| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
This coming week is the season opener under the lights in Qatar. GO TEAM TEXAS!!! | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Spies was supposed to do better in QP , but his soft tires were not helping him. His bike was moving around a lot, when he was pushing hard , he is not there yet....... MotoGP is a lot harder that WSBK. Hopefully his pace will be better in the race. I think he will score a top 6 Stoner looks like tomorrow's winner, unless he crashes in the warmup lap. | ||
| Jaimec |
I was disappointed to see Ben qualify just outside the Top 10. But good to see both Colin and Nicky up there. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Spies will do better in the race. Top rookie and top satellite rider. | ||
| Aeholton |
Nicky and Ben looked great in Qatar! With Stoner crashing out, Rossi had complete control of race. | ||
| Jaimec |
Three Americans in the Top Ten... and two of them were faster than the Spanish midget. Life is good! Nicky seems to have his mojo back, too! | ||
| Bads1 |
Hope to see more of Nicky. Seems though he was slightly starting to fade the last 2 laps. | ||
| Piotr12 |
What size engines are they running in the Moto2 race that's on Speed right now? Are they 250's? | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Moto2 uses Honda's 4stroke IL4 600cc engines. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
As a Ducati and Stoner fan , I was disappointed by another stupid mistake by Stoner. He was too much stressed , it was obvious when he was fixing his gloves at the start , then a terrible mistake at lap 6 when he was a comfortable #1 , race over..... Great to see Nicky at the top , GP10 is really working great. Good to see Spies have a great race. Generaly it was a very interesting race. #69 Nicky Hayden is back !!!! | ||
| Trojan |
Great race, great result and just as great to see Stoner over extend himself again  Going fast is one thing but going fast and finishing is something else altogether. Also good to see Dovi fighting at the front on the Honda too. It shows that they are doing something right even if Pedrosa is struggling with setup (as he obviously was in the race after a ligtning start). Disappointed to see Kallio fail to finish as I had high hopes for him this year on the 'civilised' Ducati. Next time Mika Moto2 was excellent and certainly the best class to watch this year. Pity the fastest guys took each other out early on, but that is bound to happen in a class with so many riders and such similar lap times. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
I think that after this race , Pedrosa was humiliated by the rest of the field. His prime days in motoGP are nearly over. Moto2 for Pedrosa ??? That Honda was Fast !!! | ||
| Aeholton |
Great race, great result and just as great to see Stoner over extend himself again Going fast is one thing but going fast and finishing is something else altogether. I agree with you. If you notice when Rossi went to the front, he did just enough to keep a 1/2 second gap. When the others would close the gap he would do just enough to pull the gap again. Smart riding...stay out front and keep the rubber side down. Stoner could learn a thing or two about race control from Valentino. | ||
| Gaesati |
it seems to me that kevin schwantz was another go faster and crash exponent but i never hung out to celebrate him crashing. Matt, in some respects, you are a sad man. | ||
| Jaimec |
Dovisioso looked like Max Biaggi during the previous race the way he so easily got by in the straight. Guess he figured out that almost NOBODY outbrakes "The Doctor," though... Even though Nicky didn't podium, I was SO happy to see him not only dicing at the front for the majority of the race, but also so SOUNDLY beating that little midget. | ||
| Trojan |
it seems to me that kevin schwantz was another go faster and crash exponent but i never hung out to celebrate him crashing. Matt, in some respects, you are a sad man. I don't celebrate anyone crashing, but I do like to see Stoner lose, however it comes as long as nobody gets hurt  As Aeholton has already succingtly pointed out, part of the skill in being a consistent winner and worthy world champion is to know how to go just fast enough to beat the others without crashing. Stoner and Lorenzo have yet to learn this art whereas Rossi is the master of it. It isn't the first time that Stoner has thrown away a healthy lead. I think that after this race , Pedrosa was humiliated by the rest of the field. His prime days in motoGP are nearly over. Moto2 for Pedrosa ??? I doubt if Dani will be running at the back for long, and as long as Honda don't lose faith in him I'm sure he will get the bike dialled in and run at the front this season. The question whether he will stay at Honda next year is pretty much out of his hands I think. If Honda can entice Lorenzo or Stoner over to their camp then Pedrosa is history. If they can't replace him with another 'alien' then he will still be there next year. Nobody else looks like breaking into the current top 3 this year and he is still the only other rider to regularly threaten Rossi/Lorenzo/Stoner for race wins. Funnily enough, if Pedrosa went to Moto2 he would probably clean up in every race, as the lighter bikes and spec class motors would suit his riding style and weight advantage very well. | ||
| Jaimec |
With Puig's influence with Honda? Dani's gonna be around for a long time... Unless this is the beginning of the end of Puig's influence. That would be a "Martha Stewart GOOD thing" for MotoGP, I think. As for Stoner, I am reminded of an interview Max Biaggi had last summer in WSBK where he so succinctly put it: "In order to finish first, first you have to finish." | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Stoner lost a race , but he has not lost the title yet. But he will loose it if he keeps being such an idiot. On the other hand he is fast and his riding style and speed are truly superior. Other top riders will also crash in future races , Rossi included. The stupid thing is crashing when you have a 2sec lead and you know that noone can ride at your pace , since you easily passed all the top riders 2 laps ago .......unless Stoner is so scared that Rossi will always match his pace.......but that would mean that Rossi is right behind him , not 2sec behind him , it does not make any sense to me. Stoner needs a psychiatrist........But to be this fast you need to be a bit "crazy". It is amazing for me that people forget to mention Spies name when talking about future factory rides.....What more has this guy have to make to prove himself to these people ?? Spies was the strongest in the race . It was his first race in motoGP. He started 11th and finished 5th, 4sec from Rossi and 16sec ahead of Edwards. I actualy think that he should be named "spiderman" since the way he is all over the bike , it is like watching a spider doing the riding. | ||
| Jaimec |
When Rossi is behind you, no lead is big enough. I can understand Stoner's thinking. Rossi is also known for coming on strong at the END of the race (as Lorenzo did yesterday). Lorenzo really IS "Rossi, Jr." which is probably why Vale is not all that happy with having him on the team... As for Ben, I think Schwantz is right. He will podium this year, and I really believe he will be the first satellite rider to stand on the top step in the 800cc era. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
It seems that Hayden will win a race this season. | ||
| Jaimec |
By the way, Vagelis... it was Spies first MotoGP in 2010, but he's ridden the Suzuki GSVR in three previous races and the YZF-M1 once before in a race so he's actually been in four full races prior to yesterday's race in Qatar. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
OK , but Spies never tested the Suzuki as long as he tested the Yamaha. | ||
| Jaimec |
He actually tested it longer. Remember, he was one of the designated test riders to ride the GSVR at Indianapolis before the first ever race there. He had the two scheduled "Wild Card" rides at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis and an unscheduled ride in Europe when Loris Capirossi was injured. I would point out, however, that Suzuki hasn't produced a competitive MotoGP bike in quite some time... | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Go Nicky!!! Woot Woot! I hope he can be consistent...Spies was phenomenal too! Gonna be a good year to be an American FAN! | ||
| Trojan |
It is amazing for me that people forget to mention Spies name when talking about future factory rides.....What more has this guy have to make to prove himself to these people ?? It isn't a matter of proving himself to anyone, but of too many riders for Yamaha to choose from. The factory Yamaha team already have two of the top 3 riders in the world in their garage, so unless Lorenzo or Rossi decide to move to another factory next year (unlikely given the dominance of the Yamaha M1) there just isn't room to house Ben Spies in the factory team. Yamaha have to give the ride to the best they can get and on previous results, so although Ben is tipped to be a future GP star at the moment the smart money is with Lorenzo & Rossi to stay in the factory team for 2011. I think Yamaha's best course would be to try and keep Spies at Tech 3 for another year in 2011 with a factory bike and team around him (in the same way that Honda has done with Simoncelli this year)rather then risk losing him to the opposition. By 2012 all the current top 4 with the exception of Rossi will probably be in longer term contracts than they currently have, so the only wild card will be what Rossi decides to do in future. One thing is for sure, as long as Rossi wants to continue riding he will be number one at Yamaha. | ||
| Crusty |
One thing is for sure, as long as Rossi wants to continue riding he will be number one at Yamaha. Only as long as he keeps winning. As soon as he starts getting beaten on a weekly basis,then he'll be gone. | ||
| Jaimec |
Unless he catches some debilitating sickness, or is seriously injured I don't see that happening any time soon. | ||
| Trojan |
Only as long as he keeps winning. As soon as he starts getting beaten on a weekly basis,then he'll be gone. I think that is a long way away yet though. Rossi is far more than just another racer, and his personality sells Yamahas probably as much or more than his results do. As one of very few motorcycle racers who is recognised outside of our sport he is worth millions to Yamaha as an ambassador as well as a racer, so even when he is no longer at the top of his game I think he will still be around to promote Yamaha. In the near future I don't see anyone capable of beating Rossi on a regular basis so don't think his job is at risk any time soon. He seems to be th eonly racer that has avoided serious injury adn has an amzing attendance record sinc ehe started in GP racing (He has never missed a single race since he stated in 125GP!). It is always possble that he will suffer injury but he doesn't crash very often so is probably less likely than some other riders to be sidelined through serious injury. | ||
| Davegess |
I agree, Rossi is one of those guys who seems invincible. Like Ago or Hailwood. Age eventually catches up to them but Rossi is still pretty young so I think he as two or three more years at the top. Not that he will win the title every year; just that he will be in the hunt. He may lose his motivation before his skills really go away so that may be the key. Although most guys at his level in any sport want to play so much they will tolerate performing at a lower level just to be out there. | ||
| Gaesati |
I think the watershed age for the top performers in motorcycle road racing is 34. The really fast guys: Doohan, Rainey et al, seem to get hurt at that age or lose motivation shortly after. Stoner's post race comments are interesting: after he apologised to his team for letting them and the factory down he commented that he tried a different riding style to compensate for a series of front end slides and his strategy didn't work. He clearly rides at a level of rider perception and control that i, for one, can barely imagine let alone criticise. It is fantastic to see Hayden gelling with the bike. I think there will be three americans on podiums this year; Nicky, Ben and Colin. |
