MotoGP is set to begin the 2020 season in Qatar in 2 weeks. So far, the first pre-season test of the year (not counting 2019 post-season tests) has completed, in Singapore. At present, they are in Qatar, at the final pre-season test of the season, before they first race at the same track on March 8. Qatar is a nigh-race, hence the pre-season test is also taking place under the lights. Since the Singapore test, we have learned many things. Quartararo is fastMarc Marquez's shoulder recovery is taking...

Many things have taken place in the past 2 weeks in the MotoGP world championship. Somethings we expected, but others we did not. For example, we expected that Young-Gun Quartararo would be fast, and he was. We also expected Ducati had a long-shot in securing the services of Viñales; he renewed with Yamaha as we knew he would. Finally, we expected that Lorenzo would sign-on as Yamaha's test rider; he did. The surprises where many, however. For starters, for the first time since 2002, Rossi is not signed...

Baitfree.news has written before about the difficulty and pressure that is to be a top-level motorcycle racer. It would be naive to imagine that only racers are under such pressures to perform. Of course, all top-level athletes have to perform in order to reach the highest level of their respective sports, and to remain there. And I also know that some do not even make money doing this (think Olympic curling). However, few can argue the relative risks in each sport are proportionately distributed. Even one of the...

November 17 will mark the final round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship. All three main Championships have been settled at the top, though bridesmaid places have not. The other World Championship still open is the MotoE Championship. But truth be told, nobody really cares :\ (at least not yet). Valencia seems to have a deal with MotoGP's CEO, Carmelo, similar to Qatar's; where each are guaranteed the final and first round of the Championship respectively. Valencia also marks the first official test of the 2020 season. It...

I'm a big fan of the Plex Media system, both the player and the server. We use it as our main source of entertainment. All of our shows and movies are held in the server. We have over 8TB of media indexed by it. The system works perfectly for any TV show and movie, which captures the majority of usage. However, the title of this post is about how to deal with the edge-case that is racing. Racing is like a TV show, in that it has seasons,...

A while back I wrote about how quickly things change in MotoGP, while at the same time remaining the same. Today I wanted to talk about how tough the racing business is. In the US, most people follow ball-and-stick sports, though there are some ardent fanatics of NASCAR. The business of racing a vehicle, whether on a track or dirt, is an expensive proposition. This is one of the reasons you often see racing drivers/riders covered up with sponsor decals and long family racing dynasties. Any sponsor is...

The 2019 MotoGP World Champion and best motorcycle rider in the world paid the price for what the British refer to as "cheeky". The MotoGP circus is visiting the Sepang International Circuit this weekend. This is the penultimate round of the 2019 championship, with the final round taking place in Valencia. Mark Marquez wrapped the 2019 Championship 2 races-ago, at the Japanese Grand Prix. Which means the remaining races; Phillip Island, Sepang and Valencia are basically for "fun". Fun was exactly what he was having during today's qualifying...

If you have seen footage of this amazing save by Marc Marquez during practice for this year's Australian GP, you'll most certainly be amazed (as you should). While Marquez has gained a reputation for being able to save the seemingly impossible, this save must be the best one yet. To give perspective, most street riders can only manage a lean angle of about 45 degrees. Most racers can reach about 60 degrees. MotoGP riders, riding the best motorcycles in the world, on the best tires, can average around...

Back in 2006, there was a documentary called "El Ataque de los Niños" (The Attack of the Children). The documentary focused on a new generation of kids that were coming through the ranks into MotoGP; Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner. Those three "Children", had cleaned up the smaller classes of the MotoGP championship on their way to the Premier category, MotoGP. At that time, the king of the MotoGP, and for a few years thereafter, was the flamboyant Valentino Rossi. When the "Children" entered the premier...