VOLUME 57 ISSUE 24 JUNE 16, 2020 P109
Malaysia are underlined on the
"maybe" list. It would be next to
impossible to fit them all in. With
Valencia scheduled for Novem-
ber 15 and the season promised
to finish on December 13, they
would have to run on consecu-
tive weekends.
Meanwhile, a supposedly
definite list of 13 rounds starts at
Jerez on July 19 and (probably)
finishes in Valencia four months
hence. Ten of them will be run
on consecutive weekends at
just five circuits: Jerez, Red
Bull Ring, Misano, Aragon and
Valencia. The other three circuits
with single outings are Brno,
Catalunya and Le Mans. Five of
eight circuits are in Spain; all of
them are vulnerable to renewed
lockdowns, should there be a
second wave of infection. All will
be run behind closed doors.
Time to consider the human
cost.
If a professional grand prix
rider doesn't have any grands
prix to ride in, does he still exist?
The question is not asked
without sympathy. A rider's
career is short enough (apart
from Rossi's, obviously) without
having to lose a chunk of it, just
when you were really getting
going. Or in his case, wondering
about whether to wind it down.
And it is particularly poignant
in the case of Alex Marquez,
whose position alongside
brother Marc in the factory
Repsol Honda team is already
under threat before even one
race, before he has even turned
a wheel in anger. In fact, he's
already reported to be gone but
no official announcement from
Honda yet.
The younger of the close-knit
pair was something of a surprise
choice to fill the gap left at the
end of last season by the abrupt
departure of Jorge Lorenzo
(whose hopes, by the way, of
the odd outing for Yamaha this
season have been dashed by
the Dorna "no wild-cards" diktat).
Now HRC is reportedly flirting
seriously with Pol Espargaro,
whose KTM contract runs out of
time at the end of this year.
He also might seem an
unlikely choice, but after some
shaky crash-strewn seasons
the former Moto2 champ has
impressed over the past year by
conspicuous and sustained ef-
fort and aggression on the same
KTM that Johann Zarco found
impossible to ride.
For this and other reasons,
many observers are taking the
Pol-to-Honda rumor seriously.
Even though it is a strange move,
that risks alienating the rider who
has won all but one rider cham-
pionship and a similar number of
team and constructor titles since
arriving as a rookie in 2013.
Dropping Alex in favor of Pol
would be a double piss-off for
Marc. Not only would it leave pet
kid brother out in the cold for
2021, it would introduce seri-
ous friction into the team. There
is little love lost between the
compatriots. Pol and Marc were
major rivals in Moto2 (remem-
ber when Marc "inadvertently"
knocked Pol off at Catalunya in
2012?).
Happily there are far worse
fates, both inside racing and be-
yond, than missing a few races,
or having to go looking for a new
team.
Now the final thought experi-
ment.
If you haven't read all the way
to here, does this ending really
exist? And why am I asking you?
Watch out for that tree, now. CN
SO, IF A
MOTORCYCLE
RACE, FOR
EXAMPLE THE
24 HOURS
AT LE MANS,
TAKES PLACE
WITHOUT ANY
SPECTATORS,
HAS IT REALLY
HAPPENED?
