The MotoGP paddock is still reeling after Joan Mir finally got a legitimate excuse to crash. At the Motegi GP, the gravel-loving Majorcan was beaten by Alex Marquez. Sources close to the Spaniard claim that his record has been destroyed 100% without reason.
what happened?
Joan Mir was minding her own business, going through the dirt like she always does when she hasn’t crashed yet, when she was hit by Alex Marquez’s #73 Gresini Ducati. Mir #36 “Your Company Name Here” Honda’s strong end as a young male singer was at a party held at… (no need to bother finishing this sentence…)
Alex was fined by the stewards panel under Rule MGPCC4: “Driving like a total dick”.
Why is Mir angry?
(See Wikipedia) The former MotoGP champion has crashed out of his own accord in every race and practice session this year and hopes to maintain this perfect record until Valencia.
When asked if Mir was being confrontational on purpose, he said, “No, of course not! The Honda RC213V does not need to be intentionally broken. Even if you’re walking in a straight line, you’ll stop paying attention for a few seconds and the bloody thing will burn you to the spot! I normally wait until lap 2 or 3 of the race, pick a nice slow corner and stop focusing for a moment. Before I knew it, I was happily sleeping in a gravel trap surrounded by seed marshals.
Asked if this wasn’t a tad dangerous, Mir replied: “It’s a safer sight than trying to drive that pile of pockets for 25 laps, who knows what might happen?” With his 40% titanium skeleton you could end up like Crutchlow! He finished the race with a good 40m. Hourly, I’d rather end up on the low side of 2.
What does Alex Marquez think?
He was also angered by the long-term ban he had to face in Australia for the incident. In a post-race interview, the younger and dirtier Marquez brother asked, “Where’s the consistency? I roast the pecans the same way as the Aragonese and I totally freaked out! The crashes were similar to the way the bike gave the victim a hard roger at the rear wheel, until he thought he was a party guest at the man’s house, you know the one! Everyone knows that Mir is going to crash in the next 7 or 8 corners anyway, so who cares if I give him a little helping hand?”
Summary
Mir is absolutely right to be angry. Not even the honorable Marquez brother was shocked. In the unlikely event that Joan completes the race, she may finish as high as 17th. Also, Alex Marquez’s attack robbed Mir of the chance to land in his preferred position. Fortunately, the stewards panel acted decisively to punish Marquez #73. He has to navigate the angry seagull colony that spawns along the lap-long penalty line at Phillip Island.
