Dre’s Five Thoughts On…MotoGP’s 2014 Italian Grand Prix

“Remember when Jorge Lorenzo was REALLY good?”

Hey folks, Dre here, back from a Haven holiday just by the Thames. Hooray for sea breezes and no Internet. Now, I’ve seen all three races from MotoGP’s Italian Grand Prix, I can finally write about it on here, and boy was it a thriller!

Jorge Lorenzo FINALLY showed some of his 2013 form his fans so desperately craved, Marc Marquez once again showed why he’s World Champion, and Valentino Rossi celebrated his 300th Grand Prix with a podium in his home GP! But let’s break it all down right here!

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” style=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” stylecolor=”
” align=”left” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”right” animation_speed=”1″][/fusion_imageframe]Marquez vs Lorenzo: No Holds Barred!

If Marc Marquez has just ONE chink in his armour, it’s that he isn’t a particularly good starter. And it shows, because it’s one of Lorenzo’s strongest assets, and the main part of his strategy. Jump 2-3 guys off the line, take the lead, and push hard, early to try and try and manage his tyres to a consistent pace to get the win.

To be honest, in the middle of the race when Marquez was reeling in Lorenzo, I thought it would be a matter of Marquez passing him when he felt like it and pushing on for victory, in a similar vein to Argentina, especially when he finally pulled the pin with 7 laps or so to go. But Lorenzo put up a brilliant fight, breaking stupidly late into Turn 1, and Lorenzo passing at the Sector 3 hairpin just two of the highlights of what was – without a doubt, the best fight of the season so far. And something that was probably necessary for a LOT of casual fans who had gotten a little bit bored of Marquez destroying the entire field.

And it was wonderful to see Jorge Lorenzo’s 2013 form come back to him this weekend, something he badly needed to find with him already so far back. Jorge in this kind of form is about the only rider that even has a shot of taking Marquez down in a straight dogfight, and even then, you’d still favour MM93 8 times out of 10. But at the front, once again, Marquez is re-writing the rule book. A clutch pass on Jorge on the final lap, and then not giving Jorge an INCH on that final lap was reminiscent of Qatar in a similar fight with Valentino.

When the hammer drops, Marquez just has that little bit more. It may be boring to some, but he’s providing more entertainment than any other rider has this season, and is just continuing to make history with his 6th win in a row. Just how far can he take this streak? Who knows, The Undertaker may have competition…

[fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” style=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” stylecolor=”
” align=”left” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”right” animation_speed=”1″][/fusion_imageframe]Valentino Rossi: 300 but DEFINITELY Not Out

Congratulations to Valentino Rossi on his 300th Grand Prix, and another well deserved podium in front of the incredible Italian fans, who idolize him there. Sadly, he just didn’t quite have the speed to match the front two, but his 3rd has now moved him to 2nd in the Championship, 1 point ahead of Dani Pedrosa.

Okay, Confession #2 of this blog – After last season, I thought this year would be Rossi’s last. He looked like he was close to being done, and his speed was declining. But he’s been consistently up there every GP, has scored multiple podiums, and even challenged for a win so far this season. And the fact he’s still doing this after 300 GP’s and at 35 years old is a testament to just how incredible a rider this man is.

[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_counters_box] [fusion_counter_box value=”300 ” unit=”” unit_pos=”prefix”]Races[/fusion_counter_box] [fusion_counter_box value=”106″ unit=”” unit_pos=”prefix”]Wins[/fusion_counter_box] [fusion_counter_box value=”59 ” unit=”” unit_pos=”prefix”]Poles[/fusion_counter_box] [fusion_counter_box value=”9″ unit=”” unit_pos=”prefix”]Titles[/fusion_counter_box] [/fusion_counters_box]

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny, he is the greatest asset this sport has ever had, and it’s an honour to continue to see him competitive in his 19th season. His charge up the field from 10th to 3rd was awesome, and it shows he’s lost none of that incredible race craft. I really hope he can stay in the Top 2-3 and carry on a little while longer, even if the rest of the field probably hate him for that!

[fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” style=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” stylecolor=”
” align=”left” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”right” animation_speed=”1″][/fusion_imageframe]Andrea Iannone continues to impress

[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_tooltip title=”They DO say all good things come in 3’s…”]Okay, yet another confession[/fusion_tooltip] – Going off of last season, I thought Andrea Iannone was going the way of a guy like Randy de Puniet, or a Ben Spies, being a bit mediocre and never really breaking that next level. But if there’s one guy who the Open Class rules seems to have really helped out, is Andrea Iannone. Iannone has done a brilliant job in utilizing and maximising the new Open Class rules, and has channelled it into monumental improvement.

Yes, he’s had his drops sprinkled in, but for me, he’s been the most impressive of all the midfield runners so far. He’s nailed some superb laps in qualifying, becoming the first Satellite ran bike on the front row of a grid this season, and has become in my opinion, the best starter in the field as well. If the Ducati he was on, didn’t go through tyres like a fat kid goes through a box of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, than maybe he’d be challenging for podiums, his long distance scrap with Dani Pedrosa the testament to how far he’s come this season. Watch out for him, he could shock a lot more people!

[fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” style=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” stylecolor=”
” align=”left” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”right” animation_speed=”1″][/fusion_imageframe]Moto2: Tito calculates, but the Rookies shine again

I feel a bit bad for Tito Rabat to be honest. He’s caught between a rock and a hard place. The “rock” as it were, was the fact that despite being the most consistent and best of the Moto2 field so far this season, he’s been out-shined a little by how fast the Moto3 rookie graduates of 2013 have gotten so fast, and have adapted so quickly.

Maverick Vinales looked like the guy to watch early on, but he’s been joined by the ever improving Luis Salom and the guy everyone thought was too big to be a top class rider, Jonas Folger with his 2nd podium in just 6 races in the Moto2 class. The “hard place” so to speak,  is (like I mentioned in my season so far blog here), is that all the over guys who beat him in previous seasons, are now all in the top class, and we know they’re better (Redding, Espargaro, Marquez), so that might hurt his employability, with a team maybe taking a chance on Vinales, Salom or Folger, than take the guaranteed bet in Rabat, who will probably fall behind a fair few folks.

It’s a shame that Rabat is still doing so well, but it hurts him that the division just isn’t what it once was. And the rookies and even his own team mate and veteran Mika Kallio, is taking away the column inches he may need down the road when employers come knocking.

[fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” style=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” stylecolor=”
” align=”left” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”right” animation_speed=”1″][/fusion_imageframe]Moto3: The craziest finish ever?!

Wow, isn’t Moto3 just f***ing awesome? Every race this season has come down to at least 3 dudes on the final lap fighting tooth and nail to get that win. Brilliant snipe at the end from Romano Fenati to take his first win at home in front of the Italian fans, narrowly pipping Issac Vinales and Alex Rins (Who had to be split by the photograph) for the podium. The Top 7 were covered by just six tenths of a second and it was absolute pandamonium. Keith Huewen nearly had a heart attack!

And it could have been even more, if it weren’t for Championship Leader Jack Miller clipping Miguel Oliviera’s back wheel at Turn 12 on the final lap and as a result, colliding with Alex Marquez and Enea Bastianini. Miller was given two penalty points as a result, and apparently he was livid, calling out Dorna for “lack of consistency” and “thinking he could have gotten more once I started swearing”. I love Jack Miller, he’s a proper Aussie tough rider who’s incredibly honest, and if anything, I think this mistake will get his head back in gear for Catalunya next weekend, he still leads the Championship by 5 points and for me, he’s stood out the most in what is an ULTRA-competitive division at the moment. Any given weekend there’s 10-12 guys who could get on the podium. That’s nuts.

Any other things you want me to talk about in the blog? Thoughts of your own, please, comment below! Until then, thanks for reading![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]