(this is from a press release sent out by MotoAmerica this morning)

MotoAmerica has announced its provisional calendar for the 2019 MotoAmerica Series with the 10-round championship set to continue its trend of building the race series through consistency of both location and dates while also tweaking a few things along the way, including the introduction of four two-day events in place of the traditional three-day events.

“We’re happy with our schedule as we enter the fifth year of the MotoAmerica Series,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “I think having the same events return on dates that are the same or very similar to years past brings more stability to the series. Our fans can start to really plan for our events, year to year, based on the consistency of our dates and our racetracks. We are also introducing four two-day events to the schedule in an effort to tighten things up a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing how those evolve. We believe some of our racetracks might do better with a two-day program while others obviously work well for a three-day program because of the number of our fans who go to those events to camp. We only just finished year four and we’re already looking forward to getting to Road Atlanta in April.”

As previously announced, the MotoAmerica Series, which features the Motul Superbike Championship as its headline class, will begin again at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, April 5-7, before heading to Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of The Americas for round two, April 12-14. As has been the case since the series made its debut in 2015, the COTA round will be held in conjunction with the Grand Prix of The Americas. The COTA round is also a Motul Superbike-only round.

From Texas the series will head east to VIRginia International Raceway, May 4-5, for the Championship of Virginia and the first of four two-day events on the schedule. Road America will play host to round four on its traditional date of the first weekend in June, May 31-June 2, followed a few weeks later by the two-day Utah Motorsports Campus round on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, June 15-16. The big change for the UMC round is that MotoAmerica will use the shorter East Course (2.2 miles) rather than the Outer Course (3.048 miles) the series has used in previous years.

“We believe the shorter East Course will provide better viewing for spectators at the Club House and in the paddock area because you can see the entire track,” MotoAmerica Partner Chuck Aksland said. “This will definitely enhance the spectator experience.”

MotoAmerica will venture to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, July 12-14, for what promises to be a weekend to remember with the Monterey Motorcycle Festival featuring MotoAmerica. For the first time in its five-year history of racing on the Monterey Peninsula, MotoAmerica will be a standalone event at the historic racetrack with the weekend to include racing legends, celebrities, vintage racing exhibitions, and a classic motorcycle auction.

“We are pleased to be heading to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a fifth year,” said Rainey. “Since I make my home here, it’s obviously one of my favorites but it is also one of the most popular events on the calendar. We have big plans to make this year’s event a memorable one with a weekend chock-full of activities for our fans.”

The series then takes a one-month summer break before setting up camp at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for a two-day event, August 10-11.

The premier motorcycle road racing championship in the country then heads back east for the final three rounds, beginning at Pittsburgh International Raceway Complex, August 23-25, followed by the two-day New Jersey Motorsports Park round, September 7-8.

The series finale, meanwhile, will again take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, September 20-22.

2019 MotoAmerica Series (Provisional)

• April 5-7 – Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
• April 12-14 – Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas
• May 4-5 – VIRginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia
• May 31-June 2 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
• June 15-16 – Utah Motosports Campus, Grantsville, Utah
• July 12-14 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California
• August 10-11 – Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
• August 23-25 – Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Wampum, Pennsylvania
• September 7-8 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey
• September 20-22 – Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama

About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Nevermind that Marc Marquez clearly broke a simple rule before the race in Argentina even started by riding the wrong direction on the grid.

When Marquez forced Aleix Espargaro off the track in Lap 9, he should have been black flagged immediately. Even for a rider of his skill, there was little chance of a successful pass given the track conditions. Marquez hit Espargaro, plain and simple, and it was entirely due to Marquez being overly aggressive - which has become his thing in the last year.

That contact cost him a position, but what kind of penalty is that for Marquez? Marquez can make up a position in his sleep. He should have been disqualified for causing danger to the life of another racer.

Marquez crashing another racer named Espargaro, in this case Pol, in Moto2 in 2012. (unattributed photo)

What Marquez did to Valentino Rossi in Lap 20 mirrors what he did to Espargaro. Same turn. Same ill-advised attempt to pass. Only this time, he wasn't satisfied with the contact and forced Rossi off the track completely, causing the nine-time-champ to crash in the grass.

When Marquez wasn't black-flagged following that incident, I knew at that moment that MotoGP officials are too weak to do anything about Marquez. The problem is that they may not do anything at all until Marquez puts somebody in the hospital, or worse, kills another rider with his irresponsible behavior on the track.

Penalties are not enough. Marquez should be barred from winning the championship this season. Repsol Honda certainly isn't going to step up and discipline their rider, so MotoGP should take the measure of punishing Marquez.

They won't, though. The four-time reigning champ? They'll do nothing. The penalties inflicted on him on Sunday were barely even slaps on the wrist, costing him points for one race.

Marquez claims he hit a wet patch and locked his front brakes to avoid crashing. That may indeed be the case - the track *was* wet for part of the day, after all. However, Marquez's behavior up to that point was already established as dangerous, if not reckless, and he knew what he was doing when he dived in to go under Rossi. The wet patch is nothing but an excuse.

Marquez's irresponsibility and poor choices on the track are going to get somebody seriously hurt or killed if he's not reined in.

Having said all that, Rossi needs to quit crying about it and remember that he has won MotoGP championships NINE TIMES. He is a world class rider, even if he is past his prime this season. He has been antagonizing Marquez for three years (ever since Rossi bested him by finishing 2nd to Marquez's 3rd in the 2015 season), so it's no surprise that Marquez lashed out like he did. That doesn't excuse Marquez, and I'm not blaming the victim here, but come on, Rossi - man up and complain not to the press, but to MotoGP officials.

I can understand why Rossi refused Marquez's apology after the race, though. I wouldn't have accepted it, either. Marquez has been behaving poorly for more than just this race, and Rossi seems to be the target of his aggression on a number of occasions.

Rossi has already threatened to quit this season if "things don't go well." I never thought I'd hear him say something like that, but he will be 41 years old when his freshly-signed contract extension expires in two years. Maybe he's too old for MotoGP now.

The immediate aftermath of Marquez's behavior in Argentina. (photo by MotoGP)

Both Marquez and Rossi are posing for the cameras now. Maybe their long games are more about legacy and less about racing. It must suck to be Rossi and know that you'll probably never win another championship. It must also suck to be Marquez and know that even with four championships in place, racers like Rossi still don't respect you.

Marquez hasn't been DQ'd since Australia in 2013, when he missed his pit window. As a matter of fact, only two riders have since been DQ'd: Hector Barbera, who earned a DQ in Austria in 2016 and Germany in 2017 for screwing up ride-through penalties, and Alex Rins, who got his DQ in Malaysia in 2017 for not entering pit lane properly after a crash.

Note that these disqualifications - black flags - are all for procedural errors. Until MotoGP starts black flagging riders for overly aggressive and outright dangerous riding, racers like Marquez will continue to escalate, eventually seriously injuring or killing somebody.

Maybe Marquez is simply too young to remember the on-track death of Marco Simoncelli in 2011. Simoncelli was an aggressive rider like Marquez, so maybe Marquez remembers Simoncelli quite well and is hell-bent on emulating every aspect of Simoncelli's career - except for the winning four championships part, at any rate. Simoncelli only ran the top level of MotoGP for two years, but they were controversial years.

To wrap up: Marquez needs to be black flagged until he gets himself under control, and Rossi needs to quit crying and speak to Marquez in the only language he seems to understand - by handing him defeats on the track.

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Tuesday 21 November 2017

The Althea BMW Racing team and its new rider Loris Baz have concluded a two-day test session with positive results. On track at Jerez both today and yesterday, the Italian team made the most of this first opportunity to prepare for the 2018 Superbike world championship.

In dry conditions, Baz rode the BMW S 1000 RR for the first time, building some initial feeling after several seasons spent riding a MotoGP. As this was the Frenchman’s first outing with his new bike, work focusing on his “acclimatisation”, both in the saddle and in the garage, with his new team.

While the technicians worked to adapt the BMW to Loris’ riding style, Baz, in turn, completed 75 laps on day one and 94 today, well aware that the best way to get to grips with his new bike is to clock up the miles. He made good progress over the two days, improving his feeling and confidence and gradually lowering his times lap after lap. His best time set today, a 1.40.468, put him second on the timesheets, a very positive start.

Team Althea BMW is very pleased with the work it has completed this week and will return to Spain for further testing on 4-5 December, at the Cartagena track.

“We've had a very positive test. It was strange at first of course, with a lot of things to get used to, but we’ve worked hard and done a good job I think. I completed many laps, necessary in order to find the right feeling. I really like the bike, particularly the front and the front tyre, while I have more difficulty with the electronics. I am still struggling with the brand new tyre, but we will continue to work on this in future tests. In a race simulation this morning we were pretty fast, in line with the pace seen during the latest Jerez race. So I’m really happy overall and can’t wait for the next sessions.”

“I think these first two days of testing at Jerez have been very positive for our rider, who returns to Superbike after three years in MotoGP, no small challenge. Step by step, Loris has been able to ‘make friends’ with his new bike. He surprised me with regard to his speed and ability to interpret everything we have given him. The team too has worked really well and so I’m pleased. Having such an experienced rider, despite his young age, allows us to work with precision and provide him with the right support. The Kawasakis are still in front, and tomorrow Ducati and Yamaha will be here, so we have to wait and see how things are overall, but I can say that I’m extremely satisfied with this first test.”