A few dates have been released by Dorna. The full schedule is expected later this summer.
Next year the season will be starting in Portugal instead of the usual round 1 in Qatar, the first time since 2006 that it will kick-off in Europe.
2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship (provisional dates)
Mar 24-26 Portuguese GP Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
Aug 04-06 British GP Silverstone Circuit (F1 track layout)
Starting next year a Sprint race will be added to each event. The new format will include: 2 FP sessions on Friday, Qualifying on Sat morning and the Sprint Race (1/2 race distance) in the afternoon. As a result one Saturday FP session will be dropped from the previous format.
Points will be awarded for the Sprint race (12, 9, etc.) but it will not affect the Sunday race grid.
The Saturday qualifying will determine the grid for both the Sprint race and the Sunday race.
Quote from: SoCal250 on August 22, 2022, 12:49:53 PM
Starting next year a Sprint race will be added to each event. The new format will include: 2 FP sessions on Friday, Qualifying on Sat morning and the Sprint Race (1/2 race distance) in the afternoon. As a result one Saturday FP session will be dropped from the previous format.
Points will be awarded for the Sprint race (12, 9, etc.) but it will not affect the Sunday race grid.
The Saturday qualifying will determine the grid for both the Sprint race and the Sunday race.
Apparently the decision was made without informing or consulting with the riders. And it appears like the teams may have been suprised by this too, altough Carlos Ezpeleta made it sound like that was the case in his briefing.
Nobody likes the F1 sprint races. It seems like a good idea but it really just adds stuff to the weekend that isn't needed.
The next season or two we may see a few new tracks added to the calendar. What worries me is which current events will be dropped to make room for new tracks in a 21-race schedule?
India - A 7-year deal was just signed this week for holding a new GP of Bharat in India at the Buddh International Circuit. The first event could happen in 2023 but more likely to start in 2024.
Saudi Arabia - Dorna recently signed an agreement with the Saudis for a future Saudi Arabian GP. To happen at a future motorsports venue.
Kazakhstan - There are rumors that a race at the Sokol Circuit could happen as soon as next season, but this is pending FIM/IRTA homolgation inspection & approval which was expected to happen this week. I'm tending to think that it wont't happen in '23 due to pending approvals and logistics.
Finland - The KymiRing is now facing debt issues and has had the last 3 planned races cancelled, so Finland looks to be out of the running now.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
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JT
What about machine formula? Any word on progressive (or abrupt) "greening" of the power plants?
Quote from: pidjones on September 25, 2022, 06:37:36 AM
What about machine formula? Any word on progressive (or abrupt) "greening" of the power plants?
https://www.2strokeworld.net/forum/index.php?topic=4004.0
"2024 will see MotoGP™ move to sustainable fuels, launching a new global era of zero carbon fuels"
Then they talk about pure alcohol fuels - which are almost all hydrocarbons.
Quote from: SoCal250 on September 22, 2022, 01:14:01 PM
Kazakhstan - There are rumors that a race at the Sokol Circuit could happen as soon as next season, but this is pending FIM/IRTA homolgation inspection & approval which was expected to happen this week. I'm tending to think that it wont't happen in '23 due to pending approvals and logistics.
Well, it's happening. Kazakhstan has been officially announced as a 2023 event. The agreement is for 5 years
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/09/27/motogp-lands-in-kazakhstan-in-2023/438399
https://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2022/09/27/view-from-above-a-lap-of-sokol-international-racetrack/438424
Who knew that Kazakhstan was such a hotbed of motorcycle fans?
New race weekend schedule starting next season, with the new Saturday Sprint Race included.
The 2023 schedule has been announced! 21 rounds. They've added Kazakhstan and India. No Aragon next year.
2023 Schedule (provisional)
Date Grand Prix Circuit
March 26 Portugal Algarve International Circuit
April 2 Argentina Termas de Río Hondo
April 16 Americas Circuit of the Americas
April 30 Spain Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
May 14 France Le Mans
June 11 Italy Mugello Circuit
June 18 Germany Sachsenring
June 25 Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
July 9 Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack
Aug 6 Great Britain Silverstone Circuit
Aug 20 Austria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg
Sept 3 Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Sep 10 San Marino Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Sep 24 India Buddh International Circuit
Oct 1 Japan Twin Ring Motegi
Oct 15 Indonesia Mandalika International Street Circuit
Oct 22 Australia Phillip Island
Oct 29 Thailand Chang International Circuit
Nov 12 Malaysia Sepang International Circuit
Nov 19 Qatar Lusail International Circuit
Nov 26 Valencia Circuit Ricardo Tormo
I bet India will be a huge hit. They tend to be totally neglected when in fact they have a huge racing base.
Quote from: SoCal250 on September 30, 2022, 02:26:49 PM
The 2023 schedule has been announced! 21 rounds. They've added Kazakhstan and India. No Aragon next year.
2023 Schedule (provisional)
Date Grand Prix Circuit
March 26 Portugal Algarve International Circuit
April 2 Argentina Termas de Río Hondo
April 16 Americas Circuit of the Americas
April 30 Spain Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
May 14 France Le Mans
June 11 Italy Mugello Circuit
June 18 Germany Sachsenring
June 25 Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
July 9 Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack
Aug 6 Great Britain Silverstone Circuit
Aug 20 Austria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg
Sept 3 Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Sep 10 San Marino Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Sep 24 India Buddh International Circuit
Oct 1 Japan Twin Ring Motegi
Oct 15 Indonesia Mandalika International Street Circuit
Oct 22 Australia Phillip Island
Oct 29 Thailand Chang International Circuit
Nov 12 Malaysia Sepang International Circuit
Nov 19 Qatar Lusail International Circuit
Nov 26 Valencia Circuit Ricardo Tormo
I wonder what's going to happen with the Austin GP event? With the recent news that MotoAmerica will be running as a separate event in Sept, what is going to fill the void at the April GP race at COTA? :huh: The news raises a little concern!
Tickets went on sale today for COTA MotoGP
EDIT: I logged in just to see what was available and check prices. Early buying must be very popular because the site said I was in the queue and there were 241 people in front of me. :eek:
Sounds like Franco's seat may be up for grabs when his contract is over at the end of 2023. Yamaha has been talking to Jorge Martin.
Saw a recent story about rider salaries for last season on Crash.net. Some surprising numbers in there, especially for Vinales, Aleix Espargaro, and Pol Espargaro.
-- Vinales and Aleix are teammates. One gets 10 million the other less than a million. :undecided: And the one who gets paid less did all the development work to get the RS-GP where it is today, and he finished in the top 4 in the championship. :huh:
-- Pol makes more than 3/4 of the grid yet is mediocre and only finished in 16th place for the season. On that note Morbidelli is way overpaid too. But I think his days at Yamaha are numbered. He finished in 19th on a Factory ride. Yikes!
-- Surely El Diablo is worth more than the 6M he's making, given how much he gets out of the Yamaha every round!
MotoGP rider salaries: How much do they reportedly get paid?
Marc Marquez - €12.5m
Maverick Vinales - €10m
Fabio Quartararo - €6m
Joan Mir - €6m
Francesco Bagnaia - €5m
Pol Espargaro - €3.5m
Jack Miller, Alex Rins , Franco Morbidelli - €3m
Johann Zarco - €2m
Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin - €1m
Aleix Espargaro - €750,000
Miguel Oliveira - €625,000
Takaaki Nakagami, Brad Binder - €500,000
Enea Bastianini , Fabio di Giannantonio - €375,000
Luca Marini - €300,000
Darryn Binder, Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, Remy Gardner - €250,000
source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1019224/1/revealed-motogp-riders-salaries-how-much-do-they-get-paid
The weekend schedule for each round has been confirmed for the new Sprint format.
Only 2 practice sessions (45min & 60min) on Friday for placement into the 2 Qualifiers on Saturday.
MotoGP gets one Free Practice session on Sat before Q1/Q2, but it does not affect qualifying or grid placement. FP4 has been deleted.
The Sprint race is end of day on Saturday.
On Sunday only MotoGP gets a warm-up session. Warm-up has been deleted for Moto3 & Moto2 classes
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/02/01/sprinting-into-2023-new-motogp-time-schedule-revealed/446551
The sprint race format will probably be great for MGP!
The new season is just over a week away! :cheerleader:
The US broadcast schedule has been confirmed. All 21 rounds will be televised, including the COTA event which will be aired live.
5 rounds will be shown on NBC, the rest on CNBC.
MotoGP - US Broadcast Schedule 2023
Date, GP Event, Network, Time
(all times are Eastern)
• Sunday March 26 Portuguese MotoGP - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday April 2 Argentine MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday April 16 Grand Prix of the Americas - CNBC, 2.30pm LIVE
(with a one-hour encore on NBC on Saturday, April 22, at 3 p.m. ET).
• Sunday April 30 Spanish MotoGP - CNBC, 2pm
• Sunday May 14 French MotoGP - CNBC, 6pm
• Sunday June 11 Italian MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday June 18 German MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday June 25 Dutch TT - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday July 9 Kazakhstan MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday August 6 British MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday August 20 Austrian MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday September 3 Catalan MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday September 10 San Marino MotoGP - NBC, 1pm
• Sunday September 24 Indian MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday October 1 Japanese MotoGP - CNBC, 4pm
• Sunday October 15 Indonesian MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday October 22 Australian MotoGP - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday October 29 Thailand MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday November 12 Mayalysian MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday November 19 Qatar MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday November 26 Valencia MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
Great and the races are on CNBC, easy to access!
Opening press conferences are underway at Portimão! :cheerleader: Let the season begin!
Fun weekend in Austin at COTA! The race was pretty crazy...a lot of crashes. Never could have picked that podium. The weather was decent - really hot (low 90's) and humid on Sat, and cool and windy on Sunday. There was about 20-25 degrees difference between the two days.
And I picked up a Joe Roberts hat so now I can represent! :patriot:
I met Jack Miller yesterday at the airport and got a photo with him. :cheerleader: Pretty nice guy.
Quote from: SoCal250 on March 16, 2023, 02:49:54 PM
MotoGP - US Broadcast Schedule 2023
Date, GP Event, Network, Time
(all times are Eastern)
• Sunday March 26 Portuguese MotoGP - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday April 2 Argentine MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday April 16 Grand Prix of the Americas - CNBC, 2.30pm LIVE
(with a one-hour encore on NBC on Saturday, April 22, at 3 p.m. ET).
• Sunday April 30 Spanish MotoGP - CNBC, 2pm
• Sunday May 14 French MotoGP - CNBC, 6pm
• Sunday June 11 Italian MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday June 18 German MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday June 25 Dutch TT - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday July 9 Kazakhstan MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday August 6 British MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday August 20 Austrian MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday September 3 Catalan MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday September 10 San Marino MotoGP - NBC, 1pm
• Sunday September 24 Indian MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday October 1 Japanese MotoGP - CNBC, 4pm
• Sunday October 15 Indonesian MotoGP - CNBC, 2.30pm
• Sunday October 22 Australian MotoGP - CNBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday October 29 Thailand MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday November 12 Mayalysian MotoGP - NBC, 1.30pm
• Sunday November 19 Qatar MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
• Sunday November 26 Valencia MotoGP - CNBC, 3pm
2023 Kazakhstan GP cancelledThe event will not be replaced in 2023.
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/04/26/2023-kazakhstan-gp-cancelled/453335
Petrucci is coming back! :olaf: He is going to fill in for the injured Bastianini next weekend at Le Mans
It's going to be the 1000th GP race is this weekend at Le Mans
Ducati has confirmed that all 8 bikes will be back on the grid next year (2024). Not good news for the rest of the field.
Rins has signed with Yamaha for next year and Morbidelli is out. Supposedly Franco he was offered a WSBK seat with Yamaha for 2024, but declined saying he wanted to remain in MotoGP. So now it sounds like his seat next year will be the couch.
The new tire pressure monitoring (and penalty) rules go into place starting today. If you're up front and leading it's not really a concern, but if you're buried back in the pack it will be something to worry about.
And they've changed up the weekend format again with respect to practice and qualifying. The first session on Friday is back to "FP1" (from P1) and will not count towards qualifying. Everything will now ride on the afternoon session P2 for determining who gets into Q2.
And there are rumors in the paddock that Dorna may give manufacturer concessions to Honda and Yamaha because they're at such a performance deficit.
Quote from: SoCal250 on August 02, 2023, 03:12:21 PMRins has signed with Yamaha for next year and Morbidelli is out. Supposedly Franco he was offered a WSBK seat with Yamaha for 2024, but declined saying he wanted to remain in MotoGP. So now it sounds like his seat next year will be the couch.
It seems that with all the pending line-up uncertainty for next year that Frankie could get a Ducati seat with VR46. And Zarco could end up on a Honda at LCR. KTM still needs to make room for Acosta too, somehow. A lot of musical chairs coming in the next few weeks. We'll see.
If Morbidelli does end up on a Duc he's going to be strong. Being let go by Yamaha may be the best thing that could happen to him. Yamaha continues to suck and bring up the rear of the field. They have big issues (as does Honda)!
The "new and improved" MotoGP app/site is horrible! What a step backwards. :harley: Why can't they just leave things alone?
The videopass section is a PITA to navigate now, and the "No-spoilers" option doesn't really work any more. Videos for race weekends are now broken down in categories of: Races / Qualifying /Practice which leads one to have to jump back and forth between categories and figure out what event is next in chronological sequence. It was so much better before when everything was in order of how they took place and the categories were by day (e.g. Fri / Sat / Sun).
Zarco moving from Pramac Ducati to LCR Honda for the next 2 seasons. That leaves an open seat at Pramac.
Bezzecchi is staying at Mooney VR46 for one more year.
Binder agreed to an extension at Red Bull KTM so he's on contract through 2026.
Marini, Nakagami, and DiGiannantonio all have contracts ending this November.
And KTM needs to find a spot for Pedro Acosta who will be moving up from Moto2 next year, but they only have four bikes and already have four riders on contract through 2024.
Moto2 news: Joe Roberts returning to American Racing after 3 years at Italtrans. :patriot: With his return hopefully he can get back the speed he showed in the past.
Morbidelli has signed with Pramac for the 2o24 season and will be riding a Ducati GP24. Being kicked to the curb by Yamaha may turn out to be something really positive for Frankie. He's getting the best bike on the grid and factory support. Once he figures out the riding style adjustments for the V4, I think he's going to give Bagnaia and Bezzecchi a run for their money at the front.
Yamaha continue to have issues. They seem to be going nowhere fast. The news from the latest test in Misano doesn't sound good. The 2024 bike performance sounds like more of the same. I'm guessing that Quartararo may soon be a little jealous of Morbidelli for getting out of Yamaha and securing a Ducati for next season. 2024 is going to be another long season for Yamaha and Honda.
The India GP sounds like a real cluster!
If MM93 goes to Gresini, do you think Zarco will go to the Repsol team? I think he'd be great for development. Hell, he's ridden pretty much everything but the Aprilia at this point and I'm not sure how good Mir is at development. I'm pretty sure Rins took the Suzuki to where it was after Ianone fucked it all up lol. Nice to see Joan Mir being fairly competitive again recently. I feel like he's one of the good guys in the paddock.
Zarco might go to Repsol , he is a great in the making :olaf:
If MM bails on Honda, shifting Zarco from LCR to HRC makes sense. Without Marquez Honda will be even more lost than they are now. They'll need someone to help with development and Johann is by far the best candidate, and fortunately he's already under the Honda umbrella for 2024.
The worst kept secret in the paddock is finally official news. After 11 years at Honda Marc Marquez is leaving to ride with Gresini Ducati after this season.
"Both parties agreed it was in their best interests to each pursue other avenues in the future to best achieve their respective goals and targets," Honda said in a statement.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/67007312
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/10/04/marquez-breaks-silence-on-honda-departure/479555
I think once he figures out how to ride the Duc the rest of the paddock is in trouble. One of the best riders in history matched with the best bike on the grid is going to be tough to beat.
Wow
Today's KTM/GasGas news has been brewing for a few days but it's now official. Pedro Acosta will be moving up from Moto2 to take the other seat alongside Augusto Fernandez. Pol Espargaro will be moved into a test rider/back-up role. Since Dorna wouldn't approve a 5th bike on the grid for KTM it sucks to be #44.
So the only seat in question now is who will take the Repsol Honda vacancy alongside Mir?
It hasn't been officially announced but Marc Marquez is expected to go to Gresini Ducati, joining his brother and leaving DiGiannantonio without a 2024 ride.
Quote from: SoCal250 on October 04, 2023, 01:20:53 PMThe worst kept secret in the paddock is finally official news. After 11 years at Honda Marc Marquez is leaving to ride with Gresini Ducati after this season.
"Both parties agreed it was in their best interests to each pursue other avenues in the future to best achieve their respective goals and targets," Honda said in a statement.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/67007312
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/10/04/marquez-breaks-silence-on-honda-departure/479555
I think once he figures out how to ride the Duc the rest of the paddock is in trouble. One of the best riders in history matched with the best bike on the grid is going to be tough to beat.
It's now official. MM93 will ride for Gresini in 2024 alongside his younger brother.
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/10/12/its-official-marc-marquez-to-join-gresini-racing-motogp/479743
Crutchlow's thoughts on the move during the Motegi round:
"I've always said if Marc goes on a Ducati, the rest may as well not turn up." Quartararo quote from Mandalika:
"Marc is the reference of the last 10 years and he will be on a really competitive bike. So yeah, I think he will make our life super difficult next year."The next big question is who will get moved into Marc's old seat at Honda? Zarco? Also rumors about Oliveiera or Vinales, but I don't see that happening.
The Honda seat is still empty and no clear candidates right now. Zarco, Oliveiera, and Vinales are all out as possible Mir teammates. Each has stated publicly that they are not moving to Respol.
The other underperforming Japanese team, Yamaha is still a huge cluster. Quartararo has said in the media that if there's not a huge step in performance over the winter that he is done and seeking a ride elsewhere. No more 2nd chances.
Since that news, Yamaha announced that it didn't have the finances to afford to pay Fabio's salary in the 2025 season, which would be the first year of a potential new contract. This has to be some kind of negotiating ploy because it certainly doesn't sound good when you publicly announce you don't have enough money to afford top caliber riders. Who's going to want to move a team that doesn't want to pay you and has a second rate machine?
And the latest huge series news to come out is that there may be an engine displacement change coming for the 2027 season. We could see a shift to 850cc engines. :rolleyes: I seem to recall the last time this was done with the 800cc bikes that it didn't go very well.
Quote from: SoCal250 on November 07, 2023, 12:15:29 PMThe Honda seat is still empty and no clear candidates right now. Zarco, Oliveiera, and Vinales are all out as possible Mir teammates. Each has stated publicly that they are not moving to Respol.
The rumor mill churns on...
Pol Espargaro has said he's not going anywhere despite news that Honda had reached out to him. He will be staying in GasGas Tech3. So he is now officially out of the running.
The vacant Honda seat now seems to be linked with Luca Marini and a 2-year deal to fill the empty Repsol seat. I would think it would take a big paycheck to get a rider off the best bike on the grid and onto the lowly Honda, even if it was for a factory seat.
And then Fermin Aldeguer could be promoted up from Moto2 to fill the open spot in VR46. However this seems a little odd for a Spaniard and non-Academy rider to assume a position in Rossi's VR46 team. I guess we'll see.