| Author | Message | ||
     12r |
MotoGP is hotting up this weekend in Malaysia with the first of three races in three weeks. Only 25 pts separates Hayden and Pedrosa with Rossi a further 13 pts adrift in third. Rossi rates Sepang and Phillip Island amongst his favourites but Hayden finished 2nd in Australia last year and Pedrosa has won at both circuits as well as at the third venue, Motegi. Capirossi and the Bridgstone tyres always go well at Sepang and Motegi, and after the previous round at Brno Ducati will be looking to score maximum points once again at the expense of the top three protagonists. I'm looking foward to some killer racing and I hope that there are no mechanical failures or that anyone gets skittled off. It would be great to see another straight race with these guys. Meantime here's a picture of Hayden and Pedrosa; and no, Dani isn't sitting down   | ||
| Dago |
Well, at least Nicky knows he'll always be able to kick Pedrosa's a$$ off the track. | ||
| Rubberdown |
That must be some weight advantage DP has. | ||
| 12r |
Around 50-60 lbs; a big difference at this level of racing. | ||
| Macbuell |
During one MotoGP broadcast they mentioned that Pedrosa weighed about less than 110 lbs. That dude is tiny. Don't they have regulations regarding weight for the bikes? But you can throw someone on the bike that weighs about two-thirds what the rest of the competition weighs. I wonder if they will regulate total bike plus rider weight one day to try to level that out a bit. Or do they already? (Message edited by MACBuell on September 07, 2006) | ||
| 12r |
This year, MotoGP 4- and 5-cylinder bikes with non-oval pistons must weigh at least 148 kg but next year 5-cylinder bikes must weigh at least 155.5 kg. There's nothing in the regs about minimum rider weight although Pedrosa's perceived advantage is a contentious issue. The 125 cc class has a minimum weight limit of 136 kg including the rider (Message edited by 12r on September 07, 2006) | ||
| Blake |
Pedrosa has trouble at the more physically demanding tracks, so his small size isn't always an advantage. He'll probably bulk up and become stronger as he gets older though. Stoner is also small, right about the same size as Pedrosa. I'm not sure I'd say that Birdgestone always goes well at those circuits. They did well last year for sure with Ducati. Rumor is that Michelin is prepared better for the Asia-Pacific rounds this year. Pedrosa has won everywhere, on 250cc machines though, no? That is very interesting about the 125cc machine+rider weight limit. | ||
| Jscott |
Here's an interesting article about Ilmore's upcomming MotoGP effort. Read Mario Ilien's answer to their first question. I remember a sidebar in Cycle World or MotorCyclist stating the same thing years ago, but for the life of me I can't track down the issue. Interesting stuff. http://www.roadracerx.com/article.php?article_id=117 | ||
| Blake |
Interesting. Reality hits home...
| ||
| Blake |
This one is interesting too... Frankly, I think he's being a little over-optimistic on the chassis issue. How many times have the KR211V team changed chassis this year, 5 times? | ||
| Ceejay |
guess it depends on what you're comparing it too | ||
| Jscott |
"What made you want to get into MotoGP? MI: We’ve been looking at it for many years, because we had once an interest from Harley-Davidson." | ||
| Blake |
Yeah, that was interesting too. Too bad it never transpired. We might have had two or three MotoGP races in North America by now if it had. A couple here and one in Canada maybe? | ||
| 12r |
Update: Capirossi wins free practice 1 Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 2min 1.711 secs 2 Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 2min 2.021 secs 3 Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 2min 2.563 secs 4 John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2min 2.710 secs 5 Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 2min 2.847 secs * 6 Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 2min 2.918 secs 7 Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 2min 2.970 secs 8 Sete Gibernau SPA Ducati Marlboro Team 2min 2.981 secs 9 Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 2min 3.049 secs * 10 Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 2min 3.100 secs 11 Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 2min 3.174 secs * 12 Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 2min 3.355 secs 13 Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 2min 3.418 secs 14 Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2min 3.432 secs 15 Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 2min 3.706 secs 16 Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 2min 3.908 secs 17 Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP 2min 4.706 secs 18 James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 2min 5.403 secs 19 Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP 2min 5.958 secs | ||
| Rocketman |
Blake, to quote from Performance Bike Frames and swingarm are machined from solid aluminium by the team. Having the capability and versatility to make their own chassis allows Team KR to constantly evolve the bike. They're on to frame version seven already this season. I understand this to mean it is an advantage to be able to cut a chassis on a CNC machine in a matter of hours as a bonus. Changing the chassis in Team KR's case is no more involved than any other form of chassis tuning and shouldn't be seen as a disadvantage. For example, they have two ways of running the rear shock. There's the Honda Pro Link set-up they use, or their own configuration of rear shock mount. The Honda system takes 45 minutes for them to change the shock. KR's system takes minutes. I imagine Ilmor will be on the money with Eskil Suter behind the chassis design \ development. He's been around GP racing for many years. Rocket | ||
| Jaimec |
Pedrosa was injured in practice and may miss the next TWO races: http://tinyurl.com/j3kuj | ||
| 99buellx1 |
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| Glitch |
a picture truly is worth a thousand words | ||
| Eboos |
So one handed indian airs have made their way to road racing. Motocross influences are really starting to show. | ||
| 12r |
Maybe another quarter turn on the rebound, Dani | ||
| Macbuell |
WOW, that looks like a nasty highside. That had to hurt. | ||
| Jimidan |
"How long do you think it will take you to catch up, technically, with the leaders? ES: On the chassis side, I think we proved that we are already there. I don’t think we need to catch up. We need to go through testing and build up the correct setup." Maybe we could get these guys to take a quick look at the XBRR...maybe they could offer a few suggestions on how to make it transition a bit better  . jimidan | ||
| Jimidan |
I guess Dani wasn't faster than Nicky on THAT lap...huh? Well, that's racing. jimidan | ||
| Blake |
Just seeing that photo makes my bones ache. That's a tough break for the guy, he was up there still in contention for the championship. The racing won't be as interesting with him out, that's for sure. | ||
| Rocketman |
I agree Blake. It also means that there's more points to be had for Hayden or Rossi without Pedrosa coming between either and taking points off them. Rocket | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Nicky needs to find a way to pick up some speed, or it's going to be more points closing the championship gap. I'm hoping that he gets it figured out on race day.  | ||
| Bdabuell |
just watched that video...holy cr@p that looks like it hurt a lot motogp.com says he's doubtful for Sunday...bummer | ||
| Jaimec |
He participated in today's practice (before the rains fell) but needed help getting on the bike. I guess he feels the chance of getting SOME points is better than getting none at all. Rossi's on the pole, Hayden is in the #2 slot followed by Capirossi. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Nicky was able to find the speed that he had been looking for all weekend. Hopefully he can get a good start and/or hang with Rossi. | ||
| Heads |
Blake. Stoner 58kg 5'7 pedrosa 51kg 5'2 hayden 69kg 5'8 Stoner would seem to be far from close to the same size as Pedrosa cheers jas | ||
| Blake |
For sure, Stoner is a giant compared to Pedrosa. LOL. Thanks for the correction on that.  | ||
| Jaimec |
VALENTINO ROSSI!! What an awesome race! And can you believe that Pedrosa still managed a podium finish with a broken toe and a hunk of meat missing from his knee?? He's made a believer out of me; too bad he races for the Great Satan. Capirossi is another short guy, but unlike Pedrosa, he's built like a bull. Maybe after a few seasons Pedrosa will bulk up too (but then again, with the upcoming 800cc bikes, maybe he won't have to). | ||
| Cyclonemick |
I was stoked that Hayden came in 4th and is still on top. GO USA!!! | ||
| Rubberdown |
Whew! It's gonna be a tight race. Go NH! | ||
| Heads |
Great racing,best season in a lot of years and i think next year will be better  | ||
| Eboos |
As much as I want to see Hayden win the championship this year, I also would like to see Capirossi win one. |
