| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
Matt, Doesn't sound like "lots" of difference between WSBK machines and a "pure race" machine, whatever that means. Lots more is pure racing, engine, wheels, brakes, tires, swingarm, fuel, fuel system, engine management system, seat, ergonomics... when you consider that the street bikes are designed first as racing machines -- if you don't buy that, then ask Ducati, Aprilia, Suzuki, BMW and friends. Racing first, make it into a road bike second. I think what you are saying is that MotoGP allows more flexibility in chassis configuration/adjustment and also that the 800cc rule made the bikes more difficult to ride fast due to less than forgiving power delivery. Ben Spies said much the same as Crutchlow as have other former SBK riders now in MotoGP. My point about Edwards in response to Harlan's comment was that it is unlikely that anyone will step in and instantly go faster than Colin Edwards. Crutchlow sure hasn't. I don't care how old the man is, he remains a very competent MotoGP racer, not one that will be at all easy to beat by any non-factory entry. | ||
| Gaesati |
It's a pity that Edwards wasted so many of his best years trying to ride the Aprilia Cube. If he and Bayliss had stayed in SBK to battle it out for the championship we could have seen some years of truly titanic battles. | ||
| Trojan |
My point about Edwards in response to Harlan's comment was that it is unlikely that anyone will step in and instantly go faster than Colin Edwards. Crutchlow sure hasn't. I don't care how old the man is, he remains a very competent MotoGP racer, not one that will be at all easy to beat by any non-factory entry. I agree that nobody is likely to get a better result than Colin Edwards if suddenly thrust into a MotoGP race at short notice with no practice or testing. That is the main problem with the lack of testing now simply because the bikes are so hard to ride fast without experience of the tyres. However it is a good long term stategy to get a replacement rider on board at every opportunity in order to gain experience for the future. Edwards may be fit to race but that doesn't say he is fit to be competitive or even run full race distance. If I were team manager I would seriously consider making Colin sit at least the Silverstone race out and try and run a rookie just for experience. He may not win but he is guaranteed to score points if he finishes, and will give some valuable testing miles to a prospective rookie for next year  As for the comment that Crutchlow hasn't yet been faster than Edwards........ Have you seen the current MotoGP world championship standings? Crutchlow is 10th on 30 points and Edwards is 13th on 21 points. Crutchlow has outqualified Edwards at almost every GP this year so far I think too | ||
| Trojan |
As an indication of just how injured and off the pace Colin Edwards really is.... FP1 today he is 16th and 5.5 seconds off the front of the field (more than a second off the 15th place man). Edwards only managed to do 13 laps before calling it a day. Crutchlow is 6th and 4.2 seconds faster than Colin. It is about time the medics/organisers put a stop to riders trying to come back too soon and we had contracted replacement riders in place rather than crocked riders trying to make the grid or teams trying to fish around at the last minute for a suitable replacement rider. F1 may be boring but they have this angle covered at least  1 27 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 311.4 2'03.748 2 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 304.6 2'04.407 0.659 / 0.659 3 1 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 305.3 2'04.756 1.008 / 0.349 4 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 302.3 2'04.778 1.030 / 0.022 5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 309.0 2'04.910 1.162 / 0.132 6 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 305.1 2'05.007 1.259 / 0.097 7 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 304.6 2'05.130 1.382 / 0.123 8 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP Ducati 307.9 2'06.158 2.410 / 1.028 9 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 306.7 2'06.274 2.526 / 0.116 10 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 299.1 2'06.573 2.825 / 0.299 11 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 299.5 2'06.774 3.026 / 0.201 12 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 302.0 2'07.075 3.327 / 0.301 13 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 306.9 2'07.459 3.711 / 0.384 14 24 Toni ELIAS SPA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 305.5 2'07.616 3.868 / 0.157 15 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 299.6 2'08.225 4.477 / 0.609 16 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 300.5 2'09.310 5.562 / 1.085 Don't know what Rossi was doing this morning but he didn't even appear on the timing screens for a large part of the session. He won't be pleased with 12th though (unless he was testing something new as he hasn't raced here before?) (Message edited by trojan on June 10, 2011) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Edwards has never won a race in how many years of racing MotoGP? Pretty sad. Tech3 should DEFINITELY have put a young buck on that bike this weekend. What a waste of a ride. | ||
| Blake |
Harlan, Are you in the top ten in your profession worldwide? Every won any kind of world championship? Don't be such a flaming •••••••. Two years ago Edwards finished 5th in MotoGP while riding for a satellite team. | ||
| Crusty |
With a collarbone that was broken in five places last weekend, Colin Edwards qualified eighth among the world's fastest motorcycle racers. Do you really think he doesn't deserve the ride he's got? | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Really happy for Colin !!!!! Big Bravo !! | ||
| Jaimec |
Not bad for an old guy with a busted shoulder!! GO COLIN!! | ||
| Jaimec |
Bautista on the Suzuki beat Rossi??? Man, that's GOTTA hurt!! | ||
| Gaesati |
I bet Colin's in the happy place! | ||
| Trojan |
All the stars aligned for Edwards this weekend! He rode a steady race with the intention of just finishing and was more surprised than anyone when his board went out telling him P3! He certainly benefitted hugely from various crashes and scares that put faster people down and out, but fair play to him he stayed upright and came home in a great position. Cal Crutchlow suffered the usual fate of Brits in MotoGP at their home race, and hicrash in qualifying had a certain inevitability about it unfortunately. Having been comfortably in the top 6 right through free practice I had my heart in my mouth right up until the fateful crash just 2 laps into Qualifying  From tham moment on I lost most of my interest in what turned out to be the dullest GP for many years. Even a rain storm couldn't brighten up a boring procession that was the worst race of the day. I felt sorry for my brother who paid a lot of money to sit in the pouring rain all day to watch that sorry excuse for a GP The 125 and Moto2 races were in comparison pretty exciting and it just goes to show that you need numbers to make a good race. 13 starters for a world championship race is pathetic and pretty much guaranteed to deliver processional boring racing. Rossi never looked like he wanted to be there all weekend and was painfully slow on the Ducati. 6th place certainly wasn't a reflection of his performance. I couldn't bear to watch after a while and with 6 laps to go I switched channels to watch the far more exciting WSS race from Misano. For the first time in many years the F1 race in Canada was more exciting than a MotoGP race (I never thought I would say that again! Well done to Bradley Smith for a great ride from 28th to 2nd in Moto2 | ||
| Gaesati |
Interesting that Stoner had total control of the race from the beginning and Simoncelli and Spies continue their series of unfortunate events. | ||
| Davegess |
First off how where those Hondas so fast in those conditions. Everyone even close to being as fast as them crashed and everyone else ran very slow. Either their traction control program is just about perfect in the wet or those two have moved to a new planet. On Crtuchlow, Julian Ryder sorta predicted it, it said he "would scare everyone but himself" a perfect recipe for a nasty crash. I was waiting for Sico to take someone else out but he just removed himself. | ||
| Trojan |
I think Honda' new 'seamless' gearbox has a lot to do with their increased speed and improved handling (even though Honda down play it all the time). The new gearbox makes it possible to change gear without any sudden weight transfer or upset o the balance, which is even more of a bonus in wet conditions. The Honda was probably the best bike out there by the end of last year and other than the gearbox they haven't changed to much for this season, so have eventually got the hang of the 800 by the look of it! I would think that the Honda 1000 next year will be competitive right from the gun too (much as I hate to see Stoner win races I think it is inevitable for at least a while). Hopefully the other Honda riders at least can make it a closer run affair than it is right now, otherwise it will be a very long boring season | ||
| Blake |
British crow is best boiled?  Colin Edwards is one of the few personalities that makes following MotoGP more fun and interesting.
Care to report the current stats?
Not so much. Edwards qualified ahead of Crutchlow at Rounds 2 and 3, Spain and Portugal. There are no points awarded in MotoGP for qualifying. Points are earned based upon race performance. There have only been two races (Qatar and Estoril) where both Edwards and Crutchlow finished on a running bike. Edwards handily beat Crutchlow in each of those races. At Jerez, Edwards was running a safe 3rd when his bike quit running on the last lap. Crutchlow finished that race in 8th. In contrast, Ben Spies beat Edwards in four of the first six rounds including one podium (3rd place). In the two he didn't he DNF'd. Crutchlow may yet give Colin a run for top Tech 3 finish in the championship, but he is no Ben Spies. Kah-kah? | ||
| Davegess |
Colin is certainly entertain but not exactly "safe for work viewing". He has a colorful speaking style! | ||
| Sidepipe79 |
When asked how he managed to qualify 8th with a broken collarbone Colin's response was simple. "I'm Badass." | ||
| Jaimec |
He was a SCREAM last year at Indy. It was pretty funny when he was complaining of the double standard between him and Rossi ("How come no one gets upset when he says: 'Fack?'"). Cable really needs an uncensored Colin Edwards feed for all of his races... | ||
| Trojan |
At Jerez, Edwards was running a safe 3rd when his bike quit running on the last lap. Crutchlow finished that race in 8th. You conveniently forget that Crutchlow was running ahead of Edwards until he fell. He then remounted to finish 8th Edwards himself admist he was VERY lucky to get a podium at Silverstone. Crutchlow had been significanlt faster than hinm right through Free practice so it is a reasonable bet to assume he would have been quicker in both Qualifying and race if he hadn't had his accident I stick by my point that I would have replaced Edwards at Silverstone with a younger fit rider if the opportunity was there, regardless of the result he managed to salvage. I would also have been looking for a replacement for Crutchlow on Sunday too if possible. Next year Tech 3 will need a new rider to replace Colin, and the sooner they get someone on the bike the better it will be for the team and rider concerned. Crutchlow may yet give Colin a run for top Tech 3 finish in the championship, but he is no Ben Spies. So far this year Ben Spies has been no Ben Spies has he (with the exception of one race). He is on the factory bike so shoul dbeat the Tech 3 bike hjands down if your theory from last year (that the Tech 3 bike is lower spec/slower than the factory Yamaha) is correct? Colin is certainly entertain but not exactly "safe for work viewing". He has a colorful speaking style! Apparently Coin appeared on stage at Silverstone on Saturday evening in an interview with Julian Ryder. he said he had taken 'a couple of painkillers' and had obviously had a drink or two as well. He was very entertaining but most of what he said couldn't be printed afterwards! | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Stoner has taken Honda to a new level. It is not the traction control software, it is not the new gearbox. It is just the fastest and more talented rider , that make the Honda look like a rocket. I was impressed by Dovi. He was very late braking and actually his pace forced Lorenzo and SuperSic to crash. He made a perfect No2 rider's race !!!!! He is steady in getting great results and I think HRC will think about him next year for a new contract. SuperSic has set to ruin his carreer. When will he ever finish on the top 3 ???? Almost took Dovi out again. The Ducati frameless motoGP bike is a total joke. | ||
| Trojan |
SuperSic has set to ruin his carreer. When will he ever finish on the top 3 ???? I seem to remember other new riders doing similar things to Simoncelli when they first arrived in MotoGP....Stoner and Lorenzo spring to mind Dovi is riding well, but has almost zero chance of a Repsol contract next year. He is only on the payroll this year because he managed to invoke a clause in his contract that Honda couldn't wriggle out of (and they tried hard!). Dovi may end up in the Gresini or LCR team next year with Honda support, but I doubt he will be in the factory repsol squad for much longer. Things could change if Pedrosa fails to return I suppose, but I think Simoncelli will be further up the HRC pecking order than Dovi despite his results. The Ducati frameless motoGP bike is a total joke. so far.....nobody said it would be quick or easy to turn around. What it does show is that Stoner may be a very fast and talented racer, but as a development rider left a lot to be desired! The new Ducati 1000 has a completely new rear suspension/swingarm that has eliminated the pumping problems that Hayden and complained about for 2 years. Unfortunately it is not possible to transfer this onto the existing bike. If Ducati have any sense they will stop even trying to develop the current bike and concentrate on next years machine. | ||
| Jaimec |
I think Ducati feels the need to give Vale a bike he can at least podium with this year... they spent enough for his services after all. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
More lies from Ducati for their 1000cc machine that is supposed to be sorted. They are trying to buy time for the launch of their frameless street bike. Even if they have sorted the 1000cc motorcycle , will ROssi have the mental streanght to ride it to the maximum or he will be already broken ???? Ducati is reminding me of H-D at the moment....... Just happy enough to sell clothes based on their "pedigree" | ||
| Trojan |
You forget that Honda have had huge problems and taken 4 years to get a competitive 800cc MotoGP bike. During that time nobody said Honda were finished or that they were a joke. They just carried on development until they got the current RC212V sorted last year (before Stoner arived). Ducati will not give up and go home, and will get the bike sorted and competitive either this season or more prbably next year. Then we'll see if Rossi still has the mental strength to give Stoner a good thrashing | ||
| Paint_shaker |
There was a replay of Simoncelli's crash from a side angle. He did not almost take Doviso out. Wasn't even close. Was Simincello riding hard? Yes. A bit too hard for the conditions? Obviously because he crashed. Pretty simular to Stoner from a few years ago; Fast until he crashed. But hey, without arm-chair racing/commentary this section of the forum would probably be pretty boring... Carry on. | ||
| Svh |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqTMPwjqR8 Not safe for work for sure. Very funny. Especially when he gets to Crutchlow's wife Lucy. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Wow...the "actual" international level racer with expert knowledge have just made a comment just to give extra credit to this section of the forum. Please keep this going and enlighten the world. Rossi qualified 3.5 sec slower that the pole position in the UK round. That was his worst ever result in his carreer, according to the Italian press. What is the problem since his shoulder is OK now ???? When will the bike get sorted ???? There is a fundamental design flaw with the Duc . The moto2 class is basically a class for prototype chassis design , and noone is running a frameless motorcycle. But I guess everyone are just idiots that just did not think of this idea. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Moriwaki, Suter, etc, etc are all idiots. R.I.P Ducati  | ||
| Blake |
Dude, what's up with the Ducati and Rossi hate??? The man is unbreakable. No champion of his caliber is breakable. I guess you could likewise say that all the other manufacturers are idiots for not coming up with the Honda transmission idea too. But it turns out that it works very well. You might want to wait until next year to decide about the Ducati 1000cc machine. | ||
| Trojan |
There is a fundamental design flaw with the Duc . The moto2 class is basically a class for prototype chassis design , and noone is running a frameless motorcycle. But I guess everyone are just idiots that just did not think of this idea. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Moriwaki, Suter, etc, etc are all idiots. There is one very good reason why the Moto2 bikes all look 'conventional' and it has nothing to do with design. FTR and Harris both built shassis that did not have a conventional headstock design for mOto2, but the teams didn't want them. They ALL wanted a bike that they could be competitive on straight away without any development work, simply becaseu they have sponsors to please and need insatnt results. Both FTR and Harris had to radically later their chassis design in order to make it more like a CBR600 just to please theteam bosses and sponsors. The technology is there to make a frameless motorcycle or use a monocoque frame (Norton did in it 1972!) but conservative approaches by teams and riders are the big stumbling block. Vyrus (The most innovative motorcycle for years) will run their new hub centre steered bike in the Italian Moto2 championship this year and I hope they can make it work and convince a few more people that you don't have to follow like sheep all the time and to try taking a design risk occasionally Rossi qualified 3.5 sec slower that the pole position in the UK round. That was his worst ever result in his carreer, according to the Italian press. What is the problem since his shoulder is OK now ???? When will the bike get sorted ???? The problem at Silverstone was tyre temperature (or lack of!) which affected the Ducatis far more than the other bikes for some reason. If someone as good as Rossi says that every lap was like an out lap and the bike had no feel or confidence then I would tend to believe him. Crutchlow also commented (from his hospital bed) that the tyres need to be changed toget up to temperature faster and retain temperature easier, as cold tyres is the cause of most crashes recently, including both is and Edwards in France. This was also the cause of Lorenzo, Spies and Simoncellis crashes last weekend. |
