| Author | Message | ||
     12r |
The left-right flick before the finish line (Geert Timmer ?) has seen many dramatic manoeuvres. Edwards crashed there last year, Rossi removed Gibber's mudguard in 2004. Vale dived underneath Barros in 2002 but Biaggi stuffed him in 2001. Schwantz memorably beat Doohan in '93 and Rainey in '90 and '91. If anybody knows which way the corner goes it would be him  | ||
| Jaimec |
"Changing Too Many Things At Once." No, that's not a quote from a prior posting... just a subject header for this thought I had. I'm wondering if Honda and Michelin are experiencing the same problem, and that is changing too many things at once. All bikes in MotoGP were forced to reduce their displacements from 990cc to 800cc. That's a BIG change right there. MOST of the manufacturers pretty much just put the smaller engine inside their existing frames. Honda, on the other hand, decided to build an entirely NEW motorcycle from the ground up around their ALL NEW V-Four (they campaigned a V-5 in the 990cc era). Likewise, Michelin decided to go with a 16" front wheel for the 800cc era, whereas Bridgestone stuck with the 16.5" wheel. Consider that at the beginning of the year the Honda Gresini team was doing better than the Repsol team (Honda Gresini uses Bridgestones, Repsol uses Michelin) and it would seem that maybe the Repsol team had WAY too many changes to deal with so early in the season. Just a thought. I know when debugging a problem it's best to change one thing at a time and not several things at once. This season could be living proof! | ||
| 12r |
The tyres are everything this year and part of the problem is that the 800s have thrown Michelin a curve ball. Last year, Michelin concentrated on a front tyre that was designed to deform under braking and thus improve the contact patch. The 800s are relatively smoother into the corners and the deformable tyre has been a disadvantage. Michelin worked hard at Assen to make a 'stiff' tyre and it seems to have paid off - Rossi running hard through the field, Hayden & Pedrosa up there and even Colin finished in the top 10  Usually, the rider that is leading the series after the next GP (Germany) becomes Champion and unless Stoner has some very bad luck, I think he will take the #1 plate. He has impressed me this year with his mental toughness and his refusal to crack when under pressure from Vale. The new Doohan ? | ||
| Vagelis46 |
I think Michelin knows what they are doing, and still are No1. The reason that Stoner is leading the championship is that (in my opinion) Ducati introduced their 800cc bike with an extra 20-30Hp advantage. Also the first tracks of the season favoured speed, so now Ducati&Stoner are leading the championship. BUT, also Stoner is doing a fantastic job developing and riding the bike to its 100% maximum, so that the GP7 is now competitive at tighter tracks as well. I hope Ducati gets the title this year. If not....They have already made a BIG statement for their technical knowledge and racing experience. Their current success in motoGP is having a big impact in the motorcycle world, and the sales of their bikes are growing strongly..... | ||
| 12r |
Hopper set to join Kawasaki in 2008 http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresul ts/mcn/2007/july/jul9-jul15/jul1007suzukimotogpbos sconfirmshopkinsdeparture/ | ||
| Jaimec |
That's a shocker! The Suzuki is FINALLY competitive, and he's leaving NOW? I heard he's getting a TON of money from Team Green, but still... | ||
| Jaimec |
It'll be Hayden vs. Hayden at Laguna Seca this year! http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Jul/070711a.ht m | ||
| 12r |
The Suzuki is FINALLY competitive, and he's leaving NOW? That's what I thought. Maybe John likes a challenge  | ||
| Jaimec |
Just a reminder to U.S. fans that this Sunday's race will be broadcast on CBS and NOT on SpeedTV. | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for that reminder Jaime! DVR is set. Race airs at noon for central time zone viewers. I wonder if Ben Spies may be heading to MotoGP for Suzuki. | ||
| Jaimec |
That's the rumor: http://tinyurl.com/2h6s8t | ||
| Heads |
MotoGP Free Practice 3 Stoner 1m22.65 Capirossi 1m23.01 Melandri 1m23.17 De Puniet 1m23.20 Checa 1m23.22 Hopkins 1m23.33 Rossi 1m23.34 Edwards 1m23.38 Vermeulen 1m23.40 Hayden 1m23.45 West 1m23.58 Barros 1m23.59 Guintoli 1m23.61 Pedrosa 1m23.65 Fabrizio 1m23.70 Hofmann 1m23.76 Tamada 1m23.80 Nakano 1m23.95 Roberts Ku 1m25.09 | ||
| 12r |
 Not exactly the most interesting race, was it ? | ||
| Macbuell |
I missed most of the race. Can someone tell me what happened to Rossi? | ||
| 12r |
You didn't miss much. Rossi fell off on the fifth lap when trying to overtake RdP for sixth place. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
The race itself (for me) was not very exciting to see but, VERY-VERY important for some points : HRC is BACK. Both Pedrosa and Hayden are on the pace the last 2 races. Probably Laguna is going to be another HRC winning Michelin were KING. Bridgestone riders (except Capirex) chose the wrong tire and had a bad tire performance especially at the end, where Bridges are supposed to be very durable. On the other hand, Capirex said that he risked and chose a tire diffrent that all the others Bridgestones. Rossi made a BIG mistake. If he was more patient, like Hayden and Edwards, he would have been 2nd for sure and closed the gap to Stoner for the title. | ||
| Davegess |
I agree, if Rossi had waited he may well have gained points on Stoner. Rossi is not looking at all unbeatable the last two years. Perhaps with Hayden and Stoner he has two adversaries who do not break down mentally when he tries to push their buttons. When he had to fight Biaggi and Gibeneau he could always seem to force them into mistakes that would turn his edge in riding talent into an insurmountable lead. With the heat it really was all about tire choice. I know Matt does not like the new tire rules but I do. Under the old rules a handful of the top Michelin guys would get a set of race tires produced overnight to give them an impossible advantage on Sunday. Under these new rules everyone has the same ability to select the right or wrong tires and I feel that is part of racing. Strategy is important so I don't feel the rule takes away from the racing at all. Capirex's finish reflects this. if Stoner had picked the same tire he would have been right with Pedrosa the entire race. I suspect that Michelin had info from previous testing and races to support a decision to run a harder tire than the practice sessions would have suggested. The top Michelin guys and Capirex picked the right tire, other did not. | ||
| Trojan |
Not the most exciting race I have watched that's for sure. What did surprise me though was just how fast the Bridgestone tyres went off, and all at the same point in the race. At one point Hayden & Edwards were struggling with Hopkins and Ant West on the Kawasaki, then they just dropped away to nowhere in just one lap and Edwards/Haden were sudenly past Melandri! Capirossi chose a completely different tyre to every other Bridgestone runner and it worked for him, but this time the Michelin riders were flattered once again by the ridiculous tyre rules. If the Bridgestones had held together I think we would have seen just one Michelin rider (Pedrosa) in the top six. I find it less and less entertaining to watch a race knowing that it is going to be decided by tyre rules and fuel economy regulations rather than rider performance on the day. This is a Prototype series and should have as few rules as humanly possible so that we get the very best and the very fastest riders & bikes on the grid. We should either have a one make tyre rule or scrap the tyre restrictions altogether and let technology rule. The only people who suffered (and complained) under the old rules were the teams at the back of the grid. The same teams are still at the back now so nothing has changed really. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing how Roger Lee Hayden and Miguel DuHamel get on at Laguna. Hopefully they will set the cat amongst the pigeons  | ||
| Vagelis46 |
"Capirex's finish reflects this. if Stoner had picked the same tire he would have been right with Pedrosa the entire race." There is a lot of talk about the "new" engine Capirex is using, that is more midrange and ridability but less top end power. Maybe this engine is more friendly to the tires as well ??? Remember the 2-strokes, screamer vs big-bang engines and their effect on tire grip and endurance??? I have read somewhere that the 1st spec engine that Capirex used at Muggelo had ONLY revised cams and fuel&ignition maps but the same firing order as Stoner's(screamer). Now he used a 2nd spec engine. Is this engine a big-bang like the 990cc GP6, that is better in tire endurance? But nevertheless of the engine, Capirex clearly stated that he used a different tire than the rest of the Bridges riders. In this case Stoner's team, made a mistake and paid for it. I see no problem in that. It was really good to see Capirex doing well again, and I liked his interview. For me I think the tire rule is good, and tire choice should be very critical for the race, and showing a rider/team abilities and their riding/technical knowledge. It is not a gamble but, clear judgement and wise choice. That is what FP1, FP2, FP3 exists so that teams can see what tire works best and what tire can manage the 100% distance with no problems. OK, a rider can go for a soft compound, impress everybody at the beginning of the race, and then what??? If the tire is not lasting the full race, he is staying at the bottom. I think this is what he deserves for making a bad choise. What is wrong with that? He can make a wiser choice next time! I think it is good having different people doing well, and not watching a Rossi Vs Stoner battle over and over again. For me that is VERY boring too. I wish Nicky wins in Laguna. That would be a big boost for him. I think he deserves it. Or maybe Edwards wins, he is a rider also deserving a win in his carrer. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
This weekend was the first time I have watched MotoGp on American TV (I usually watch it on SPEED) What do you all think of the differences between American and other broadcasts? | ||
| Davegess |
I lot less excited screaming on from the USA. The SPEED guy is a little hard to take. Schawntz is a little dry but he does know what he is talking about. | ||
| Slaughter |
More Indy news: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Jul/070716c.ht m | ||
| Ceejay |
MotoGP site lists this weekends race being televised by Fox. Can anyone confirm and know the East Coast time? I can't find the info on fox site nor my cable provider nor MotoGP... Thanks! | ||
| Pellis |
Go to your local Fox station web site. WTTG in Washington DC shows a 5pm start time for the MotoGP. | ||
| Macbuell |
I don't care for the CBS guys. Schwantz definitely knows his stuff but he's boring and the other guy is just not very good. I prefer the normal MotoGP guys used on the Speed Broadcasts. Even the AMA announcers used on the Speed Broadcasts are better. | ||
| Blake |
The way Hayden charged from 14th on the grid to 3rd was very impressive. Overcoming broken engines and crashes in practice shows how serious of a competitor Hayden really is. Rossi made a huge mistake. Bummer. I was hoping to see him close on Stoner to make the championship more interesting. Lucky for Rossi, Stoner didn't finish up front, so the damage to Rossi's championship hopes was greatly mitigated. The featherweight Pedrosa surely had an advantage at the Ring. Carrying thirty or forty less pounds surely helps the tire situation in the repeated prolonged cornering there. The optimum telecast announcer combination for me would be Schwantz from CBS along with Spencer (AMA on Speed) or the Aussie from Speed's MotoGP coverage. Not having to listen to the incessant grating blathering of that Brit fellow from Speed's MotoGP coverage is a true blessing for me. I really don't like his commentating, so much so, that I usually turn the sound off to watch the race. | ||
| Macbuell |
Blake, to your point about Pedrosa's weight, why doesn't motoGP and other racing classes regulate rider weight? In horse racing, if you are below a certain weight the jockey has to add weights to his saddle. It would seem that that should be the case for motorcycle racing as well or certain riders will have an unfair advantage based only on their size. There are weight restrictions on the bikes in every class ... why wouldn't there be weight restrictions in the riders as well? By the way, I found the picture of Hayden standing next to Capirossi and Pedrosa on the podium this past weekend very funny. It was like Hayden had just raced a couple of kids he was towering over them so much. | ||
| Jaimec |
Vagelis: The problem with the way the tire rule is written now is that the rider has to decide on what tires he'll use for the weekend BEFORE he ever sets foot on the track! The tires have to be chosen THURSDAY, yet they aren't allowed on the track with the bikes until Friday morning. That IS gambling. It would be better if the tire choices could be locked down after FP1, with FP2 and FP3 used to finalize the available tires (nothing new can be introduced). | ||
| Jimidan |
By the way, I found the picture of Hayden standing next to Capirossi and Pedrosa on the podium this past weekend very funny. It was like Hayden had just raced a couple of kids he was towering over them so much. And remember Nicky is not a large man at 5'8"...those guys are just tiny. I think there should be a total (rider plus bike) weight limit...it is only fair. Honda admittedly developed the new bike for guys the size of Dani, to take advantage of the rule. | ||
| Jimidan |
This weekend was the first time I have watched MotoGp on American TV (I usually watch it on SPEED) What do you all think of the differences between American and other broadcasts? I didn't think it was possible, but the video/audio feed (as supplied by Dorna?) is actually worse quality on the CBS coverage than on that which is carried by SPEED. It is simply awful. I like the CBS teams commentary much better than those on SPEED, but both are terribly inferior to AMA's coverage on SPEED as done by its own techs and commentators. SPEED is first rate with its coverage. Conversely, when I talked to my friend in England about the coverage that he gets of the American MotoGP event, they say the same thing about the poor technical quality of the coverage. It is a looooong way from HDTV. Hmmmm...they obviously are not getting the SPEED version of the coverage. jimidan |
