Assen Confidential Box: Saving Private Ryan

Private Ryan was saved.

The crisis in which Honda and Yamaha are installed does not benefit the ‘business of the World Championship’. Furthermore, it is a big problem. The ups and downs between brands always happen, this is not a new one, but what distinguishes this crisis from the previous ones is that both manufacturers – let’s remember the two largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world – are hostages of a championship format and a regulation that, together, have ‘stuck’ Honda and Yamaha. On the one hand there is the intense and compressed new format of MotoGP where, if you want to compete, there is no room for anything else. On the other hand, there is the standard of freezing the evolution of engines once the season starts, or limiting the fairings to be used to two per year. In a move that seemed to throw a lifeline to ‘those in need’, DORNA let it slip that perhaps the time had come to review an approach that had “become obsolete”. At Ducati they raised their ears when they heard this ‘possibility’…”Why should we make changes that will help our competition improve. As far as I can remember, when things were worse for us than now, nobody gave us a hand. why do we agree now? It should be noted that in order for any change in the technical regulations to go through, unanimity is needed within the Teams Association… By the way, Ducati this weekend blocked the proposal that P1 on Friday morning will not count for the development of the grill . .

Fit three where only two fit

KTM with Pol Espargaró, Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta share the same situation that could happen to Pecco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martín: there are only two seats for three pilots. In the case of the Austrian constructor, the issue was created by KTM’s decision to assert its opinion on Acosta on June 30. In other words, tell the Murcian “yes, we will take you to MotoGP next year”. If they had not done this, Pedro would have been free, and as they say from KTM, “we will not repeat the mistake we made with Jorge Martín”, which they resigned at that time. So KTM has a problem: where will Acosta sit? The decision to do this with a GasGas has already been made; Instead of whom? Officially, not so much. Instead I think. However, the ‘verdict’ should be made public at the Austrian GP weekend on August 20. At Ducati, ‘three riders for two bikes’ is not so urgent. In fact, it became known when Martín declared yesterday that he wants to see Ducati not pass the factory team if they win the World Cup. Martín, Bagnaia and Bastianini are bound by contract with the Italian factory, which has the power to place them where it sees fit. Pecco, the World Champion, is armored; at Ducati they believe that Bastianini, who was injured at the beginning of the season, deserves a second chance in the factory team; but as Martín said, if he wins the Ducati World Championship he will have a problem.

The surprising case of Joan Mir.

Communication has never been a preference for HRC engineers, who have always considered that they did the talking on the track, with their results. But despite this history, the administrative silence surrounding Joan Mir’s absence in Assen is remarkable. Let’s recall that Mir did not start the Mugello GP after suffering his 12th crash in five GGPPs and breaking the little finger on his right hand. He was declared fit to continue riding, but the Mallorcan rider decided, I think in agreement with the team, not to return to his bike. A week later, he wasn’t in Germany either, and two weeks later here in Assen he didn’t show up either. How about Joan? What’s wrong with it? What is behind this long absence? Because based on the medical report that led him to quit, one cannot say convalescence. Marc Márquez showed up here in the Netherlands with a broken phalanx of a finger, an XXL ankle and a broken rib. Honda doesn’t show. It has not been explained what kept Mir away from his job, but his pilot is not even covered in public. And nowadays, looks matter