| Author | Message | ||
     Vagelis46 |
Trojan , I know that you as a Rossi hyper, fan have difficulties accepting that Rossi cannot match Stoner on the current Duc. So I understand your bitterness and anger. It seems that you are the one that should change sports or pay more attention to what is really happening. You seem to be blind because of this supernatural love for Rossi. Over the past you have made many assumption and statements that proved to be very wrong.(like all of us of course have been wrong). I say this ....This year is not going to be easy for Rossi , unless Ducati produce a motoGP bike like the Japs. Since the 2004 and taking Stoner out of the equation , Ducati had below average results and I strongly think that their bike was the worst in motoGP , including Kawa and Suzuki. Rossi proved that he cannot go fast on the Duc , same as Capirossi, Melandri .... Now that is very disappointing , since he ws supposed to have the abilities and experience to be fast on "bad" bikes that won 3 out of the 6 last races. If Ducati have to make their bike like a M1 , so that Rossi can ride it fast , then that is OK. As Preziosi said , now they are 100% sure that they need to change their design , geometry , chassis rigidity , weight distribution , basically a new design , since Rossi as the most succesful racer ever, was their last chance to finf something . They never made a statement like that before , because Ducati thought that there was something wrong with their riders not being able to develop the bike. Capirex was fired , Melandri was sent to a psychiatrist, and they said a lot of strange things about Stoner's abilities. After this test all it matters to me as a racing fan is : 1. Simoncelli is now as fast as anyone in motoGP. Another top riders in the equation.... 2. Stoner seems very happy to be at Honda , and he seems willing to do long runs , that speaks loads.... 3. Spies is as fast as Lorenzo , so Yamaha is super happy. | ||
| Trojan |
It would be nice for Moto2, however, if the bikes were at LEAST as fast as the Formula Extreme bikes that use a hotter version of the same engine... Kenan Sofuoglu (2010 WSS Champion) reckons they have about the same power as his WSS CBR600 motor but are much lighter, stiffer and harder to set up. However Idon't really think that the speed comes into it when they are all the same engines. The attraction of this series is the close racing and the fact that a rider can win one week and fail to get into the top 20 the next! I think they will get faster and rumour has it that the engine rules will be opened up significantly in future to allow more than one engine manufacturer in the series (much like Moto3 is planned to do). This may end up being a bad thing of course but we'll see... In the meantime Moto2 has been widely judged a huge success this year and is certainly a great successor to 250GP racing  I only hope that other national organisers follow the Spanish and start up national Moto2 series before too long, other wise we will see even more Latin riders and even less UK/US/OZ youngsters coming up through the ranks into MotoGP. | ||
| Jaimec |
I must admit, the Moto2 race in Indy had a certain "NASCAR fascination" in it. Seeing over 40 bikes diving into Turn 1 looked like a recipe for certain disaster. Of course, all the riders made it safely through Turn 1, and the expected pile up occurred at Turn 2. On the other hand, watching races for the crashes is like watching hockey for the fights. I wouldn't mind a "thinner" field... | ||
| Blake |
>>> Your loss unfortunately Blake, as it is by far the most exciting GP class this year andpromises to be even closer next year. The only spec machine/engine series that interest me are those that employ machines/engines that interest me. At least with supersport there are different brands of engine. No Honda spec series will ever likely garner my interest. I could roll 40 marbles down my driveway and be nearly equally entertained. | ||
| Jaimec |
Well, with the engine and tires all being equal it all boils down to the rider, the chassis design, and the support crews. I think that's a fascinating concept but I wouldn't want that to be the basis of too many more classes. Utilizing a spec engine limits engine development so you really aren't going to see anything useful coming out of that area. | ||
| Davegess |
The MotoGP may have been the best race of the season; which is pretty sad really but that Moto2 race was real fun. I don't care if all the bikes have the same engine, they are great fun to watch. 4-5 guys going for the win right to the last turn! cracking good stuff. That is why i watch racing. I like all the cool trick stuff but carbon magnesium unobtainium alloy brakes are not as exciting as two or three excellant riders swapping paint after spending a dozen laps probing each other for weak spots. | ||
| Trojan |
Ditto Dave +1 It is pretty pointless to me to see guys racing at 250mph with million dollar salaries and zillion dollar brakes if the racing is dull as a result because nobody can afford to do it. Good close racing is what people want to watch and Moto2 has delivered that in spades. I am sure that within a couple of years the single engine rule will be replaced with a set of rules to allow various manufacturers such as Moto3 has already outlined, but in the meantime I'm sure we will have more close racing next year in this class. It really doesn't matter to most people who makes the engine either, as everyone has exactly the same. watching races for the crashes is like watching hockey for the fights. I wouldn't mind a "thinner" field... This is what the old 250GP class was like before Aprilia got a stranglehold on the series and genuine privateers wer forced out. 40 riders may be too many and that is being addressed for next year too. the quality of the field will be better next year too and I think that there will be even more riders capable of running at the front, so it will retain the excitement of this year. All we need is more decent UK/US riders in te Moto2 to redress the current Spanish/Italian domination of the smaller classes. bradley Smith and Kev Cochlan will join Scott Redding next year but US involvement is very little indeed with teh exception of Kenny Noyes (who is Spanish based anyway). Hopefully we'll see Josh Herrin and some more US young stars in there soon too. | ||
| Davegess |
Racing these days, and I mean everything from NASCAR and Indycars to our GP and World superbike face a real challenge; the technology is overwhelming the pilots and the tracks. The issue with small MotoGP fields is very much related tot he economy and needs to be addressed. Is the MC market going to recover in another year so we can just hold on or is going to be in the toilet for a while in which case a major change to reduce cost must happen. The old AMA rules from the thirties were enacted because the economy had hit racing so hard. The next issue is the traction control. Really effective TC makes the bikes much easier to ride and reduces the show. If you build the bikes to the highest level of technology available you have to have it. At some point very soon you become like F1, the computer team and the car designer are much more important than the driver. It would be very odd to have the technology on the highest class of racing be less than on street bikes but without some sort of restriction the racing becomes very dull and very few people will want to watch. I don't have a solution, in one direction the racing becomes very high tech with the outcome decided by the computer techs, in the other the technology becomes "old" and the series eventually becomes a glorified video game a bit like NASCAR. A third choice; and I certainly don't know how to make this work, is one that is being pushed by the LeMans folks and some IndyCar people is to write rules to encourage alternative propulsion and turn these top end race series into real experimental vehicles. LeMans is very much about the car and not the driver and has always been so but it has added quite a bit of technical interest of late with the diesels and now hybrids being competitive. Matt is right in that the racing in a MotoGP type series has to be exciting to watch of course if one is to sustain the audience that pays the bills. Blake is right in that spec series tend to become NASCAR like and the machines have older tech than what one can buy for the street. I am happy with this for dirt track racing but for a high end road race series I like some technological innovation also. | ||
| Jaimec |
Rotary engines, anyone? Isn't Norton thinking of entering MotoGP...? | ||
| Trojan |
Maybe the answer is to issue 'spec' ECu's to all teams that have a reduced level of TC etc that is the same for everyone and is is agreed pre-season. It has certainly gone too far when Traction control and other engine electronics are linked to GPS so that they can be mapped to deal with individual bumps on specific circuits, but we will never see TC removed completely that's for sure. Moto2 has shown that a spec ECU works well and keeps the level of electronic 'assistance' to a minimum to enable spectacular racing. You don't have to have a spec engine although this would help as well of course (but would alienate manufacturers). Electronics are obviously here to stay, and those that want a return to fire breathing sideways 990 GP bikes will be disapointed when they see the new 1000cc 2011 bikes in action I think. We just need a way to keep the electronic interference at a set level. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
About the rotary engine....It is suppossed to be bad for rear grip because of the close firing intervals .Some British journos that tested the Norton experienced a lot or rear slide ...... This is what they said .... Electronics or not , the same riders would win. It was proven in F1 as soon as they banned TC. I think if TC is banned , the racing will get worse because the real "pilots" would be unstopable......And the "nasty" accidents would be more frequent , and noone wants that . | ||
| Jaimec |
I would also like to see more exploration into alternative front ends. Remember how well Britton did with his design? Racing can be so conservative sometimes. Even BMW, one of the pioneers of alternative front ends on street bikes, resorted to a "standard" inverted fork on their Superbike. As Warner Wolf would say: "CHANGE THE RULES!" Ban telescopic forks and let's see what happens! | ||
| Vagelis46 |
To get back to the current situation in motoGP....... Ducati must be getting very very nervous and they have a lot of work to do. Rossi asked for major changes as stated by Presiozi , so they have to do them otherwise they might have another 'Melandri' situation . Thinking about the changes they said they have to do , as stated by Preziosi himself: 1. Chassis stifness 2. Geometry 3. Weight distribution This clearly indicates that we are talking about a new motorcycle. I have a feeling the carbonfibre will go , but does this include changing the 90degrees of the engine to lets say something like 72degrees ??? That would be a major change !! It was about time something changed in the way Ducati was making their motoGP bike. After all , if it took Rossi's "mega-size" to shake things up for Ducati , it will be great . I am with Rossi on this one .  Maybe Rossi finished 15th deliberately, just to make sure that Ducati listens to him about a major redesign , and not after a reasonable test , Ducati says "it will take some time for Rossi to adapt to our bike , and then results will come" , which is exactly what they said for Melandri in 2008. Because there is no way that Ducati wants Rossi to fail ... So , Rossi has just started his "revolution" in Ducati. Viva la revolution !!!!  I think it is about time Ducati says goodbye to their 90degrees engines , for their streetbikes too, . Their bikes are too big&long nowdays. (Message edited by vagelis46 on November 14, 2010) | ||
| Trojan |
For those cynics who thought that Rossi was sandbagging on the extent of his shoulder injury this season, here is what hi ssurgeon had to say folloing his surgery yesterday: "The condition of the shoulder was really critical: Valentino really had to be tough to keep racing with that kind of injury,” said the surgeons. “The intervention went well, without any complications. For rehabilitation, you'd usually need 90 days for that kind of injury but we'll do our best in order to meet the requirements of the rider." | ||
| Jaimec |
You beat me to it, Matt... | ||
| Jaimec |
An insightful look into the relationship between Spies and Lorenzo: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Nov/101115a.ht m Bring on 2011! | ||
| Bads1 |
And all that in one week...lol Lets see when the season gets going if that changes.lol | ||
| Trojan |
Very easy to be friendly before the season starts. Lest see how they get on after one of them takes the other out in a race or if Spies starts to be faster than Lorenzo. At the end of the day they are rivals and when the flag drops this is a sport of individuals not a team game, so they don't need to be friends or even on speaking terms to get the job done. Most of the 'deadly rivalries' between riders are actually inventions or exagerations by the media to try and sell papers/internet space and 'big up' the competition when in actual fact most riders get on pretty well away from the track. | ||
| Jaimec |
Rossi and Lorenzo were NEVER friendly, though they hid it well when the cameras were on them (like on the podium). Spies and Mladin were NEVER friendly either. That's why the 2010 Tech3 team seemed so extraordinary. But then, Colin seems to get along with just about everybody (except Toseland... but then they made up by the end of 2009). | ||
| Trojan |
Rotary engines, anyone? Isn't Norton thinking of entering MotoGP...? Norton have asked for an entry for MotoGP but will apparently develop a new 4 cylinder engine and won't use their rotary design, which is a real shame. They did race in a couple of 'wildcard GP' back in the late '80s with their old Rotary but it was never competitive at GP level adn trailed around at the back with Ron Haslam on board if I remember correctly. They are still developing the Rotary engine though and are currently working on a larger capacity version for Superbike racing allegedly. I would love to see more diverse technology such as 'funny front ends' in MotoGP but the teams are the people who are the most conservative simply because they can't afford to risk using new technology unless it is proven to offer a significant advantage over what is on offer already. With sponsors to please and results so important nobody will risk developing new technology for the sake of it any longer (Bring back Elf!). The original FTR Moto2 chassis featured a 'no headstock' frame which allowed more direct airflow into the airbox and which had been tested successfully. When they offered this to the teams in Moto2 it was rejected in favour of the 'traditional' beam frame design not because it didn't work but because it was unproven in competition. Maybe there should be advantages within the rules to running hub centre steering or other 'funny' front ends? Higher fuel capacity or lower overall weight maybe? Rossi and Lorenzo were NEVER friendly, though they hid it well when the cameras were on them (like on the podium). Phil Read and Bill Ivy never spoke to each other after Read 'stole' the 250 title from Ivy when they were at Yamaha together, and there are plenty of examples of team 'mates' who wouldn't give each other the time of day in the past (Carl Fogarty and just about every team mate he ever had for example!). | ||
| Jaimec |
Putting things in perspective: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-this -is-only-a-test | ||
| Jaimec |
Hey, does anyone know if this ever happened? There was a lot of talk about it over the summer... but I haven't heard a THING about it since the season ended in Valencia... | ||
| Amafan |
No it did not happen . They disscussed this on the Wera forum . | ||
| Jaimec |
Got a link? What happened?? | ||
| Trojan |
Suzuki could hardly afford to finish the season, let alone let a bunch of people out on their race bikes at the end of the year I think. They tried to raise their profile (attract more sponsors?) earlier in the year by lapping the isle of Man during TT week and letting James Haydon ride some demo laps on the bike at Brands Hatch at a BSB meeting, but by the end of the year they were set on dropping to one bike in 2011 and keeping a low profile so as not to upset DORNA any further I think. DORNA are still considering legal action against Suzuki for what they see as breach of contract for next season, so the plot thickens. If Dorna are succesful and win big damages from Suzuki we may still see no Suzukis on the grid at all next year. | ||
| Jaimec |
Funny how Suzuki is so successful over here in AMA racing, but nowhere else... | ||
| Vagelis46 |
How was Hopkin's AMA season ??? Injuries , wins , podiums ??? | ||
| Crusty |
Funny how Suzuki is so successful over here in AMA racing, but nowhere else... Yes; isn't it? Maybe the inspectors in other racing series are a little more, um, attentive in their inspections. (Not that Suzuki would ever intentionally cheat; I mean, sometimes, in the rush of assembling a race engine, it's easy for a mechanic to accidentally grab a polished and knife edged crankshaft instead of the stock piece.) | ||
| Jaimec |
Vagelis: I must confess, I wasn't following the season too closely BUT I seem to recall Hopkins didn't get any NEW injuries, but a lot of old injuries kept him from racing many times this year... | ||
| Vagelis46 |
What a wasted huge talent..... |
