MotoGP with Boris | Thailand, the place of happiness…

MotoGP with Boris

2022 MotoGP – Round 17 – Thailand

Well, wasn’t that a sodden afternoon of crushed hopes and shattered dreams? Not for everyone, of course. Miguel Oliveira was happy to get a win, wet or dry – though his chances are always much better in the rain, seeing as he’s part fish.

Jack was also happy. His second place was hard-fought and he is getting married this weekend. He was also spared the hard choice of “Do I pass Pecco? Or do I let him beat me?” He was in front of him for the whole race. Obviously, much to Bologna’s thin-lipped joy.

Pecco? He just looked relieved it was over. A podium was more than he could have hoped for. And he pretty much has Zarco to thank for that. The Frenchman was clearly faster than Pecco, and tied himself into knots twice trying to avoid hitting the Factory boy from behind. Zarco does owe Bologna his current job and maybe his future job. And like a Lannister, he always pays his debts.

Rain had been predicted for the race. It’s Thailand. It’s October. It’s not a hard call. But the rain held off for all the practice sessions and Qualifying. Then it came down like Rainmageddon. Race Control red-flagged the Moto2 race, promised a five-lap sprint, then just called the whole thing off and awarded half-points instead.

As it was, the MotoGP main event was delayed for an hour as everyone waited for the monsoon to go elsewhere. The rain eventually eased to a normal downpour, and the sighting lap had Aleix Espargaro waving his arms around and talking earnestly to whomever would listen. The amount of standing water and poor visibility had perturbed the Captain.

I get the impression Aleix now sees himself as the “Daddy” of the paddock. The true, long-term Daddy’s have all gone. Rossi, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Pedrosa have all moved on, annointed with championships, race wins, and credibility. Aleix not so much. He’s had a zillion races. He’s won one. Whatever bones he’s made are all in his head. 

And none of his emotional hooting made any difference. Race Direction called a wet race and off they went.

Bezzecchi had been brilliant in Qualifying. He’d broken a lap record and had found himself on pole. Beside him, sat Jorge Martin, and Bagnaia. 

The second row was Fabulous, Zarco, and the Beast. Fabulous was drowning in a sea of Ducatis. That he’s managed to do what he’s done so far, and still leads the championship, tells you all you need to know about his worthiness as a champion.

Jack was behind him, as was Marc Marquez, and Luca Marini. Yes, two more Ducatis and a lone Factory Honda, ridden by an eight-time world champion who rubs his troubled arm a lot more than maybe he should. Each time he catches the camera catching him doing that, he stops. But it’s obvious Marc is not the Marc he once was.

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The rain was still falling when Bezcecchi hared into the lead off the start. It didn’t last long. He ran wide in a corner, was deemed to have gotten an advantage, and was told he had to surrender a place.

The man behind him was Jack. Bez led for a few laps, then tucked himself between Jack and Pecco, and we all expected great things from him. But he pretty much went backwards from there. 

Fabulous broke a few records going backwards himself. He pretty much went from fourth on the grid to 18^th in the space of a lap. 

Aleix was also flubbing about a bit, but took the opportunity to ram Brad Binder, and scored a Long Lap Penalty for his carelessness. This was interesting. When the Captain gets angry he rides very fast, and he’s a pretty fair wet-weather banger. So I watched him with interest. 

Marquez had drifted back to seventh in the opening stages, but collected himself and started working his way forward. 

Miguel Oliveira had made a brilliant start and had edged his way into fourth rather quickly. The Portuguese dentist is blisteringly quick in the rain, and he was showing it. 

Marini crashed trying to stay with him, and it looked like this would have been his first DNF for the season, but he picked it back up and rode on.

Interestingly, the only DNF was Remy Gardner. Everyone else managed to stay on. 

Fabulous was in all sorts of bother. He was lapping a second slower than the blokes out front, and the tension was very high as the riders tip-toed around the sodden circuit, but still managed to race bikes at speeds that seemed to defy physics.

Oliveira eventually passed Bagnaia and set off in pursuit of Jack and Bez, who looked smooth and strong at the front. Bez quickly ceded second place to Oliveira, and his tumble to the rear began in earnest. Marc passed him shortly after for fourth.

Pol Espargaro passed Fabulous, relegating him back to 18^th. And Pol never passes anyone. He’s usually in the gravel by this stage of the race.

Oliveira was catching Jack, and while both of them edged a bit away from Pecco, a pass on Jack looked inevitable. Miguel then passed Jack, but Jack immediately fought back and managed to keep the KTM rider at bay for a bit longer.

Fabulous had now been relegated to 19^th by Cal Crutchlow, who was nursing a freshly broken foot after high-siding himself in FP2. The magnificent bastard never disappoints. 

Marc looked to be closing on Pecco, so Pecco upped it a touch, and Oliveira got sick of watching Jack, and closed right back on him in preparation for a pass.

Miller fought like hell against the encroaching KTM, but it was looking rather inevitable. Way behind them, Morbidelli went past Bezzecchi for ninth, making himself the only Yamaha rider in the points. It may be Franki’s new haircut that saw him mid-pack instead of at the back waiting for Darryn Binder to crash, but I hope he keeps it up.

Oliveira passed Jack on Lap 15. Jack tried valiantly to respond, but the fish-sired Portuguese just rode off. And while Fabulous was struggling a second a lap slower than everyone else, his fellow Frenchman, Zarco, was now the fastest man on the track – and he was a half-second quicker than the blokes he was chasing at the front.

And then he was a second quicker than them all. Marquez realised this, and tried to put Bagnaia between himself and Zarco. But his pass on Pecco did not stick. Zarco passed him a few corners later, and looked to be chasing Bagnaia.

But was he really? He was clearly faster than Pecco. He almost rammed him twice. But the Frenchman understands full well who butters his baguette. Pecco is in the hunt for the championship, Zarco is not. Bologna would not smile upon Zarco if he did not…well, do the right thing. 

Jack had been spared this dilemma by not being behind Pecco for the whole race, and he was doing all he could to catch Oliveira. And it looked like he almost could during the last two laps. But it was not to be. Oliveira brought it home, a mere seven-tenths-of-a-second ahead of Miller. 

Fabulous finished outside the points in 17th. Maverick finished in seventh ahead of his team-mate, Aleix, who managed a creditable 11^th even after his penalty. And thus closed the points gap to Fabulous ever so slightly.

But Pecco reaped the biggest haul of points of the top three at the pointy end of the championship fight.

There’s very little between them as they head to Phillip Island.

And off the back of his win in Japan and second place in Thailand, Jack is now a bit more than a mathematical possibility with three rounds left – one being his home race.

I’m betting team orders won’t apply much at the island if Jack’s ahead of Pecco. 

2022 Thailand MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points Standings