MotoGP Photographed by us in Sepang in 2007. We had already clarified at the beginning of January and informed our readers that there would be no chance for the planned tests in Sepang. Almost 2 weeks later, the official cancellation of the Dorna came. You have to know that the tests in Malaysia and Qatar are as good as worthless for the teams for the rest of the season.

Dorna’s austerity program with embarrassing consequences

The second Corona year could hardly start worse than the bad planning of the MotoGP marketing company. Initially presented a calendar on November 6, 2020, at which almost all viewers rubbed their eyes in amazement. The first events on the first version raised doubts about the state of mind of the responsible gentlemen from FIM and Dorna. With Losail it should start exactly where the whole misery experienced its beginning in the previous year. In the absence of a permit to enter the country, the MotoGP bikes stayed in Qatar, but the premier class fell through. Since the majority of drivers and team members in the desert state were not allowed to enter the desert state as planned, almost all of them should have been quarantined for 2 weeks immediately. Defiantly, however, Losail was taken back into the calendar and then even Argentina and Texas as a sequel, which simply had to go wrong.

Photographed by us at the last normal race in Losail on March 10, 2019, shortly before the start of Moto2. Instead of starting the season in Europe, the Dorna followed the call for money from the desert state of Qatar and now the breakdowns on site are increasing almost daily.

Hardly any criticism of the bad planning in the media
When we reported our doubts about the first version of the “fair weather program” from FIM and Dorna from the start, we saw hardly any criticism elsewhere. This despite the fact that experts had already warned in the summer of 2020 that so-called normality and, above all, freedom of travel would not exist for a long time. MotoGP “Zampano” Ezpeleta obviously didn’t care at all; on the contrary, he defiantly even set the test to begin in Sepang in February. Just like there was no pandemic and of course it had to go wrong. Even before the official cancellation of the Dorna for the tests in Malaysia, we had made it clear on our side that entry into this country for this purpose was unthinkable, and we were right a little later. The second version of the MotoGP calendar is also becoming more and more a failure.

WorldSBK Record world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR) during test drives in Jerez in February 2021 under very good conditions. Many observers and even team members are quite right to ask why the Dorna did not want to test here or in Portimão with the MotoGP in the currently splendid conditions. The fifth day of testing in Losail was promptly lost to a sandstorm, which was not the only breakdown (© Kawasaki Racing Team).

The embarrassments and mishaps in Qatar are increasing

Hardly anyone in his country and the rest of the World understands that Marc Marquez and two companions only flew from Barcelona to Doha for a vaccination. It gets particularly grotesque when he and Dorna Boss Ezpeleta want to sell this to the public as a role model. To praise oneself with brazen pushing forward in the vaccination sequence shows in both of them an obvious weakness of character. But that’s not enough of the embarrassment, there is no shortage of breakdowns in Qatar. After their arrival, some team members found themselves stuck in their hotel rooms in quarantine for a full 2 days. The reason for this was an infinitely long evaluation of their PCR tests.

Photographed by us at Hamad International Airport – the skyline of Doha and about 30 km behind it is the Losail International Circuit. Every tourist is turned away on entry, except for the vaccination tourist Marc Marquez and his 2 companions recently. What is happening here is simply scandalous and many do not understand why the MotoGP is starting in Qatar. The reason, however, is very simple, it’s about the love of money.

Incredibly embarrassing situation in Moto2
When testing for WorldSBK at the beginning of the week in Misano, Tito Rabat drove 180 laps in two days. As recently came to light, the Moto2 was completely neutered for a 3 day Losail test. No driver is allowed to drive more than 111 laps during this time. This is a bad joke. As a result, for example, in the 1st session on Saturday with Stefano Manzi, only a single Moto2 rider was on the track for 10 laps. With a total of 9 training sessions in three days, a driver does not have 13 laps per hour over, a terrible joke. Allegedly too few of the Triumph engines were shipped to Qatar. As it is becoming more and more noticeable, the Dorna and the IRTA seem completely overwhelmed. Instead of being sensible, listening to the governments of almost every country and traveling as little as possible, they now have the salad and embarrass themselves in front of the world.

This is what it looked like when Petrux tried it on the Tech 3 KTM despite the sandstorm on day 5 of the MotoGP tests in Losail. The track was as good as impassable and at the same time as on the days before the conditions in Jerez and Portimão would have been simply ideal. You would have saved a lot of money on transport and travel instead of Losail and certainly not have to limit Moto2 engines (© MotoGP).

Rossi, Morbido and Pecco in Mugello – no Pedrosa comeback

Valentino Rossi, Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia did their laps on superbikes on the Mugello track these days. The Italian Grand Prix would actually be on May 30, 2021, on the calendar, but after the cancellation in the first Corona year, almost nobody believes that it will take place anymore. Without permission for spectators on the track and with the recently tightened lockdown in Italy, Mugello will probably remain an illusion this season. When we are at this word, this term also fits a return of Dani Pedrosa, which some inventive minds have spoken about. It is a pure invention of journalists to try to attract attention with a headline.

Taken by us on MotoGP Saturday 2019 above Turn 1 – the last Grand Prix held in Mugello so far. We don’t miss the dirt around the track and the toilets that are almost everywhere dirty. Thanks to Rossi it has been one of the most expensive events for years, when it comes to ticket prices, the lack of cleanliness is basically an absolute cheek.

Why Dani Pedrosa never comes back
Dani, referred to by many as the “Spanish hobbit”, even wanted this to be fixed in writing in his test driver contract for KTM. He doesn’t want to race anymore, that’s that! The Catalan from Sabadell has suffered too many injuries in his playing career and has no desire to compete against youngsters like Binder, Quartararo and the like. His last season in 2018 is proof enough when he only finished 11th in the World Championship on the World Champion bike for the Repsol Honda Team. Although he made it to fifth place five times, he was unable to pick higher grapes. In the previous twelve years in MotoGP, he always made it to the top of the podium at least once. You shouldn’t forget that he was the man who warned Marco Simoncelli not to overdo it. The fate of “Sic58” in Sepang left the Honda driver anything but cold.

Dani Pedrosa at the Losail Test 2021 on the MotoGP KTM – he doesn’t want to sully his glamorous career with a mediocre race. In contrast to Jorge Lorenzo, he does not act as a social media hero either and criticizes his former driver colleagues. Despite its small size, it was one of the best and, thanks to its modesty, really was the largest of its time. An athlete’s true shine does not have to be measured by the number of titles they have won, but also by their behavior in public. Here, Pedrosa, like WorldSBK record world champion Johnny Rea, is an absolute role model (© MotoGP).

How to continue in Losail

On Sunday, March 21st, the shameful Moto2 program goes into its final round. The unfortunate drivers still drive a few laps and at the same time the Moto3 players with a time lag. For a few hotels in the vicinity it is worth gold that they all stay as guests until after the second race. The MotoGP riders who have flown home will be back in the next few days and on Friday the first free practice will start in the first Grand Prix weekend of the year. Maybe Marc Marquez will come to Losail for a free vaccination, we’ll see. That fits perfectly with the bankruptcies and mishaps of Dorna.

Moto2 Starting grid, photographed by us on March 10, 2019. Many of the riders have now moved up to MotoGP. There will definitely be a new world champion for 2021, because Enea Bastianini is no longer there either.