| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
Rossi just loves to ride...nothing else can explain this turn of events. | ||
| 46champ |
Isn't Rossi one of the few racers who will ride on the street? Something good should be said about that. | ||
| Crusty |
In the first free practice session, Rossi was 7th fastest. The guy is amazing! | ||
| Jaimec |
Biggest news for us Americans is that Nicky was third fastest, and Ben Spies was faster than either of the Fiat Factory riders!!! http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jul/100716a.ht m | ||
| Amafan |
http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-roge r-lee-hayden-to-replace | ||
| Trojan |
best race of the year so far, and Rossi was superb. Far exceeded most peoples estimation of what he was capable of this weekend and it must have been a great party afterwards  The only thing that p*****d me off was not beating Stoner, but you can't have everything | ||
| Jaimec |
I was more upset that the restart allowed Dani to get his act together. He was definitely faster and more aggressive in part two than he was in part one. | ||
| Gaesati |
Great ride for the "weasel" looks like Lorenzo got bitten. | ||
| Jaimec |
The important question is: Will Tech3 get chassis parity with the factory team for Laguna?? Ben could probably ride that track with his eyes closed but it would help if he were on equal equipment. | ||
| Trojan |
The important question is: Will Tech3 get chassis parity with the factory team for Laguna?? Ben could probably ride that track with his eyes closed but it would help if he were on equal equipment. There was a statement released last week I believe that said both Edwards and Spies would get updated equipment on par with the Fiat team for Laguna. However to be honest the Tech 3 bikes are the same as were used last year to finish first and second in the championship (with further upgrades pre-season) so I think there is more to it than just giving the Tech 3 team the same bikes as Rossi & Lorenzo. It could be engineers, suspension techs, riders or a combination of all of them that is just not getting it just right, but it seems that they are not getting the best out of the bikes they have at the moment and getting new bikes isn't always the answer. Getting what is essentially a new bike for Friday practice doesn't give anyone time to get up to speed and familiar with it so they may be better sticking with what they have with minor upgrades rather than a whole new package (although I don't believe the differences between the two teams bikes are actually that great even now according to sources in MotoGP pitlane) The Fiat bikes have after all been no faster through the speed traps than the Tech 3 bikes all year. Home advantage and a stars and stripes paint job may be more of a boost than new bikes | ||
| Jaimec |
Good. No excuses, then. As for setup, I don't know about Edwards, but Spies and House have been together as long as Rossi and Burgess so they know how the other thinks and what is needed to win. This should be GOOD! | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt, I don't hear all the rumors over here... any idea why Suzuki gets "Special Dispensation" over the other factories competing? | ||
| Jaimec |
 | ||
| 46champ |
Colin should have a side by side that over and under isn't red neck enough. | ||
| Crusty |
I like Spies holding the cone of Soft Serve, and Rossi with the cat in his lap. | ||
| Jaimec |
But what the heck is Jorge holding? | ||
| Trojan |
But what the heck is Jorge holding? Its a bottle of Yamalube oil Presumably to assist Rossi and his 'pussy' cat  | ||
| Jaimec |
Ah. Where I come from, a roll of duct tape would've been more appropriate... Just read that Colin and Ben will be getting "engine upgrades" for Laguna Seca. I'd heard the problem wasn't the engine, but in the year-old CHASSIS that the Tech3 team has in comparison to the Fiat team? Ben usually has higher trap speeds than either of the Fiat riders, so why would he need an engine upgrade?? | ||
| Amafan |
Like I said before trap speeds could be very misleading . In the last two races Spies has said, he has been held up by Marco Melandri,because Melandri's bike is so fast ,but because he was in Melandri's draft his top speed would be higher . Colin Edwards' said in the Cycle News Laguna Seca preview issue , that the Tech3 chassis is 3 years old ,and he and Ben can not get the bike to turn . He also said if ,Ben Spies had a decent chassis he would be on the podium every race . | ||
| Jaimec |
Three years old?? The report was that they have the 2009 chassis which would make it just one year old? | ||
| Jaimec |
I'm still wondering how Suzuki managed to get a "pass" on the "Six Engine" rule. Is it because Dorna doesn't want to lose them too? Why do they get the "Special Treatment?" | ||
| Amafan |
Read the Cycle News interview with Colin Edwards, he said the Tech3 chassis has not changed in his 3 years with the team . | ||
| 46champ |
Kind of explains why Tech3 was so hot to do Moto2 with their own chassis. I think they are using it as a real time R&D program for an in house MotoGP bike with a Yamaha motor. | ||
| Trojan |
Read the Cycle News interview with Colin Edwards, he said the Tech3 chassis has not changed in his 3 years with the team Saying a chassis hasn't changed in 3 years is NOT the same as saying you have a 3 year old chassis. The Yamaha chassis has been the best in the business for a number of years so it is probably because it didn't need changing anyway. The chassis that the Tech 3 teams have were new in 2009 (fact), but that doesn't mean to say they were a new design, or that the Fiat team have anything significantly different. It will be very interesting to see how much faster the Tech 3 guys are if they get the 'new' chassis after Laguna and without the extra speed that home fans and effort gives. I have a feeling that it is a setup issue rather than a chassis issue, and 'pit lane envy' is more common than you woul imagine even in MotoGP. If a rider thinks that his team mate or another team using similar kit has an advantage it eats away at even the best riders confidence (look at Lorenzo last year when he thought Rossi had better equipment). Colin Edwards has also stated recently in an interview that 'Even when I was a factory rider I didn't get factory equipment' which is frankly ludicrous, so there is a certain amount of anger and sour grapes in his recent statements thats for sure. As for the ridiculous situation of Suzuki getting an extra engine allocation: Dorna are simply running scared that Suzuki will leave at the end of 2011 (when their contract expires) so are falling over backwards to keep them in the MotoGP fold. Instead of insisting that they run a satellite team as they have with Yamaha and Honda, they exemp Suzuki and don't put any pressure on them to do the same. Then they exempt Suzuki from the Rookie rules because they don't have a satellite team! Now they exempt them from the engine life rules because 'everyone knew' that they would not last the season with the correct allocation right from last winter! The rules are bent for Suzuki far more than they deserve and they should either fulfil their obligations under the rules or get out like Kawasaki did. (Message edited by trojan on July 22, 2010) | ||
| Blake |
Gossip sucks. | ||
| Jaimec |
Gossip is what you get when facts are few and far between. | ||
| Jaimec |
Speaking of gossip: IF the rumors are true and Rossi is leaving the factory team to jump to Ducati and IF Ben Spies is lined up to replace him on the factory squad THEN it sounds like the factory garage will be more harmonious than it's been since Rossi and Edwards were partnered together: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jul/100722leno notes.htm | ||
| Trojan |
THEN it sounds like the factory garage will be more harmonious than it's been since Rossi and Edwards were partnered together: Always easy to be friendly with a guy you know you can beat. If Spies is installed at Fiat Yamaha on equal equipment adn stated to beat Lorenzo I think the atmosphere would turn slightly more frosty However I think the chemistry at Ducati may get a lot better with Rossi and Hayden together For all the talk of Stoner being 'friendly' towards Hayden it hasn't appears that way this season, with Stoner reverting to type and being a sullen petulent poor loser . | ||
| Davegess |
It is always a surprise to me just how rancorous the relationships between the top riders in MotoGP is. The same is true for the smaller classes and the F1 car guys. With few exceptions most people in the US racing scene are not this bad. New guys get actual useful advice from the old guys. Team mates cooperate. Even heated rivals on the track get along off it, notable exceptions include the current Keslowski - Edwards feud in NASCAR. That one is as ugly as it gets but it is the exception. Montoya has talked about how surprised he was at the help he got early on in his NASCAR career. He was at first suspicious of advice he received; in F1 any advice a rookie would get was likely to be bad. | ||
| Jaimec |
Dave, Guess you weren't familiar with the relationship between the Yoshimura Suzuki team mates of Mat Mladin and Ben Spies in AMA Superbike? Ben and Colin seem to get along just fine on the Tech3 team. Rossi got along well with both Hayden (Repsol Honda) and Edwards (Yamaha Factory Gauloises and Camel sponsorship) although I remember hearing Nicky say that once he started getting more competitive, Rossi got less friendly. OTOH, when Nicky cemented his title in 2006, Rossi was one of the first to go congratulate him so you never know. |
