MotoGP:Valencia (Part Two) - A World Champion Is Crowned!

Welcome back to part two of my season ending review for the MotoGP!

Let's continue right from where I left off...

MotoGP:Valencia (Part One) - A World Champion Is Crowned...

Well, this review brings together the end of two things: -

1) Coverage of MotoGP on the BBC; and
2) Reviews of the MotoGP on this blog

I'll get onto why in due course, but as it's my last one that I'll be doing, I wanted to make sure I pay proper tribute to the real heroes of the races so here we go...

MotoGP - A Certain Champion By Certain Standards!

Wow!

Though I've not yet seen the final race of the MotoGP season in Valencia, I have indeed discovered that a certain Spaniard has won the championship in rather record breaking style...

MotoGP:Motegi (Concise) - Who'd Have Thought It'd Come Down To This...

Wow!

That's all I can say after I wrote Jorge Lorenzo off for the 2013 MotoGP World Championship and this goes and happens... he goes and wins again (which is no surprise really when you think about it!)!

After the fiasco of Phillip Island, it remained to be seen whether Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo could push the title fight down to the wire, with Marquez's disqualification proving costly at the last round as he took full advantage, losing out in the end only to... well, no one really as he was a class above, even if Dani Pedrosa did manage to keep pace with him for a while...

MotoGP:Phillip Island (Part Three) - The Colour of the Flag Is Black...

Before I get onto the moment that blasted the championship wide open, I do have to say it was unfortunate at this point for Damien Cudlin, new to the MotoGP this year, to be entering the pits after all of this chaos, but all will become clear later on...

MotoGP:Phillip Island (Part Two) - The Colour of the Flag Is Black...

That's qualifying taken care of, time for the race action, and boy-o was there plenty of it...

MotoGP:Phillip Island (Part One) - The Colour of the Flag Is Black...

Well, this one proved to be a bumper event with action all the way around the circuit and controversies galore as riders were forced to adopt a split race mentality as the harder rear tires were deemed too heat retentive to last the full 19 laps. This meant that a mandatory pit stop would be required where riders had to change bikes for the softer compound but all after around ten laps maximum.

Riders would be disqualified, they would be chastised and others would think it was their lucky day and it's MY job to sort it all out for you and give you my take on it all, so here goes...

MotoGP:Sepang (Part Three) - Dani vs. Marc War of Stars

Onto the final stretch then... and "Rider of the Day" of course, bro's...

MotoGP:Sepang (Part Two) - Dani vs. Marc War of Stars

It's a 20 lap race meaning that this is the first chance that Marc Marquez has to nail his claim onto the handles of the World Championship, wresting it from the control of current champ Jorge Lorenzo...

MotoGP:Sepang (Part One) - Dani vs. Marc War of Stars

After the events of the last round in Aragon, Spain, it remained to be seen what action would be taken after Marc Marquez was deemed to have taken out his team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

The answer? One penalty point taking his total up to three now, meaning that if he clocks up just one more in the remaining rounds, he will be starting from the back of the grid. His team, however, were penalised around 25 points meaning that going into this race in Malaysia, it closed the lead they had over rivals Yamaha.

This one would not be as straightforward and inevitable as some might think...

Gettin' Busy Wit' It...

Whassup bro's & gals!

This is just a quick update to let you all know that though the Japanese GP and MotoGP:Sepang events take place in a matter of hours, I will be endeavouring to watch them and review them in due course, but they will not be any time within the next two to three days.

I will say, though, that if you are looking for a rapid turnover for reviews of these events then I'm afraid you're tough out of luck atm, because things are just waaay too hectic in my schedule to reliably inform you that I'll be either: -

• Watching them live (they over lap as BBC1's coverage starts from 6:00am UK time for the F1 and then 8:25am over on BBC2 for the MotoGP trip to Sepang); or
• Reviewing them within the next 24-48 hours

The reason that I update you as such, is that I want you not to be expecting them within the next, say 72 hours at the least (unless I have a rapid brainwave and decide to have a sporting megathon on Monday).

I've not even celebrated my 100th post and as I stand at currently 115... that's a bit disappointing! :(

It could be more, could be less as I'm trying to get through a massive backlog of sporting action from the FIA GT Series, the British GT Championship, the latest couple of rounds of SBK along with some others I may have forgotten about.

I realise that I'm behind on my BSB reviews as well and as I write this I am fully aware that the Silverstone event of the Showdown has already taken place recently. If you wanna know what happened, you know where to go... but you won't get it in my inimitable style, that's for true!

I only ask for patience as I balance my time between church later on today, The Idea (of which I am mostly pleased about!) and a ton of other stuff I'm sorting through at the moment.

Thank you,

The Lanky Penguin

MotoGP:Aragón (Part Two) - Who Else Than Marquez?!

Let's wrap up now and give you my verdict on the one controversial incident...

MotoGP:Aragón (Part One) - Who Else Than Marquez?!

As advised recently, the first of the changes are being put into place starting with all non-essential links beingg removed from these reviews. We all should know who represents who now! Ta. TLP.

Well, that has certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons!

With discussions over who was to blame for the disaster that hit Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa at this race, it is likely that the ramifications and repercussions will be felt long into the future.

Why?!

Simples; it all boils down to the fact that so far, Pedrosa is the only man never to win a championship yet show form that suggests he could and maybe rightly should do so!

Onto Qualifying...

MotoGP: Misano Part Deux - A Weekend of Two Halves

Right, let's get back to the action and the Rider of the Day award...

MotoGP: Misano Part Une - A Weekend Of Two Halves

Well,

Once again it seems the record break kid, Marc Marquez has done it and made it into first position for the MotoGP in Misano, San Marino.

I'm gonna cut to the chase (for the first time!) and just run down the top six, with any interesting outsiders for this one, so let's see what happened...

BSB:Donington Park Part Two - Countdown to Showdown!

Righty folks, let's pick up the action where we left off...

BSB:Donington Park Part One - Countdown To Showdown!

So, it really is last chance saloon now, peeps, for the riders of the British Superbike Championship to book their places in the Showdown in a fortnight's time in Assen at the legendary TT circuit.

For now though, it was off to Donington Park and the final two races to do just that; get the points needed to secure a top six position. The favourites so far have to be considered as one of either the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki of Shane 'Shakey' Byrne, the Samsung Honda of Alex Lowes or the Tyco Suzuki of Josh Brookes.

Other contenders looking to confirm their spot, the aforementioned three already having done that prior to this event, are James Ellison, Ryuichi Kiyonari & then one from either Jon Kirkham, James Westmoreland (Westie as I'll be calling him, like so many others do, in this review!) or Tommy Bridewell who languishes 25 points back from making the cut.

Kirkham it is who currently holds that illustrious sixth spot in the Showdown ahead of his team-mate, Westmoreland and the pair of them seemed positive in the 'Grill the Grid' section of ITV4's broadcast that no matter who out of the two of them finished there, the rest of the team would still provide the support... now that is teamwork, bro's!

Onto qualifying...

MotoGP:Great Britain Part Deux - It's Races Like These...

Welcome back, bro's!

Let's get part 2 underway, shall we...?

MotoGP:Great Britain Part Une - It's Races Like These...

Whoa!

Now that one had shades of Indy, dontcha think, bro's?!

Action all the way up to the line and it's my job to sort through it all, albeit belatedly as this actually took place last Sunday, so let's do it...

BSB:Cadwell Park - Titan-ed Up At The Top

Well, this was certainly a race to behold that had twists and turns aplenty for the Showdown, what a clash of the titans this is proving to be!

With the trio of Shane 'Shakey' Byrne, Alex Lowes & Josh Brookes all battling for podium credits to maximise their impact come Showdown time, the race at Cadwell Park would be one that was anyone's guess on who'd come away with maximum points and therefore maximum credits...