Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1473647
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 29 JULY 19, 2022 P137 won 24 Constructors' titles, out- ranking MV Agusta and leaving Yamaha trailing with 12 (plus two earlier wins) and took by far the lion's share of race wins. There was no fluking any of this. Yamaha did not have long to gloat, had they been so inclined. Just two weeks later at Assen, they suffered in exactly the same way. Quartararo crashed out, and the remaining three simply continued with their individu- ally and collectively disastrous seasons. This was the third race this year that none of them—Mor- bidelli, Dovizioso and Darryn Binder—finished in the points. For factory Yamahas (not counting races where Roc- or Harris-Yamahas filled in the gaps) this was a first all zero since 1985. Thus, both of the giants of modern racing fell flat in succes- sion. Nobody at these Japanese race departments, each with long and proud traditions, will be taking this lightly. Especially those engineers by now in seri- ous jeopardy of being trans- ferred to end their careers in the aftermarket luggage-fastening design division. In each case, the reasons are the same. Of course, a resur- gence of European design, em- bodied not only by Ducati and KTM but even more this year by Aprilia; nor even the preponder- ance of eight Ducatis packing out the result sheets, are clearly important factors. What really counts is that Honda and Yamaha have disap- peared down the same design wormhole. They have built fine racing bikes, that only one rider can use to win races. It's been like that at Honda for the past several years. Under- standably. Marc was brilliant from the start, and all develop- ment centered around him. But his brilliance masked that the RC213V was becoming more and more of a handful. A series of other fine riders, whose skill was never in ques- tion, suffered as a result. Cal Crutchlow was one, the only other Honda rider to win races since 2017. He and others, including racing giant Jorge Lorenzo, were tossed into the gravel with painful regularity. The bike bit Marc, too, at the start of 2020, and they've been at sea ever since, hence the dismal struggles and many painful crashes of other Honda riders this year. Yamaha has been tending the same way. Quartararo, like Rossi and Lorenzo before him, has a particular ability to use corner speed and smooth technique to compensate for a lack of accel- eration and top speed. But he's unique. Neither Morbidelli nor Dovizioso, each a former World Champion, can get anywhere near him, and they're getting badly beaten as a result. This has also been coming bit by bit. In 2020, Morbidelli won three races and was second overall, on a year-old bike. In 2022, on the latest version developed around Quartararo, he is struggling to get into the points at all. Just as well Yamaha per- suaded Fabulous Fabio to stay on for two more years a couple of weeks ago. And just as well, Marc is coming back next year, all patched up and straightened out again. And if either of those things don't happen, the former lead- ers of the class are in serious trouble. CN What really counts is that Honda and Yamaha have disappeared down the same design wormhole. They have built fine racing bikes, that only one rider can use to win races.