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The Difference Between 1st and 2nd – Performance Analysis From the Valencia GP

November 20, 2018 • admin

Source: MotoGP.com

Before we dive into a side by side performance comparison between Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and Suzuki rider Alex Rins, we would like to congratulate all teams and riders who made it across the finish line at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. This year’s Valencia Grand Prix was brutal, dangerous conditions to say the least, and with 9 out of the 24 riders crashing out in the first half, we take our hats off to those who went back out and finished the race.

All eyes were on Andrea Dovizoso and Alex Rins who led the pack throughout almost the entire race. Although Dovizioso was able to pull away after the restart, their indexes for the entire race proved to show general similarities with subtle differences on each sector.

Let’s break it down by sector:

Sector 1:

Source: MotoGP.com

Point 1 for Rins! The Suzuki rider maintained incredible consistency through Sector 1 and additionally, held a higher speed index than his Ducati opponent. Why was T1 such a crucial sector for Rins to claim? Because this sector is the second longest sector on the circuit, allowing him more ground to cover at a faster, more  consistent pace than Dovizioso.

 

Sector 2:

Sector 2 was not a clear win for either leading rider as Rins held a higher consistency through this technical section but Dovizioso maintained a faster pace throughout the entire race. Sector 2 saw a lot of action throughout the race as crowds saw numerous high sides coming out of the first turn. Because this sector gave riders so much trouble, it was crucial during the race to ride a safe, consistent line though the sector with the most elevation change.

 

Sector 3:

Source: MotoGP.com

Ducati territory – point 1 for Dovizioso! With both a stronger consistency index and stronger speed index, Dovizioso used this shorter sector to his advantage as we saw him pull away from Rins more and more each lap.

 

 

 

 

Sector 4:

Mirroring the index outcomes of sector 2, Dovizioso held a faster speed index while Rins dominated in consistency. Standing as the longest sector on the circuit, Sector 4 encompasses the second most elevation change out of all sectors with a downhill turn into the longest straight section.

It was a big win for Andrea Dovizioso as the 2018 MotoGP season comes to an end and he welcomes his new teammate, Danilo Petrucci. Congratulations to both Ducati and Suzuki for a hard fought podium finish in some of the most harsh conditions we have seen this season!

 

The Valencia GP- A swim to the finish line

November 19, 2018 • admin

Big congratulations to both Andrea Dovizioso and the Ducati Team for taking home a 1st place at the Valencia GP. After a wet start and break halfway through, Dovizioso along with Suzuki rider Alex Rins and KTM rider Pol Espargaro closed out the 2018 season with a well deserved podium finish!

Make sure to check back for analysis on a handful of the riders that participated in this unforgettable Valencia GP.

 

The Valencia GP – A tie-breaker for Alex Rins and Johann Zarco

November 15, 2018 • admin

Heading into the Valencia Grand Prix, both Alex Rins and Johann Zarco are coming off a strong podium finish at the Malaysia GP that left both riders ranked with 149 points in the world standings.

Two riders, two teams, one spot to roundout the top five ranked riders in the world.

Looking back to last year’s race, Yamaha rider Johann Zarco cranked out a 2nd place podium finish on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and Suzuki rider Alex Rins was close behind in 4th place.

With exceptionally competitive historical combined indexes, we expect to see both riders go all out to qualify for a top grid position and to focus solely on beating the other one across the finish line.

Historical Combined Indexes:

  • Johann Zarco: 13.0729
  • Alex Rins: 15.9282

A balance between consistency and speed is key for riders and with rain the forecast, we may see a wet qualifying and/or race to conclude the 2018 MotoGP season!

Photos Sourced from: MotoGP.com

 

Farewell #26 – Pedrosa’s last race as a MotoGP rider on the Repsol Honda Team

November 14, 2018 • admin

Photo Source: MotoGP.com

The end of an era, Dani Pedrosa enters his final race week as a MotoGP rider for the Repsol Honda Team. While we will see this familiar face as a test rider for the KTM team, Pedrosa must say farewell to both Team Honda as well as current teammate Marc Marquez.

A home circuit for the Spanish rider, the Circuit  Ricardo Tormo has been good to Pedrosa in the past where he has finished on the podium five out of the past 6 years, 2017 and 2012 being first place finishes. Ending a long career as a MotoGP rider, Dani Pedrosa will be missed as his remarkable ability to handle such a powerful bike has always left fans with a high level of respect and admiration.

Photo Source: MotoGP.com

With such a successful track record at this circuit, we hope to see #26 take home one last podium finish with the Repsol Honda Team this weekend.

Good luck this weekend to both Dani Pedrosa and the Honda team that makes it all possible. A dynamic duo that will surely be missed.

 

MVP Sector Analysis

November 13, 2018 • admin • Status

We have released sector by sector analysis for our 5 MVP riders as they head into the final race of the 2018 MotoGP season!

How we chose our MVP riders going into the final race of the 2018 MotoGP season.

November 13, 2018 • admin

Source: MotoGP.com

The 2018 season flew by with some unforgettable races, crashes and another Championship win for Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda. With that said, the last group of MVP riders were selected carefully based on current championship point standings, historical and projected performance on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, and bike profile.

Make sure to read through our “Rider Stats” pages to review who our MVP riders are and how they rank in comparison to each other. To recap:

  1. Jorge Lorenzo: Combined index: 10.8165 / current standing: 10th with 130 points
  2. Johann Zarco: Combined index: 13. 0729 / current standing: 6th with 149 points
  3. Andrea Iannone: Combined index: 13.8749 / current standing: 9th with 133 points
  4. Valentino Rossi: Combined index: 20.0254 / current standing: 3rd with 195 points
  5. Maverick VInales: Combined index: 24.9032 / current standing: 4th with 193 points

If you are unfamiliar with our combined index calculation, each index is calculated with historical data and ultimately reflects past performance in regards to sector consistency and speed. A lower index = faster, more consistent sector times.

You will notice that we did not include the new World Champion Marc Marquez or Andrea Dovizioso who currently sits in second place. Marquez has locked in the champion with a 100-point lead and Dovizoso sits in a comfortable position where he is exactly 25 points ahead of Yamaha rider, Valentino Rossi.

Our MVP list is composed of riders who are all in positions where points matter. Why are we focusing so much on current championship standings? Read on my fellow race fans…

  • Valentino Rossi is currently only 2 points ahead of his teammate Maverick

    Source: MotoGP.com

    Vinales, so we expect to see a tight battle for 3rd place in the world championship.

  • Johann Zarco is tied with Suzuki rider Alex Rins with 149 points. While they may both be too far behind to place in the top 4, the race is on between these two as they go head to head on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Don’t forget, both these riders are coming in hot after a podium finish at the Malaysia Grand Prix.
  • Our remaining two MVPs, Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo currently sit in 9th and 10th place with a small gap between themselves and Danilo Petrucci who is in 8th Not only is there a small gap between them and the few riders ahead of them, but Iannone leads Lorenzo with only a 3-point gap. If these two riders have a clean race, they have the ability to jump up a few positions in the championship rankings.

While some riders sit in a comfortable lead (hello Marquez), others must lock in a clean race in order to maintain their current ranking and hopefully gain a few positions.

Source: MotoGP.com

Make sure to keep up with our MVP Rider Sector Releases that will be posted throughout the week. Ride on!

Rossi and Vinales – Two teammates fighting for 3rd place in the the World Championship

November 12, 2018 • admin

As we head into the final race week of the 2018 MotoGP season, all eyes are on the World Championship rankings, especially those that rely on the Valencia GP points to secure a top finish. With the ups and downs of this season, the two Yamaha factory team riders sit in third and fourth position with only a 2 point difference. Needless to say, Rossi and Vinales must both focus on outriding one another.

For Rossi and Vinales, this is not a race for first, it is a race to beat a teammate across the finish line.

Let’s break down their historical indexes to see where we expect each rider to excel.

If you haven’t already check out our “Rider Stats” pages, I suggest taking a look to supplement this post. There, you will find both Rossi and Vinales along with our other three MVP riders ranked by historical combined index.

Generally speaking, Rossi territory consists of sectors 1 and 2 while Vinales has historically claimed sectors 3 and 4 as his stomping grounds. So the Ricardo Tormo Circuit is evenly split between the two Yamaha factory riders? If only it was that simple…

Rossi holds superior sector times across all four sectors compared to his teammate Maverick Vinales. #46 is able to supplement his unmatched sector times with competitive consistency through sectors 1 and 2. Rossi can set himself up for success if he maintains his historical sector speeds and improves his consistency through sectors three and four which is where VInales has historically had the upper hand. Remember, this is a battle between teammates – how can one outride the other?

Why are we feeling confident in Maverick Vinales going into the Valencia Grand Prix? Regardless of his high historical consistency through sectors three and four, #25 has shown a significant improvement in his consistency this race season, specifically in the last few races. His performance at the Australian GP was a perfect example of his ability to pull ahead lap by lap by utilizing his consistent riding style and pushing his bike to the limits in a notably smooth and controlled manor.

Again, we saw an incredible performance from Vinales at the Malaysia Grand Prix where he managed to climb positions and gain ground on his opponents due to his lap by lap consistency, which is a skill many riders struggle to develop.

Which Yamaha factory rider do you think will round out the top three ranked riders in the world?

Good luck to both Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi this weekend as we head to Valencia.

 

Valencia Grand Prix MVP Release

November 10, 2018 • admin

The following five riders have been selected to represent our MVP riders for the upcoming Valencia Grand Prix! Make sure to go to our “Rider Stats” menu and select “MVP Combined Index” to learn more about how we choose and rank our MVP riders before each race.

 

2018 World Champion MM93 climbed 7 positions taking 1st at the Malaysia GP

November 5, 2018 • admin

This weekend Marc Marquez came back ready to fight after an unfinished race at the Twin Ring Motegi. Not wasting any time, Marquez gave it his all in Q2 and landed P1 on the grid but was moved back 6 positions due to penalty points.

Source: MotoGP.com

Starting the race from P7 Marquez quickly climbed his way to the top and began closing in on Valentino Rossi. After another incredible Marquez vs Rossi showdown and with only 4 short laps to go, The Doctor crashed out, losing his chance at surpassing #04 Andrea Dovizoso in the World Championship standings before heading to the final race of the season. With Rossi out of the running for a podium finish, the Repsol Honda rider and newly crowned World Champion flew across the finish line, taking his 70th victory.

Now it’s time for us to do what we do best and analyze Marquez’s performance on the Sepang International Circuit this past weekend.

To put it in simplest terms, Marquez improved his overall performance in sectors 1-3.

If you watched the race, you know that both Marquez and Rossi maintained and incredibly high level of consistency as Marquez closed the gap by 1/10 of a second each lap. In fact, compared to his historical average indexes, Marquez improved his consistency drastically in sectors 1-3 which is a trend we have been seeing from him all season. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – this season, Marquez has shown a maturity in his riding as his consistency has linearly improved in almost all races and his speed indexes have found a balance between alien and dangerous.

Source: MotoGP

Continuing on, Marquez held the fastest sector 1 and 2 times out of all racers. Are we surprised? Not really…. Why? Because:

  1. Sector 1 holds the highest elevation change with sector 2 close behind
  2. They both consist of tighter turns with little to no straightaway sections (technical sectors = Marquez + Honda territory)
  3. These two sectors are the shorter of the four and given their layout, mastering these sectors is about utilizing the elevation and turns with higher consistency than your opponents.

Marquez’s sector 3 times were virtually the same as French rider Johann Zarco whose historical indexes presented him as a major threat on the Sepang Int. Circuit.

So where do we see Marquez’s greatest area of improvement on this circuit?

Sector 4

Compared to his opponents, #93’s T4 speed index falls just below Alex Rins, Johann Zarco and Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa. With two tight turns connecting the longest straightaways on the circuit, Marc Marquez must begin to round out his riding and focus on improving his performance through these less technical sectors.

Source: MotoGP.com

An incredible win for the 2018 World Champion at the Malaysia Grand Prix! The riders have earned a week off after three back to back races before heading to the final race of the season at Valencia!

 

#55 – A rookie on his home circuit

November 2, 2018 • admin

Source: MotoGP.com

He’s a rookie, he’s the first Malaysian rider and he’s making his first season debut on his home circuit this weekend. Hafizh Syahrin currently stands in 18th place with 34 points, just 12 points behind his fellow MotoGP rookie rider, Franco Morbidelli.

As the riders head into the race weekend on the Sepang International Circuit, we hope to see Syahrin maintain the momentum we have seen from him throughout the 2018 season, specifically his performance at the Japan Grand Prix.

The Malaysian rookie placed 10th on the Twin Ring Motegi circuit this year, leaving us optimistic about his performance this coming weekend.

Q: Why are we feeling optimistic?

A: The Twin Ring Motegi is a diverse circuit in regards to configuration and shares many similarities with the Sepang Int. Circuit. Syahrin’s indexes from the Japan GP reflect his adaptability and maturing characteristics as a MotoGP racer.

Q: What made Syahrin’s indexes from the Japan GP so competitive?

A: Placing 10th, Syahrin showed he was a consistent, adaptable rider. He proved to be a “well rounded” rider as we like to call it. This means he carried the same level of performance throughout all four sectors, opposed to excelling in three and struggling through the fourth. His speed indexes reflect ambitious sector times where he was not far behind the “top dogs.” What we really love about Syahrin’s indexes from the Japan GP is his consistency. Hafizh Syahrin wasted no time during his debut season to work on improving his consistency which going forward, will help his riding excel at a much faster rate.

Source: MotoGP.com

Q: Is there anything else to take into consideration?

A: This is Hafizh Syahrin’s HOME CIRCUIT.

Good luck to Syahrin and all riders going into this hot race weekend at the Sepang International Circuit!

 

Sector 3 and 4 Released!

November 1, 2018 • admin • Status

All sector analysis has been posted under our “Rider Stats” menu so make sure to take a look at how our 5 MVP riders rank against each other in every sector of the Sepang International Circuit!

Johann Zarco: Second year second podium at Sepang?

November 1, 2018 • admin

Nearing the end of his second year in MotoGP, the French GP rider Johann Zarco heads to Sepang where one year ago, he dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix placing 3rd.

If you haven’t gotten a chance, head to our “Rider Stats” menu to see this week’s MVP riders and to see just how strong Zarco is on this circuit.

His historical combined index ranks above the other four riders in a majority of the sectors regardless of the fact that he has only raced on it one time. What is it about his riding that allows him to excel around this circuit?

Consistency.

Source: MotoGP

Zarco’s historical speed indexes are not competitive enough alone, but when paired with his consistency indexes, his performance level bumps up a few notches. The Sepang International Circuit is a very diverse configuration which challenges riders who prefer particular circuit attributes (think tight technical sections, straightaways, long sweeping sections). This circuit has it all. To have some of the top consistencies in every single sector is exceptional for a rider on this circuit.

We hope to see Zarco come back from his crash last week at Philip Island ready to fight a tough battle to the finish line. If he is able to maintain his consistency that we have seen before and push his bike to the limit, we may just see Johann Zarco back on the podium.

Sector 1 and 2 Release for the Malaysian GP!

October 31, 2018 • admin • Status

Make sure to check out our sector breakdown for the Sepang International Circuit to see how each of our MVP riders rank in regards to both historical consistency and speed!

Just open the “Rider Stats” dropdown menu and there you will find both the combined (whole circuit) indexes as well as the sector analysis.

Ride on!

Jorge Lorenzo- Fit to race and a MVP rider for the Malaysian GP

October 31, 2018 • admin

After sitting out the last few races due to injury, #99 Jorge Lorenzo, our 6th and final MVP rider for this week is back!  We are excited to see him back in the game for a few reasons:

  • Source: MotoGP.com

    His historical indexes reflect a strong competitor on the Sepang International Circuit with linear improvement year to year

  • Lorenzo’s has a unique ability to adapt to various circuit configurations, utilizing the power and handling of the Ducati
  • We miss watching #99 fight to the front, check out, and lead the group

 

As an MVP rider, Lorenzo ranks 2nd out of all 6 riders based on his historical combined index of 23.9174. Now let’s do what we do best and dissect this number and break it down by sectors.

Source: MotoGP.com

Out of all 6 MVPs, Lorenzo holds the strongest sector 1 combined index which is no surprise when looking at the sector configuration (major Ducati territory). With an unmatched speed index, Lorenzo has historically dominated this sector with Rossi and Dovizioso close behind. When you add his unmatched speed in sector 1 to his competitive consistency where he is ranked 2nd after Iannone, you can begin to picture him utilizing this sector and pulling ahead of his opponents, creating a larger gap lap by lap.

Sector 2 is a battle between Lorenzo and Zarco where Lorenzo holds the historically fastest sector times but has yet to match that with his consistency. During his debut season, Zarco proved he was not to underestimated and currently holds the highest consistency out of all our MVPS in this sector.

An area of improvement, sector 3 is a potential danger zone for Lorenzo as his teammate, Andrea Dovizioso holds the most competitive historical speed index. Ducati vs. Ducati, Lorenzo must study Dovizioso on this more technical section to round out his performance on the Sepang Int. Circuit.

Moving into sector 4 we are back in Lorenzo AND Ducati territory where a tight right hand turn opens into a long straightaway, leading the riders into a left handed hairpin turn before flying down the last straightaway and last section of the circuit.

Source: MotoGP.com

There is no doubt that Lorenzo has some of the most competitive sector times out of all the riders racing this weekend. But as we know, consistency is crucial if you want to stay ahead of your competitors. So what do we hope to see from #99 as he (finally) makes his way back onto the track? Similar sector speeds as he has previously shown but an improvement in consistency through all sectors. If Lorenzo can make his way to the front and check out, we believe he has the ability to stay ahead and use every inch of this complex circuit to his advantage with the help of his powerful bike.

Good luck to all riders this weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix!

 

MVP Rider Release for the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix!

October 31, 2018 • admin • Status

Make sure to check out our “Rider Stats” menu where we will be providing historical indexes on all 5 MVP riders! If you missed our Instagram release (@motogp_scout), the 5 riders that made the list for the Malaysian GP are:

  1. Johann Zarco – 20.4650
  2. Valentino Rossi – 29.5202
  3. Andrea Iannone – 30.5701
  4. Maverick Vinales – 37.3963
  5. Andrea Dovizioso – 49.2784

A lower combined index reflects faster, more consistent sector times on a given circuit.