It's nice to have a thread about racing that doesn't get infected by the BS that every race thread gets infected by.
Dovi doesn't have the sheer talent to go fast that Marquez does. That being said, the Michelin tires have given opportunity to not only the most talented riders, but now the smartest, most strategic riders as well. Dovi is at least the equal to Marquez, Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Rossi in that department. Better than Vinales is, but MV is still young and inexperienced on a bike that can win. I am happy to see him doing it, and not just in adverse conditions where his team's decisions come out right. He beat Marquez outright in Austria and I do not think Marquez had anything for him in Silverstone, blown engine or no.
This, to me, is in stark contrast to the Bridgestone days, where the tires were more easily adaptable to changing circumstances and it was easier to get the setup right to go fast. Those things hardly wore most of the time. It was easier to nail the setup, and at that point talent won out.
I'm still of two minds on the changes made to the championship - specifically tires and electronics. On one hand I appreciate the (relative) parity it's brought to the field, with more riders capable of showing good than before. But to me it is also less "pure" than before - the parity is manufactured by the rules, not necessarily because bike/rider combos have become more equal. It would be nice if the other manufacturers were able to just "catch up" to Honda and Yamaha. But I do realize that's a pipe dream, just like socialism. Honda will always be able to out-spend everyone to win, as long as they have the motivation to do so.
I've never been a fan of the spec tire rule, though I do like they eliminated midnight specials. You end up developing the bike to the tire, and there is no way that's more cost-effective. The smaller manufacturers, or those with smaller race budgets, can't keep up. For me the best thing to do would be to let each manufacturer work with their chosen tire company and develop the best tire for their bike. Then make those tires available to everyone who rides a Ducati, a Honda, a Yamaha, etc. That to me would be more "pure" because each package would be able to develop to the best of their ability, and you would see different approaches to going fast. With spec tires everyone tries to hit the same target, in the same manner.
