NOT the MotoGP News: #AustrianGP

Austria! So easily confused by the simple (Americans) for Australia.  Luckily for all of us, its circuits are poles apart.  Phillip Island and the Red Bull Ring are as comparable as Alberto Puig and a beach towel.  You’ll definitely get more out of the towel. It was hot enough and sunny enough to wish you were on a sun lounger contemplating a dip.

Austria is also the home of KTM who either sponsor Just Stop Oil or are sponsored by JSO.  All that orange can’t be a coincidence, can it?  Anyway, it’s their big race and lots of orange-clad fans turn up to be entertained.  And to be honest, the KTM bike is miles better than anything from Japan at the moment.

Talking of primary colours*, Ducati, as ever looked invincible.  Although they only had Pecco on the front row, on pole, there were 7 other Ducatis unlikely to let anyone else win.

Viñales might have been in second place on the grid, but he’s not going to trouble the chequered flag first, is he?  He kinda messed up his start.  Unlike Pecco.  And Brad on his orange machine.  Orange brings us onto Jackeroo Miller.  He had a blow par Silverstone and this weekend things got no better.  At one point someone’s notes read “mobile bollard” (yeah, alright, mine). And he was passed by Fabio Quartararo. He’s a top guy who likes cricket and rugby and that makes him good in our book.  But struggling for the moment.

On the other end of the struggling scale is the faster of the two Marquez brothers, Alex.  Since moving to Gresini away from LCR and Honda, he’s had the best time since he stopped getting his brother’s cast-off girls.  More significantly his dad is now in his garage wearing a Gresini top, and not in the Honda Repsol garage.  Hey Marc; ever heard of the old saying about rats and sinking ships?  To be fair to the over-riding, but no longer caring Honda rider, he did come home with a few points and probably strengthened his commitment not to override the POS. And that’s more than his talented teammate, Mir can say.  Yet again Mir fell off.  Which is either worse or better depending on your point of view than what happened to Oliveira, whose front wheel balance weights fell off.  You can bet that was an awkward conversation in the pit box.

Also having a ‘mare was top Gauloise smoker, Zarco.  Though to be honest he was probably thinking about his decision to sign for LCR and that Honda…… His race was that un-Zarco like he was only just ahead of all round Zen-like Franky.

With 8 laps to go, the race was won easily by Professor Pecco.  Someone described him to us as “Half man, half Gigi” which seems fair enough, though whether it’s a compliment or weird insult, we’re not sure.

Unmentioned all race because sometimes we’re massively forgetful is Bez.  He did nothing wrong and lots right.  He got stuck behind Alex Marquez for way too long, but that wasn’t his fault, more the fault of the over-hearting Michelins.  And our forgetfulness is nothing to do with his riding; one day the guy will be World Champion.  There.  We’ve said it.  He’s also incredibly cool, and very funny in the right way.

*Yes, we know orange isn’t a primary colour……more a strong block colour if we were to channel our inner Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.