Scout's Guide to MotoGP 2016

Scout’s Guide to MotoGP 2016

Chris Martin

with

Colin Young

https://twitter.com/ChrisMartinSBK

cmartin@enginesofextinction.com

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2016 Chris Martin

Cover Photo: Dorna Communications

Also by Chris Martin

Scout’s Guide to Supercross 2016

Scout’s Guide to MotoAmerica 2016 (coming in late March)

Engines of Extinction: Episode I – The End & The Means

Modern American Snipers: From The Legend to The Reaper – on the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers (St. Martin’s Press)

Beyond Neptune Spear: The (Open) Secret History of SEAL Team Six, Post-9/11

Shaping the World from the Shadows: The (Open) Secret History of Delta Force, Post-9/11

Contents

Title Page

About This Guide

The SGMGP16 Top 25

1. Jorge Lorenzo

2. Marc Márquez

3. Valentino Rossi

4. Dani Pedrosa

5. Maverick Viñales

6. Andrea Iannone

7. Andrea Dovizioso

8. Bradley Smith

9. Cal Crutchlow

10. Pol Espargaró

11. Danilo Petrucci

12. Aleix Espargaró

13. Álex Rins

14. Scott Redding

15. Jack Miller

16. Johann Zarco

17. Tito Rabat

18. Stefan Bradl

19. Sam Lowes

20. Miguel Oliveira

21. Héctor Barberá

22. Danny Kent

23. Álvaro Bautista

24. Eugene Laverty

25. Loris Baz

Casey Stoner

Yonny Hernández et al.

Skills & Traits

Qualifying Speed

The Start

Immediate Pace

Precision

Corner Entrance

Corner Speed

Corner Exit

Aggressiveness

Confidence

Fighting for Position

Racecraft

Providing Feedback

Beyond the Limits

Inclement Weather

Fitness

X-Factors

Tires

Spec Electronics

2016 Racebikes

2017 Rider Market

About This Guide

Note: If you’ve read Scout’s Guide to Supercross 2016, the following tale will be a familiar one. But for the rest of you, I’d like to illuminate exactly how this guide came about and the manner in which it was constructed.

My two original sports heroes were Kenny Roberts and Walter Payton. I can’t even explain why that was exactly, since my superfan status for both predates my earliest memories, but they were damn good choices nonetheless. A life-long love of motorcycle racing ultimately shaped my choice of career. Meanwhile, my love of football – and the Chicago Bears in particular – mostly just determined my Sunday schedule and about three-quarters of my wardrobe.

However, that heavy football influence did manage to seep into my motorcycle racing journalism in a variety of ways. During my time as a beat reporter for a number of racing outlets, and later during a lengthy run as SPEED’s Motorcycle Racing Editor, I consciously sought out the best examples of NFL sports writing to emulate in my coverage of two-wheeled sport.

Far and away my favorite NFL writing was that of the late Joel Buchsbaum inside the pages of Pro Football Weekly. The reclusive Buchsbaum was the author of PFW’s remarkable NFL Draft Preview books and other scout-centric publications.

In a very real way, this guide is a tribute to Buchsbaum and a sincere attempt to bring his brand of journalism to the motorsports world. For those of you familiar with PFW’s products, the format of this guide should feel quite familiar. And for those of you who are not, don’t worry; you’ll catch on quick.

It’s my hope you’ll find it at least a fraction as fascinating as I always did Buchsbaum’s work, and that this set of guides proves to be the first of many. Admittedly, it is something of an experiment and a gamble, but the desire is to turn this into an annual endeavor. As mentioned above, Scout’s Guide to Supercross 2016 was released earlier this year. And the third and final book in the Scout’s Guide to Motorcycle Racing 2016 ebook series, Scout’s Guide to MotoAmerica 2016, is being worked on now and will be released later this month.

Following in the Buchsbaumian tradition, I positioned myself as a gatherer of information rather than a scout. I did not rank the riders myself, nor did I make any judgments regarding their technique, strengths, or weaknesses. Rather, I collected the data and opinions of knowledgeable and well-connected MotoGP insiders in order to decipher a sort of paddock consensus. I then attempted to reflect that consensus in the individual scouting profiles.

While the insiders tended to see things the same way, there were some disagreements, including a few stark contradictions. Opinions that did not conform to the broader consensus were not included in the Scouting Report section of the rider profiles. However, those outliers were occasionally included as part of sections I called the Scout’s Notebook, which are collections of anonymous quotes from our experts intended to add another layer of insight to each entry.

As for the actual methodology, I asked MotoGP insiders numbering in the double digits to submit their combined class (MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3) rider rankings. Initially, I went back and forth on just how deep these rider rankings should go. 15? 50? Ultimately, I decided to stick with the football theme and shoot for a Top 25. As with the NCAA Top 25, a first-place vote was good for 25 points, second was worth 24, and so on, all the way down to the single point awarded for 25th.

Additionally, a series of in-depth interviews with a panel of experts (again numbering in the double digits) were conducted in order to generate the scouting reports. There was significant overlap between the two groups, however, some insiders only supplied rankings while others provided assessments without actually ranking the riders.

I was absolutely thrilled with the panel of supercross insiders we were able to assemble for SGSX16. We were able to elevate things to another level entirely with the panel of MotoGP experts we pulled together for SGMGP16. While I would love to list off the names of the participants (in bold, 48-point font), it was decided from the outset that all interviews would be anonymous. This was true whether the subjects requested it or not in order to secure the most honest critiques possible. But please trust me when I assure you they are a deeply impressive selection of insiders, including some of the most prominent racers, team managers, and journalists in the business.

Much of the thanks for that goes to Colin Young. Colin and I worked together closely in our coverage of MotoGP at SPEED, and he was my first and only choice to team with on this particular project. I had figured together we should be able to recruit a very solid crew; I’ve been covering roadracing since the late ‘90s myself, and Colin has been living and working inside the Grand Prix paddock far longer than that.

We’d like to offer our deepest thanks and appreciation for our panelists’ honesty, as well as their expertise, without which the creation of this ebook would not have been possible. They were very generous with their time and insights to a man, sitting down to discuss the intricacies of today’s leading GP racers in exhaustive interviews that could last as long as an hour and a half to complete.

Anyway, let’s get to the profiles. We hope you all really dig this. And please, if you do, help spread the word so we’re in a position to create an even bigger and better edition come 2017.

Chris Martin

The SGMGP16 Top 25

#1: 99 Problems but Winning Ain’t One

Photo: Yamaha MotoGP

1. Jorge Lorenzo

#99 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (MotoGP)

Birthdate: 5/4/87 (28)/Hometown: Palma de Mallorca, Spain/Measurables: 5’8", 141 lbs

World Titles: MotoGP (‘10, ’12, ‘15), 250GP (’06, ‘07)

Career GP Stats (MotoGP/All Classes): 40/61 wins, 97/135 podiums, 26/33 fastest laps, 35/61 poles

2015 Results: World Champion (MotoGP), 7 wins, 3 runner-ups, 12 podiums, 17 top 5s, 6 fastest laps, 5 poles, 14 front-row starts

By all rights, 2014 should have been the year Jorge Lorenzo took his frustrations out on the MotoGP field. In ‘13, he was robbed of a third premier-class crown by fate. The Yamaha superstar was the series’ best rider that season, not to mention the one willing to risk and sacrifice the most, as evidenced by the nearly unthinkable fifth place he earned at Assen two days after breaking his collarbone. Despite missing time after reaggravating the injury weeks later, Lorenzo still rang up eight wins on the year, two more than in his title-winning performance the season before.

Instead, he was forced to watch the coronation of the premier class’ youngest-ever champion, a Spanish usurper to his throne named Marc Márquez. Payback was most certainly due in 2014, and Lorenzo was presented with the perfect opportunity to immediately snuff out this new world order and put his universe right once again.

About that... Yeah, that didn’t happen. While Márquez managed to win the title in 2013, he was still just a rookie at the time. And as such, he made the customary light-year step forward over the following offseason and returned immensely more formidable for his title defense.

Rather than meet the challenge head on, Lorenzo crumpled in the face of adversity. He showed up out of shape and ill-prepared to start the season, the result of which was uncharacteristic mistakes and a general lack of pace. Over the season’s opening half, the Spaniard missed the podium more times than he had in his previous two campaigns combined.

The Yamaha ace managed to gather himself sufficiently to claim a pair of late-season wins, but by that point Márquez had already rattled off 11 victories – the first 10 taken in succession. Perhaps even more stinging was the reality that old rival Valentino Rossi had outperformed him on equal equipment, eliminating Lorenzo’s stranglehold over supremacy at Yamaha.

The emergence of Márquez represented a new era for the sport – an era defined by exaggerated riding techniques that looked nothing like the meticulous and fluid ways of Lorenzo. The sole remaining holdover who stubbornly kept both feet on the pegs and his wheels in line at all times, Lorenzo’s style had gone from standard bearer to obsolete practically overnight.

Or at least so it seemed. If 2015 had resembled 2014, that probably would have been the case. It’s difficult to imagine Lorenzo recovering from a second setback of that magnitude.

But ‘15 was nothing like ’14. The Yamaha ace circled back to form like a shark. He used the embarrassment of the year prior as fuel and returned fitter and more focused than ever before. That dedication was rewarded; Lorenzo proved himself superior to every other rider in 2015, Márquez and Rossi included. On his way to becoming the tenth man ever to join the three-time 500GP/MotoGP champions club, the Spaniard registered a series-leading seven race wins. If that wasn’t convincing enough, all seven victories were taken in wire-to-wire fashion. The year-end tally showed that Lorenzo led 100 more laps than all other riders combined (yes, 100 – effectively four complete GPs), 274 vs. 174.

Hurricane J-Lo was more force of nature than competitor last season – a storm front that blew away the opposition, rendering them all but helpless to do anything but marvel at its power.

Despite Lorenzo’s relentless perfection, his championship triumph didn’t come without challenge or controversy. He proved vulnerable whenever races did not unfold exactly to his plan, leaving him chasing after his more adaptable Italian teammate for much of the year. And even though Márquez had fallen (quite literally) well out of contention, the Honda star made himself a factor down the stretch. Ultimately, the ugliness that accompanied the increasingly bitter title fight left all parties coming off rather poorly in the end.

Some argued Lorenzo was an undeserving champion despite his statistical domination of the season. His ironclad case was not aided by the fact that his icy-cool riding style is matched by a demeanor that is even colder. Certainly, the suits at Dorna might prefer another champion to serve as the sport’s ambassador. Even his metronomically precise riding is better appreciated by the connoisseur than the every fan; Lorenzo lacks the look at me flash of his rivals and wins by systematically disassembling all drama from a race as rapidly as possible.

But whatever your preference, there is simply no denying the greatness of Jorge Lorenzo, the best rider in today’s Grand Prix paddock according to SGMGP16’s panel of experts.

Scouting Report:

Strengths: Described almost without exception as a machine. Boasts the precision of an atomic clock with lap times constant enough to calibrate Tissot’s chronographs. Nanometer perfect, lap after lap, race after race.

Magnificent technical proficiency. Absolutely on rails. Eases in stable on the brakes and