18 minute read
A Splash at Valencia
When it rained, it poured…and that was certainly the case for KTM who sealed headlines at the end of the longest MotoGP season on record at Valencia. Honda wrapped up the Triple Crown, Valentino Rossi crashed out of a podium position for the second Grand Prix in a row (statisticians might still actually be looking to see if this has happened before from his twenty-three years in the FIM world championship) but still took third place in 2018, Andrea Dovizioso ruled superbly through at the place where he waved goodbye to the title in 2017 and Marc Marquez crashed out of a race for the first time in ’18.
But it all seemed to pale into insignificance against the milestone achievement by fifteen year old Can Oncu, then the dominant set for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team thanks to Miguel Oliveira’s rain mastery and Pol Espargaro’s quite stunning charge against Marquez, his Turn 2 crash, the recovery with a broken fairing to eighth place and then making a first podium for the fledgling factory in the soaked MotoGP restart.
The autumnal storms washed out the Ricardo Tormo for the better part of three days and threw elements of round nineteen into the trickling water. For all the heightened tensions for the teams the weather did make for increased drama. It barely looked rideable. “It is only the fact that you have world class riders on world class machinery and world class tyres that we’re out there,” commented Bradley Smith; content with his personal best finish of 8th place on the RC16 on his final run.
KTM partied and many turned up to the MotoGP awards to see Marquez, Dovizioso and Rossi walk out to collect their medals. For a number of years now Valencia has felt like a long, much-needed exhalation by the paddock after a hefty campaign. Monday is like an escape valve for concentration before the work ratio has to be cranked up for the 2019 test. It seems excessive but is also a consequence of the December/January testing blackout.
the shape of water
The deluge of water quickly reminded observers of the British Grand Prix and the farcical scenes of delays, flooding and a recently resurfaced circuit that somehow refused to drain. It felt like Valencia saw the same – if not more – rainfall than Silverstone and there were only a few trouble-spots on the flat course; the dip out of Turn 14 and onto the main straight one of the most visual. The poor light and the sheen from the asphalt gave the action a stunning mirrorlike appearance at times: it was as distinctive as the beams from Losail.
Calling a halt to the MotoGP race after 13 laps (not three-quarter distance) and a particularly heavy cloudburst came as Andrea Dovizioso hit the lead and managed a halfwave to Race Direction on the start straight. “We spoke in the Safety Commission,” the Italian said afterwards. “They asked us to give feedback about the condition of the track because from the TV is not easy - like [for] us - to understand exactly if it’s over the limit or it’s okay. So I tried to give feedback. They take the decision immediately…”
Riders were later split in their opinions whether the sprint could have been halted or not. “Probably the best idea was to stop the race three or four laps before because the quantity of water was increasing very quickly and riders were crashing like flies,” said Jorge Lorenzo after a steady but unspectacular final appearance on the Ducati. “The track was difficult so you needed to be very careful and very slow to avoid crashing.”
“When the heavy rain starts, I was taking maybe a lot of risk,” said Alex Rins, who nevertheless managed his fifth podium finish with the Suzuki. “So I tried to be on the bike because it was very, very difficult.”
“For me was a great shame, the red flag,” said Rossi. “At that moment I was very fast. Especially [because] I also have the right front tyre compared to Rins and Dovi. So I
can beat them. But it’s true that there was a lot of water. It was a bit dangerous. Also in the second race, at one moment it was quite dangerous. But for me they [Race Direction] work well. Also for me is very negative that we stop.”
Marc Marquez was perhaps the most high profile casualty of a number of fallers. At least nine from the field. “You know, when I was riding before I crashed, the lap before, I started to think ‘if it continues like this in two or three laps they will stop the race’. So I was thinking, ‘just be on the bike because if they stop the race I will change the tyre’,” he added in reference to an error selecting a Medium tyre compared to the Soft in a gamble that the rain would ease. “But I mean, when I crashed it was still possible to ride. OK, it was dangerous, because there was some aquaplaning in some areas but it was OK to ride.”
“Those were by far the worst conditions I have raced in, in terms of spray, aquaplaning, standing water and running water but it was around one-two places,” said Smith whose motivation not to end his last GP with KTM in the gravel led to him pushing the RC16 back to the pitlane after his penultimate corner crash and just making it in time around the five minute window of the red flag. The effort allowed him to use the second bike and make the restart. “I think a lot of people will draw comparisons to Silverstone but I don’t think that is fair. I think Silverstone was in worse condition than we were racing today. With the restart it was fine again to be riding, the spray was dangerous but it was only really on the main straight where it was really bad. In the braking area it cleared up because of the new surface. I felt that everyone was out there and knew the limits of what they were riding in. It is one of those that could catch you out like ‘that’ but I’ve also ridden [somewhere like] Misano in little water and it can also catch you.”
can can
In a way it was a shame that Moto3 was not as ‘gripping’ for the riders as for the sodden fans and TV viewers. Only twenty runners made it to the chequered flag but the dejection for Pole Position holder Tony Arbolino (yet to take a GP podium in just two seasons) after crashing out of the lead was contrasted by the extended anxiety for teenager, Red Bull Rookies Champion and debutant Can Oncu and eventual joy and disbelief of history being made.
It is fitting that the Turk made his milestone and took the record of the previous youngster winner – Scott Redding – on a day when the latter bowed out of grand prix after ? updown and charisma-marked seasons. It also announced his talent in the most emphatic way. Hair billowing out the back of his lid, Oncu somehow conveyed youthful abandon and mature calculation at once. It almost all went wrong when he unseated himself on the last lap but the family and Ajo team were uncontained with their joy.
“I was not taking much risk,” he said with his basic level of English. “I was riding normal. I could see the pit wall and I could also see the big TV on Turn1. I could see there was a big battle behind me. It’s a really nice feeling to write a new story as the youngest rider ever [to win] and to finish on the podium means I am two-times happy!”
It’s clear that Oncu’s prolificacy in the entry level to Grand Prix has been good for his racecraft as much as his profile. “In the Rookies I learned how to fight and to ride the KTM, as well as manage the races and not to crash,” he said. “I learned to be calm because to be here was my dream and there are some incredible riders, incredibly fast. I’m ready to see how we will be next year.”
In terms of aftermath Oncu has made a very hot bed for his first Grand Prix tilt in 2019. His Valencia feat was the equivalent of scoring a World Cup final goal in the first minute of the match. He’s going to have to see out his development and will have the shadow of this performance to compete against (as well as everyone else). He would not be the first Red Bull Rookie starlet to struggle with the pace and conversion to life in Grand Prix. As an opening statement of intent however it doesn’t get much more brash.
Un-watered down orange ‘squash’
It’s hard not to like Pol Espargaro. He is sincere, open, expressive and clearly enamoured with his job and opportunity. He has been bashed around a fair bit in 2018 both before and during the season. In fact, such was his rate of luck this year that most of the Red Bull KTM crew can be forgiven for chewing through a few finger nails as he tussled with Marc Marquez and somehow crashed, recovered and made third place happen at Valencia. A good result was not unexpected – Espargaro had shown top ten, even top five, pace through wet and dry practice in Spain and qualified in sixth – but to be able to charge to third was another realm.
“To always be in the top eight was building me and my confidence up during the weekend. I knew I could be up there,” he recounted. “Marc had some problems with the rear tyre and I knew he did not have the same grip as me or the rest of the guys. I tried to overtake him from inside and outside but Marc was braking so hard and the Honda was really good on acceleration.”
He shakes his head. “I was so fast in T2 and when you are fast in one place you don’t need to try harder compared to the others but I tried in that place and made an amazing crash, a big highside. The bike was without part of the fairing. I then worked from last to seventh-eighth. It was wild and I don’t know how I did it because I could not see much in the straight, there was a lot of wind and my neck was hurting because I could not tuck into anything at that speed. The red flag was like a ‘message’ because the bike was still working after that big crash and I said to myself ‘man, this is your opportunity, take it’.
Espargaro left Yamaha and Tech 3 in a spate of prolonged frustration of not being given competitive tools in MotoGP. His signature for KTM required complete reorientation of his goals and presence in grand prix, and he has displayed patience and quietened ambition in the cause. The team seemed to lean more towards his potential for results compared to Bradley Smith and after two seasons it is the Catalan who has stamped the best results and classifications in qualifications and races to-date. “In Moto2 and 125 I was winning and on the podium and was constantly there,” he explained. “As humans we are so stupid because we get used to good things when they happen. When I was world champion you enjoy it so much and it was amazing and because you have been winning so much it is emotional…but not really like today. What we did today was so difficult and we have been trying so many times with this new bike, this new KTM. It makes this so emotional, maybe more than winning a world championship…even if it is only a third place.”
On whether he could have imagined a rostrum appearance so early, at the culmination of his first contract with another two years to go, Espargaro was realistic. “Not for me at the beginning,” he states. Maybe for Mr Pierer at home and Pit [Beirer]; they are strong people and they know what they want! For me it was difficult to see this result and imagine it. We have to think that this bike has only been running for two years. In Qatar last year we were the last on the grid and a second away from the guy in front. During the season we have been ‘blocked’ because I have been injured and Mika [Kallio] also and it was difficult for development.”
“It has been unbelievable progress and I’m really proud of the guys and all the ones in Mattighofen and around the project. They have put so much effort and interest into it. This is like an oxygen bottle for us to face the future.”
KTM’s injury problems left Smith as the sole runner at two Grands Prix and with their testing programme severely delayed due to Kallio’s knee ligament operation. The circumstances were only too clear for Motorsport Director Pit Beirer. “I said all year that we are better than we could prove on paper because we had injured riders and we were not so lucky,” the German said immediately post race and in the midst of celebrations. “We fell into a big hole in Sachsenring at a time when we were first in warm-up with a new bike and we thought ‘now we’ll make progress’ but Pol injured himself at the next race. Everything went wrong.”
“There was a critical moment two months ago when we looked at the new bike and elements like the chassis and, together with strong people at the factory, we decided to stick to the plan because we were sure we were on the right way,” he adds. “It was important not to lose the direction and today was the first big payback. We had Pol completely free of pain and with a good feeling. In this sport you need super-fit riders to compete on this level. This is a big payback for the whole company. I think every single department in KTM was somehow integrated to make this project work and the whole race team and everybody else put in so many hours. Third place is perhaps more than we expected today but this is the best way to give something back to racing people: a result. It means so much and it is difficult to find the right words how I feel.”
Together with their Dakar win, the Husqvarna-led titles in Supercross and the utter decimation of MXGP it is has been another outstanding year for the Munderfing-based operation.
the third one
A small slice of sympathy for Jorge Lorenzo. The uber-talented Spaniard faced his third team and factory motorcycle in three years with his first run on the Repsol Honda on Tuesday. Not only was Lorenzo missing race fitness and knowledge that he was entering the Triple Crown-winning environment of the most outstanding athlete in MotoGP but HRC were also struggling for important cocontrasts. Cal Crutchlow’s injury counted him out while Marquez was nursing an otherwise heavily strapped shoulder and hungry to reach planned surgery in December to right the ailment. Lorenzo – who has not ventured near Honda machinery since his 250cc days in 2005 – could not offer much of a base reference for the Japanese for improvements over the 2018 RCV. One of the more prominent questions of the off-season will be about the rate of work needed by factory, team and rider to get the Honda to Lorenzo’s liking before engines are sealed and 2019 gets underway. Lorenzo will be mindful of how he had to shape-shift to make the Ducati work and the transition period that required. As Marquez was quick to remind the media at Valencia on Sunday night, the spotlight is still very much on #99 despite the colour of the bike. “It’s like my first year in 2013, you need to be in the front,” #93 said. “Because this is the way. It’s no excuse. You have one of the bikes which has won the championship. He will be fast.”
“Tuesday I will not be 100% but I will be able to see some things, some important things, and be quite okay,” Lorenzo said. When it came to the crunch back at Valencia ?????
Bearing the weight: The Marquez shoulder
The World Champion’s crash in Q2 led to the now-customary sight of Marc Marquez holding his left shoulder while walking through the gravel. The Catalan was not explicit about the extent of the persist injury or what will be fixed in the forthcoming operation (“I don’t know, I just say to the doctor: ‘I want to be ready in February for the test!’ Most of the time they take like a small bone and they put it here in front, it depends on the technique”) but it is clearly a constant source of annoyance and burden.
After an animated discussion was witnessed on Sunday afternoon between the senior member of the Repsol Honda team and Marquez’s set-up there was some speculation that Marquez would not fulfil his testing plans in Valencia – something that would be a sizeable setback considering Dani Pedrosa’s departure, Jorge Lorenzo’s ‘rookie’ status and Cal Crutchlow’s absence.
Marquez appeared from the behind-closeddoors briefing ahead of his meeting with the press to state that he would be running the 2019 Honda. “We were planning already the tests on Tuesday and Wednesday,” he explained. “I like to ride during all the day but here in Valencia and Jerez, it’s very important to test. I need to be precise, not many laps. Of course my physical condition is not 100%. So not many laps, just try to try a few things, and that’s it.”
He also talked about how the injury has affected the last four rounds of what has otherwise been a triumphant and occasionally controversial season. “It’s painful since Motegi. But of course I am able to ride but if I hit it on the practice, I will dislocate it.”
“I had a strange movement, but today I had a very strong tape on the shoulder,” he said of his race highside that was a consequence of a misjudgement with his rear tyre choice. “I was just touching the shoulder because it was so painful but then I realized that everything was in, and it was just from hitting it.”
“The first thing when I arrived in the box, I said sorry to the team, to Honda, to Repsol, because it was my decision, it was my mistake,” he said of the tumble that led him to bang the tyre wall repeatedly in frustration. “OK, everything is done, and another rider might say ‘it doesn’t matter, I’m champion’ but I want to be perfect, and today I did a mistake. It’s something I need to improve for next year.”
Sayonara Samurai
Valencia was Dani Pedrosa’s swansong. At the circuit where he triumphed in 2017 – his last win in fact – the most successful rider never to win a premier class crown (but however able to hold the rank of
champion in two other categories) was feted with attention, a barrage of questions about his emotions – never Dani’s favourite scenario – and a fitting MotoGP Legend induction.
The championship might not miss Dani’s penchant for invisibility off the bike but there is little doubting the significance of his exit and a talent that perhaps should not have been able to achieve so much with the limitation of his size and weight and susceptibility to bone breaks. The 33 year old is a man of dignity and serenity in an environment that can sometimes furiously wrapped up in its own importance. Watching him deadpan media questions over the years became almost as impressive as watching what he could do on the Honda.
The question of whether he stayed too long with one brand, and perhaps did not always deserve continual contract extensions with the absence of a championship (that seems a job requisite at HRC) has surrounded him in recent years. There are many who feel a team or manufacturer switch would have shown a different side to Pedrosa. On the other hand there has to be a degree of respect for remaining with one Japanese firm for seventeen years and for being unflinching in not wanting to accept a competitive environment any lower or less committed than HRC.
Pedrosa will test a KTM at the Sepang test. First he dealt with those questions and explained why Valencia was not quite the sendoff he expected…
What were you feeling when you came off the bike? When I came in I saw the box full of people and lots of friends and family and good old friends, so it was a nice moment. But yes, I was a little more emotional before the race, when I [came] across some people wishing me luck, some fans. I see in their look the sadness of not having that moment again. But I was quite OK afterwards because I could not do what I wanted to do in the race. Basically the conditions were very tough, it was easy to crash, basically I was on top of the water. I wasn’t touching the ground with the tyres and couldn’t really give my best because I knew if I tried to lean the bike I would crash. So I was trying not to crash, I didn’t give everything I wanted to give in this last race because I don’t have the tools to do it. That’s why maybe I was a little more calm at the end because I know I can do much better but of course my father and my mother were really emotional. They know since I was born how much I like [this] and how much they worked to get me there, so it was a special thing. Maybe now I’m ok and maybe later it’s the opposite, I don’t know.
While riding, did it come to mind that this would be the last time with that feeling? Maybe the last lap…but it was just for one second and I knew that if I kept thinking on I would crash in the next corner so no, actually…
What will you miss most from racing at this level and what are you relieved not to do anymore? I would say two things: one is crashing and going to hospital, and second one some of the [media commitments], not all, just the days that are not good; that’s the difficult ones. What I will miss the most is winning, the satisfaction of achieving.
What’s the hardest part about leaving the track and going back home? I don’t know. I think leaving behind the fans who were here and wrote to me on social media, they will not have the chance to see me riding [any more]. Of course I will ride and I will enjoy still riding bikes on MotoGP or off road but sure they will not have the chance to watch me.
Marc saying he learned a lot from you. Do that make you proud? Not so proud that people learn from me…because looks like they picked the good things only!
What’s the plan for next days, weeks, months? Next weeks unfortunately I’m still super-busy with the schedule with Repsol, Honda and a couple of events, also one with fans, maybe one surgery. So I’m still busy until the end of the year. Maybe until January I don’t have the chance to go windsurfing.
Surgery? Yes, for removing screws and things. If I don’t do it now, later on you don’t want to do it.
