Lover of trading, tacos, 3D/AR/VR, cryptos, and most things Japanese

I just finished watching the Day Two recap of the MotoGP #SepangTest and all I can say is, “Oh man, it going to be ON this season!”

After the winter break and three months off of these 300hp premier class beasts, riders from more than 10 countries returned to the track this weekend to begin testing their 2020 bikes, getting them dialed-in for next month’s opening round of the MotoGP World Championship in Qatar.

In his sophomore year, Quartararo got his 2020 factory bike today. He was super-competitve in his rookie year last year on a lesser machine. He is now on a the same full-factory platform as Rossi and Vinales. Oh, and he topped the sheets both days of testing, despite riding last year’s bike on Day One. PRAMAC’s Jack Miller had been fastest all day today, only to get pipped by Quartararo at the very end of the session.

2019 Champion Marc Marquez has been recovering slowly from shoulder surgery and went down on the out lap after 46 laps today. He claimed it was just a loss of concentration, wasn’t hurt, and didn’t aggravate his shoulder.

Marc is joined this year by his brother Alex, who took the MotoGP2 title last year and is quickly coming up to speed in the premier class.

Dovi is back on the new Ducati, which looks to have a bit more punch this year. Mir and Rins with Suzuki are holding strong and steady in the top seven – let’s see if the ‘zook has any more punch this year. Pol Espargaro on the KTM is in the top ten with Aprilla are in the hunt again too.

Nine-time World Champion Valentino “The Doctor” Rossi rounded out the top ten with a respectable time in what may end up being his final year in MotoGP. And the legendary Jorge Lorenzo makes his long-awaited return tomorrow for Day Three.

It’s difficult to know exactly what is going on and how relevant the times are given that it’s only the second day of testing this year. Some riders weren’t even using a soft rear today – which is expected to provide a 0.4 second improvement in lap times. Others may not be pushing hard, trying to dial in their new hardware as quickly as possible or just playing their cards close to the chest.

POS	#	RIDER	GAP
1	20	F. QUARTARARO	1:58.572
2	43	J. MILLER	+0.069
3	26	D. PEDROSA	+0.090
4	36	J. MIR	+0.159
5	21	F. MORBIDELLI	+0.259
6	12	M. VIÑALES	+0.321
7	42	A. RINS	+0.406
8	44	P. ESPARGARO	+0.417
9	93	M. MARQUEZ	+0.525
10	46	V. ROSSI	+0.544

Sepang International Circuit MotoGP Testing Day 2 Results from MotoGP.com

That said, the top ten riders’ best times today were separated by half a second. Six factories were split by six tenths… and Sepang is one of the longest and more difficult tracks in the championship.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s session brings! 😀

2020 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive MotoGP seasons in recent history. The competition was fierce in 2019 and the race tactics were thrilling to behold. Time will tell, but to my eyes (and hopes) 2020 looks to be a season filled with epic battles reminiscent of the ones Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Mick Doohan, and Wayne Gardner had back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Is it March yet? Let’s goooooooooo!!!! 😀 #BringIt

MotoGP.com FTW

So your baby wants to get a motorcycle. As a Dad with 30+ years of riding experience, I feel compelled to tell him a few things:

1) He absolutely has to take a riding course before getting a bike. This course may be mandatory in your state to get the motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license, if not it should be.

2) Always wear helmet and proper riding gear. An old saying goes, “There are two types of riders: those who have crashed, and those who will.” Thankfully, in my years of riding, I’ve only crashed twice. One was minor, the other not so much.

3) Protect yourself at all times. Double check for oncoming traffic. Double check your left. Spend as little time in driver blind spots as possible.

4) Always respect the machine. You control it, don’t be afraid of it, but remain constantly alert.

5) Have fun. Riding is one of life’s great joys. 🙂

You’re just being a mom and no mom that I know is thrilled at the prospect of her baby getting a motorcycle. The best you can do is hope he learns well and rides safely… think of it as the letting go point when he first learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels. You’re scared, he’s excited. There may have been some bumps along the way, but he can now ride a bicycle without thinking about it.

+ @KariByron: “Thirteen years ago I floated down the Nile with a girl I met. Today our kids played together. Love the journey.”

Kari’s message inspired me.

Nick does too:

“Dyrdek does whatever his soul wants to do.” + @NickPassig

“Other things used to stop us, lack of resources, etc. but we’ve studied and learned. Now the only thing stopping us is ourselves.” + @NickPassig