19, right by the ticket window entrance (no stands).  I saw MM#93 do a  cartwheel/ragdoll/get-off there.  Besides being a treacherous spot for bikes, fans can also see the violent braking and watch the riders slam their bodies against the bikes.  I never saw that on TV and it's incredible. 

[bbolesaz]

I set up a lawn chair on the grass on Turn 18 (under the tower).  I can see T1-T7 and T17-T19 from there.

[p6x]

23 hours ago, bbolesaz said:

Wow, someone else old enough to have been to AWHQ.  Marquez looked solid on Sunday until the rains came and messed up what was a really good race.  But I hate Marquez, so I really don't want to see him back in form.

I'm really hoping that Texas doesn't manage to F'up Covid so bad that Dorna pulls the race or COTA bans fans.  I'll be making the run from Mesa, AZ to Austin if it's a go.  I'll finally be able to use my 2020 tickets I bought a year and a half ago.

BTW, other Italian marques are welcome on Ducati Island, if you don't mind the "fees".

Well, the "fees" as you said, have gotten completely out of reason. I have seen the event parking charges go from 5, to 10, to 15, to 20 and now 25 here in H'town.

Next year's Rodeo will be the big tale tell. I would not be surprised to see $30.

It is now cheaper to use share rides than to go with your own vehicle.

[p6x]

Maverick Viñales and Yamaha have officially aborted their partnership. Maverick will not ride an M1 anymore.

He has signed for Aprilia starting 2022. One year contract with option to continue.

On another note, the Malaysian Grand-Prix has been cancelled. It will be replaced by an extra round at Misano Italy. This is a much welcome event for Valentino Rossi's fans.

There is also a probability for the Grand-Prix of the America to be cancelled. Remaining the only "off-shore" Grand-Prix now. The logistics effort to displace the circus overseas may not bring enough return on investment?

[LowRyter]

Given the Delta variant and the spread of the disease in Texas, I wouldn't be surprised to see the MotoGP race cancelled.  It's up to the teams and Dorna whether it's worth the risks and costs.

[p6x]

On 8/16/2021 at 4:07 PM, bbolesaz said:

BTW, other Italian marques are welcome on Ducati Island, if you don't mind the "fees".

How I define Italian motorcycle brands: their names end in a vowel; example:

Guzzi, Ducati, MV Agusta, Benelli, Laverda, Aprilia, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki (not in any specific order)

The non Italian brands: BMW, Triumph, Norton, KTM, Harley Davidson, Indian...