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The Aragon MotoGP through the eyes of Boris

Just how deep is this rabbit hole....?

Boris Mihailovic by Boris Mihailovic
October 20, 2020
in MotoGP
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2020 MotoGP Round Eleven – Aragon


How wondrous is the rabbit-hole the 2020 MotoGP season has led us down? Alice herself would be blown away by the Wonderland we now find ourselves in.

As loins were girded for a crucial double-header at Aragon, it was revealed Rossi had contracted the Plague and would be spared from maybe another DNF by a DNS.

Not to be outdone, Petrucci, swollen by his superb win at Le Mans, was stung in the face by a hornet and swelled up a little more.

Crutchlow was sporting a new prison haircut, and vultures were circling overhead. Yes, really. I saw them.

Rumours regarding Dovi’s future joining Dani Pedrosa as a KTM test-rider gained strength over the weekend, while Iannone’s future remained uncertain, as his appeal, which was meant to be finalised on the Thursday, but instead was shunted back another month.

There was also a lot of wishful thinking regarding Marc Marquez, who many predicted would make his return at Aragon. But wishes are different to actual insider knowledge. It’s doubtful Marquez would choose to return, or that Honda would permit him to, unless he was close to 100 per cent fit and able to compete. I would maybe look for him at Valencia, or even Portimao, but would not be surprised if he sat the rest of the crazy season out.

And the whole field was all about the beanies and long undies as Aragon served up a track so cold, everything had to be shunted back an hour after the crashing freeze-fest that was FP1. It was hoped the sun would warm the bitumen enough for the riders to stay out of the carnivorous maws of Turns 6 and 14.

The preliminaries showed us while Yamaha’s don’t work in the wet, they work OK in the cold. Ducatis, on the other hand, do alright in the wet, don’t work in the cold.

Dovi, along with all the other Ducati riders, thus found themselves in Q1. Dovi’s gloves then found themselves embedded into the wall of his pit garage where he threw them – frustrated glove-chucking becoming a bit of a theme in the Ducati garage recently.

Fabulous’s Yamaha did not escape the clutches of Turn 14 in FP3. It tenderised him like a cheap steak in a freaky high-side/low-side combo that had him stretchered off the track. Somehow, he limped his way back for Q2 with two bruised hips, and popped himself on pole. Maverick sat beside him, and Cal, assisted by his dangerous new hair-cut, was somehow in third.

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2020 Aragon MotoGP front row
1 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – 1:47.076
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.046
3 Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda Castrol – Honda – +0.229

The second row was Morbidelli, Miller (who didn’t seem as traumatised by the cold weather as his fellow Bologna pilots), and the now always ominous Mir.

The first corner of the race saw Morbidelli tip in first, only to run wide, letting Maverick and Fabulous through. Hard on their tyres was Mir and his team-mate Rins, who produced a fabulous start – unlike Cal, who probably needed a hole-shot device more than a new haircut.

Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon

Miller quickly shot past Mir as Maverick opened up a half-second gap, while the rookie Marquez, who started in 11th flew past Dovi, who’d made a decent start, but ultimately surrendered his eighth place to the young Spaniard.

Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon

Fabulous looked to be catching Vinales as Baganaia was catching gravel with his face at Turn Five. Nakagami, who was making a decent fist of 6th was also then passed by a hard-charging Marquez Junior, and Mir was not having Miller sassing around ahead of him any more either.

It was around about here, with the race but a pup, that Fabulous’s front tyre began to over-pressurise itself. This is usually a problem on hot tracks, but the frozen bag of peas that was Aragon seemed to be doing weird things to Quartararo’s Petronas Yamaha.

Rins passed him on Lap Three and set off in pursuit of a truly committed Vinales out in first. The two Suzukis were now the fastest bikes on the track. Young Marquez was now torturing Miller, and the fourth-placed Morbidelli was closing on Fabulous.

Alex Rins sneaked past Quartararo

These opening laps were hugely intense, and some weird stuff was clearly going on.

Rins had now caught Vinales and was lapping half-a-second faster, Miller was trying to fend off Nakagami, and Mir shoved it up the inside of both Morbidelli and Fabulous to seize third place.

Maverick Vinales chased by Alex Rins

But the fastest bloke on the track was now Alex Marquez, and Fabulous was well in his sights. Just as Vinales was in the crosshairs of Rins, who passed the Factory Yamaha at the end of the main straight like it was standing still. Marquez Jnr then passed Fabulous, who was not standing still so much as riding backwards, and the field re-arranged itself and settled a touch. It was Rins, Vinales, Mir, Morbidelli, and Marquez – and the way Mir was riding, it didn’t auger well for Vinales.

Joan Mir, Jack Miller, Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami

But it was Marquez who was baking the time-sheets. He was the only rider lapping in the 1.48s, with 14 laps still to go.

The top five had now spaced themselves half-a-second apart, as Nakagami shunted Fabulous even further down the field and out of the championship lead. Miller and Dovi also stomped past him, just as Alex Marquez was introducing his front tyre to Mir’s back tyre.

Alex Marquez chasing Joan Mir and Alex Rins

But Mir was not going into the darkness lightly. He passed Vinales, and suddenly there were two Suzuki’s leading the race. Vinales’s subsequent shock at this unseemly development was huge – and this allowed Marquez past to secure a solid third behind the boys from Hamamatsu.

Fabulous was still in reverse gear, and Zarco grabbed tenth place off him. I was starting to think his smashed hips were the culprit, but it was the strange increase in front tyre pressure he spoke of after the race – he just couldn’t get it to turn, and with nine laps to go, he was back in 15th.

Marquez was still lapping in the 1.48s, and while Mir looked to be catching his team-mate, Rookie Marquez was catching Mir.

Andrea Dovizioso

While Fabulous was now seeing the back of Lecuona’s KTM in 17th, Dovi asserted his factory dominance over Miller and tucked into seventh place.

Six laps from the end, Marquez fired his gun, and came around on Mir in Turn 16. As the camera cut to his father, Julian Marquez, I thought he might be having a stroke. It was no different in the Suzuki garage, where Davide Brivio looked to be in the midst of a nervous breakdown.

As the race wound itself into the final laps, it was obvious Mir had the championship in mind. Rather than pursue Alex Marquez along the frosty Aragorn asphalt, settling for third seemed the smart option.

A very close finish and it looked as though Marquez might steal the win but Rins held on

Marquez, who was now chasing Rins with stars in his eyes, had nothing to lose. Neither him or Rins were in contention for the championship. But Rins defended his lead like a dog guarding a beloved bone. And Young Marquez was giving it his all, until a sharp shake from his front-end saw him decide second place would have to do for the day.

2020 Aragon MotoGP podium
1 Alex Rins -Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki 41:54.391
2 Alex Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.263
3 Joan Mir -Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki +2.644

Rins, Marquez, and Mir stood on the podium, hoisting aloft three rather bizarre-looking trophies courtesy of Michelin. They looked like gorgeous white rings of pavlova surmounted by a satellite dish.

Alex Rins

But as bizarre as they appeared, consider how bizarre it is that Mir, a bloke who has not won a race since 2107, now leads the championship. And spare a thought for the Marquez genetics, which are making a fearsome appearance in the closing stages of a season that still promises some amazing twists and turns.

Repsol Honda taste some success, a rare occurence in 2020

We are back at Aragon at the end of this week. It’s not going to get any warmer, but I reckon it’s going to get a whole lot freakier.

Joan Mir and Alex Rins

 MotoGP Race Results

PosRiderBikeTime/Gap
1Alex RINSSuzuki41m54.391
2Alex MARQUEZHonda+0.263
3Joan MIRSuzuki+2.644
4Maverick VIÑALESYamaha+2.88
5Takaaki NAKAGAMIHonda+4.57
6Franco MORBIDELLIYamaha+4.756
7Andrea DOVIZIOSODucati+8.639
8Cal CRUTCHLOWHonda+8.913
9Jack MILLERDucati+9.39
10Johann ZARCODucati+9.617
11Brad BINDERKTM+13.2
12Pol ESPARGAROKTM+13.689
13Aleix ESPARGAROAprilia+14.598
14Iker LECUONAKTM+15.291
15Danilo PETRUCCIDucati+15.941
16Miguel OLIVEIRAKTM+18.284
17Stefan BRADLHonda+20.136
18Fabio QUARTARAROYamaha+21.498
19Bradley SMITHAprilia+25.3
20Tito RABATDucati+25.558
Race winner Alex Rins and new series leader Joan Mir

MotoGP World Championship Standings

PosRiderBikePoints
1Joan MIRSuzuki121
2Fabio QUARTARAROYamaha115
3Maverick VIÑALESYamaha109
4Andrea DOVIZIOSODucati106
5Takaaki NAKAGAMIHonda92
6Franco MORBIDELLIYamaha87
7Alex RINSSuzuki85
8Jack MILLERDucati82
9Pol ESPARGAROKTM77
10Miguel OLIVEIRAKTM69
11Brad BINDERKTM67
12Alex MARQUEZHonda67
13Danilo PETRUCCIDucati65
14Valentino ROSSIYamaha58
15Johann ZARCODucati53
16Francesco BAGNAIADucati42
17Aleix ESPARGAROAprilia27
18Cal CRUTCHLOWHonda21
19Iker LECUONAKTM20
20Bradley SMITHAprilia11
21Stefan BRADLHonda8
22Tito RABATDucati8
23Michele PIRRODucati4

 

2020 MotoGP Calendar

RndDateCircuit
108 March (Moto2/Moto3)Losail International Circuit
219 JulyCircuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
326 JulyCircuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
409 AugustAutomotodrom Brno
516 AugustRed Bull Ring-Spielberg
623 AugustRed Bull Ring-Spielberg
713 SeptemberMisano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
820 SeptemberMisano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
927 SeptemberBarcelona – Catalunya
1011 OctoberLe Mans
1118 OctoberMotorLand Aragón
1225 OctoberMotorLand Aragón
1308 NovemberComunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
1415 NovemberComunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
1522 NovemberAutodromo Internacional do Algarve
Tags: Alex RinsAragon
Boris Mihailovic

Boris Mihailovic

Boris is a writer who has contributed to many magazines and websites over the years, edited a couple of those things as well, and written a few books. But his most important contribution is pissing people off. He feels this is his calling in life and something he takes seriously. He also enjoys whiskey, whisky and the way girls dance on tables. And riding motorcycles. He's pretty keen on that, too.

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