| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
House and Ben had no issues developing Superbikes in WSBK and AMA SB... I'm not expecting them to have any problems with Yamaha either. Lorenzo has been pretty much on his own since he joined the Fiat team since his lovely team mate refused to share any data with him... I'm not expecting Yamaha to suddenly fall off the map in the next couple of years. Yamaha will still be developing bikes for "normal sized" riders. Honda's entire development effort has centered around building a bike for their pet midget and normal sized riders have suffered. Rossi developing the Ducati can only be GOOD news for Nicky. | ||
| Trojan |
Lorenzo has been pretty much on his own since he joined the Fiat team since his lovely team mate refused to share any data with him... I'm not expecting Yamaha to suddenly fall off the map in the next couple of years. I don't think they'll suddenly fall off the map either (Honda still managed to win one world championship after Rossi left after all), but I think it will be a gradual decline until 2012. I've been wrong before though.... You have to remember that by the time Lorenzo arrived at Yamaha the bike was pretty much sorted anyway. Neither Lorenzo noe Spies has had to develop a MotoGP bike totally from scratch really yet, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they no longer have a Rossi/Burgess/Furusawa developed bike to fall back on. When the new 1000cc rules come into play in 2012 pretty much everyone will be starting again from scratch so it will be the best development riders who come to the fore first rather than those who simply get on a fully developed bike and can ride fast. Honda will have to develop a bike that can suit a wider range of riders now that they have Stoner on board (who has cost them more than Pedrosa did to employ after all) so they will be pulled in two directions next year. | ||
| Jaimec |
Suppo on one end of the rope, Puig on the other with Dovi in the middle. That alone might make 2011 entertaining... | ||
| Davegess |
If only the racing was as good as the politics ;( | ||
| Jaimec |
Good interview with Ben Spies: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/454/8220/Motorcycle- Article/Ben-Spies-MotoGP-Interview.aspx He says that he gets along very well with Jorge Lorenzo "right now" but even he says we'll see how that goes in six months time... | ||
| Spatten1 |
Great interview with Spies. | ||
| Trojan |
It seems that poor old Randy De Puniet may get shafted because of Dorna politics, and lose his ride at LCR Honda next year despite being the best one of the best Honda riders and best overall privateer (as opposed to factory supported satellite rider as with Spies and Simoncelli) for the majority of the season. Dorna want Tony Elias back in MotoGP (obviously there are not enough Spanish riders in the series already), and as he wants a Honda and not a Ducati (Pramac) it seems that De Puniet may get pushed aside to accomodate Elias at LCR with funding from Dorna as a 'cushion/bribe' to the team. De Puniet even had funding available from Elf apparently but looks almost certain to lose his Honda ride and may not even have a ride at Pramac Ducati to fall back on because they may not run two riders next year. Having already signed perennial backmarker Capirossi for the next 2 years (what!!) Pramac may not have a bike available for another rider even if he is more competitive than Caprossi is likely to be. With the HRC Honda sponsorship situation now sorted (Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Stoner will ALL run Repsol colours from the same gargae next year, which should be fun!) and Ayoama almost certain to be going to the Gresini team to replace Melandri it seems a broken leg is the least of De Puniets worries  http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/5382/de-puniets- manager-denies-talks-so-far-with-pramac-ducati | ||
| Jaimec |
Seems Yamaha wants to extend Spies' contract through 2012 and the introduction of the liter bikes. I'm thinking they won't have a problem... Ben is fiercely loyal to the companies that take care of him. Remember, the only reason he's riding for Yamaha now is because Suzuki was too damned stupid/cheap to sign him themselves... they were always his first choice. Now that Yamaha is taking care of him, it isn't likely he'll be switching brands any time soon. | ||
| Trojan |
Spies (and other riders) may come to regret signing a long term contract with the rules and key figures changing so much over the coming year. The smart money would be for a rolling one year contract with a second year option until the rules settle down in 2013. It would be frustrating for any of the top riders to tied into a long term contract on an uncompetitive bike when the rules change Also Rossi won't be around for much longer so his seat will be up for grabs again before long, leading to another round of mucial chairs at the top (although I suspect that Ducati already have young Scott Redding in mind for their MotoGP team for 2013 if he continues to impress them and the paddock rumour machine is to be believed). (Message edited by trojan on October 21, 2010) | ||
| Vagelis46 |
A Suter-BMW 1000cc will be tested at Valencia by Redding. Sounds interesting !!! | ||
| Trojan |
A Suter-BMW 1000cc will be tested at Valencia by Redding. Redding has signed with Marc VDS racing for 2 more years, which should see him in Moto2 next year and hopefully in MotoGP in 2012 with the new regulations. Suter are ahead of the game in testing their new MotoGP bike for the 1000cc rules although if you read into it I think the bike is actually identical to their Moto2 machine other than the engine. Will be interesting to compare times to the BMW Superbike and the 800's although Redding will probably take a bit of time to get used to the extra power available  | ||
| Jaimec |
Anyone know the weather forecast for Estoril tomorrow? | ||
| Lightstick |
Cool 18°C. High winds. Possible shower in A.M. Look Here: http://www.accuweather.com/en-us/pt/lisboa/estoril /forecast15.aspx | ||
| Trojan |
Well, what started out looking like it would be a great tussle between Rossi and Lorenzo eneded up being yet another dull race for the top two The only part that livened up the procedings was the great battle for 3rd place between Simoncelli and Dovi. Luckily the Moto2 race was once again brilliant and the 125 race packed with more drama than the entire MotoGP season so far! If you only watch the main feature race then you are missing out on the best Interational racing I have seen for many seasons with Moto2 and 125GP. If you want a quick resume of the 125 here it is.... lack of qualifying time left championship leader Marc Marquez down in 11th place on the grid, and he just needed to follow home his main rival Nico Terol to keep his lead going into the final round next week. Race starts and Marquez goes from 11th to 3rd at the first corner almost, with Smith Terol and Marquez opening up a massive lead on the rest of the field. However after just a few laps the race is stopped for rain and it will be a 9 lap dash restart for full points. As the bikes come back around to form up on the grid (most on slick tyres) Marquez crashes on the form up lap causing a lot of damage to his bike. Miraculously, and with a lot of help from other teams/techs in pitlane they get his bike fixed in time to stat from the back of the grid (17th) for the restart. At the first corner he is up to 4th place and within on elap is back to hunting Smith and Terol for the lead. Smith does everything he can to hold marquez back and protect his tem mate but to no avail and marc gets past to challenge Terol. Marquez pit crew hold out signs '2nd OK' to keep him in a safe 2nd place but Marc has other ideas and on the last lap takes the lead to win the race! Breathtaking stuff adn more exciting then all of the MotoGP races this season I shal miss 125 when it is gone | ||
| Vagelis46 |
It seems that since the 2010 title was decided , Lorenzo once again, shows greater speed than Rossi. Rossi cannot match his pace. Of course , the race was interesting , unless you are a Rossi fan. Last 2 races , Lorenzo and Rossi were seperated by large gaps. Rossi is getting older , and he gets slower. Next year the Duc will make his life difficult. Rossi had a magnificent front end save on his M1 , but I do not think he could have done the same on the Duc. I look forward to see Stoner on the Honda , since the Duc was miserable again , and it is destroying Stoner's confidence. There is no margin for error on the Duc , it is dissappointing and sad. | ||
| Trojan |
Rossi is getting older , and he gets slower. What a load of rubbish! Was he slower at Sepang? It was a simple question of Lorenzo having a much better setup for the race than anyone else, simple as that. The Duc wasn't miserable, Stoner was. Hayden managed to keep the Duc upright and would have done better if he had made a different tyre choice. If you think Stoner will stop crashing at Honda cast your mind back to when he first arrived at MotoGP on a Honda and crashed every time he saw a marshall at the side of the track! | ||
| Blake |
I think that when little Casey speeds past pit wall he rightfully becomes distracted as he catches a glimpse of his darling lady. He should tell her to give a wink, wave, and a smile at Lorenzo just before the race.  | ||
| Jaimec |
Keep in mind that Rossi was still miles ahead of the fight for third. In a post race interview, Rossi said that Lorenzo just went with last year's settings since he didn't get any real dry testing done this year. Since Rossi didn't do as well last year, he threw out last year's settings and tried something new. He gambled, and lost. Still, he did a HELL of a lot better than anyone else on the track. Lorenzo and Estoril go together like Stoner and Philip Island, and (until recently) Rossi and Mugello. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Stoner crashed in 2006 because he had to override inferior machinery and it was his rookie year. By tradition all the great riders have many crashes in their first year , just as Lorenzo and Rossi did. This year Stoner has to override the Duc , to keep up with the rest of the top riders&teams . He is always on the limit which means that he is on the knife's edge , either he wins or crashes. I personally do not like this approach , but I respect his raw speed. Hopefully on the Honda , Stoner will ride a bike with higher limits , so that he will not reach the absolute limits of the machine that often. In about 1 week we will have a clear indication of the things to come. Lorenzo proved in the lat 2 races , when he lost the title pressure, why he got the 2010 title. He is just brilliant and super fast. The best rider won in 2010. And he beat Rossi on the same bike. ""What a load of rubbish! Was he slower at Sepang? "" I am surprised you cannot answer this question yourself . Lorenzo was trying to win the title is Sepang so he did not go 100% . And it is clear now that in Japan , as well , Lorenzo was not pushing 100% Rossi is not as fast as he was 5 years ago. It is a normal human thing , and Rossi fans should realise it . | ||
| Bads1 |
Rossi is 31 years old. You think thats old???Sorry I don't agree.lol | ||
| Blake |
I believe Rossi would have won the championship if he'd not been seriously injured. But it's part of the game. Lorenzo won fare and square and deserves all due credit. He's just not better than Rossi, who has been dealing with injury AND a hostile factory since he signed with Ducati for 2011. | ||
| Jaimec |
Well, he brought the "hostile factory" on himself by jumping ship. All because he couldn't get along with Lorenzo and refused to even try. Rossi is great with his team mates as long as they don't pose a threat to his superiority (like Colin Edwards). Nicky Hayden even said back when they were team mates for Honda Rossi got a lot less friendly when Nicky's results started showing improvement. Rossi recognized Lorenzo as a threat even before the latter moved to MotoGP and strongly opposed having Colin moving to Tech3 and getting Lorenzo as a team mate. Lorenzo showed just what a threat he was in that first year by grabbing three consecutive poles right out of the starting gate and three consecutive podiums (including a win in just his third race). No wonder Rossi didn't want him as a team mate! | ||
| Trojan |
By tradition all the great riders have many crashes in their first year , just as Lorenzo and Rossi did. Look back at your history books. Rossi finished a VERY close second in his first 500GP championship year and won it in year 2. Stoner has crashed a lot in every championship he has ridden in and on pretty much every bike he has been given from 125 right up tp MotoGP. He does ride right on (and often over) the very limit all the time and it is not the fault of Ducati of Honda if he falls off (although he is quick to blame everyone but himeself usually). I don't believe Rossi would have beaten Lorenzo to the title this year, even if fully fit, although it would have been a lot closer than it was. Next year is a whole new ball game though and I wouldn't write off Rossi just yet. | ||
| Blake |
>>> Well, he brought the "hostile factory" on himself by jumping ship. You could just as easily say that Yamaha brought it on themselves by failing to honor the contributions and talent of Rossi. The cause is irrelevant to the point that the factory behaved with hostility towards Rossi and surely impeded his performance at the close of the season. That was the point. | ||
| Jaimec |
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Nov/101102smil ingsete.htm Between Lorenzo and Spies, I think Yamaha will be just fine in 2011 even without "The Doctor." | ||
| Blake |
One race does not a champion make. Rossi's beaten Lorenzo just as badly. What's your point? That Lorenzo had a good setup from the prior year and that Rossi tried a new setup that didn't work very well? There was no dry practice. | ||
| Jaimec |
If you've been following the kid's progression, you'd know he's got what it takes. And you're right, one race doesn't... Lorenzo needed 15 races to cement his championship. Estoril was just icing on the cake. | ||
| Blake |
He's a great racer, and I have been an admirer of him for some time. I just don't think he's a better motorcycle racer than Rossi. Nothing this season proved that he is. When Ben beats him next year, then we'll see. | ||
| Jaimec |
Blake, from your mouth to God's ears. I like Ben too... but Ben's first year was nothing compared to Jorge's first year in the class, though granted Jorge got to start on factory equipment from Day 1. | ||
| Davegess |
Lorenzo is very good. He may be better than Rossi at this moment but it will take more than one race to prove that. And it will take a decade before you can say Lorenzo is as good as Rossi has been. That was a good race for third, it is a shame that every week it seems to be the only good race is somewhere in the back. |
