I agree with most of what you said , but MM started crashing way before any of this stuff and he has two f'ed shoulders and a bunch of head trauma, as well as the young guns were coming fast way back in 2017 . all this and now honda is admitting they have relied on a formula that was bound to get beat. It sounds like honda doesn't want concessions. By your logic how do you know that the people who are winning now weren't much faster than fabio, Joan, and marq but just on the wrong bike? some of the fastest people who have ever lived couldn't win on the ducati, are you saying that no matter what happens when there is a winner it's always the bike or if it's a ducati its always 100% the bike. IMO concessions goes against the dna of GP and prototype racing. (I'm for concessions for teams who are getting into motogp to help them start up) when Joan mir won it was the amazing skill he had because he is a amazing talent way faster than Bagnaia. and now that Joan mir is struggling with injury It's obviously because honda is a terrible company that cannot build a bike for ..... <----- that's the way I construe your point.
First, I’m no subject matter expert. I feel similarly to your later statement that you agree with many points others have made and enjoy sharing ideas.
Neil Spaulding’s book “MotoGP Technology” informs much of my opinion that the most important determinant of performance is the bike/rider combo:
- the rider must be talented “enough” relative to other riders
- the bike must be fast “enough” relative to other bikes
- the bike must also give the rider “enough” of whatever they prioritize (front end feel, stability under braking, rear traction, etc…) to instill confidence, and if it doesn’t - it might not matter how talented the rider is or how fast the bike is, the combo might not be fast.
It seems to me:
- if nearly every rider on a particular bike is competitive (current ducati), it suggests the bike is not only good but relatively easy to ride
- conversely if nearly every rider on a particular bike is not competitive (current Honda), it suggests the bike is either not good or is difficult to ride
- if one rider is dominant on a bike no one else is winning on (like Stoner or Marquez), it suggests either the dominant rider is particularly talented (and might win on any bike), OR that particular bike/rider combo hit a proverbial “sweet spot” (the bike and rider are each relatively “good enough”, and the bike gives the rider exactly the characteristics he wants/needs to feel confident).
