MotoGP: Marquez loses, but he wins!

Muscle Car

The American muscle car fraternity is locked in a ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign! Ford exited the stable with the Mustang Boss 302 and if that was too tame a beast, the Blue Oval raised the bar with the Shelby 500 – a machine which extricates combustion-led energy from 600 plus horses and generates torque that would snap a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier!

Chevy heard and responded to the battle-cry. The ‘Bowtie’ dived in at the deep end and brought the Camaro to the battlefield. The Camaro ZL1 and the 1LE were born and most recently, the Z28 was resurrected. If  you want to wield an object capable of pulverizing the competition, the 580 horses, in custody in the ZL1′s engine bay, will provide redemption. If you are not as pompous and prefer a more reserved, practical existence, the 1LE screams your name. But, if you desire weekends spent devouring apexes and clipping resilient curbs, your genie will deliver a machine which bites louder than it barks – a “track-rat special” – an excessively sharp tool – a scalpel – a machine which flaunts Pirelli Trofeo Rs as stock issue – the Z28! Believe the hype. It is real! (click below)

Camaro Z28!

Dodge grew tired of sitting on the fence – it is not the most comfortable of places. With the game already being played at Mt Everest-levels, thoughtfully engineered sulphur had to be brought to the matchstick fight to incinerate what existed prior to their entry! The flame-inducing message is rapidly transported in the name of the machine. The Lord of War traded a merciless cargo and knew neither pity nor mental anguish from guilt. Dodge’s 707 horsepower, Challenger SRT Hellcat (no typo present) is the Lord of War!

Marquez

Focus has returned. In the previous blog, the question was posed – Who will defeat Marc Marquez in 2014? My new associate, Kola, indicated in an after the fact comment -”Erm, Dani Pedrosa?” Welcome Kola -we obviously will have no dispute. I am certain the news has traversed the MotoGP community quicker than lies at a lawyers reunion! But perspective must be maintained.

At the Czech GP qualifying told no unusual tale. Marquez rode the bronco and eased his Repsol Honda into the P1 spot, followed by the in-form Dovizioso, Ianonne , Bradley Smith, Pedrosa and a re-energized Lorenzo.

When the race began, Marquez’s poor start did not set off any alarms – it was the norm. The shape and form of the race materialised rather quickly and it became abundantly clear even to the ‘eye-deaf’ (copyright) that P1 -P3 would be extracted from the leathers worn by the fleeing pack of five at the front.

Lorenzo

Lorenzo stated that he made wise use of the time the summer-break provided. His hungry, focused ride at Brno confirmed his claim. Initially it appeared as if Ianonne had staged a successful ambush. He led briefly but was mauled by an impatient Lorenzo who was subsequently hijacked by an opportunistic Pedrosa. P1 was settled.

Marquez’s usual hot knife through butter, blitzing the pack as he dispatched competitors while moving to P1 was absent at Brno. That was alarming, but not frightening. Despite being trapped between P6 and P3,  Marquez played a leading role in cataclysmic jousts which  threatened to rival Pedrosa’s thunder at the front.

Marquez locked horns with Ianonne and the conquest was only accomplished after fairings, knees, handlebars and the kitchen sink were hurled into battle! Marquez 1- Ianonne 0! Marquez’s recovery time was brief. ‘The Doctor’ stopped by for a track-visit and the medication he left did not improve Marquez’s condition – Rossi 1 Marquez 0!

During those battles Marquez had the Repsol Honda ‘all over the place’. He somehow was able to manhandle the machine and introduce it to some rather ridiculous D1-type slides and power-on exit drifts. A commentator I heard recently, stated that no one rides the current MotoGP machines on the ragged edge like Marquez – wrestle it to victory! I saw a lot of this style at Brno.

Pedrosa

But Pedrosa saw an opportunity. He hunted, caught, drop-kicked and left Lorenzo nursing fatal wounds. The minute Spaniard rode and earned a well-deserved victory. Lorenzo’s stock has improved and the second consecutive P2 finish will do his confidence a major favor. ‘The Doctor’ must still be smiling while chilling in the lap of luxury when he reflects on his successful battle with the flaming young gun (Marquez). Rossi – P3.

Marquez lost in the Czech Republic, but in my view he wins! What utter nonsense! Read, slowly. Marquez admitted to being under pressure as a result of questions relating to his win streak. Now that he has lost, the streak has ended – the monkey is dead! Marquez can now focus on the only thing that he is concerned about – the championship!

At the end of the race when Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Rossi were making their way to the podium for their champagne shower, Marquez was seated on a chair surrounded by his engineers and crew. They were not dejected. They were already in an assessment meeting!

I enjoyed the race and I sincerely hope that we see similar races at the upcoming Rounds, but I am certain of one thing – the World Champion has lost nothing!

(click below)

Brno 2014

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer.