| Author | Message | ||
     Trojan |
Yvonne? That is the secret of how DuHamel fitted in so many races over the weekend. He got his dad to stand in for him in the MotoGP race ;) | ||
| Bads1 |
Roger Lee and Duhamel's Qualifying times were pretty close Trojan. Roger Lee is a great rider but Duhamel spanks him in AMA all day. I was there watching and I'd say by the looks of him riding there was more wrong then just him. He was riding a Honda so who ever was going to ride the bike was someone that rides Honda in the AMA. To be honest nobody better.IMO Roger Lee did do better then I thought though. Davies is an incredible rider and deserved the chance. | ||
| Trojan |
I agree that DuHamel is a great rider. I just think it was a wasted opportunity. Miguel knows he isn't going to go into MotoGP and has no incentive to impress the teams that need new blood. He will retire in the next couple of years anyway, so has nothing to prove and no reason to try hard. The bike he rode in the GP is a better overall package than the bike that Roger Hayden rode, even given the problems that Honda have had this year. This has been proven by Melandri and Elias this season so far, so thee are no excuses when it comes to the quality of the ride he was given. I would have liked to see Josh Hayes, Aaron Gobert, Jake Zemke or even James Ellison given the ride rather than DuHamel. All of these riders are still young enough to make an impact in MotoGP. | ||
| Ceejay |
Trojan-oops, I didn't know Yvonn was Miguel's father name and thought you were calling him a skirt the way he was riding around. We often call guys a "Sally" in order to goad them on. Still seems odd that Honda would give him the ride and not some other youngsters unless they wanted him to show how he, and ultimately the AMA, would fare against the top riders. | ||
| Trojan |
Still seems odd that Honda would give him the ride and not some other youngsters unless they wanted him to show how he, and ultimately the AMA, would fare against the top riders. I don't think it was a very well thought out plan to be honest, and if it was to show how the AMA can compete then it backfired unfortunately. To be honest I don't think the AMA has anything to prove to anyone regarding the standard of riders, they just picked the wrong ambassador. Maybe they couldn't get any other riders to ride the bike (although I doubt that). I know that Neil Hodgson actually turned the ride down because he felt that his future lies in Superbikes and that he felt contrctually obliged to Corona Honda for Laguna. A decision that he is likely to regret I think. I really want to see Josh Herrin on a MotoGP bike in the next couple of years, before he gets too comfortable in AMA Superbikes, and feel that he is the best hope for US home grown talent at the moment. He finished a close second to Roger Lee Hayden in Saturday's Supersports rac and already has experience of 250 & 125GP type machines. He can only get better with more experience and I would hate to see him stay in domestic competition for too long.. | ||
| Bads1 |
To be honest I don't think the AMA has anything to prove to anyone regarding the standard of riders, they just picked the wrong ambassador. The reason the riders above were not asked was the contracts they were in would not release them to do so. Speaking to someone in the Yamaha camp told me this while discussing the wild card riders. Zemke.... will see if he's even in a Honda camp this year. Contracts with him and Honda are up this year. We'll see where Zemke go's Like I said Ben Bostrom was asked and Yamaha said No to it. Heard nothing about Hodgson riding the bike at all. | ||
| Macbuell |
What's the story with Ben Spies? I've heard rumblings that he might be headed to MotoGP next year. Is there any truth to it. I'd like to see him make the move. | ||
| Jaimec |
The Roman Emperor agrees with Rossi: http://tinyurl.com/29nrsd I still think MotoGP is a very important testing laboratory for the manufacturers, and limiting the choice of tires to just one manufacturer isn't fair to the others who might also want to take advantage of this environment. So how about this? Every year the tire manufacturers put in their bids for the series. ONE manufacturer will be chosen for each year to supply ALL of the teams. This way, at least from a tire perspective, all of the riders will be on equal footing BUT over the course of several years multiple tire manufacturers get to "play." | ||
| Bads1 |
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=29758 | ||
| Jimidan |
I don't know why everyone wants to see our AMA stars, and future stars leave. I would love to see Josh Herrin take the Yammys to the front of the pack, and maybe even win the thing. It will be a much better show for us if they stay. I guess if you never go to AMA races, and only watch them on TV, it doesn't matter much. But for those of us who like to watch this stuff live, I want to see these guys stay so we can watch them compete. I commend Matt for hanging in there, even after he had seen Paris (the city, not Hilton!). Do you think Spies is too big for MotoGP? The trend is to go to the smaller guys and there are plenty of them coming up from the 250 class. (Message edited by jimidan on July 29, 2007) | ||
| Bads1 |
I don't know if its trend or not but..... Rossi really isn't a small guy at all. The only one that I thought was Jockey like was Pedrosa. | ||
| Jimidan |
So how about this? Every year the tire manufacturers put in their bids for the series. ONE manufacturer will be chosen for each year to supply ALL of the teams. This way, at least from a tire perspective, all of the riders will be on equal footing BUT over the course of several years multiple tire manufacturers get to "play." Why do all of the riders need to be on "equal footing"? It would seem that they are not on equal for many other aspects of racing, why pick on the tires? The current tire rules are crazy, true enough. Let the tire manufacturers play in real time, and tire development will be much more rapid. In racing, the object is to be better than your competitors, which is inherently UNEQUAL, giving your team the advantage and victory. The logic concerning tires used in FIM Superbike is flawed, and I see no reason to spread it to MotoGP or AMA. If they want to muck with something, let them level the playing field with the riders/bike total weight. It should be the total race package that is the most important, which includes equal engine displacement, obtaining the best power delivery characteristics, equal total weight of the bike AND rider, the best suspension that you can get (unequal) and the best tires (unequal) that your sponsoring manufacturer can provide for the conditions. This is the premier prototype class and restrictions should be at a minimum. Tire development should be just as important as any other aspect, and competition should be the determining factor on who gets used by what team. That technology trickles down to the consumer, so it is a win win for us. | ||
| Toona |
I've got a friend that works for Attack Performance / Kawi. In '06 they were running Dunslops. They (the team) felt like they weren't getting the same quality of tires from Dunlop as some of the other teams. This year they opted to switch to Pirelli's. Apparently the switch was worth it, as they took 1st and 2nd at the Daytona 200 this year. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Interesting words, for the tire rules from : 1. Casey Stoner 2. Jeremy Burgess 17 rear dry tires for the weekend are more than enough!!!!! | ||
| Trojan |
Max Biaggi has joined the people who are against the new rules, and he has no axe to grind or anything to gain from supporting or criticising the rules. The rules spoil the racing, simple as that. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Biaggi is a well known, wanger. | ||
| Trojan |
Biaggi is a well known, wanger. Maybe, but it is almost unknown for him to agree with Rossi on any subject. Biaggi is very much a racer in the same vein as Rossi and it must be painful for them to see what is supposed to be the world's premier race series turn into a tyre parade. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
It is Stoner's Ducati doing so well this year and complementing the Bridgestones tires. | ||
| Jaimec |
Is Dunlop packing it in? Amidst all the news regarding King James' switch to the Tech3 Yamaha squad next year is a rumor that he will be on Michelin tires! I'm rather surprised at that. Dunlop RULES AMA Superbike, and this year not only are factory Superbikes more powerful than the 800cc MotoGP bikes, they are heavier to boot. That weight/power combination has to stress the tires pretty hard, so why do you suppose they're having such a tough time in MotoGP? Dunlop isn't even required to obey the same stupid tire rules that limit Bridgestone/Michelin! | ||
| Trojan |
I don't think the decision to pack it in is from Dunlop, rather that the Tech 3 team are frustrated with the slow progress of the Dunlop development. tech 3 have been promised much greater Yamaha factory support for 2008 so it makes sense to change to a more competitive tyre. Hopefully by next year the current tyre debacle will be solved and we will see racers racing each other instead of a tyre endurance test. Lots of people are already writing Toseland off because of his choice of team, but he and his manager are extremely shrewd businessmen and for them to choose Tech 3 over Gresini Honda, D'Antin Ducati and even to continue with Ten Kate/HRC in WSB must mean that they are confident in the package on offer. James has nothing left to prove in WSB and this is a very positive and brave move by him. The situation with Dunlop is indeed very strange, as they not only rule most domestic Superbike championships but also the 250GP class too. I think their problem is due to lack of funding and to having just one team equipped with their tyres in MotoGP. Both Michelin & Bridgestone have a number of teams to develop tyres and give feedback, whereas Dunlop are limited to just two average riders whose experience, feedback and setup skills are inevitably less than the very best riders can offer. This season even the Michelin & Bridgestone have struggled with tyre development so it is really no surprise that Dunlop are having a hard time. Superbike tyres and Moto GP tyres are very different since the introduction of the 800 era, with much higher corner speed and side grip in MotoGP over the 'point & squirt' Superbike style. | ||
| Jaimec |
So who is going to pair with whom? Lorenzo and James on Tech3 bikes with Colin continuing as the Doctor's wingman? Or will Lorenzo be paired with the Doctor (against Rossi's wishes) and Edwards with Toseland? | ||
| Trojan |
The actual team pairing is antones guess, but I would not look for the obvious. Yamaha are locked in a legal battle with the owners of the Gauloise/Fortuna cigarrette brands over there alleged breach of contract when they dropped Gauloises and went to Camel two years ago. This may be solved by running Lorenzo in a separate factory one rider team with Fortuna backing whilst Rossi stays with Fiat in another completely separate outfit. Edwards is the likely candidate to join Toseland although he may be bumped from MotoGP altogether after his relatively poor form recently. Tamada may stay at Tech 3 to satisfy the Japanese home market, although he is a waste of a seat in my opinion and should be put out to pasture. Another name being mentioned is Andrea Dovisio(spelling?) moving up from the 250 class and it would certainly be intereesting to see him and Lorenzo continue to bash fairings on equal machinery  | ||
| Jaimec |
A third team, huh? Well why not... Honda has three teams (not including Team Roberts) so why can't Yamaha? | ||
| Jaimec |
Summer break's over! Back to business in Brno this weekend. | ||
| Jaimec |
Capirossi is exchanging one Australian team mate for another: http://tinyurl.com/2whp37 Suzuki should do well with that pairing, I'd think. Is there anyone on the grid with more experience than Loris? | ||
| Trojan |
I just looked at the results of FP2 from Brno and nearly fell off my chair... Fastest was Sylvain Guintoli in 1'58.3" ahead of Stoner & co! Maybe the thought of losing his job when Toseland arrives has given him a much needed boost! Interestingly, Herve Poncharal (Tech3 Yamaha team boss) says that they are getting top, top factory support (his words) next year for Toseland and that Yamaha will effectively run 4 full factory bikes in 2008 (+ Lorenzo in a separate team?). | ||
| Jaimec |
Guintoli was running on qualifiers but yeah... that was surprising! Who would've thought we'd see a Dunlop shod rider at the top of the practice times? After that you've got four Bridgestone riders before you get to the fastest Michelin rider (the Doctor, of course). Dunlop doesn't have the same constraints as Michelin and Bridgestone. It's surprising they haven't been able to capitalize on that advantage this year. The rumor mill says Tech3 will run Michelins next year. If Yamaha were smart, they'd equip one team with Michelin and the other with Bridgestone (as Honda does now) to see how it plays out in 2008. | ||
| Jaimec |
Stoner's on the pole for Brno, and based on the practices it's going to be another cake walk for him tomorrow. The good news is that Nicky seems to have FINALLY hit his stride, taking the second position on the grid followed by his team mate Pedrosa so unlike the three practice sessions it isn't an entire Bridgestone front row. Hopkins and DePuniet start the second row with Rossi in sixth. | ||
| Jaimec |
It's over. Just cancel the rest of the damn season, give the title to Stoner and deal with the stupid tire issue for 2008. Not even worth watching the remainder of the races. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
'Not even worth watching the remainder of the races.' That is your opinion. I will watch the rest of the season races with a lot of enthusiasm. I am actually riding to San Marino, Italy, next week to watch the MotoGP race live. It seems that Ducati will get their first motoGP title. Well done to Bridgestone. They have done a fantastic job. A few years ago Nakano had a Bridgestone tire explode, now Bridgestones are No1. A couple of seasons ago the Bridgestone riders were fighting for 6th position. Now Bridgestones are No1. Maybe HRC and factory Yamaha will switch to Bridges next year?? Nicky was the 1st Michelin rider. Well done, he is back. I think the most important fight for the rest of the season will be Hayden vs Pedrosa, for the No1 HRC rider. I hope Nicky wins. At last HRC gave him the hardware to fight. Where is Vale?? He was 3rd Michelin rider. Rumours say that he is having personal problems. He was having an affair with a past Miss Italy, that apparently broke up with him, and broke his heart. Also the tax issues are giving him problems. I hope that Vale will be back soon. We need to see him fighting. |
