VOL. 50 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 27, 2013
might have been able to attack,"
he said.
We had better cling to this
statement, for it gives some hope
that the rest of the year might not
be a foregone conclusion. Only,
however, if it is really true, rather
than just wishful thinking.
In any case, Marquez' fifth
win gave him a points cushion
of more than one race win. He is
now 26 points ahead of Pedrosa.
He can miss a race while Pedrosa wins, and still be in the lead.
The weekend ran under the
threat of rain – merely a forecast on Friday and Saturday, but
a clear likelihood on Sunday. In
fact it did start spitting after 13 of
22 laps, bringing out the white
flags that give permission for a
switch to a bike equipped for the
wet.
In fact, it never developed into
anything. It only started to rain a
few minutes after the end of the
Moto3 race, unusually the last
race of the day to avoid a maininside it was a great
feeling."
Luthi was third, then
Espargaro, taking 13
valuable points. Redding
was now eighth, earning
only eight.
Zarco was fourth,
then Terol, with Indy
winner Esteve Rabat the
last to pass Redding, to
secure seventh.
Redding has 167
points, but Espargaro is
closing on 146; then comes Rabat
with 122. Kallio is fourth with 115 and
Aegerter, 13th on Sunday, rounds out
Mika Kallio won a thrilling Moto2 GP.
the top five with 97 points.
P65
Briefly...
The Avintia Blusens team has
shown an interest in the Honda
package, according to HRC's Livio
Suppo, and is currently seeking
sufficient finance. Others, including the pre-eminent CRT team,
Power Electronics Aspar, are waiting to see if Aprilia will offer an upgrade to the current ART, which at
least in the hands of Aleix Espargaro, is competitive with the slower
factory bikes. The ART, however,
currently uses sophisticated Aprilia
electronics. With next year's compulsory Magneti-Marelli electronics, ART performance remains to
be seen. Karel Abraham said: "We
haven't signed yet, but I hope we
will. I am really curious to see the
bike."
Nicky Hayden, dropped by Ducati, has yet to decide on his racing
future, but was pleased to report
some attractive options to stay
where he wants to be - in MotoGP.
One is on a production Honda
alongside Stefan Bradl in the LCR
team, although this depends on a
major sponsorship contribution,
with American Honda America a
prime candidate for the necessary support. He also disclosed
that he'd been in discussion with
the NGM Forward team, with their
leased Yamahas, "but nothing is
decided."
The Honda proposal, hopefully to
be backed by American Honda,
was "in the works. There are still
some pieces to be worked out.
There's no decision yet, but it's
getting close. Probably in the next
two weeks, but don't expect an
announcement at Silverstone. I
would say more likely at Misano…
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