And it was Masia who led onto the last lap, closely followed by McPhee, but Rodrigo was up to second at Turn 2. Suzuki then tried his luck around the outside of McPhee at Turn 4 and 5 – and it worked. Heading down the back straight though, it was elbows out – it couldn’t get much closer. There was contact between Masia and Rodrigo, with McPhee getting a clean run and taking the lead into Turn 8, with Ogura taking profit up the inside. Ogura, on the wide line, was then passed by Suzuki heading into the back straight as McPhee led the way.
However, the Italian was soon reeled in by Simeon and the chasing pack. On Lap 2, we had a five-rider battle for the lead. Casadei, Simeon, Ferrari, Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and standings leader Aegerter were about to get into a phenomenal ding-dong MotoE™ battle. Ferrari was past Simeon into Turn 8 after Aegerter had set the fastest lap on Lap 3, with the swapping and changing allowing Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to catch the group to make it a 12-wheel fight for victory.
MotoGP engine allocations a hand-brake on Yamaha speed
The need for riders to stay healthy, mechanics to stay sharp and have a reliable supply chain of spare parts, will be crucial as the MotoGP paddock is faced with an unprecedented nine rounds staged over the coming ten weeks.
Yamaha will be more nervous than most due to their ongoing and well publicised engine reliability problems, which will likely see some of their riders starting Grands Prix from pit-lane having exceeded their allocation of five engines before the season is complete.
The original limit of seven engines for the non-concession teams, and nine for the concession teams, was reduced to five and seven respectively when the MotoGP calendar was constrained due to the pandemic. When that lower limit was set it seemed likely that MotoGP would be unable to make up even a 12-race calendar in 2020, down from the originally scheduled 20 rounds, but it now seems likely that we will see 14 rounds run this year. Moto2 and Moto3 are scheduled to complete 15 rounds as they raced at Losail back in March but the premier category only kicked off on July 19 at Jerez. The manufacturers unanimously voted to approve this reduced engine allocation but Yamaha would now be ruing that choice.
Suzuki were the last of the major manufacturers to be in this perilous position in regards to engine reliability when they had major issues in 2010. Back in 2010 the penalty for exceeding an engine allowance was that the rider in question would have to start from pit-lane a full ten-seconds after all the regular starters had passed the pit-lane exit. That penalty was reduced to five-seconds in 2015, but it is still a very serious handicap in an era where MotoGP is closer than it has ever been.
Of further concern is another decision, also made when the pandemic was really smashing Europe, a development freeze on engines. Manufacturers voted to halt engine development, and run the same specification of engine in 2021.
If the rumours that Yamaha’s problems are due to a manufacturing problem in the valves fitted to the their 2020 cylinder head are true, a simple change when producing the next batch for season 2021 will cure those ills. This year though, they are stuck with what they have, and we are realistically faced with the prospect that the 2020 MotoGP World Championship could be decided as a result of penalties applied for exceeding engine allocations.
At the second of the Jerez double-header rounds which started the season it was a Yamaha 1-2-3 and quite possibly would have been a 1-2-3-4 if not for Morbidelli’s engine failure while battling up front during the race.
We do believe championship leader Fabio Quartararo is better placed in regards to engines used than the other three Yamaha riders, and if he is able to snag a maiden MotoGP world championship crown, Yamaha will be glad he is the one with some hope of making it through the season using just his original five engines.
It is obvious that Yamaha have switched to a more conservative tune and reduced engine rpm limits, a rumoured 500 rpm, since those costly failures at Jerez and that largely seems to have put a big enough band-aid on those issues. Reducing RPM is almost always a successful way to ease load on the entire valve train of an engine, however it costs power. And it can create issues around selecting optimal gearing for each circuit, as with less revs available at the top end, there is a narrower window of engine performance. Also of note at Jerez was astonishingly high ambient temperatures, definitely not a help if you have a weak engine. Perhaps cooler weather will play a role in the Yamaha riders finding better reliability over the second half of the 2020 season?.
With the tuning and RPM changes made in-season by Yamaha, this has seen the results of their riders negatively impacted, struggling with the reduced performance offered by their machines. During the recent events in Austria at the Red Bull Ring circuit, all four Yamaha riders were clearly on the back foot along that circuits’ long straights. Quartararo came out so strong when the season got underway, however the past couple of rounds have seen the Frenchman struggle for speed. It would be very cruel indeed for his early season promise not to be realised and his potential blunted.
Tonight though we have the Yamaha quartet filling the top four places on the grid for the first of the two rounds to be held at Misano. This is a happy hunting ground for Yamaha, their sublime chassis compliance helping over the bumps in the circuit and the flow of the turns suiting the YZR-M1.
Ahead of tonights 27-lap encounter Dorna released the latest engine allocation data and it does not paint a pretty picture for Yamaha.
Vinales has already had one engine withdrawn from his allocation, as has Rossi and Morbidelli. Thus that trio only have four engines to rotate through for the rest of the championship. Rossi though does have one engine that has not been used, as does Fabio Quartararo, who is the only Yamaha rider to still have his full allocation of five engines to cycle through.
As you can see the championship leader is by far the best placed Yamaha rider in regards to engine availability to see him through to season end. Here is hoping that the measures taken by Yamaha prevent the 2020 MotoGP World Championship being decided by reliability.
2020 MotoGP Calendar
Rnd
Date
Circuit
1
08 March (Moto2/Moto3)
Losail International Circuit
2
19 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
3
26 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
4
09 August
Automotodrom Brno
5
16 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
6
23 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
7
13 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
8
20 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
9
27 September
Barcelona – Catalunya
10
11 October
Le Mans
11
18 October
MotorLand Aragón
12
25 October
MotorLand Aragón
13
08 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14
15 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15
22 November
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
MotoGP World Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Bike
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
70
2
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Ducati
67
3
Jack MILLER
Ducati
56
4
Brad BINDER
KTM
49
5
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
48
6
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
46
7
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
45
8
Joan MIR
Suzuki
44
9
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
43
10
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
35
11
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
32
12
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
30
13
Alex RINS
Suzuki
29
14
Danilo PETRUCCI
Ducati
25
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
15
16
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
15
17
Iker LECUONA
KTM
13
18
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
9
19
Bradley SMITH
Aprilia
8
20
Tito RABAT
Ducati
7
21
Cal CRUTCHLOW
Honda
7
22
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
4
23
Stefan BRADL
Honda
0
Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Schedule
A vital race in the World Championship comes the riders’ way at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) this afternoon at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, but can anyone stop the Yamahas? Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is one of those riders who sounded confident after qualifying, the Spaniard fourth fastest in Warm Up. Home hero Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) has been in fine form on his return from injury, can the Ducati upset the odds? Bagnaia was fifth in Warm Up and launches from the second row.
Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was another big-name crasher in the 20-minute session, the quickest rider in qualifying starts from pitlane this afternoon. His teammate Augusto Fernandez was 4th fastest in Warm Up, with title contender and home rider Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) completing a top five covered by 0.201 seconds.
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped Moto3™ morning Warm Up at the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, setting a 1:41.899 – the fastest lap of the weekend. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) was second fastest, 0.451 behind the Spaniard, with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) third ahead of starting from P17 later on.
A Press Conference with MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb took place overnight at Misano to clarify the rules and regulations regarding track limits. A summary is included below while the full 30-minute interview is included further down the page.
What are track limit violations?
Track limit violations are when a rider exceeds the limits of the track, and possibly gains an advantage. Kerbs (except double kerbs) are part of the track. Double kerbs and any green painted areas connected to and outside of kerbs are both considered outside track limits.
An instance of exceeding track limits is recorded when both tyres are outside of the track at the same time. Similarly to tennis, any contact with the line is considered ‘in’. Only when both tyres are completely outside track limits is it considered an infraction.
Who determines whether a rider has committed an infraction?
Decisions regarding track limits, as well as any other penalties, are the sole responsibility of the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel. Track limits decisions are final with no possibility of protest or appeal. Track limit infractions are confirmed by video, and there must be a clear image available to the Stewards in order to issue a penalty.
Track limits are monitored by dedicated cameras with image recognition software and multiple operators. These are not always the same images used for the international program feed or television broadcasts.
What are the consequences of exceeding track limits?
During a practice or qualifying session: If a rider exceeds track limits during any practice or qualifying session that is not a race, the sector time in question is cancelled. This automatically results in cancellation of that lap.
During a race: If a rider exceeds track limits and loses time or position, the incident is not recorded and no penalty is issued.
If it is not possible to determine whether there has been a loss or gain, the incident is simply recorded. Some mistakes are provided for, but making too many is deemed as an advantage because the rider in question will not be using the same track as their competitors.
After three such infractions, a “Track Limits Warning” dashboard message is sent to the rider. If a rider reaches five track limits violations, a Long Lap Penalty is issued. This is communicated via both a dashboard message to the rider and a signal board by the side of the track.
If the FIM MotoGP Stewards deem a rider to have gained a clear advantage, a penalty will be issued for a single infraction. These incidents are not included in the count of undetermined infractions or mistakes.
For these single infractions where a clear advantage has been gained, the penalties awarded can include Change of Position, a Time Penalty or a Long Lap Penalty.
If the rider voluntarily gives back the advantage immediately after the incident, a penalty may be avoided.
What if a rider is forced wide by another?
Allowances are made for being forced off track by another rider.
This is also why undetermined violations are not recorded on the first lap of a race, when a large number of riders are close together on track. At Turn 1 on the first lap, track limits are not recorded either. This is due to the prevalence of riders being pushed wide at Turn 1 after the start, and is intended to avoid unnecessary crashes by allowing riders to use run off areas if needed.
However, as always, a clear disadvantage must be shown in order to avoid riders taking advantage of the situation. Any clear advantage gained is always penalised – including during the first lap.
What about on the last lap?
For riders closely contesting a position, any track limit infraction that takes place during the last lap, and that the FIM MotoGP Stewards deem to have affected a race result, must be shown to have clearly disadvantaged the rider who makes the infraction. This is true whether there is a change of position or not.
Exceeding track limits during the last lap in a way that is deemed to affect finishing positions, with no clear disadvantage for the rider exceeding track limits, will result in a change of position or a time penalty.
The principle is that a rider exceeding track limits on the last lap must be worse off in doing so than the rider or riders against whom they are directly and closely competing.
The last lap is considered a special case because it may affect the race result.
Jack Miller fastest Ducati while Remy Gardner starts Moto2 from first place.
Image: Supplied.
Maverick Vinales and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team have stolen pole position and a new lap record of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli that sees Yamaha machinery filling the top four spots on the grid after qualifying for the San Marino MotoGP overnight.
Vinales’ 1:31.411s lap edged out Yamaha stablemate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) by 0.312s with the front row completed by teammate and Championship leader, Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The second factory Yamaha of Valentino Rossi sent the maximum allowed 10,000 wild after taking fourth ahead of Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), who was the fastest Ducati. Miller was pleased with his effort, saying, “Not a bad day, I was fast since this morning ,during the FP3 I had a small crash but I’m ok.” Millers injured teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) completes the second row.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is the leading Suzuki in P7, beating teammate Joan Mir by 0.012s. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) will have to work his way through the field as he did in Austria after qualifying in P9. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) completed the top ten.
So far the Misano double header has seen a resurgence for Yamaha, with a confident Viñales the first rider out on track for Q2. “I‘m really happy because that lap was amazing!” Vinales said. “Not just because it gave me pole position, but more so because of the time itself. We knew our potential and took everything we had, and we made a really good lap. Breaking the lap record was really hard for me.” For championship leader Quartararo, he is only concerned about the race, commenting, “The most important thing, of course, is the 27-lap race. I’m feeling positive because we have the pace for victory, so let’s see what happens.”
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) has been ruled out of Sunday’s race as well as next weekend due to an unusual mass of fluid following surgery on his forearm.
Image: Supplied.
In Moto2 Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took pole position by over 0.254s, breaking the lap record in the process. However, he will be forced to start from pitlane on Sunday after receiving a penalty for the crash he caused in Styria. This promotes second-placed Remy Gardner (OneXOX TKKR SAG Team) to first on the grid. Championship leader Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) will start from second with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the front row.
Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) took his maiden pole position in the Moto3 category, beating out Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) by just 0.016s in a typically tight qualifying session. 2019 winner Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completes the front row with the top three covered by just 0.031s.
MotoE served up plenty of drama with Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) taking his very first E-Pole after snatching the honour from compatriot Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse). The 2019 Cup winner and Misano victor won’t start from the front, however, with Casadei promoted to P1 as Ferrari serves a three-place grid penalty for his crash with Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) in Jerez. Third fastest in E-Pole was Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team). Front running Granado exceeded track limits during his hot lap, having his time cancelled. He’ll therefore start from the back while Australian Josh Hook (Onto Pramac MotoE) will start from 15th.
8. With Viñales, Morbidelli, Quartararo and Rossi, this is the first time there are four Yamaha riders in the top four on the grid in the premier class since the 1988 Portuguese GP held in Jerez with Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Magee and Christian Sarron.
Is there anyone from another manufacturer that can take the challenge to Yamaha? Well, going from FP4 alone, Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 1:32.7 was done on a 21-lap old rear tyre – promising, but the Spaniard starts P11 on the grid. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) set a 1:32.9 on a 15-lap old rear tyre in FP4, with teammate Alex Rins posting a 1:32.8 on a nine-lap old rear tyre – again, promising, but the Suzukis are on Row 3.
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