I am now lost now. What counts as a minor Rossi miracle and what counts as one of his greatest works? The win at Phillip Island after he got a ten-second penalty, the best ride I think I’ve ever seen: his first miracle.The win in South Africa in 2004? A miracle of the first order. The seven in a row at Mugello? All miracles great and small. Where does today’s feat stand? Valentino got on the front row for the first time ever at Aragon with a three-week old broken leg. Just a plain, ordinary every-day miracle.
The only thing that might take the gloss off is that Valentino’s team mate is fastest. Maverick Vinales starts from pole for the second race in a row and with Marc Marquez falling and qualifying in the middle of the second row we may at last be on for the confrontation we’ve been waiting for all year. Given that yesterday was wet and it was cold for FP3, we not have an idea of race form from FP4. And that was hardly conclusive, so we have yet another race where we don’t really know what’s going to happen In other words, it’s just another 2017 MotoGP
That applies particularly to the Ducatis and particularly to the Ducati in seventh. Andrea Dovizioso has been strangely invisible so far. The other Ducati is in second, so bet on Jorge Lorenzo leading. The question is for how long? Certainly as long as he has good grip. But after that?
