text:
ThePitcrewOnline
From the fans… For the fans
Special Weeks
Mercedes Week
MotoGP Week
Williams Week
Ferrari Week
Formula One Articles
Formula One Standings
Driver Standings By points
Driver Standings By position
Open Wheel Racing
Formula 2 News
Drivers & Teams
Formula 2 standings
Crew On Two
World Superbikes
Tin Top Racing
Contacting the PitCrewOnline
Tag: Racing
A new champion is crowned!
Qualifying:
Poor weather conditions resulted in championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) qualifying in an unusual position of 15th on the grid.
Second-place-man in the championship Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) took another pole. Team-mate Jack Miller was second and it was a surprise last place on the front row, for fellow Ducati rider, Luca Marini getting his best qualifying result.
You can't miss him! Luca Marini sported a new livery, in honour of his brother who celebrated his last race in Italy. Courtesy of: Sky Racing Team VR46 – Twitter Page.
If the weather was dramatic in qualifying, it certainly wasn't for the race. However, the drama was there to stay:
The two factory Ducati's gained a great start from the front and remained in first and second from Marc Marquez (Honda) who quickly got himself to third. Quartararo however, went backwards from 15th to 17th.
Straight away Miller became the perfect team player and took the defensive line against Marquez, keeping him at bay, to let Bagnaia get away. Bagnaia responded and quickly started to create a gap.
Ducati's lead from the start. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Meanwhile, down in 17th, Fabio started ticking people from his list and by lap 3 was up to 12th position, on the same lap unfortunately, last years champion Joan Mir (Suzuki) was told he had a jump start and was given a long-lap penalty, but soon after that he crashed out alongside Birthday-Boy Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) on turn 2.
Marquez was pushing himself and soon claimed fastest lap. Could he keep this form up and fight for a podium spot? With his fellow Repsol Honda rider behind him he only had to focus on the two Ducati's ahead.
But there was drama unfolding on the track and with 24 laps to go the first part played out. Jack Miller crashed from second on turn 15, trying to defend for Pecco – leaving him alone to fight for first.
Marquez took his opportunity and closed up on Bagnaia, piling on the pressure. It appeared he was able to turn his Honda better than the Ducati, his arm problems seemingly a thing of the past. Or was it due to the Michelin tyre choice between the two? Bagnaia chose to race with a hard front and medium rear, while Marquez chose a medium front and soft rear. Which set of tyres were going to prevail?
Also piling on pressure was Fabio, now up to 10th place, passing fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati).
Crashing on the same lap however was Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) but he managed to rejoin, albeit in last place.
Continuing his hunt, Fabio was soon up to 9th place behind a group of riders, ready to pick them off one-by-one.
A technical issue resulted in Alex Marquez (Honda) having to retire early on lap 11 and Iker Lecuona (KTM) also retired early due to a crash on turn 1.
The tension meanwhile between first and second continued to build with Marc still looking like he was going to pounce at any moment on Pecco.
Quartararo started to pick off the riders in the pack and soon passed into 8th place, with 14 laps until the end. Whilst Fabio was riding high, disaster struck for another Ducati rider – Jorge Martin, who crashed out turn 1, lap 13.
The group in-front of El Diablo started to have mini battles for positions, bringing him into the fray. He soon passed team-mate Franko Morbidelli and number 10 rider – Marini, taking 7th place. With only 12 laps to go, could he progress any further? Any questions were answered when on lap 18 he also passed Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) for 5th position. He only had KTM rider Miguel Oliveria and Honda rider Pol Espargaro in-front for a podium spot. Could he do it?
Fighting through the pack. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Meanwhile, Bagnaia was responding to Marquez's pressure and pushed for the fastest lap, trying to break away from the Spaniard.
But, the Ducati drama was not over and with only 5 crucial laps until the end, Bagnaia suddenly slid from first position into the gravel and alongside that his championship hopes. Ducati held their heads in their hands along with multiple fans who couldn't believe what they had seen. Leaving Marquez to claim first and lead the race all the way to the chequered flag. Quartararo was also granted another position, but Enea Bastianini (Ducati), who had come from 16th place on the grid, had other ideas for Fabio and with only 2 laps until the end, looked like he might fight for 3rd.
The edge-of-your-seat drama continued on the last lap and Bastianini did indeed pass Quartararo for the last spot on the podium.
There was too many things happening all at once – Marquez crossed the line, proving all the doubters wrong with regards to his arm health. Bastianini passed Quartararo on the last lap. Fabio claimed the World Championship and local Hero Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) finished in 10th at his last home race.
Team-mates congratulate each other. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Never gets old – Rossi celebrates with fans. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
It was history in the making! Fabio Quartararo became the first Frenchman to ever claim the Moto GP World Championship title and along with it the first championship win for Yamaha since 2015.
It was also the first podium for Pol, racing for his new team and a second podium for rookie Bastianini in the Premier Class.
Fabio celebrated in style, walking down a red carpet to receive a golden helmet, alongside celebrations which included pyrotechnics and a live DJ.
Celebrations! Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Top 10 race results:
M. Marquez
P. Espargaro
E. Bastianini
J. Zarco
A. Rins
A. Espargaro
M. Vinales
V. Rossi
Top Four Championship results:
J. Mir
With only 2 races left for the season, will there be another new race winner? A third in a row win for Marquez? Or will El Diablo want to go out with an even bigger bang?
(Featured image: Courtesy of Moto GP website).
Posted on 4th October 2021
Magnificent Seven for Marquez!
Moto GP was back in America!
Viewers would have noted that Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) was missing from the Qualifying sessions (and indeed the race) as he took compassionate leave due to the tragic passing of his cousin Dean Berta Vinales, last weekend.
Q2 saw a surprise lap from Luca Marini (Ducati), which took him through to Q1 where he finished 9th on the grid.
But it was a third pole in a row for the other impressive Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia. Putting in a time of 2:02.781 over Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) in second and Marc Marquez (Honda), who took last place on the front row of the grid.
It was the first time back on American soil since the pandemic struck. It should have been wonderful news but for many riders it caused some grievances – mainly due to the ever-deteriorating track conditions. It had become even more bumpy and the track surface even poorer, with visible differences in tarmacked sections. Some riders had even gone so far as to say that if the track wasn't fixed they would not return next year.
Regardless of the track conditions, Marc Marquez was determined to win again at the Austin track. He gave himself the very best of starts, flying straight into first from third. Leading Quartararo and Alex Rins (Suzuki).
Marquez in a lead of his own. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Lap 2 of 20, saw Jorge Martin (Ducati) pass fellow Ducati rider Bagnaia and gain fastest lap in the meantime. At the other end of the pack though Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) took a tumble on turn 12, but managed to continue on into the race, finishing 17th.
Lap 3 saw Jack Miller (Ducati) pass Brad Binder (KTM) and Joan Mir (Suzuki) for a place behind teammate Bagnaia, taking fastest lap from Martin soon after. Would Miller decide to remain behind Bagnaia or try to pass?
Gaps started to appear quite early on in the race with the Spaniard out on his own from Frenchman, Quartararo, then Martin and Rins. Marquez was out to prove that he could still conquer at COTA.
The leading riders had all chosen to use hard front tyres and soft rear tyres, except the Australian Miller, who had opted to ride with two hard tyres. Was there something that Jack knew and the others didn't? Or was he gambling on his tyres having something extra towards the end?
Lap 5 saw Johann Zarco (Ducati) leave his race early and crash out turn 1. While teammate Martin passed Rins again, after losing an earlier battle between the two. He quickly started to pull away from the Suzuki and put some pressure on Quartararo, who was still in 2nd.
Second to third. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
It was then time for Miller to make his decision and on lap 6 he passed Bagnaia. Could he use his tyres and get near to the top four? Rins was soon in his sights and Miller quickly passed him for fourth place.
With 12 laps remaining the gap grew bigger still between first and second, with Marquez constantly doing metronomic laps from Championship leader Quartararo. The gap became 1.736 seconds.
It was a disastrous weekend for Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, after having crashed numerous times over the weekend, he crashed once more- lap 10, turn 13, ending his race early.
Also half-way through the race Bagnaia passed Rins for 5th, knowing he needed to gain some more points on Quartararo for his championship hopes to stay alive. Was it too little too late?
Meanwhile, still leading, Marquez was busy proving all the doubters wrong about his physical abilities and was still gaining a lead over Fabio. Having created a 2.930 second lead. Quartararo stated that "it tastes even better than a victory" to remain in 2nd, knowing that he still had a lead over closest championship rival, Bagnaia.
Lap 13 saw Jack be the ultimate team-player and let Pecco past for 4th place. Having the precious championship points in mind for both Ducati and Bagnaia. Perhaps he was also having tyre issues with his choice of both hard Michelins, as soon after Rins passed him for 5th.
Miller lead Bagnaia before letting him past. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Continuing to put in impressive laps, Marc was stunning audiences with his continuous lead extension, up to 3.499 seconds from Fabio.
Bagnaia had another Ducati rider in front of him by lap 17, in the form of Jorge Martin. Speculation occurred when Martin went wide and soon after Bagnaia passed him to get the last podium position. Was this a purposeful maneuver from Martin? Or just a simple mistake? Whatever the reason Bagnaia went through while Martin received a long-lap penalty for cutting turns 4 and 5.
Last Lap:
Marquez had increased his lead even further and was 4.512 seconds ahead of Quartararo, who was also 4.513 seconds ahead of the two Ducati's of Bagnaia and Martin. Martin decided to take his long-lap penalty and came back on track behind Rins for 5th place. Becoming the top independent race finisher. Mir nudged past Miller and in doing so Enea Bastianini (Ducati) passed them both to take 6th spot.
Marquez sailed over the finish line for his 7th win at the Circuit Of The Americas and for Honda's 450th Premier Class podium. Celebrating in style with a tribute to the late Nicky Hayden #69.
Marquez celebrates victory with team. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Marquez was certainly back on form and was impressive from lights out.
Race Results (Top Ten):
J. Martin
Even though Mir passed Miller on the last lap, the stewards demoted Mir one place for irresponsible riding (results above include this decision).
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) also picked up the last point and set fastest lap during the last lap.
Championship Results Update:
With only three races left until the end of the season. Could we see Quartararo wrap up his championship next time out? Will Marquez continue to improve? Or will we see another new race winner for the year?
(Featured image- Courtesy of: Moto GP Twitter page).
Dean Berta Vinales. Courtesy of: Moto GP Twitter.
Always in our thoughts: Dean Berta Vinales. Taken too young.
Posted on 2nd September 2021
Gardner emerges victorious as records tumble
The 12th round of the 2021 Moto2 season took us to Silverstone, on a cloudy and cool Bank Holiday weekend.
It didn't look like it was going to be Remy Gardner's day. The Australian started from the second row of the grid in fourth place, behind SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi on pole who had smashed the outright lap record in qualifying. Jorge Navarro was in second and local favourite Sam Lowes in third. Joining Gardner on the second row were teammates Raul Fernandez in fifth place and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 rider, Fabio DiGiannantonio in sixth.
Remy racing. Courtesy of: RemyGardner.com
In the end Gardner emerged victorious after a hard-fought win over Bezzecchi, who nevertheless managed to hold on to the outright lap record. The fastest race lap changed hands multiple times over the course of the 18 laps – Gardner, then Navarro, then Lowes and Gardner again before being ultimately claimed by Navarro on lap 17.
Bezzecchi was the only one to go with the softer rear tyre option, which had served him well in qualifying, but would it be enough to dominate in the race?
Ai Ogura, the rookie Honda Team Asia rider, who had been impressive in the last two rounds, was back on the 5th row in 14th place after a disappointing qualifying. And before the race even started Marcel Schrotter, starting in 15th, incurred a long lap penalty for ignoring the mechanical failure flag in practice.
Bezzecchi got the best start off the line as Lowes moved up into 2nd on the first bend, and by turn 2 Lowes nipped past Bezzecchi to take the lead as Gardner moved up into 3rd. But after a couple of moments on the opening lap, Gardner was passed by his teammate and dropped down to 5th.
On lap 2, Bezzecchi regained the lead, pushing Lowes back down into 2nd and on lap 4 Lowes was passed by Gardner making up for lost time.
The top 5 started to break away – Bezzecchi, Gardner, Lowes, Navarro and DiGiannantonio stretched out a 1.5 second gap ahead of 6th place Raul Fernandez, whilst Gardner hunted down Bezzecchi to briefly take the lead but was unable to make it stick. Bezzecchi then had a moment in the middle of turn 15, causing Gardner to take evasive action to avoid contact.
The fight on track. Courtesy of: RemyGardner. com
DiGiannantonio moved up into 4th place past Navarro as Lowes held onto 3rd, meanwhile Raul and Augusto Fernandez battled it out for 6th.
For the next few laps, Gardner and Bezzecchi swapped back and forth, with Gardner setting a new race lap record on lap 8. Navarro moved back up into 4th, and Lowes and Navarro closed in on the leading pair.
On lap 12, Gardner retook the lead, with Bezzecchi pushing hard every step of the way. On lap 15 Bezzecchi ran slightly wide, which allowed Gardner a little space to hold onto the front spot and he crossed the line almost half a second ahead of Bezzecchi.
Meanwhile, on lap 14 Navarro edged past Lowes into 3rd place, and Raul Fernandez crashed out at Farm – uninjured but his bike remained on the edge of the track – fortunately not causing a red flag incident.
Augusto Fernandez, who Raul had been battling with, managed to pass DiGiannantonio at the last minute, finishing 5th behind Lowes.
A combination of Gardner's win and the DNF from Raul Fernandez now stretches out Gardner's lead at the top of the championship – on 231 points he is 44 ahead of his teammate, with Bezzecchi in 3rd on 179 and Lowes 4th with 127.
But with the next race in Spain, in two weeks time, will we see Raul return to form on his home turf? And after such a hard-fought battle for the lead, can Bezzecchi regain the top step of the podium?
Race results:
1 Remy Gardner (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 25 points
2 Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 20
3 Jorge Navarro (SPA) – Lightech Speed Up – 16
4 Sam Lowes (GBR) – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 13
5 Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 11
6 Augusto Fernandez (SPA) – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 10
7 Aron Canet (SPA) – Aspar Team Moto2 – 9
8 Xavi Vierge (SPA) – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 8
9 Ai Ogura (JPN) – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 7
10 Joe Roberts (USA) – Italtrans Racing Team – 6
11 Thomas Luthi (SWI) – Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team – 5
12 Celestino Vietti (ITA) – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 4
13 Marcel Schrotter (GER) – Liqui Moly Intact GP – 3
14 Nicolò Bulega (ITA) – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 2
15 Bo Bendsneyer (NED) – Pertamina SAG – 1
(Featured image: Courtesy of: Remygardner.com)
Rookie reigns in Austria
With the five week break finally at an end, the qualifying saw Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) snatch pole from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), in the closing minutes. Only seconds later to find that he transgressed track limits on turn nine, which resulted in him ending in third.
Marc Marquez (Honda), was on a hot-lap but crashed out and finished in eighth.
But it was the rookie Jorge Martin (Ducati) who claimed pole, for the second time this season. Riding a sensational lap of 1:22.994, bagging pole and a new all-time lap record along with it.
The front row was now: J. Martin, F. Bagnaia and F. Quartararo. The Ducati's looked dominant in Austria, with all four bikes on the front two rows. Jack Miller (Ducati), Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Johann Zarco (Ducati) rounded off the front.
Grey clouds over-head. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
If fans were getting withdrawal symptoms from bike racing then this race was sure looking like it was going to quench that.
Race One:
All eyes may have been on Jorge Martin, in pole but all hearts were with Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who, on just Thursday, had announced this was going to be his final season racing.
With rain clouds looming large overhead, the Styrian Grand Prix was about to be on its way, after being declared a dry race.
Bagnaia got a great start from Martin, but Martin was quickly leading the race. Marc Marquez (Honda) chose a more aggressive tactic, after having a poor start and trying to gather positions quickly, he made a move past Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), nudging him in the process, causing him to go wide and also pushed past Quartararo to go into fourth place. This caused an on-track argument between the two Spanish riders later, on track.
The pack. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Mir reacted well and quickly went from fourth to second as Bagnaia re-claimed first. Marquez seemed to be in all-out attack-mode but fell back to sixth place after his fiery start.
The championship leader, Quartararo picked up the pace and soon had fastest lap moments before red flags began to wave.
Flash back to 2020, Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco collided, causing their bikes to hurtle through the air, across the track and land cartwheeling in-front of the path of then team-mates Rossi and Vinales, understandably shaking both riders up before they re-started the race, after a red flag.
Since then, the track has been slightly modified. That should have been the only an odd occurrence however, this track seems to entice odd occurrences, only this time, lap 3 of 28 saw the wildcard and ex-Moto GP race winner Dani Pedrosa (KTM) fall leaving his bike stranded in the way of on-coming riders. Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) rode straight into the KTM, causing both bikes to immediately erupt into flames. The race was red-flagged, signaling an end to proceedings. The marshals were quick to respond and fortunately neither rider nor marshal were hurt.
Just another freak accident in Austria, has made some question the suitability of this track for racing.
All bikes returned to the pits as fire extinguishers, brushes and man-power set about cleaning up the mess caused on track.
Race officials check the track is okay for the re-start. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
As the race was only on lap 3, it was re-started with just one lap being removed. The stewards allowed Pedrosa to start again but unfortunately for Aprilia, Savadori could not re-join.
A quick-start procedure took place during the second attempt, which meant pit lane re-opened for 60 seconds ahead of a sighting lap where all riders took their original grid positions and one mechanic met them at their lines. They then went out for their warm-up lap and the race continued thereafter.
Although, it was a disaster for Maverick Vinales (Yamaha), who stalled prior to the sighting lap on the grid and had to start his race from the pit lane, going from ninth to last.
Race Two:
The dark grey clouds still overhead had refrained from raining and continued to watch alongside the few spectators at trackside for take-two of the Styrian Grand Prix.
It was the Ducati power both times, this time Martin got another great start but Miller soon took the lead.
Quartararo nudged past M. Marquez, who in-turn nudged into none-other than Aleix Espargaro again and again he went wide.
Mir looked like he was on a mission, wanting to break up the Ducati rule. He was soon on the back of Martin and took second place on lap 2.
Mir hunts Martin. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Lap 3 saw Martin re-take second and Bagnaia went backwards into eighth place. The re-start did not go the same way for him.
With 24 laps to go, Martin re-took the lead from Miller, Mir and Quartararo.
Things went from bad to worse for A. Espargaro, on lap 6 he pulled to the side of the track and had to retire due to a mechanical failure.
Miller and Quartararo had a mini battle between themselves. And soon all five front riders took fastest lap within quick succession of each other.
Martin and Mir broke away from the pack as did Quartararo, Miller and Zarco, creating their own group. The gap between the two groups quickly extended to over 3 seconds.
Vinales also couldn't turn his luck around and ended up getting a long-lap penalty, putting him back to last place again, in 21st, due to exceeding track limits. Track limit warnings were thrown about to all sorts of riders, including the race leader Martin, who was still leading with 11 laps to go.
With 10 laps to go, Miller looked set to strike on Quartararo, closing him down on every corner. But then, he crashed out on turn 7. He returned to the track but had to end his race sooner than expected and pulled into the pits, leaving Fabio in third position, to race alone.
Another long-lap penalty was handed out to the other Espargaro brother – Pol, for also exceeding track limits.
Having led for most of the race, Jorge Martin, the rookie reigned supreme and took victory for the first time for himself and Pramac Ducati in the Moto GP class. Having come from a hospital bed earlier on in the season, due to an accident which left him with numerous broken bones he was now on the top step of the podium. Securing both the pole and the win! He is now the 6th different winner in 2021.
Take a bow – Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Brad Binder (KTM) rode a sensational last lap and finished an incredible fourth place, passing Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) on the way to the line.
Bagnaia however was given a 3 second penalty on the last lap, for also exceeding track limits and was demoted out of the top ten, promoting Dani Pedrosa into tenth.
Top ten finishers:
T. Nakagami
A. Marquez
D. Pedrosa
Current Championship Standings:
Quartararo
Zarco
Bagnaia
Moto GP will be returning to Austria again next weekend, as will British rider Cal Crutchlow (Petronas), who even though didn't produce a spectacular race result this weekend after stepping in for injured rider Franco Morbidelli, he will do so again for the next two races. Will we see a top ten or podium finish for fan favourite Cal?
Posted on 6th June 2021
A twist in the tale at Catalunya
It is a home track for many of the riders but it was a Frenchman that claimed pole.
During Q1 Marc Marquez (Honda) decided to follow and gain a tow from Jack Miller (Ducati). Unfortunately, given his best efforts, this didn't help Marquez and he couldn't manage better than 13th place.
Marquez follows Miller. Courtesy of: Moto GP website
Miller on the other-hand made it all the way through and finished on the front row. Even a crash didn't interfere with his result.
Viewers may have noticed that Alex Rins (Suzuki) wasn't out on track, this was due to a cycling accident that occurred off-track where he went into a Dorna vehicle and hurt his wrist. He would also not participate in the race.
Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) would start from pole (his fifth pole in a row this year). Miller second and Zarco third – finishing the front row.
The Catalan circuit always produces some entertaining races and this one was no exception. But there was a twist in the script book, which saw it be thrown completely out of the window.
Prior to the race, Jorge Martin (Ducati) had an accident and was made to start from the pit-lane, from 15th slot on the grid.
Once the lights turned green it was all go – Miller and Miguel Oliveira (KTM) managed to get past Quartararo on the straight. Knowing they had to make a break for it and disrupt Fabio's rhythm.
All riders were so close together, quickly creating battles between: Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) and Brad Binder (KTM). Miller and Quartararo. Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).
Mir got a fantastic start and went from tenth to fourth by turn seven, lap one.
All within the first three laps Quartararo and Miller tussled for second place but Quartararo came out worse and made a mistake causing the other riders to take full advantage, pushing him down to fifth. Mir passed Espargaro. Oliveira got fastest lap. Zarco passed Quartararo. Bagnaia then took fastest lap. Quartararo re-took fourth position back from Zarco and Binder went into the rear of Vinales – both riders remained on the track and un-hurt and finally fastest lap went back to Oliveira.
Quartararo soon gained his composure back and started to hunt down the riders in front. He passed A. Espargaro and Mir was next on the radar. On the same lap, Pol Espargaro (Honda) crashed out of the race, turn 5, lap 5.
Courtesy of: Moto GP website
All the riders knew they had to conserve their tyres as much as possible but it was hard to think this was in the fore-front of their minds as all top 6 racers (bar Oliveira) were constantly battling for positions. By lap 7, Quartararo re-gained second place, managed to get fastest lap in the process and was soon hot-on-the-heels of the KTM.
Meanwhile, Danilo Petrucci (KTM) crashed turn 9.
Riding well was Marc Marquez, with 17 laps left in 7th position chasing A. Espargaro and Zarco down. But then disaster struck and he crashed out (for the third time in a row) on the infamous turn 10. With Pol, his team-mate already out, neither factory Honda riders gained any points at their home race.
It went from bad to worse for Honda, with Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) receiving a long lap penalty for taking a shortcut through turns one and two. Alex Marquez (Honda) would take the best finish result for the manufacturer in 11th.
With 15 laps to the chequered flag Oliveira still led Quartararo, Mir, Miller and Zarco.
The next local boy to have a DNF was A. Espargaro, same turn as Marquez a few laps earlier.
Meanwhile at the front of the pack positions were being swapped again. Quartararo passed Oliveira on turn 5, half-way through the race. But the Portuguese rider had other plans and soon re-took the lead. Zarco passed Miller for fourth and Miller and Mir had a mini battle which saw Miller win.
Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Turn 10 soon took out yet another rider, this time it was the nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who took to the dirt, with 8 laps until the end.
Iker Lecuona (KTM) then tumbled, turn 13, lap 18.
Six laps until the race finish gapping had started to appear between the racers. Oliveira and Quartararo were out on their own in 1st and 2nd. Zarco, Miller, Mir and Vinales were in another group fighting for the last podium position.
The number 88 (Oliveira) started to pull away from 20 (Quartararo) and Zarco was soon on his rear. Lap 22 Zarco passed his fellow Frenchman on the start-finish straight. Moments later Fabio lost the front of his bike a-little and he went off track but rejoined in-front of Miller. Slotting into third.
Then a very unusual thing happened, Quartararo's leathers were suddenly open and he had pulled out his chest protector. Both things had become a safety issue but the race officials did not bring out a black flag for the rider. Instead he was allowed to carry on racing. The rules clearly state that "…equipment must be worn, correctly fastened, at all times during on-track activity". This has caused controversy already. When asked at the end of the race Fabio was hesitant to give an explanation and said that enquiries were already being held on the matter and that the incident wasn't his fault.
Courtesy of: Moto GP
However, on the last lap he received a three-second penalty for a different rule-break – a shortcut on turns one and two, just like Nakagami earlier on in the race. Meaning that his position in third was given to Miller.
Oliveira went on to win his third ever race in Moto GP, from Zarco and Miller.
Oliveira consistently putting in the laps. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
As there were only 15 riders to finish the race, everyone got at least one point towards their championship positions.
Championship results:
Morbidelli
Tenth
Bastianini
Sachsenring (Germany) is next on the calendar – Sunday 20th June – Marc Marquez has never been beaten there. Will we see a miraculous win from the Spaniard or will there be a new King of the track?
Wishing all the best to Alex Rins and Suzi Perry in their recovery.
(Featured image: Celebrating with the fans – Courtesy of Moto GP)
Posted on 2nd May 2021 3rd May 2021
Bologna Bullets take first and second in Spain
Another pole for Fabio in Qualifying:
Everything seemed to be carrying on from the previous race weekend for Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), who managed to gain another pole, this time at Jerez, from his old teammate Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) who claimed a solid second and Jack Miller (Ducati) clinching third.
During the qualifying Marc Marquez (Honda) however had another big accident on turn 7, ending up in the air barrier at the side of the track, coming out of it seemingly unscathed with a bruised leg and neck. He was cleared to race for Sunday, starting on the grid in 14th place.
Marquez. Courtesy of: Motorsport.com
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) lead the second row alongside Taka Nakagami (Honda) and Johann Zarco (Honda) taking sixth.
Jerez Moto GP Race:
The Bologna Bullets take first and second in Spain, in the fourth round of the 2021 season.
It is a track not known to favour the Ducati's, but from the start Miller went straight into the lead, from Morbidelli and teammate Bagnaia. Quartararo went backwards into fourth. But it was Joan Mir (Suzuki) who shot up four places into sixth position. Unfortunately, Alex Marquez (Honda) made a quick exit from his weekend, falling on lap one.
Lap two, turn two, Brad Binder (KTM) found himself in the gravel, but he was soon back on his bike and back in the race.
Taking fastest lap – Quartararo quickly took third place from Bagnaia.
Making it twice in a row for Alex Rins (Suzuki), he made a swift exit on lap three, sliding off the track.
With 22 laps until the chequered flag, Quartararo forced his way into second place and started to hunt down Miller, who couldn't seem to use the Ducati power to its full advantage and hadn't managed to break enough away.
Down in ninth place, Zarco had great race pace and took fastest lap from Quartararo.
Fabio took prime position to begin lap 5. The Ducati tried to take it back on the straight but it wasn't quite enough and slowly had to watch as the number 20 steadily pulled away, quickly taking back fastest lap, getting into his rhythm and pulling further and further from the Australian.
All the top six riders had picked medium front and rear tyres, creating an equal battlefield out on the track, but it was Bagnaia who seemed faster than Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) in fourth place and on lap 9, took the position from him.
Lap 10, on the flat turn two, Enea Bastianini went into first gear, let the brake off, creating the front to fold and he fell. Meanwhile, the front two riders focused on pulling away from third and fourth. Bagnaia was doing faster laps than fellow countryman Morbidelli, this allowed him to take third place with 11 laps till the end.
Brad Binder crashed for the second time, on turn 13, but this time was unable to carry on.
With 12 laps till the finish line Quartararo led Miller by 1.434 seconds. Miller to Morbidelli gap was 2.705 seconds. On lap 15, the gap suddenly dropped to 0.438 seconds between Quartararo and Miller. Then to 0.205 seconds. Then 0.063 seconds. Miller took the lead, passing Quartararo on turn 1, lap 16. The Australian started to immediately pull away from the Frenchman. With no seemingly physical problems, Quartararo fell towards the clutches of Italian rider – Bagnaia.
The gapping that had started to be created then turned back into a concertina effect, as the group closed up. It wasn't soon until Bagnaia was on Quartararo's rear and soon passed him with 8 laps to go. Morbidelli was next in line to pass the Frenchman on lap 18. Claiming the last podium place.
It was now only a matter of time before the rest of the pack claimed their positions from Quartararo. Who definitely seemed to have a problem, some speculating that he may be suffering from arm pump.
Nakagami was fighting with Aleix Espargaro for 6th place and took it alongside 5th from Quartararo, almost in the same pass. Then it was Mir's turn to to go up to 5th place from Quartararo and Espargaro. Vinales then took no mercy on his teammate and also claimed a position on lap 19.
Things went from bad to worse for Fabio as another two riders went past him on lap 20. Going from first to tenth in just two laps.
Meanwhile the Dukes eeked further away at the front. The normal racing at Jerez was being thrown-out-the-window, with the Ducati's finally going good at the track.
Pol Espargaro was the next rider to pass Quartararo, this time for 10th place.
Morbidelli was faster than Bagnaia and was giving it everything he had to try and pass him for second place. Riding on the 2019 Petronas Yamaha however, meant Morbidelli can't always use his full potential.
Then it was Oliveira's turn to pass Quartararo to take 12th place, which also saw Fabio's championship lead taken from him and given to Bagnaia. Another pass from Bradl gave further points to Bagnaia for the championship lead and with 2 laps to go Quartararo had fallen to 13th place, staying just inside the points.
But, it was a masterclass performance from Jack Miller, who gave us a 'Thriller' victory. His first in the dry for Moto GP. Claiming "…the last 7/8 laps were the longest of…" his career. Audiences will now be hoping this won't be his only win of the season. The last time Miller was on the top step of the podium was at the Dutch GP in 2016. This wasn't the only surprise for Ducati for the weekend though, as Bagnaia stepped onto the second podium spot.
Miller showing all his emotion. Courtesy of: Moto GP website
Third place went to Morbidelli who "…gave more than the maximum…" and "… risked a lot and finally…was rewarded with the podium…".
A brilliant fourth place went to Nakagami (who equalled his best race finish in Moto GP), with Mir in 5th, A. Espargaro in 6th, Vinales 7th, Zarco 8th, another impressive ride for Marquez, who finished 9th and 10th place went to P. Espargaro.
Updated championship:
Le Mans (next race) is one of the next three race tracks which are typically good for the Ducati's. Will we see another Ducati whitewash? Or will someone else step up to the plate?
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Social Media black-out this weekend, together we can #DrawTheLine and #StopTheHate.
(Featured image, courtesy of: Getty Images)
Back-to-back victories for El Diablo
Controversy reigned in qualifying:
Local boy Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM – 88), took a tumble during the qualifying, which caused the yellow flags to be waved. During this time Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati – 63) was on his fastest lap and had also taken the lap record but it was taken away from him due to Oliveira's accident, although the yellow flag was out of his peripheral vision at the time, rules state that his lap be removed.
Bagnaia was not the only rider to be unhappy with the qualifying results. Maverick Vinales (Yamaha -12) started in 12th, one position behind Bagnaia. Due to exceeding track limits by having both tyres on the green, although this was only by mere millimetres.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda – 93), returned this weekend after his explosive crash in July at the start of the 2020 season. He seemed to take a tow from Alex Rins (Suzuki – 42) which gave Marquez a brief third place on the grid. But, his time was not enough to keep him there and he started in 6th place.
Courtesy of: MotoGP website
Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha – 20) – took pole, from Alex Rins (Suzuki – 42) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati – 5) who took up the front row. A surprise 8th place for Luca Marini (Sky VR46 10) with reigning Champion Joan Mir (Suzuki – 36) in 9th and regardless of his crash Oliveira rounded up 10th place.
Rookie Jorge Martin had a massive crash which unfortunately resulted in him not being able to race on Sunday.
Portuguese Moto GP race:
Portimao, with it's undulating bends and tight corners proved to be the place for Frenchman Quartararo to take back-to-back victories, in the third round of the championship.
Courtesy of: MCNews.com
Starting from pole, it seemed it was going to be a straight-forward race for Fabio, but he immediately went backwards to 5th place. Letting Zarco claim 1st into the first corner, leading from Rins and astonishingly Marc Marquez progressed to 3rd place. Mir also went up 6 places from the grid as did Brad Binder gaining 9th place for KTM.
With track temperatures now at 41 degrees the next 25 laps were sure to be sensational.
Quartararo was quick to put in a fastest lap, hoping to gain places back as soon as possible, taking 4th place from Miller. Only to have the fastest lap soon to be taken by Aleix Espargaro on lap three.
The battle was heating up already, with riders trying to gain ground with Quartararo soon taking 3rd place on lap 4 and Rins who was hot on the heels of leader Zarco. The Suzuki rider soon secured 1st place but the Ducati power proved too much and on the straight it was taken back.
Lap five saw a mechanical failure for Pol Espargaro (Honda – 41) and sadly he made an early retirement from the race. Rins once again battled for first place, this time brakes won over power and he was able to hold onto it, while Quartararo took 2nd.
Braking too hard however, caused Miller to crash out of the race on turn 3, lap 6.
Sadly for local boy Oliveira turn 14 also saw him crash out on lap 7, but he managed to get back on the bike to finish the race in 16th place.
Hard rear tyres seemed to be the right call for the riders as Bagnaia passed Marquez for 8th place, making his way through the pack and Quartararo was hunting down Rins for 1st. Unfortunately, Yamaha rider Vinales could not do the same and was outside the top 15.
Into the first corner of lap 9, Fabio decided to take 1st place and pushed hard to break-away from Rins. Getting faster and faster sections the further into the laps he went. A brilliant ride from Binder saw him progress from 15th on the grid to 6th place by lap 11. With the two Marquez brothers claiming 9th and 10th.
Lap 13 saw Bagnaia take fastest lap (1:39:728), in 6th place. Closing down on Morbidelli. All the while Rins was putting pressure on Quartararo and trying to catch up enough to pass him.
Bagnaia making his way through the pack. Courtesy of: MotoGP website
Quartararo responded with another fastest lap (1:39:680).
The battle between the Frenchman and the Spaniard continued to escalate and Rins regained fastest lap (1:39:598) on lap 15.
A bump in the circuit caused Rossi to crash out with 11 laps to the finish and track limit warnings were handed out to Morbidelli and Vinales, the latter had already fell fowl to them in qualifying.
Still fighting for 1st place, Rins took fastest lap yet again twice in a row and was pushing himself to his limits trying to catch Quartararo. Sadly, it proved to be to much for the number 41 and he crashed out with only 7 laps to the end. Zarco gained 2nd place with Bagnaia 3rd and Mir 4th. Creating the four riders to break away from the rest of the pack.
Moments after Bagnaia took 2nd place from Zarco, the Frenchman fell, seemingly from another bump in the circuit. Quartararo now lead Bagnaia and reigning champion Mir.
Quartararo seemed to be able to handle the hard rear tyre and use it to his advantage. Slowly gaining a 5.276 second lead ahead of the other two riders who followed behind.
This gap proved to be too big for any of the riders to close down and Quartararo took a very clean victory, with no mistakes, at Portimao. Mir looked to have one last attack in him for 2nd, but Bagnaia gave nothing away. They claimed the last two places on the podium. Morbidelli, with a return to form, just missed out and finished 4th.
Morbidelli back on form. Courtesy of: MotoGP website
Marc Marquez made a herculean effort, even having to change his riding style for race-day and finished a respectable 7th place, remaining ahead of his brother.
Nakagami, who looked like he wasn't going to be able to even start the race, due to injuries sustained in practice sessions managed to finish the race completing the top 10 riders.
Incredibly six different manufactures finished in the top 7 positions.
The championship standings:
Quartararo (61 points)
Bagnaia (46 points)
Vinales (41 points)
Zarco (40 points)
Mir (38 points)
With two weeks to wait until the fourth round of the championship, will it be enough time for Marc Marquez to heal any further or has this race halted his healing progress? Will it be a third race win in a row for the number 20? Or will we see a new race winner in 2021?
Happy Birthday to Fabio Quartararo for Tuesday 20th April.
(Featured image: Courtesy of Moto GP website)
Posted on 5th April 2021 5th April 2021
Un et Deux – the French reign at Doha
Round two under the Qatar lights found some riders floundering and some soaring. If it was thought to be a repeat of last weekend then audiences were in for a shock.
The qualifying had the biggest surprise which came from the rookie, Jorge Martin who took pole! With a 1.53.106 second lap, snatching it from Vinales, who was confident he had done enough at the flag. Next position went to Martin's team-mate and Vinales ended up 3rd to round off the front row. The Suzuki's still seemed to have issues with qualifying and ended up in 8th and 9th. Rossi made changes to his bike which turned out to hinder his chances at getting another 4th in qualifying this time and ended up 21st on the grid.
Martin takes pole on Saturday. Courtesy of: Moto GP website
All riders started Sunday on both rear and front soft tyres again, with the exception of Oliveira, Binder, Lecuona and Petrucci. Perhaps they had thought a different strategy may help them in the closing section of the race. Once again, the wind was blowing and causing sand to go across the track, meaning the tyres would degrade quicker.
The two front Ducati's got a flying start, with Martin leading Zarco but it was Vinales that went backwards as Aleix Espargaro came through and took 3rd place from the Spaniard, a very surprising Oliveira, who was 12th on the grid, shot into 4th . The next 22 laps were sure to be exciting!
By lap three, Rins had already made the fastest lap, eager to make it to the front early on, now in 3rd place, he started putting pressure on Zarco.
Lap four was Bagnaia's turn to take fastest lap. But it was the Suzuki's that were looking menacing as Mir came through to 5th place and Rins took 2nd from Zarco. However, the Ducati took back the position on the straight.
Meanwhile the factory Yamahas were sticking to their plan, which was to conserve tyres and were in 9th and 10th place.
With 17 laps to go Martin was still leading, in only his second Moto GP race, from Rins and Zarco.
Martin leads Rins. Courtesy of: Moto GP website
Performing well in the flowing corners, the Suzuki was putting pressure on the rookie, but the straight, once again was the time for Zarco to pounce, re-gaining 2nd.
Trying to hunt down Martin, Rins took back 2nd place from the Frenchman on turn 10 – lap 8. He knew he had to breakaway from Zarco before the straight. With 13 laps to go Oliveira started to go backwards, unfortunately, the tyre choice didn't seem to be any better.
The two Petronas riders were struggling as well – not even in the top ten.
The top nine riders however, were starting to breakaway from the rest of the pack and were creating their own race. Martin still lead, now half-way through the 22 laps, whilst Vinales was bringing up the rear. The first six bikes were all four Ducati's and the two Suzuki's. Espargaro on the Aprilia, was the only bike not with it's teammate, out in front of the two factory Yamaha's.
Mir and Miller were battling for 5th place on lap 13, Mir touched Miller going underneath him to take the position. But, coming onto the straight Miller (43) went wide and and seemed to go straight into Mir, forcing him to go all the way back to 9th. There was an investigation from the stewards but both times were seen as racing incidents.
Things went from bad to worse for Alex Marquez who had a second DNF in a row as he crashed on lap 14.
However, things were looking good for Quartararo (20), who was moving through the front pack and was now 4th, behind the Ducati's, with 8 laps till the end. Battling for the position alongside Rins, he knew he had to create a chance in order to get on the podium. His teammate was now in 7th with Mir still in 9th place. It seemed the Yamaha's tactic was paying off.
With six laps till the end, 20 took 3rd place from 43, it was taken straight back on the start-finish line but a mistake going into the first corner from Miller meant Quartararo re-took 3rd once more. The battle for the podium was heating up.
The two Frenchmen then fought for 2nd on lap 18. Zarco tried to defend but Quartararo's Yamaha had conserved tyres better and was stronger on the corners, meaning he was able to take 1st place as well on turn 14, leading into turn 15, from Martin. The rookie had shocked everyone by leading for most of the race. Martin wasn't going to give his position away easily and on the straight the Ducati roared past the Yamaha. But, Quartararo re-gained first place soon after.
With four laps to go it was anyone's call who would win. Quartararo now lead Martin, Zarco and Vinales.
Top Gun' briefly took 3rd place from Zarco, which took Zarco out of the top three for the first time the whole race.
'El Diablo' started to pull away from the two satellite Ducati's and with Vinales putting pressure on Zarco, Zarco decided he needed to try and make a pass on his teammate. Martin went defensive with two laps to go, not wanting to give away his position. Vinales couldn't keep up with number 5 and Rins took 4th place from him into turn one on the last lap. The penultimate corner of the last lap was Zarco's last shot at 2nd, after admitting in the post-race interview he was acting as a "… bodyguard for Martin…" he decided to over-take his team-mate to finish 2nd.
It was Quartararo that took the chequered flag, taking his fourth Moto GP victory alongside fellow Frenchman Zarco. The first time in 67 years that two Frenchmen have stood first and second on the podium in the premier class. Martin finished an impressive third to round off the podium. Fourth was Rins, fifth Vinales, sixth and seventh place were the factory Dukes and Mir managed to make up two places since the collision with Miller to finish seventh.
Zarco stood on the podium for the 50th time and now leads the championship with 40 points. Proving to be consistent with two second places in a row.
This thrilling battle was the closest Moto GP race in 73 years. Teams learnt from last weekend and everyone seemed far stronger.
There is now a two week gap until the next event, but the big news is Marc Marquez is said to be making a return in Portugal, which leads into the many European races. Will we see a fit, strong and hungry Marquez? Will the other riders be too far ahead of him? Or will we witness a masterclass performance?
Whatever the outcome, it is sure to be a thrilling ride.
Featured image courtesy of: Moto GP website.
It's a first for Top Gun
After not being able to race at Qatar in 2020, audiences were eagerly awaiting the first Moto GP race of 2021.
But, did it live up to everyone's expectations? Under those amazing bright lights, we got to see the new glistening colours of the teams, the glittering helmets of the riders and one intriguing race.
All teams chose to start with both front and rear soft tyres, which would always be an interesting factor as the laps progressed.
The Ducati's, who had dominated Qatar in 2019 and 2018, got an amazing start with four of their bikes leading the pack from the beginning. Bagnaia was out in front from Miller, who was participating in his 100th Moto GP start, following him were Zarco and Martin. Martin managed to make up an impressive 10 places from the grid and Zarco made up four. The Ducati power was definitely something to witness, three Yamahas then followed suit.
Sand being blown over the track due to the high winds caused Petrucci to be the first to fall on lap one.
By lap two Zarco had passed Miller to take second place. However it was Bagnaia that managed to clinch fastest lap by lap 3. Quartararo was also pushing hard and managed to get fourth place in the same lap. Last year's champion Mir, was now pushing through the pack and was behind Rossi in ninth.
Fastest lap went to Quartararo on lap 4, who was behind his teammate at the time.
Martin in his first race in Moto GP, battled hard to keep his position but the Yamahas proved to much for him and he went to sixth place on lap 5. Vinales then took fastest lap from his teammate, whilst taking his new position past Martin.
Bagnaia, Miller, Quartararo and Vinales managed to break- away from the pack and create their own race. With Aleix Espargaro slowly hunting Valentino down, who was on the next Yamaha along, in his new team Petronas. Espargaro managed to pass him on lap 7. In the meantime Rossi's new team mate, Morbidelli had fell to position twentieth.
Unfortunately for last year's pole man and Honda's top qualifier this year – Nakagami crashed out on the same lap. Meanwhile, Rins and Mir, on the two Suzuki's, carried on tracking down the front five.
By lap 12, Vinales had made it to second place and was showing Bagnaia that he meant business. His teammate (20) went backwards to sixth place.
Martin had gone backwards as well to thirteenth place on lap 13. Zarco was remaining steady in third.
By lap 14, Vinales was pushing Bagnaia, but neither one was willing to give in. Alex Marquez then finished LCR's hope to get any points during the race by also crashing out. Both riders were un-hurt.
A new contender for the front was appearing, Rins seemed to be the one to watch. With 8 laps until the end he and Miller were battling on the track.
Lap 15, Vinales took the opportunity and passed Bagnaia for prime position. He pushed straight away and managed to make a gap from the super-quick Ducati's.
Reigning champion Mir, was still slowly progressing and took fifth place from Miller on lap 16.
On the first corner of lap 17, Zarco on the satellite Ducati passed the full factory Ducati rider Bagnaia, whose tyres may have been degrading faster then others by this point, having lead for most of the race.
Vinales now lead Zarco, Bagnaia and the two Suzuki's. Had the Suzuki's qualified better, they may have been further up the pack quicker and would have been fighting for the all important podium positions.
With five laps to go Rins looked menacing behind his teammate Mir. But it was Mir that lined up to pass Bagnaia and finally took third place on lap 20. But Bagnaia didn't want to give up the place easily. Mir who had been steadily chipping away, coming from 10th on the grid was now in third place, with Zarco still in second and Vinales leading.
Into the final lap, Mir passed Zarco on turn 15, for second place. Fighting constantly against the raging winds, the two Ducati's were now following as he tried to get away, but he missed the apex into turn 16 and went slightly wide. Mir held firm but as the Dukes shifted into third gear, the speed proved to be too much again for the Suzuki and they passed the number 36 on the final straight. A crest-fallen Suzuki team and many fans had their hearts in their mouths while witnessing yet again the might of the Red Devils.
Top Gun, who proved to be super smooth, won the opening race with Zarco (who had not left the top three from lap one – remaining constant throughout) and Bagnaia taking third on the podium.
Last points scorer went to Martin.
Bagnaia commented at the end of the race "…my bike saved my podium…" with Vinales saying that the "…Ducati's are unbelievable…". Is this the first glimpse of Ducati's come-back?
Qatar will once again host the Moto GP race next weekend at the same time. Will we see the same people battling it out at the front? Or have people shown their hands? And how will others respond?
Courtesy of: GresiniRacing.com
Lastly, it was with great sadness to hear that recently Moto GP lost someone very special – Fausto Gresini. He will be greatly missed within Moto GP, Moto 2 and 3.
Featured image courtesy of Yamaha Racing
Racing Legends: Marc Marquez
There are talented racers in Moto GP and then there are those who seem to be born to race. Ones that stand out from the crowd. Marc Marquez is one of those riders. With his natural ability, his intelligence, understanding of racing and his wonderful family support behind him, culminate to an unstoppable force.
Courtesy of: MichelinMotorsport.com
Born February 1993, in Cerevera, Spain. Marquez has always gravitated towards a career in Motorcycle racing. Thriving from his family's love and encouragement, Marc has gone on to be a phenomenon in his own right. He has shown audiences worldwide that he has the passion, courage and correct character that all great champions need.
Starting off racing competitively in the Catalan and Spanish National Championships Marquez went on to race in the 125's. Only six races into his first season he scored his first podium. Learning how to use the bike to his full advantage, he carried on this momentum into his second season in 2009. Finishing in the top 10.
2010 became the first actual taste of Marquez's true talent. Winning the 125 championship, just 17 years and 263 days old. The second youngest 125 champion after Loris Capirossi, who was just 17 years and 165 days old.
Progressing into the Moto 2 class in 2011, Marquez only took one season to learn, conquering in 2012, becoming the new world champion.
Not wishing to carry on in Moto 2, Marquez then progressed again, this time to the Premier Class. Showing his determination to be a Moto GP champion, he won his first race on the Honda, in only the second race of the season in Texas, a new track for Moto GP. It was here that he also became the youngest ever pole setter, the youngest ever race winner of the top class at just 20 years and 62 days and he completed the full set with the fastest lap, a superb achievement.
He was soon breaking all the youngest ever records and setting new ones. In only his first year he managed the impossible – winning the entire championship, by only 4 points, over Jorge Lorenzo. The first time a rookie had won since 1978 (Kenny Roberts Snr). Becoming the youngest ever World Champion at 20 years and 266 days and the youngest rider to win back-to-back Grand Prix races in the Premier Class at Laguna Seca and Sachsenring.
Putting any doubters to rest, saying that he would only be a one-time champion, he won back-to-back seasons in 2014, securing victory with three races to spare. Setting new records for the most wins in a season as well as most pole positions in a year and beating Mick Doohan's record of twelve race wins in one season. The same year saw his younger brother Alex also win a title, in Moto 3.
Winning five races and retiring in six, Marquez found himself finishing third overall in 2015, having not been able to match the consistency of Yamaha team-mates Rossi and Lorenzo. Having three collisions on-track with Rossi, controversy about his "aggressive riding style" drew criticism, yet again, from his fellow riders, namely Rossi with whom he had battled numerous times for the championship. Some racing fans turned against Marquez, even booing him on the podium, but things soon settled down again when Rossi and Marquez embraced in parc ferme after the race which followed the tragic death of Moto 2 rider Luis Salom.
Despite not winning the 2015 title, Marquez was still putting himself firmly in the history books. Becoming the first rider to win six consecutive races at one track – Sachsenring – his most successful track.
Courtesy of: Motorsport.com. A seemingly impossible save
However, having this set back in 2015 spurred him on to win in 2016 and once again be crowned Moto GP World Champion, in Japan. The culmination of new Michelin tyres and new bike restriction rules saw audiences witness nine race winners during this season.
Struggling at the start of the 2017 championship, Honda decided they needed to find a suitable set-up for Marc's personal riding style. They soon found it and he went on to win the races at Germany, Czech Republic, Misano and Australia. Dovizioso, who was his closest rival that year, kept the championship alive up to the final round, but ultimately Marquez held onto his title.
Courtesy of: Asphalt & rubber.com. Soaking up the championship win.
With history repeating itself the following year, Dovizioso seemed to be Marquez's main on-track rival in 2018, but several crashes ruled out his contention to be Moto GP Champion and Marquez once again won the title. This same year Dani Pedrosa, Marc's team mate decided to retire, he was replaced by fellow countryman Jorge Lorenzo.
Marquez won eleven races in 2019, sealing victory with an impressive four rounds left until the end of the season. This was now his sixth Premier Class Championship title, having only been in the top-class for the past seven years. He has become the youngest rider in the history of Moto GP to win seven World Championships and the youngest rider to have won five premier-class titles. At the end of 2019 Lorenzo also retired, leading the way for Marquez's younger brother Alex to partner up with him at Honda.
Courtesy of: Motorsport.com. Celebrating the 2019 win with brother Alex.
This team looked to be the perfect match, with the brothers being so close, they would share everything and hopefully bring both sides of the Honda garage together.
However, this was not to be. Having done so many impossible saves, Marc was unable to save his bike and had a very heavy crash in just the first race of the new season, in Qatar on lap 20 and broke a bone in his arm. This resulted in him having to miss the entire year. Having gone under numerous surgeries since the accident, he is determined to come back strong and fighting again in 2021.
Hopefully we will witness the same Marc Marquez we have grown to admire. With his unique racing style and positive attitude, there surely will be more records set and broken.
All Material on this website is copyrighted and shall not be reproduced or copied without permission.
This website is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula One group of companies. F1, FORMULA ONE, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing B.V
©2017 The Pitcrewonline


Learning Chapters is the first and only tuition centre in Singapore to offer a mindfulness-based curriculum for our tuition programme. Our unique "5 minute Habit" is aimed at improving students' focus and concentration. All new students are given a free one-time workshop* to be introduced to mindfulness and be taught some mindfulness activities that the students can do during their free time. There are also regular "Beat the Stress" sessions* held free-of-charge for our centre students. Learn more about mindfulness here.
Click here to learn more about our tuition programme. Or sign up for our classes now!


Next » Whatever happened to winter this year?
In the continuing saga of trying to understand all things Thai at the moment, a must read book is "The King Never Smiles" written by Paul M Handley, an American journalist who until recently lived in Thailand for 13 years or so.
In all my discussions on Thaksin and current nonsensical developments in Thailand, I have always known that no discussion would be complete without understanding the king's influence in the scheme of things. His influence is far more prosaic but real than we would dare imagine. Yet, either no one will discuss it, or those who can will see only the imagery we have all come to accept of a king who loves his people and so on.
One theme the book develops quite well, is in drawing attention to the king's role in almost all the coups and return to military occupations that the country has succumbed to in the past 30-40 years. It's like if something happens once, it is understandable to say he had no choice. But when he intervenes again and again, then something must be said about his deep tendencies.
The book is written almost Thai style, with court intrigues and the stuff that goes into telling a Thai story. In a sense, how else would you tell a Thai story? Unanswered historical incidences, the pampering of his son by the queen, the status of his eldest daughter and everything that contributes to where Thailand really stands today, both as a monarchical society and as a modern economy.
Was Handley biased in any way? I would say, if biased, then necessarily so as to draw out the issues that must be discussed to be understood.
PS: Having said that, a number of monarchies in the region must be demystified in order to discuss their countries in a constructive manner. If anyone asks me which country in the world I like the least, I would certainly say, Brunei Darrusalam. Here is a country where the king is one of the richest people in the world, but he would not even invest his money in his own country, and his people are basically lost in terms of what they can achieve. For the longest time, there was no reason to argue with the fact that the average Bruneian really had nowhere to go or to do or achieve. But now that several Arab countries – in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait – have started inviting global expertise to help diversify and deepen their economies, the question must be asked – what is the Sultan of Brunei doing with his 300,000 people? Is it in his interest to keep them docile and disenfranchised? Not any more, I should think.
The Author is just a frog in a small bowl who believed that is an ocean.
(Kindle Edition) I am considering tnarelivg to Thailand so I thought I'd get this book to browse through it to learn more. While there were a couple good tips, there was NO editing of this book it seemed. Punctuation was missing, the same sentence would be repeated two or three times in a row, etc. Once I was about 3/4 of the way through the book, it wouldn't let me go forward/backwards any pages. It locked up my Kindle and I had to restart it (took several times to work!). Freaked me out a bit, since thats the first time that has happened. If I tried any other book it worked, but if I went back to this Thailand book, it locked up again. I deleted it from my Kindle but even doing that locked it up. Once I restarted it and it was off my Kindle, I was good again and I haven't had problems with other books. I'm deleting this book completely from my Kindle library to avoid any more problems. I'm not sure if this would happen to you too, but to me, it seems like it had a virus attached to the book or something to cause all the problems. Buyer beware (and definitely if bad editing bugs you too).


As part of the changes to the 2015 GPL, the region consisting of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao left the GPL and began to compete instead in the League of Legends Master Series, or "LMS." Eight teams from the TW/HK/MO region qualify and compete over two seasons to qualify for the 2015 Season World Championship.
Additionally all players receive a guaranteed salary of NT$158,400 (Approximately $5,106 USD) per split by Garena Taiwan.


text:
Q: Load Mbtiles using Nutiteq SDK from Mapbox I am figuring out the way to load the mbtiles from mapbox using nutiteq SDK. I know how to load the mbtiles offline using this code
// 1. Create tile data source from mbtiles file
MBTilesTileDataSource tileDataSource = new MBTilesTileDataSource("/sdcard/estonia_ntvt.mbtiles");

// 2. Load vector tile styleset
UnsignedCharVector styleBytes = AssetUtils.loadBytes("osmbright.zip");
MBVectorTileStyleSet vectorTileStyleSet = new MBVectorTileStyleSet(styleBytes);

// 3. Create vector tile decoder using the styleset
VectorTileDecoder vectorTileDecoder = new MBVectorTileDecoder(vectorTileStyleSet);

// 4. Create vector tile layer, using previously created data source and decoder
TileLayer vectorTileLayer = new VectorTileLayer(tileDataSource, vectorTileDecoder);

// 5. Add vector tile layer
mapView.getLayers().add(vectorTileLayer);

Is there a way to load it directly from mapbox mbtiles url using Nutiteq SDK?

A: What do you mean by "mapbox mbtiles url", can you give an example? By mbtiles you mean offline packages?
I can think of following MapBox URLs:
a. For MapBox as online raster source see https://developer.nutiteq.com/guides/raster-tile-sources
b. For MapBox as online vector source you need to define also styling, and it needs a bit more coding:
    // load style file from assets. Nutiteq style is quite well compatible with MapBox Streets,
    //   even though NT vector tiles are a bit different
    UnsignedCharVector styleBytes = AssetUtils.loadBytes("nutibright-v2.zip");
    if (styleBytes != null){

        // Create style set
        MBVectorTileStyleSet vectorTileStyleSet = new MBVectorTileStyleSet(styleBytes);
        MBVectorTileDecoder vectorTileDecoder = new MBVectorTileDecoder(vectorTileStyleSet);

        // Create tile data source and layer for vector tiles
        TileDataSource vectorTileDataSource = new HTTPTileDataSource(0, 14, "http://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v4/mapbox.mapbox-streets-v5/{zoom}/{x}/{y}.vector.pbf?access_token=pk...YOUR-MAPBOX-KEY");
        VectorTileLayer baseLayer = new VectorTileLayer(vectorTileDataSource, vectorTileDecoder);

        // add layer to map
        mapView.getLayers().add(baseLayer);

    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


David W. Aha is a person.
(McDowell et al., 2007) ⇒ L. McDowell, K. M. Gupta, and David W. Aha. (2007). "Cautious Inference in Collective Classification." In: Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI 2007).
(Wettschereck et al., 1997) ⇒ Dietrich Wettschereck, David W. Aha, and Takao Mohri. (1997). "A Review and Empirical Evaluation of Feature Weighting Methods for a Class of Lazy Learning Algorithms." In: Artificial Intelligence Review, 11.
(Murphy & Aha, 1995) ⇒ P. M. Murphy, and David W. Aha. UCI repository of machine learning databases. Irvine, CA: University of California, Department of Information and Computer Science, 1995. ftp://ics.uci.edu/pub/machine-learning-databases.
David W. Aha. (1989a). "Incremental, Instance-based Learning of Independent and Graded Concept Descriptions." In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop on Machine Learning (pp. 387–391). Ithaca, NY: Morgan Kaufmann.
David W. Aha. (1989b). "Incremental Learning of Independent, Overlapping, and Graded Concepts with an Instance-based Process Framework (Technical Report 89–10). Irvine, CA: University of California, Irvine, Department of Information and Computer Science.
David W. Aha. (1989c). "Tolerating Noise, Irrelevant Attributes, and Novel Attributes in Instance-based Learning Algorithms." In: Proceedings of the IJCAI-1989 Workshop on Symbolic Problem Solving in Noisy, Novel, and Uncertain Task Environments.
David W. Aha, and Dennis Kibler. (1989). "Noise-tolerant Instance-based Learning Algorithms." In: Proceedings of the Eleventh International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 1989).


All My Friends are Engaged has been mashed up and recorded into an audio book. So all you book-on-tape lovers, people who need some soothing background noise during your next meditation session, or those who need a pump up jam to listen to before heading out on their next first date – well, then, press play.
If you want to know the truth: this whole audio book things makes me a bit uneasy. Having someone else read my writing, my stories, my awkwardly strung together words – makes me uncomfortable – in the same way that having a large group of people sing you 'Happy Birthday' often does.


text:
Chauntelle Johnson
Chauntelle has been coaching youth sports since the age of 16. Her basketball coaching experience started with many summers working basketball camps for her uncle, who coached college basketball locally.
Chauntelle was a collegiate swimmer at Missouri State University, where she helped lead her team to three Missouri Valley Conference championships. While there she earned First Team All-Conference accolades all four years in the program, and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team in 2007.
After college, Chauntelle worked in Community Relations with the Seattle Sonics and then spent 3 years working in Community Relations for the Seattle Storm, running camps, clinics and other WNBA league-wide initiatives.
While working full time in sport management, Chauntelle spent 8 seasons coaching at Mercer Island High School as a swim coach for both the girls and boys programs. In six years as the head coach, she helped lead the teams to eight state championships and four runner up finishes at the WIAA state meet. Chauntelle was also named the WISCA 3A State Coach of the Year for Girls Swimming and the NFHS Coaches Association State Coach of the Year in Washington for Girls Swimming during the 2012-13 season.
Chauntelle has a BS in Entertainment Management (Missouri State) and a Masters in Sport Administration and Leadership (Seattle U).
Chauntelle's husband, Michael, was a collegiate basketball player. They are both avid sports fans and have two daughters, Savannah (7) and Carly (4). In her spare time, you will find Chauntelle on a tennis court or playing rec league basketball.
Chauntelle believes strongly in empowering and encouraging athletes as they play! Sports are the catalyst to doing amazing things - both with the body and the mind. Her goal is to help athletes unlock those areas and be the best versions of themselves that they can be.
Back to Coaches Page

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Toolbar items dissapear when view changed with UIActionSheet When initiating a view from a UIActionSheet button, upon returning to the view via the navigationBar back button, the toolbar while still visible does not have any of the buttons that were previously on it. This error has arisen since updating to iOS 6 and occurs while testing it on the simulator and a device running iOS 6 only. If I comment out the code that hides the toolbar on the view pushed by the UIActionSheet the buttons are added when going back.
I'm making my toolbar items programatically in viewWillAppear and showing the UIActionSheet from the toolbar which I'm accessing via self.navigationController.toolbar.
Any idea what is causing this problem? It's only happened since iOS 6 has come around so is there any changes that I need to take into account regarding viewWillAppear?
This is how the view is pushed from the actionSheet:
- (void)actionSheet:(UIActionSheet *)actionSheet clickedButtonAtIndex:(NSInteger)buttonIndex {

    if (actionSheet.tag == 2) {

    if (buttonIndex == 0) {

        [self dismissAllTips];

        self.actionNoteAddView= [[self.storyboard instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier:@"IDActionNoteAddView"] retain];

        actionNoteAddView.note_id = 0;
        actionNoteAddView.iscompleted=0;

        [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] setBool:NO forKey:@"tool_tips"];

        [self.navigationController pushViewController:actionNoteAddView animated:TRUE];

        [actionNoteAddView release];

    }else if(buttonIndex == 1){

        ...

These are the view methods for the pushed view:
-(void)viewWillAppear:(BOOL)animated{

    [super viewWillAppear:animated];

    self.navigationItem.hidesBackButton = NO;
    [self.navigationController setToolbarHidden:YES];

    txtcontent.layer.cornerRadius = 10.0f;

}

-(void)viewDidAppear:(BOOL)animated{

    [super viewDidAppear:animated];

}

These are the view methods for the view that pushed the view using the actionSheet:
- (void) viewWillAppear:(BOOL)animated{

    [super viewWillAppear:animated];

    self.navigationItem.hidesBackButton = YES;
    [self.navigationController setToolbarHidden:NO];
    self.navigationController.navigationBarHidden=NO;

    self.navigationController.navigationBar.barStyle = UIBarStyleBlackOpaque;
    self.navigationController.navigationBar.tintColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.8 green:0.45 blue:0.2 alpha:1];
    self.navigationController.toolbar.barStyle = UIBarStyleBlackOpaque;
    self.navigationController.toolbar.tintColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.8 green:0.45 blue:0.2 alpha:1];

    UIImage *actionButtonImage = [UIImage imageNamed:@"31-circle-plus@2x.png"];
    UIBarButtonItem *actionButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithImage:actionButtonImage style:UIBarButtonItemStylePlain target:self action:@selector(actionPressed:)
                                     ];

    UIImage *dashButtonImage = [UIImage imageNamed:@"19-gear.png"];
    UIBarButtonItem *dashButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithImage:dashButtonImage style:UIBarButtonItemStylePlain target:self action:@selector(settingsPressed:)];

    UIBarButtonItem *flexItem = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithBarButtonSystemItem:UIBarButtonSystemItemFlexibleSpace
                                                                              target:nil
                                                                              action:nil];

    NSArray *toolitems = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:dashButton, flexItem, actionButton, flexItem, nil];

    [self setToolbarItems:toolitems];

    self.title = @"Dashboard";

    defaultProfile.text = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] stringForKey:@"default_profile"];

    BOOL dailyProcess = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] boolForKey:@"daily_process"];

    if(dailyProcess){

        [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] setBool:NO forKey:@"daily_process"];
        [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] synchronize];

        loading = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 320, 480)];

        labelProcess = [[UILabel alloc]initWithFrame:CGRectMake(60, 105, 240, 30)];
        labelProcess.text = @"Processing...";
        labelProcess.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
        labelProcess.textColor=[UIColor colorWithRed:0.8 green:0.45 blue:0.2 alpha:1];
        [labelProcess setFont:[UIFont systemFontOfSize:20]];

        loading.opaque = NO;
        loading.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:0.0f alpha:0.6f];

        indicator = [[UIActivityIndicatorView alloc] initWithActivityIndicatorStyle:UIActivityIndicatorViewStyleWhiteLarge];
        [indicator setHidesWhenStopped:YES];
        indicator.center = self.view.center;

        [self.view addSubview:loading];
        [self.view addSubview:indicator];

        [self.view addSubview:labelProcess];

        [indicator startAnimating];

    }

}

-(void)viewDidAppear:(BOOL)animated{

    [super viewDidAppear:animated];

    CGRect frame = CGRectMake(157, 365, 10, 10);
    UIView *viewToPointAt = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:frame];

    [self.view addSubview:viewToPointAt];

    BOOL willies = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] boolForKey:@"tool_tips"];

    if(willies==YES){

        if(popTip == nil) {

            popTip = [[[CMPopTipView alloc] initWithMessage:@"Step 1/3: This is the Action Button. You can create, view and auto-fill notes which are then added to your timeline.(Click for step 2)."] autorelease];
            popTip.delegate = self;

            [popTip presentPointingAtView:viewToPointAt inView:self.view animated:YES];
            popTip.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.8 green:0.45 blue:0.2 alpha:1];
            popTip.textColor = [UIColor whiteColor];

        }

    }

    [viewToPointAt release];

}

A: Tried a lot of different techniques and eventually sorted it by showing it in one view method and hiding it in the next. It's one fo the strangest bugs I have encountered and this is hardly a fix, but I hate having unanswered questions.

A: You may solve this by hiding the toolbar in the next view, but that is not a very good solution, as other views that can be possibly opened from the view that contains the toolbar will all have to hide the toolbar when needed, this is annoying.
Another solution is to hide the toolbar in viewDidDisappear but there is another problem, let's say another new view needs the toolbar as well, and it sets the toolbar visible in its own viewWillAppear then the problem is that the viewWillAppear for the new view will be called actually before viewDidDisappear of the previous view, so in that case the toolbar disappear even the new view desires it.
Anyway, I'm not sure if this is a bug of iOS6 as it works fine for iOS5, what worked for me was to wrap the code that opens the new view into dispatch_async(dispatch_queue_t queue, dispatch_block_t block), my understanding is that by doing this the action sheet will be dismissed before the new view is shown as you put the code that opens the new view to the end of the main queue(like what we did for viewDidDisappear, but this happens before the call to viewWillAppear of next view so it works perfect).

A: Got the solution, and I think it is an Apple bug in iOS 6.0 and above.
In the NavigationController view stack if any view hides the toolbar, e.g. self.navigationController.toolbarHidden = YES, then since that point on all the Views that had already created a toolBar with buttons, will loose the buttons.
So, my solution to this problem was to keep the toolBar in all the Views(had to compromise on the UI, but in my app pikSpeak, the functionality was very important.)

A: This is an ancient thread, I know, but I just recently ran into this problem.  The clue to my solution was that some delay was needed between pushing a new view and closing the action sheet.  I changed from using clickedButtonAtIndex to didDismissWithButtonIndex so that the push would occur after the action sheet was gone.  Problem solved!


Though distant and sunny shores may beckon, you'd be surprised at the number of hidden gems closer to home that are perfect for keeping the kids entertained during a half-term holiday, rain, shine or snow.
Home to the European Parliament for six months of the year, Strasbourg is a great place for a short break. The city's Cathedrale de Nôtre Dame soars over the old town and kids will love its famous astronomical clock. Nearby Place Kléber, with its water fountains, is a good traffic-free space for kids to run about while you stop for lunch.
If you like a bit of history, then take a stroll around Petite France's narrow canals flanked by half-timbered houses, try an Alsatian delicacy or sit in a cosy beer snug. Children can run off some steam in the Parc de l'Orangerie , which boasts several play areas, a lake where you can rent boats, a free mini-zoo with flamingos, monkeys, goats and the ubiquitous stork; the symbol of Strasbourg.
Strasbourg has a great tram system, and a 24 hour 'trio' ticket provides unlimited travel for three people costing less than 10 Euros. Children under 5 travel free.
If you prefer the comforts of a hotel then the Mercure provides great family rooms, an indoor swimming pool and is close to a tram stop. Le Jean-Sébastien Bach hotel has family rooms and aparthotels, in addition to free parking, and is located close to the Parc de l'Orangerie.
Explore the cobbled streets of Maastricht and the lovely Vrijthof Square, or browse for some books in the nearby Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore – a 13th century Dominican church converted into an impressive contemporary bookstore which The Guardian called the "best bookstore in the world".
Just outside the city you can visit the town of Valkenberg with its famous castle, velvet caves, cable car, and year-round toboggan ride.
There are several main brand hotels like Novotel and Crown Plaza, but if you're looking for a kid-friendly place the Townhouse design hotel gets good reviews. Narvik Home Parc's Mooi Zutendaal has lovely log cabins which are perfect for families, in a complex complete with nature trails, an indoor pool and play areas. Landal's Domein de Cauberg offers self-catering cottages and flats. Both destinations are less than 30 minutes drive to Maastricht.
A bit further afield, but full of charm, Dijon makes a great family break. Perhaps seen as more of a summer destination there is however still lots to enjoy in the winter months, with the added bonus of a string of beautiful historic villages and towns nearby.
The wonderful Musee de la vie Bourguignonne (free entry) has life-size displays of what the streets, shops and even a family kitchen might have looked like in Burgundy a few hundred years ago. There are plenty of hands-on activities to keep children entertained, such as dressing up in 19th century clothes or colouring in pictures of one of the display scenes. For lunch you can taste the regions signature dish, Boeuf Bourguignon, while the kids run around the fountain-filled and traffic-free Place de la Liberation. Need to walk off that lunch? Then the Jardin de l'Arquebuse, Dijon's Botanical Gardens, is a lovely place for a relaxing stroll and situated at the edge of the Gardens is the Natural History Museum (free entry).
Weather permitting, you can rent bikes or zip wire through the trees (age 6 and up) at Parc de la Colombieres, which also has farm animals and a jungle gym.
Fancy something very different? In nearby Alesia you can visit the new Gallo-Roman Museum which provides children's audio guides in several languages, re-enactments from both the Gaul and Roman perspectives and the chance to try out sword fighting. If your children are too small to appreciate the history of Vercingetorix, you can check them into the free crèche filled with toys and craft activities.
Dijon is a popular place to rent a holiday home, and you can find everything from small apartments to country houses for rent here. In town, the Appartement Jeannin & Antiquaires comes highly recommended.
It's long been a popular destination and it's easy to see why. Magical nature parks, abandoned mines, fairytale castles and of course, black forest cake are all great attractions.
To see indigenous wildlife visit the Steinwasen Adventure Park near Freiburg, also home to a 218 metre long rope bridge, rides and other attractions. Need more animals? Try the Mundenhof Zoo(also in Freiburg). There's also an interesting alternative bear sanctuary and wolf park in Schapbach.
Since the Black Forest is such a big place stretching from Baden-Baden (so good they named it twice) to Freiburg there isn't time to list everything, but some highlights include: numerous thermal springs, a trip to a Grimm fairytale castle Berg Hohenzollern and any number of silver mines (for example, the mine in Mount Schauinsland region means taking Germany's longest cable car to reach the entrance). And the region isn't short of hotels or holiday homes so you're sure to find somewhere, even last minute.
If you are planning to go to the Black Forest in the spring, Europa Park (open from April) is a rival to Disneyland, but with slightly cheaper prices and a few less Princesses. It's themed on countries in Europe (although not all of them) and has rides, shows and other attractions to keep children big and small happy.
It's just over 3 hours' drive to Marne-la-Vallée where you'll find Disneyland Paris' Magic Kingdom and a vast number of hotels to suit all budgets, both within and outside of the Disney complex. The main reason to stay in-complex is the "magic hours" (their words not mine) you get before the park is open to everyone else. The new Villages Nature (a Disney meets Centreparcs village) has a vast indoor/outdoor swimming pool with several water slides, a farm and treetop adventure park. It is served by a regular bus to Disneyland and the train station plus has a bus service to the Charles de Gaul airport.
Have fun meeting a princess, being a Pirate of the Caribbean, flying a rebel spacecraft in StarTours or free-falling in the Tower of Terror. You can fast track certain rides to get timed tickets which means you don't have to queue. Entry tickets are not cheap, but the website has current offers here, and you should shop around on group discount sites.
You are also close enough to Paris to take in some of the city's sights. The station at Marne-la-Vallée runs services to the heart of Paris (approx 40 minutes one way) for a quick stop at the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
This picturesque part of Germany is home to pretty towns like Bad Munstereifel, a beautiful medieval walled town, in addition to a volcano park, wildlife centres and fairytale castles.
The 12th Century Eltz Castle sits on a secluded hilltop and is still owned by the same family, 33 generations on. Tours in English leave every hour. North of Bitburg the Daun Wildlife Park invites you to drive the 8km dirt road through the woods to visit donkeys, buffalo, llama, ostriches and wild boar. The monkey sanctuary let's you get up close and personal to our cousins, and there is an enormous playground equipped with trampolines and a reasonably priced restaurant.
Science enthusiasts will enjoy the Volcano Park in the Eifel region with exhibits on volcanoes, archaeology and industrial history as well as educational trails. The museum incorporates 25 stations which can be visited by road, cycle or foot. These include the Roman mine, the spectacular Andernach geyser and the Mendig lava dome. Interactive exhibits bring out the little scientist in your children.
Much of Bonn was destroyed during the Second World War, but there are still some historical remains and the fantastic German National Museum of Contemporary History. Willy Brandt's car, pieces of the Berlin Wall, and a tiny fragment of rock from the moon are among the 7,000 objects on display.
There are numerous local guesthouses where you can stay in a traditional timber house, and Landal ecoparks have family cabins in Eiffel and Wirfttal if you fancy a place with a pool and other facilities.
So close it's easy to make a day trip, but why not relax and take longer. The beautiful town of Saarburg provides a lovely setting for a relaxed lunch and walk past the waterfall, or a cable car trip to the nearby hilltop and an all-weather toboggan ride. The castle was built by Count Siegfried of Luxembourg in 946, and you can still walk around the ruins on a hill overlooking the town.
In nearby Merzig, the free Wolfpark Werner Freund is home to several species of wolves from Europe and the Americas, and offers numerous hiking paths through the forests. In the Roscheider Hof Folklore and Open Air Museum in Konz, you can explore everyday life from the regions of Eifel, Hunsrück, Saargau and parts of Lorraine and Luxembourg. There's a 1912 classroom and an exhibitions on everything from dentistry to wine growing. Mettlach is home to the Villeroy and Boch museum and Völklinger Hütte, formerly old blast furnaces but now a UNESCO heritage site in Völklingen houses an art gallery and science centre focussing on the four elements.
If sightseeing is starting to drag, visit Saarbrucken for some cut-price retail therapy at stores like Primark and TK Maxx, then wave a quick hello to the lemurs and meerkats at and the Saarbrucken Zoo or take a pony ride at Wildpark Saarbrücken.
Saarburg has several hotels and holiday apartments, and a Landal holiday park (slightly run down) next to the cable car stop, whilst nearby Centre Parcs Bostalsee, set by a pretty lake has a swimming pool with toboggan rides, a mini farm and other activities.


A new bathroom remodel should be fashionable, comfortable and practical in use. One of the big differences with a bathroom remodel is the amount is the amount of moisture that the bathroom fixtures, accessories, furniture and walls must absorb. It is essential that a bathroom is built with durable materials that are intended to withstand the humidity of a bathroom. Look for a design that won't shortly be outdated and will compliment your home.
Start your plan by thinking about your new bathroom.
Start off by really thinking about who will use the bathroom and how they will use it. Is it for guests or for you and your family? Will more than one person be using the bathroom at the same time? Will you want to use the bathroom to get ready in the morning? if so what should it include? If the bathroom is going to be used for kids think about how their use will change as they get older – n how they will get bigger. Let the use of the bathroom help you decide how you will proceed and what to prioritize. After you have a good idea of the uses for the bathroom, you will have to compare them with the limitation s of the cost of the bathroom remodel and the space that you have available for your new bathroom. Taking a few moments to answer these questions before you start will help you get the bathroom that you really need and want.
A good tip for getting started is to put your ideas down on paper first. Once you've designed your ideal bathroom, set yourself up with a budget. Make sure to include costs for contractors, electricians and plumbers. If you know the basic cost of things, you can be sure to not get taken advantage of when the time comes for estimates and once the work begins. The next step is to get some information from the experts. Start with online resources like this article then request a free home improvement design and estimate from a local home improvement pro.
A great variety of finishing materials – tiles, fluid glass, marble, wood, terracotta for example offer you a dizzying variety of designing possibilities. However your choose to design your bathroom if should compliment the overall design of the home. A country style bathroom in a contemporary home may not mix so well. Your new bathroom's color palate can go a long way to achieve your design objectives. You can make your bathroom appear wider by painting walls on the opposite side of light colors with a hue of grey. You can also do this for ceilings. You can also use border laid in certain directions to create a similar effect against bright colored tiles and contrasting colors. For smaller bathrooms, you can use light, unsaturated colors to add openness. Bathroom walls decoration of different colors will visually diminish a big bathroom space, making it more cozy. Beige, pink, copper and mahogany tints can create a relaxing bathroom. Brighter colors and hues tend to energize the space if you mainly use the bathroom in the morning.
Before purchasing a new faucet, toilet, vanity, shower, tub etc. Look up pictures and if possible try them out. You will be spending years using these fixtures. It is best to test them first and make sure that they will suit your real bathroom needs. There is not use putting in a spa tub if you really are not going to use it, and is there anything worse then an uncomfortable toilet?
Whatever the size of your particular bathroom undertaking might be, keep in mind that there's probably going to be some degree of a mess and stress. But try to stay focused on the result because it end up being so rewarding and something that you will enjoy for a long time to come.
5 Ways To Brighten Up Your Bedroom, For Free!


EST at, or write us at: Key snac coupon code Possibilities.O.
Are there fees associated with using the Key Possibilities gift card?The maximum value that can be purchased and loaded to a Key Possibilities card for a non-customer is 500 per day.Please dispose of card once card has been used.This card is issued by MetaBank, Member fdic, pursuant to a license from Visa.S.A.KeyBank ATMs, use your card as often as you would like until the balance is depleted or the card expires.This again is dependent upon when you activate gift cards in your sales process.The card carrier of your Key Possibilities gift card will have the denomination.The customer leaves with a zero balance card, and the employee takes the customer's original card with remaining balance.You may inform the merchant of the remaining balance on the card and use another form of payment to pay the difference, subject to the policy of the merchant.Is my Key Possibilities gift card a credit card?Be sure to always be aware of your balance.Distributed and Serviced by Blackhawk Network California, Inc.Featured Merchants, expand to show merchant partners.They go to register #2 and purchase two (2) 50 gift cards, using the gift card of 100 as tender.Other known incidents include "customers" stealing blank cards off display, taking them out of the store, cloning the cards and then returning the original cards to the store.Laundering: An employee rings the purchase of a gift card on register #1 for 100.
Pin numbers protected by scratch off labels deter the card from being manually utilized.
Each time the card is used, the purchase amount is deducted from the available balance.
Shop for Los Angeles Rams fan gear for men, women, and kids, and find just what you need for the Rams fan in your life to show mylar gift wrap sheets their support for the team.Todd Gurley, Robert Quinn, and, jared Goff.There is no better way to gear..
However, arlington housing voucher the Carbonari had its significant words: a Lodge was baracca or a hut; an ordinary meeting was venidita, a sale; an important meeting, alta vendita; God was Grand Master of the Universe.This huge cultural center has been built around former factory buildings.A notable station..


text:
Jackson Blackmon
(born June 18, 2001) is a professional motorcycle road racer currently competing in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship on the Robem Engineering team. Jackson began riding at an early age as his father, Chuck Blackmon, raced professionally in the early 90s and got him a motorcycle at just 7 years old. Blackmon currently has been racing professionally for 4 years and has 14 MotoAmerica podiums including 3 wins between the KTM Cup, Junior Cup, and Twins Cup classes. Jackson was also selected by Yamaha to attend the week-long VR46 Master Camp in Italy 2018 after placing 4th in the KTM Cup Championship the 2017 season. He also has multiple WERA and AMA National Championships including, AMA Moto 3, WERA Formula 2, Yamaha R3 Cup Final, and was the 2015 AMA Youth road racer of the year. On top of that Blackmon hopes to be a championship contender this 2020 Twins Cup Championship.


Tivat – Tourist season 2007 in Tivat is the best ever since the beginning of 1990's. Already now it is hard to find a bed in private accommodation – said on a yesterday's press conference mayor Dragan Kankaras.
Pointing out that the local administration is intensively working to make all other segments, important for a comfortable rest, function well Mayor said that the Communal police since July1st has been working in shifts and that they have put an accent on control of possession of working permits and respect of the level of noise in hospitality facilities.
Municipality has already helped the traffic police with equipment, and the donations have been announced also for the repair of vessels of the section of Maritime police which is in charge of control of aquatorium of Tivat bay.
– The fact that this year too thanks to the action "Make it legal" we have legalized 20% more beds in private accommodation than last year makes us happy. We have issued 192 permits for rent of private accommodation with 1.300 beds, and 13 more demands are in process – pointed out Kankaras adding that communal services are well functioning and that they have no problems with water supply from the well of Plavda.
However, this year too we have difficulties with water supply of the southern part of the Municipality from the well of Toplis which is owned by Budva Hidromont – Merkur so Kankaras announced that the Municipality will enter the procedure of breaking up the contract about the business – technical cooperation with that firm.
Budget of the Municipality of Tivat said the Mayor until June 3rd had the afflux of over 2, 9 millions of euros, which is 77% more that the total planned income for this year because of which in September we will make a rebalance of the budget.
– All incomes are noting growth, and that is mostly seen in taxes on real estate sales for which we got 510.000 of euros in six months. Initially we have planned that during the entire year on behalf of that tax we will get 380.000 euros. that means that the sales of real estates in Tivat for half a year was 51 million of euros which testifies about the great interest of investors for our town – stressed Kankaras adding that the Municipality is intensively working on bringing of new urban plan documents which will create conditions for carrying out of numerous new investments, mostly in the area of tourism. The construction of the first phase of the sewerage system of Tivat he said is going as planned. Mayor announced that in the next few days a tender will be announced for prequalification for the choice of strategic partner with whom the municipality will construct the main bus station.
Mayor Dragan Kankaras said that he does not accept the explanations of Morsko dobro that they are not in charge of control of leasers on some beaches who are violating rules about the beach equipment and the gear which they have on their swimming resorts.
– Such excuses of Morsko dobro I do not accept because they own the shore, they announce tenders and give beaches for lease and then they have to bring them in order, if with nothing else then with a break up of the contract – said Kankaras.