MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
VOL. 51 ISSUE 18 MAY 6, 2014 P37
Briefly...
Bridgestone won favor with a new
regime for front tire supply, with one
extra for each rider (from nine to 10),
and the fronts available in three rath-
er than two compounds for both Fac-
tory and Open machines. This was
pioneered, initially as a one-off, at
the Argentine GP – officially to cope
with unknown track conditions; unof-
ficially to avoid front tire wear prob-
lems that struck many riders (espe-
cially Valentino Rossi) at Austin two
weeks before.
Rear-tire allocation remained as
before, with three compounds on
offer. The harder two are for Factory
bikes; the softer pair for Open bikes,
with an overlap in the middle. Duca-
ti's status as honorary Open bikes
has helped them in qualifying, but
in the heat at Jerez riders were won-
dering if they wouldn't be better off
over race distance with the hardest
tire. "It might be difficult," said An-
drea Dovizioso; while from the other
side Marc Marquez opined: "It would
be impossible to do full race dis-
tance with the softer option" (which
is Ducati's harder option).
The change in spec-tire brands (see
In The Wind) may prompt Valentino
Rossi to change his decision to con-
tinue racing until the end of 2016. He
is already negotiating his contract re-
newal with Yamaha, but said at Jerez
"I have still not decided. My plan at
this moment is to make this year, and
the next two. I am happy to say that
now, but it looks like in 2016 things
will change a lot – no electronics and
change the tires also. It will be inter-
esting… but the plan now is still to
make two years after this one."
continued on next page
Home Boy
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
W
ill it ever get boring
watching Marc Mar-
quez run away with
one race after another?
That question may have an-
swered itself at Jerez.
The answer is yes. And no.
It is a privilege to watch such a
massive talent go to work, espe-
cially when he does it with such
unfettered enthusiasm and bla-
tant joy.
But racing is supposed to be
about competition. At Jerez, the
21-year-old Repsol Honda rider
once again made the best of
them into also-rans.
Amazingly, it was his first-ever
win at Jerez, in any class. It was
the last track on the calendar
where he hasn't won at least
once.
Spain's latest hero basked
in the adoration of a massive
crowd, officially numbered at
117,001 (if the last one had stayed
at home it would have been a
pleasing round number). The
fans packing the grandstands
and hillsides of what has be-
come an iconic opening round in
turn basked in blazing sunshine
under a cloudless sky.
For once, however, there was
only one Spanish winner. Moto2
Believe it or not, Marc Marquez had
never won a race at Jerez. Now he has.
