ROAD NEWS
MOTOGP TIGHTENS UP AT THE TOP
Despite missing two rounds to have the bent plate and loose screws sorted in surgery, the tough nut that is Marc Marquez has closed the chasm between himself and the frontrunners – and it is literally only halfway through the MotoGP season. Yup, that pesky # 93 now sits in third, only four points behind Ai Ogura and eighteen behind Jorge Martin. And nobody on the grid would bet against Marquez pulling the comeback off. Nobody. It has been a decade of dominance at the German round at Sachsenring. Each and every year for the past ten, Marc Marquez has reigned supreme and despite the odds, did it once again. The racing was intense, as per usual, but all eyes were on that # 93 Ducati as the world got a lesson from the maestro. Still building strength in one arm, he simply made the most of the corners he felt strong on and he is so good, he almost rested on the others. Attack, maintain, attack, win, simple. It worked
72 KIWI RIDER just fine in the sprint race and even better in the main event. With eleven rounds to come after the break, can he break‘ that’ record? Can Rossi give the pep-talk of all pep-talks to Di Giannantonio before the next round at Silverstone, UK? Have Aprilia and the dynamic duo of Martin and Bezzecchi peaked too soon? It is building up to a great finale to the 1000cc era, setting the bar for the new 850cc machinery. Speaking of the new era, the bikes are not expected to be any slower, despite the new rules and restrictions. The story may well be about how hard they are to be consistently quick across the circuits. It may well turn out that no one make has the goods over the others at every round. Some riders are finding the switch of machinery more challenging and confronting than others, hence the signings not being what many expected. Sad to see the big bikes depart but let’ s enjoy the eleven rounds remaining before crying into our milk.